The Flames will make their FCS Playoff debut Saturday, November 29th at James Madison. The game is scheduled for 4pm in Harrisonburg, VA.
JMU got an at-large selection out of the CAA. The Dukes are 9-3 on the season and finished 6-2 in CAA play, and have won 7 straight including a 55-20 win over Richmond a couple weeks ago.
The Flames and Dukes are no strangers on the football field, having met 17 previous times. The most recent meeting was in 2011 in Lynchburg with JMU winning 27-24. The Dukes have won 6 straight meetings against the Flames.
The winner will move on to face #6 Villanova.
Liberty is taking the path that it should on its journey to the next level – It’s earning its way.
The finances and facilities are important but they are only parts of the equation. The key element is performance on the field. That is what will change minds.
Personally, I don’t care about “respect.” What is that, a favorable opinion by others? That changes with the wind. If that’s what Flame fans pin their happiness to then they will be very disappointed.
What I care about is God’s plan, his mission. Does LU exist simply to exist or does it exist for a higher purpose? I say the latter. When Turner Gill says, “To God be the glory!” I think he means it. It’s not a cliché. He is expressing what’s in my heart and the hearts of many LU supporters. This institution of learning stands for something different and special compared with most other schools. It stands for a group of people coming together to honor God and preparing to do his will in the world. Yes, LU is easily mocked but it can’t be easily ignored when combined with excellence.
‘Excellence’ is the best remedy for bias or prejudice. Earning your way, working for what you have, that’s the path that God blesses and reasonable people respect.
This team has already slayed its share of giants…..preseason questions/concerns about replacing an injured starting RB, filling holes in the OL, WRs who drop balls, reliability at K, inexperience at DB…. And then comes the biggest challenge, defeating the #1 ranked, undefeated team on the road with an untested freshman QB in order to win the conference championship and make the playoffs. Fan polls had it running 88% CCU and 12% LU.
THUD! Another giant falls!
Offense, Defense, Special Teams, coaching….they are talented and battle-tested. They are confident in themselves and they should be. This team can do it. They can beat JMU. They can beat Villanova. They can win it all.
Will they? Who knows, but it is a remarkable testament that they got to the position where they can try.
So….#BeatJMU! and #ToGodbetheglory!