LYNCHBURG (WSLS-10 SPORTS)- The Hokies are breaking in a new coach this weekend, Liberty has no such issue.
The Flames have been a Big South staple under Turner Gill. Liberty is trying to rebound from an off year in 2015 after a nice run of success The Flames were Big South champs in back-to-back years in 2007 and 2008.
They were also Co-Champions for five of six years ending in 2014. They were 6-5 a year ago but they have their sights set on getting back to the top of their conference. The journey begins Saturday at Lane Stadium. For all the history the Flames have never played the Hokies. Head coach Turner Gill says they try to treat every opponent with the same respect.
"We always talk about that to our team that every game is really the same to a certain extent there is your preparation, you have to do that. You have to understand what they do and why they do it- we explain that. And then you just have to execute, again they're human beings just like us. We have to go out and play our best football game and try to accomplish some excitement about what we're doing and be able to execute. So it's all about execution-- I don't care who you're playing and what the name is," says Liberty Head Coach Turner Gill.
Stephon Masha, the Flames quarterback, understands the need for the Flames to respond after a less than spectacular 2015.
"Last year was not a year for Liberty football for us to just bypass you know. We came out of the 2014 season with a lot of success going into the 2015 season and we just came off of as lackadaisical. So we got to going to this season taking each game one-by-one and thinking about that opponent that week. Don't overlook, don't underlook. We need to take them one-by-one and execute and will be very successful," says Masha.
Liberty defeated FBS opponent Georgia State out of the Sun Belt conference 41-33 last season. They took out Appalachian State in 2014. by a score of 55-48 in overtime.