The Montana Grizzlies have played in hostile FCS environments on the road before, even in recent years. Montana played at Applachian State in 2012 and at North Dakota State in 2014 with a few trips to FBS schools like Tennessee and Wyoming popping up on the schedule over the last handful of seasons.
For first-year head coach Bob Stitt, Montana’s trip to Lynchburg, Virginia to take on No. 15 Liberty on Saturday will mark his first traveling to a raucous road venue. Stitt has led UM to a 1-1 record thus far, including a 38-35 win over former No. 1 North Dakota State and a last-second 20-19 loss in Missoula to No. 17 Cal Poly.
Griz defense celebrates Kendrick Van Ackeren TFL
Liberty drew 18,803 for its home opener. Last fall, Liberty averaged 17,106 fans during six home games, ranking behind just Montana (23,777), James Madison (19,816), North Dakota State (18,571) and Montana State (17,056). Williams Stadium is currently in the first of three phases of renovation that will push the stadium to a capacity of 30,000 by next fall.
Montana’s brutal non-conference schedule doesn’t get any easier a week before the Grizzlies embark on Big Sky Conference play. The Flames have shared the Big South Conference title with Coastal Carolina each of the last two seasons and won a game in the first round of the FCS playoffs last season. Liberty defeated in-state rival James Madison 26-21 in Harrisonburg, Virginia to advance to the second round. The Flames fell to No. 5 Villanova in Philadelphia 29-22 to cap a 9-4 campaign.
Liberty is 1-1 this season, including a 31-13 win over Delaware State to open the season. Last week, Liberty fell to West Virginia of the Big XII, 41-17.
QUICK HITS
Location: Lynchburg, Virginia
Nickname: Flames
Founded: 1971. Liberty is the largest private, non-profit Christian school in the country. When including those taking its online courses, Liberty is the largest Evangelical Christian university in the world. Liberty offers 148 residential and online undergraduate programs and among those offered are Aeronautics, Philosophy of Religion, English, Worship & Music Studies, Business, Criminal Justice, Education, Nursing, School of Engineering and Computational Sciences, and Theological Seminary. Liberty also offers 87 graduate programs and 11 doctoral programs within the residential and online programs.
Enrollment: The school has 13,800 residential students and more than 100,000 online. The school has a $102 million endowment.
Stadium: Williams Stadium. Built in 1989, the 19,200-seat venue is named for Arthur L. Williams, Jr., a major contributor to the university. In 2009, former president Jerry Falwell announced a three-phase addition project for the stadium that included increasing the stadium by 12,000 seats to 30,000 seats by 2015 or 2016. The first phase of the construction included a five story press box and expanded the stadium by 7,200 seats. The estimated cost for the first phase of the project was $18 million. The new press tower was ready for Liberty’s Oct. 2, 2010 home game against Savannah State, a game that drew a school-record 19,314 fans.
THE TEAM (4-1 in Big South, 9-4 overall in 2014)
Turner Gill
The Coach: Turner Gill – fourth season. The former Nebraska quarterback, Heisman finalist and storied Cornhuskers’ quarterbacks coach took over at Liberty in 2012 after two unsuccessful seasons at Kansas. During his playing career in Lincoln, Gill engineered an offense that led college football in scoring at 52 points per game by rushing for more than 400 yards. Gill’s Huskers compiled a 28-2 record with him under center and he finished fourth in the 1983 Heisman Trophy voting, an award won that year by his teammate, Mike Rozier.
Gill bypassed the NFL to take a lucrative $1.2 contract with the Montreal Concordes of the CFL. After two seasons, almost 6,000 total yards and 30 total touchdowns, Gill was forced into retirement because of post-concussion issues. He’d been a second round draft pick in the 1980 MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox and an 18th-round pick by the New York Yankees in 1983. In 1986, he signed with the Cleveland Indians and spent three years playing shortstop in the minor leagues, rising to AA by 1987.
In 1989, he returned to coach at Nebraska. From 1992 to 2003, he coached quarterbacks, helping mentor Heisman Trophy winners Tommie Frazier and Eric Crouch. The ‘Huskers won three national titles with Gill as an assistant.
In 2005, he took over as the head coach at Buffalo, a job many considered to be the worst in the FBS. By 2006, he turned the team into a winner, leading the Bulls to a bowl game for the first time in 50 seasons. Gill turned the success into a chance to right the ship in Lawrence. The challenge proved to be too steep. Gill went 5-19 in two seasons, including just 1-16 in Big XII play, leading to his termination.
In four years at Liberty, Gill is 24-14, including 13-3 in Big South play.
WHAT TO WATCH — THE OFFENSE
Josh Woodrum
Josh Woodrum, quarterback, 6-3, 225, senior — The three-time team captain has been one of the best quarterbacks in the FCS as he enters his fourth season as the starter under center. In 2012, he was the Big South Freshman of the Year. He’s been a second-team All-Big South selection at quarterback behind Coastal Carolina All-America Alex Ross each of the last two years.
As a junior, Woodrum completed 62 percent of his passes for 2,947 yards (5th in Big South history) and 19 touchdowns. He also rushed for 254 yards and nine scores. This season, he’s completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 468 yards and three touchdowns. He threw for 280 yards and a score against West Virginia last week.
Woodrum’s 7,962 yards are the second-most in school history, just 1,586 yards behind Robby Justino’s (1989-1992) school record, and the third-most in the history of the Big South. His 52 career touchdown passes are 12 short of Justino’s school record and trail only Ross (55) and Charleston Southern’s Collin Drafts (73) in league history. Woodrum’s 8,379 yards of total offense are 427 behind Justino’s top mark. He’s also scored 15 touchdowns with his feet, just four away from the all-time Big South record for rushing TDs by a quarterback.
D.J. Abnar
D.J. Abnar, running back, 5-10, 185, senior — Abnar burst onto the FCS scene with a workhorse-like junior season that saw him carry the ball 292 times and score 15 touchdowns, the second –most in the Big South and the 14th most in the FCS.
He averaged 4.4 yards per carry for a team that rushed for 165 yards per game. Abnar finished with 1,289 yards and the 15 scores to earn first-team All-Big South honors.
This season, he’s only seen 18 carries for 96 yards with the return of Desmond Rice, a fellow senior who missed 2014 after suffering a season-ending injury last spring. Rice has carried the ball 31 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns thus far.
Darrin Peterson, wide receiver, 6-2, 190, senior — Last season, Peterson proved to be one of the best wide receivers in the FCS. The two-time All-Big South first-team selection earned second-team All-America honors by catching 85 passes for 1,379 yards (each second-most in league history) and 12 touchdowns. He’s one of 20 players on the STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Year watch list and a consensus preseason first-team All-America.
In Liberty’s first two games this season, Peterson has 12 catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns. He needs just 29 catches, 301 yards and four touchdowns to become the school’s all-time leader in each category. He needs just 309 yards to become the Big South’s all-time leader.
THE DEFENSE
Chima Uzowihe
Chima Uzowihe, defensive end, 6-2, 250, senior — Last season, Liberty led the Big South with 29 sacks and every single one of them was by a defensive lineman. Uzowihe, a first-team All-Big South selection, led the Flames with eight sacks.
Uzowihe is a preseason All-America and a member of the STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Year watch list after leading the Big South with 14 tackles for loss last season. He already has 3.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, bringing his career totals to 20.5 sacks and 30.5 tackles for loss, respectively.
His sack total is tied with Gardner-Webb’s Brian Johnston for the all-time league record and his tackles for loss total is in the league’s top 10 all-time, 23 behind Johnston’s all-time best.
Nick Newman, linebacker, 6-4, 210, junior — The converted safety played in all 14 games at weakside linebacker as a true sophomore, starting in four. He finished second on the team with 79 tackles, including 47 solos and 3.5 tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble and recovered three more as the Flames finished No. 3 in the FS with 32 takeaways.
Nick Newman
Through two games, Newman has a team-high with 13 tackles, including 11 solos, two tackles for loss and a sack.
Wesley Scott, cornerback, 5-10, 175, junior — Scott is the most veteran returner in a secondary that lost all four starters. He’ll be tested early and often by a Montana offense that has thrown the ball 122 times in two games.
Operating primarily as the nickel back in the Flames’ defense, Scott finished with 49 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss. He also had an interception and five pass breakups.
This season, Scott has five tackles and an interception, one of two by the Flames thus far.
Photos courtesy of Liberty Athletics. All Rights Reserved.
