Well, I’m soaked, and that was only from walking from the media parking lot to the press box. So these LU students that having been out tailgating for hours upon hours must be prunes. Kudos to them for hanging out. That’s what college football is all about. Two of my most fun experiences as a fan came sitting through some awful weather games, torrential downpours and blistering, freezing cold. There’s something to be said about trooping your way through that to support your team.

And speaking of teams, if you don’t think the Liberty players who are out warming up right now don’t get a charge from seeing the student section nearly full two hours prior to game time, you’re crazy.

Here’s a link to the current radar for the area. This rain isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Another important link: The Twitter feed. I’ll post quick-hit updates of items of interest during the game.

Some notes, thoughts, etc., before the game, as always, in numbered form:

1. Liberty WR Chris Summers and LB Doncel Bolt remain game-time decisions, but I’m hearing the chances that they’ll suit up today are slim. Neither practiced Thursday, and that’s generally a bad sign for a player if we wants to go on Saturday. If Summers’ explosiveness is compromised by a sore foot, it may not be worth risking further injury. A receiver is only as good as his first step on a defensive back. If he doesn’t go, look for Mike Brown to see a lot of action at receiver. One player who will absolutely have to contribute if Summers can’t go is Freddie Brown, who like Summers is 6-foot-3. Brown dropped a few passes at Lafayette last week.

1a. Amherst graduate Pierre Tinsley would go in Bolt’s absence. I’m not sure who would then back him up at the Mike linebacker position. Mike Connolly has some experience at inside linebacker, and Marques Jenkins could play there as well.

2. JMU just walked into the stadium, and the Dukes players seem just as pumped up by the raucous display from the Liberty student section. Mickey Matthews is far too good of a coach to allow Liberty to catch his team napping tonight.

3. JMU’s student paper likened this game to the “Game of the Century” for Liberty’s program, and there’s no doubt the Flames’ coaching staff has been promoting it as such. That puts some extra pressure on the Flames to perform, but that’s not a bad thing. This is a playoff game for the Flames. Cut and dry. No getting around it. Last year, in not so many words, the NCAA FCS playoff committee told Liberty that it didn’t play strong enough competition to merit inclusion in the 16-team playoff field, even with eight Division I victories. Well, JMU is ranked seventh in the country, and Liberty has the opportunity on its home field to make a huge statement to the rest of the country. This will be the only such opportunity Liberty gets this season, so the Flames can’t waste it. (Of course, if LU does win tonight and doesn’t run the table after this game, the playoff argument probably becomes moot anyway, but I digress.)

3a. JMU has a lot at stake here too. The Dukes can’t afford to lose this one at all, not with a brutal stretch of CAA games coming up. So, in essence, this is a playoff-type game for the Dukes as well. I expect them to play like it.

3b. Whatever happens, this is a program-defining game for Liberty, a measuring stick to show exactly how far it has come in four seasons. A blowout loss would be disastrous for the Flames in regard to national perception.

4. Liberty absolutely must establish an inside run game if it has any chance of winning here tonight, especially if Mike Brown is spending most of his time at receiver.

5. Liberty’s Pat Kelly had an excellent week of practice, and with Summers limited—if not sidelined—he could become a wild card tonight. The freshman from LCA has not caught a pass in Liberty’s first three games.

6. Liberty is 0-12 all-time against top-10 teams. The results:

- No. 4 Appalachian State 29, at Liberty 22 (9/21/02)
- at No. 5 Appalachian State 46, Liberty 26 (9/1/01)
- at No. 10 Appalachian State 34, Liberty 13 (11/18/00)
- No. 3 Appalachian State 28, at Liberty 12 (11/20/99)
- at No. 3 Hampton 21, Liberty 0 (10/10/08)
- at No. 4 Youngstown State 40, Liberty 0 (10/16/93)
- at No. 3 Troy State 35, Liberty 13 (10/9/93)
- No. 9 North Carolina A&T 38, Liberty 30 (10/2/93)—yes, that’s three straight games against Top 10s.
- at No. 6 Furman 31, Liberty 7 (9/14/91)
- No. 7 Youngstown State 34, Liberty 6 (10/13/90)
- No. 2 Western Illinois 36, at Liberty 35 (10/22/88)
- at No. 7 Central Florida 42, Liberty 21 (11/7/87)

Note, that Liberty has never faced a Top 10 team while being ranked itself.

That’s all for now. Gotta work on notebook stuff before the game. Tight deadlines tonight.