Actually …

– Chris Lang

When the score is 59-3 midway through the third quarter, it’s easy to find time to post. First off, I’d like to see St. Francis face Division III power Bridgewater. My money is on Bridgewater. Second off, Liberty came out and did exactly what linebacker Stevie Ray Lloyd said the team wanted to do earlier this week: The Flames exploded, making big plays on offense, defense and special teams.

Liberty looked, dare I say, feisty.

I guess that’s what a humbling loss on the road the week before will do to a team.

Liberty-St. Francis pregame

– Chris Lang

I figured the Liberty bandwagon was going to be a little leaky after the ugly loss at Elon last week. Then I showed up to campus, and it took me a good 15 minutes to get to my parking spot. People were tailgating as usual, and there’s probably already a thousand or so fans at the stadium 80 minutes before kickoff. To me, that shows the athletics department’s goal has been met. Football has become an event at Liberty, not one that’s necessarily tied to wins and losses.

To get an understanding of how weak of an opponent LU is playing tonight, you have to look at the score of the Robert Morris-VMI game earlier today from Coraopolis, Pa. The Keydets won 40-13. So what is potentially the worst full-scholarship program in the country went on the road and beat a Northeast Conference favorite by 27. That same Robert Morris team beat St. Francis 28-14 two weeks ago.

So this shouldn’t be real competitive here tonight. In fact, I’ve seen more competitive games of cornhole in the parking lot than what I expect to see here tonight.

Just for fun:

If anybody has a t-shirt from the Carson Palmer Cornhole Classic, they should forward it to the N&A office.

Back to predictions tonight from here and the rest of the Big South …

* Liberty 48, St. Francis 6. LU’s first two games against DII teams were tougher tests

* Gardner-Webb 23, Austin Peay 10. The Govs, in their first year back in scholarship football, are off to a 3-1 start. But GWU has played well lately and performs well at home.

* North Greenville 22, Charleston Southern 17. CSU should be embarrassed that it’s playing a Division II team on the road. Plus, the Hawaii hangover will hit the Bucs tonight.

– Also, this will probably be the last post from this game tonight. Deadline issues for the print edition make it difficult to update from 7 p.m. games.

VT-UNC halftime update

Sorry for no pre-game notes. Got stuck in traffic before the game and couldn’t pass up the pre-game meal. It was barbecue. It’s always barbecue.

I need a nap. Really. I was hoping for an interesting game between North Carolina and Virginia Tech, but so far it’s a yawner. Tech leads 7-3.
Same old story. Virginia Tech’s offense can’t do much of anything. The Hokies got off to a fast start with a touchdown on its first possession, but after that, they’ve done nothing.

Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor is dancing a lot in the backfield. The offensive line hasn’t given him much protection. Taylor’s scrambling ability has helped him avoid more than one sack, but he’s not getting off very good throws.

He threw a ball high to tight end Sam Wheeler early in the second quarter that free safety Deunta Williams intercepted. The Tar Heels turned that pick into their only points, a 32-yard Connor Barth field goal.

One encouraging note. The Hokies rushed for 114 yards in the first half, more than their season average for an entire game. There’s a caveat. Sixty-three of those yards came on the very first play, an Eddie Royal reverse run. Tech had 112 rushing yards in the first quarter and only two in the second.

The Hokies’ defense is playing well as usual. They might need a touchdown or two from the defense or special teams to pull this one out.

LU loses Hursky

– Chris Lang

Liberty lost starting Mike linebacker Nick Hursky to a knee injury at the end of Wednesday’s practice. He’ll be out for at least a month. For more on this story, read tomorrow’s News & Advance.

So what’s a St. Francis, anyway?

– Chris Lang

Liberty will look to get back on track this week on a relative unknown opponent in FCS circles, St. Francis (Pa.). Flames basketball fans may remember the Red Flash as the team former LU guard Dwight Brewington made his debut against last December in Loretto, Pa. (Best part of that trip: Checking out the Altoona Curve’s downtown stadium. Nice move up for Hillcats players when they get called up.)

St. Francis has one of the coolest helmets I’ve ever seen:

The helmets are to the old San Diego Chargers helmets what the emperor’s guards were to the storm troopers in Return of the Jedi:

Well, now that we’ve got that bit of dorkiness is out of the way …

On to the Flash, who have never beaten a full-scholarship FCS team and is 13-64 since 2000. A player worth watching is reciever Antoine Rivera, who has broken the 100-yard mark in both of St. Francis’ games this season. He caught eight passes for 169 yards in a 21-14 loss to Morehead State and seven for 119 yards in a 28-14 loss at Robert Morris.

So, Liberty’s downtrodden pass defense will face another challenge this week.

Elon 42, Liberty 14

– Chris Lang

Not much to say here other than this was probably the first true “embarrassing” moment of the Danny Rocco regime at Liberty. The Flames were never in this game. Look for stories in tomorrow’s News & Advance on the Flames’ continued struggles on defense, Brock Smith’s issues at QB and the lack of touches for Liberty’s Zach Terrell, along with other assorted notes.

Halftime: VT 41, W&M 3

I think the spread for this game was 100, and it looks like the Hokies will cover.

A few quick observations …

*Tech’s offense still doesn’t look that great. The offensive line is getting manhandled by William & Mary’s defensive front, which couldn’t muster much of a pass rush last week against Liberty. The Tribe had no sacks last week, and they already have two against the Hokies.

*Tyrod Taylor struggled passing the ball. His most successful throws were screen passes to running back Branden Ore. He did throw his first career touchdown pass in the second quarter, a 34-yard strike to Ore to make the score 41-3.

I don’t know how much the kid will play in the second half. This game is already out of hand, but I’m sure the coaching staff would like to see him get a few more passes under his belt before next week’s ACC opener.

*The Hokies’ first-team defense is strong, but most of the starters were out of the game by the end of the first quarter. The second-team defense gave up a few big passes by W&M quarterback Jake Phillips during the Tribe’s only first-half scoring drive. Phillips completed 5 of 8 passes for 98 yards during the drive.

*Ore doesn’t quite look like himself. He may be struggling with the sore ribs he suffered in last week’s game. He has only 33 yards on 10 carries. His backup, Kenny Lewis, had a strong first half with 44 yards and a touchdown on seven carries (6.3 average).

Halftime: Elon 28, Liberty 0

– Chris Lang

Shows what I know about prognosticating. Liberty is getting embarrassed here, probably for the first time in the Danny Rocco era.

Halftime thoughts:

* Kent Hicks is a liability for this team. Physically, he matches up with Elon receiver Terrell Hudgins, who is 6-foot-2. But Rocco doesn’t seem to trust Hicks, leaving the 5-9 Pat Calvary on Hudgins instead. It’s a huge mismatch, and it’s one Elon has exploited. Hudgins has 10 catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Calvary has no chance.

* Brock Smith looks awful. He’s playing with no confidence. He’s overthrowing receivers, trying to force balls into tight spots. Two passes have nearly been intercepted. Liberty is luck it’s not down 42-0 right now. The Flames have completely abandoned the run. Is Spencer Landis the answer? Mike Brown? Who knows. But Smith is 7-for-20 for 62 yards at halftime, and he has no command of this offense whatsoever.

* The defense again has been shredded. Elon has 356 yards of total offense at halftime. Mind you, this is a team that was 5-6 last season and is starting a true freshman at quarterback, one who has had enough time to pour a Guinness in the backfield and wait for the head to settle before taking a sip. No pass rush, no chance. Just like last week. Maybe W&M’s Jake Phillips isn’t as good as I thought. Liberty’s defense is playing that bad. Then again, when your offense can’t stay on the field and Elon holds a 2-to-1 time of possession advantage, maybe all the blame shouldn’t be placed on the defense.

Halftime: Virginia 21, Georgia Tech 17

– Andy Bitter 

Let me make it clear that my pre-game prediction was for the halftime score, not the final score. Now you can see why I don’t bet on sports.

– First of all, wow to all the offense. I was expecting a defensive slobber knocker, not a track meet. Jameel Sewell has looked as good as he has all year. His throws have been on the money and he’s hurting Georgia Tech with his mobility. He’s 9 of 13 for 125 yards throwing and also ran for a touchdown.

 – Nice call by me on how the tight ends might not have a big day, by the way. Virginia’s first half tight end totals: 9 catches for 146 yards. My bad.

– The Cavaliers’ receivers have left a lot to be desired. Staton Jobe dropped a pass that would have gone for 12 yards. Virginia’s first half wide receiver totals: 0 receptions, 0 yards, 1 drop.

– UVa went with Peter Lalich at quarterback for a couple of series in the second quarter and had two three-and-outs. He also took two good shots from Georgia Tech’s blitz-crazy defense.

Sewell, meanwhile, engineered two scoring drives of 60 yards or longer. I doubt if Lalich gets much playing time in the second half.

– Jeffrey Fitzgerald has a nose for the ball — what else can you say. The defensive end was just standing behind the play and had a ball drop into his arms for an interception that he returned 25 yards for a touchdown. That’s two interceptions for him this year and four for his career.

Here’s a great stat: UVa’s defensive ends have three interceptions this season. Its defensive backfield has zero.

– Rough first half for the secondary. Georgia Tech QB Taylor Bennett has looked pretty good, avoiding the Cavaliers’ pressure for the most part and finding the open man. This was especially true when he took the Yellow Jackets 65 yards in a minute and a half to get a field goal before halftime.

– UVa has gotten nothing from its punt return with Vic Hall back there. He fumbled one, giving GT great field position that set up a touchdown. One he fair caught at the 6. He looked like he got a mini-lecture from Al Groh on the sideline after that. Another, he let go and Georgia Tech downed it at the 1-yard line.

Maybe Andrew Pearman will take over punt return duties in the second half.

– The first half took nearly two hours, thanks to three replay reviews, a bunch of stoppages and both coaches feeling obligated to use all three of their timeouts in succession in the final minute.

We’re shooting for a three-hour second half. Hopefully I’ll still be able to make deadline.

VT-W&M pregame

It’s hard to believe this press box was full of reporters only three weeks ago for Tech’s emotional opener against East Carolina. It’s kind of subdued in here, more so than it was last week for the Ohio game. I see the usual crowd, reporters from most of the Virginia newspapers, but no national media types at all.

Guess that means this isn’t a very big game. That’s a no-brainer. I checked out Sheridan’s odds on USA Today’s Web site, and the Tech-W&M game isn’t even listed. Everybody’s expecting a blowout.

William & Mary could very well just be a punching bag for Virginia Tech in preparation for next week’s ACC opener against North Carolina, and while the Hokies are wary of an upset (Appalachian State put the fear into every major Division I coach), they know they’re quite capable of dominating the Tribe in this game. I would think that’s actually what Tech wants, though Frank Beamer doesn’t want to run up the score on his buddy Jimmye Laycock.

The Hokies could put up a lot of points on W&M’s weak defense, but I have a feeling Beamer will call off the dogs in the third quarter. Then again, Tech needs as much work as it can get, particularly on offense, before the tough ACC stretch comes. So maybe we’ll see Tyrod Taylor play into the fourth quarter.

Some interesting factoids about the Virginia Tech-William & Mary series …

** The series dates back to 1904, and the teams played 41 straight years until 1985. They haven’t played since.

** Both teams were members of the Southern Conference from 1936-64. Virginia Tech was one of the charter members of the SoCon, along with a ton of notable SEC and ACC schools, including Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Virginia. Washington & Lee was also a charter member of the SoCon. W&M didn’t join the conference until 36 and it was a member until 77.

** Both coaches in today’s game played in the series. Laycocke was a defensive back and quarterback for the Tribe from 1966-69. Beamer was a defensive back at Tech from 66-68.

“Back when I was playing here, that was one of the games that was on the schedule just about every year, I think. It was a close game, and the programs weren’t in two divisions like they are now. But of course, when I played, VMI was kind of the key game, too,” Beamer said.

** Tech rovers and whips coach Jim Cavanaugh played for W&M in the late 60s as well. He caught nine passes for 110 yards in the Tribe’s 31-7 loss in 1967.

** The first-ever varsity game at Lane Stadium on Oct. 2, 1965 pitted the Hokies against the Tribe. Tech won 9-7. Lynchburg native Andy Bowling also played in that game.