Let’s get the promos out of the way first:

- Actually, one quick basketball note: The Clemson-Liberty game on Nov. 17 will be part of the ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon. The game will start at 10 a.m. at the Vines Center, so have your coffee ready for that one.

- In today’s print edition: Liberty expects Beecher to play at Lafayette.

- In Thursday’s print edition, look for a quick read on Liberty’s special teams adjustments heading into the Lafayette game.

- Friday in print, I’ll have a story on receiver Freddie Brown and his continued acclimation to the Flames football program after his transfer from South Carolina.

- Weekly picks in the blog will be made Thursday. I’m going to have a heck of a time being in two places at once this week (Hillcats still playing), so I’ll do what I can to get some practice notes up as well.

- Of course, game preview coverage Saturday, a blog post Saturday pregame and full game coverage from Easton in the Sunday N&A.

- I can’t promote the Twitter feed enough. Thanks for those who have followed the blog.

Now for the Q&A with Reinhard, who covers the Leopards on a freelance basis for the Morning Call in Allentown, a place Billy Joel once sang a song about.

First, a link to Reinhard’s Lafayette blog. Some good stuff there.

The Q&A:

CL: Maurice White’s injury last year seemed to galvanize a number of Lafayette backs, and the Leopards seem to have extreme depth at the position this season. How is that rotation working, and how are the players involved reacting to sharing the playing time?

PR: The Leopards used six different tailbacks last season because of an assortment of injuries. Three of them had 100-yard games. I dubbed White, Tyrell Coon, DeAndre Morrow and Jerome Rudolph the Four Horses of College Hill. So far, it’s working fine; Rudolph and Morrow had TDs last week, and White had 17 carries. Tavani said Sunday, “Those kids are being great … there’s an awful lot of unselfishness among them.” Earlier, White had told me, “‘I just want to win. I feel if the coaches rotate us in right, there will always be somebody out there who is fresh.”

CL: Last season, Rob Curley seemed like the consummate caretaker quarterback, at least in the Liberty game, a guy who could make a play when called upon but generally just needed to keep from making mistakes. Has his role in the offense increased this season?

PR: Rob suffered a concussion late last season and didn’t start the last three games. He won back the job in the spring and started this season with career highs for completions (20), attempts (34), yards (259) and TDs (3). Most importantly: no interceptions. He is not the hardest thrower and doesn’t have the best speed among the Leopard QBs, but he’s been a winner – the team is 10-2 in games he has started and finished.

CL: Andy Romans sort of reached legendary status with his performance in last year’s win in Lynchburg, as coaches and fans gushed about just how tough of a player he was. His tears may even cure cancer, though Chuck Norris might be offended by such talk. Who has taken the lead on defense now that Romans has graduated?

PR: Co-captain Mark Leggiero is a two-time all-Patriot League first team linebacker and is the 2009 preseason defensive player of the year. He’s not a fast as Romans, but he hits as hard. He was the leading tackler on the team last year. Defensive tackle and cocaptain Andrew Poulson is also being counted on to lead a defense that will challenge an opponents’ running game.

CL: Lafayette’s fans seem to be quite concerned about the kicking situation after a few missed field goals last week against Georgetown. Is the concern legitimate, or did Davis Rodriguez just have a bad day?

PR: I wish I had some answer to Davis’ mysterious 0-for-3 against Georgetown. He was 9-for-10 inside 40 yards last year and 13-for-15 overall. In pregame, he was making ‘em from over 50. He has a strong leg; it now becomes a mind game for him. He’ll have chances to redeem himself, I’m sure.

CL: The Leopards have lost at least one non-conference home game in each of the last five seasons? What are Frank Tavani’s biggest concerns about Liberty heading into this matchup?

PR: He knows there’s no way the Flames will be selling the Leopards short this weekend. “This is a program that’s going to the next level,” Tavani said at the media luncheon today. The university’s NFL free-agent approach to attracting transfers intrigues him, I think. Preparing for two different kinds of QBs will be a challenge. I believe, though, that motivation is the biggest unknown – his own team’s as well as Liberty’s.

We thank Paul for his time.

We’ll be back tomorrow with some FCS picks and any injury updates I hear about, though I’ll be in Salem and will miss practice.