I meant to work the tight ends in with the offensive line, but to borrow a Southern cliche, I plum forgot. So we’ll sneak them in here before heading to the special teams.

TEs returning
Dominique Jones (2 rec., 20 yards)
Tommy Shaver (1 rec., 14 yards)
Will Quarles (1 rec., 14 yards)

TEs lost
Corey Rasberry (15 rec., 190 yards, 1 TD)

The tight end position at Liberty has been more of a blocking position during coach Danny Rocco‘s tenure, but with so much inexperience at wide receiver, it wouldn’t be shocking to see more balls thrown the tight ends’ way. Will Quarles (6-2, 250, rSr.) was a special-teams sparkplug last season, but he’s shown soft hands in practice and an ability to hold onto the football in heavy traffic. Tommy Shaver (6-6, 250, rSo.) also figures heavily into the plans.

“We really think we have a couple of tight ends who can play,“ LU offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter said. “They’ve got good route-running skills. They’ve got good hands. So, yeah, they do give us the threat of blocking and running routes. But it depends on who we’re playing and what the situation is defensively in regards to how often we use the tight ends. But we feel very confident in a couple of those kids.“

Streeter on Quarles: “He’s been a lot of things for us. He’s been very consistent. He works hard at practice every day and he’s getting better every day. He’s established himself as a pretty good football player. The key for him is to maintain his consistency.“

Others in the TE mix include Dominique Jones (6-1, 260, rSr.), who will also work in at fullback, and Matthias Wrede (6-5, 265, Jr.). Eric Fath (6-3, 240, Fr.), a converted linebacker, will probably redshirt after missing most of training camp with knee injury.

Moving on to the special teams:

Specialists returning
Mike Larsson (17 punts, 35.6 avg. 4 touchbacks, 6 inside 20)
Matt Bevins (14 punts, 40.9 avg, 1 TB, 4 I20, 1 blocked; 12-16 FGs, 44 long, 20-21 XP)
Ben Shipps (5-6 FG, 29 long, 1 blocked, 18-19 XP)
Paul Young (9-10 XP)
Mike Brown (1 punt return, 8 yards)

Specialists lost
Dominic Bolden (17 punt returns, 18.1 average, 2 TD)
Jonathan Crawford (19 kick returns, 24.6 average, 1 TD)
Dan Pope (long snapper)

Let’s start with the punt game. Mike Larsson (5-10, 170, So.) was the main punter coming out of camp last year, but a nagging leg injury kept him out for a good chunk of the season. In practice, his kicks have been deeper and higher, with more hang time, and it’s obvious he’s added some strength to his leg.

“Mike Larsson has come a long way,“ Liberty special teams coordinator Marshall Roberts said. “He’s got one of the stronger legs that I’ve seen since being at Liberty University. When he’s comfortable catching, he’s going to bang it and put it up there with a great amount of hang time. He has the ability to be consistent. We’re just looking for him to do that. ... I’m actually looking forward to him improving our net punting.

“He got hurt and missed so many games that it kind of threw him into a funk. I think the biggest challenge for him will just be to be mentally consistent each and every day, and then being consistent with his mechanics—the same drop, the same catch, the same kick. That’s going to be his biggest challenge.“

Matt Bevins (6-2, 185, So.) was a highly regarded kicker coming out of Newport News’ Warwick High School, and he acquitted himself well last year, filling in at both kicker and punter and nailing the game-winning kick at Youngstown State in Week 4.

“He’s gotten much better,“ Roberts said. “There’s a lot of pop in Bevins’ leg. He’s got some confidence now because he’s coming off a year in which he did it, and quite frankly, did it pretty well. We’re looking for him to improve in consistency and just be that guy we can rely on at any given time.“

Ben Shipps (6-0, 155, rSo.) and Paul Young (6-2, 180, Jr.) were in the mix for the kicking job at the start of camp, but Bevins held both off. Roberts said both will have roles somewhere in the kicking game.

The Flames must replace an All-American long snapper in Dan Pope. They recruited Robby Cramer (6-1, 225, Fr.) from Hoover, Ala., (where MTV’s “Two A Days” was shot a few years back) specifically to fill Pope’s role. Cramer is the only long snapper listed on the depth chart. It seems like an inconsequential position, but a poor delivery on punt and kick snaps can be disastrous.

“Robby is a good kid,“ Roberts said. “He’ll be accurate and he’s diligent about his business and how he handles himself. Robby is a true Christian kid and I’m looking for him to be ‘Steady Eddie,‘ and just be consistent.“

Mike Brown (6-0, 190, rSo.) is listed as the starter at both punt and kick return positions, but he may not be the only one getting looks back there. Several receivers, like Ervin Garner (5-9, 165, So.), Jimmy Eden (5-10, 175, rFr.) and Aaron Hewlett (5-7, 165, rSr.), will get looks, as will starting tailback B.J. Hayes (5-9, 165, rSo.).

“I don’t really worry about that,“ Roberts said. “I think that we have more than enough athletes to run the schemes that we run, and the yardage will come. The only thing I worry about catching the kick. That’s the No. 1 priority. We want to secure the football. The rest is gravy.“

And with that, we’re done ... see you all next week as the Flames’ game prep for West Virginia gets into full swing.