Liberty faces tough schedule in Gill's debut

Feb 19, 2012 - 11:25 AM Lynchburg, VA (Sports Network) - Liberty football will play a strong schedule in head coach Turner Gill's first season, including games against Wake Forest and four qualifiers for the 2011 FCS playoffs.

The Flames, the Big South Conference runners-up this past season, will begin the Gill era with a Sept. 1 opener at Wake Forest from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

They will then play three straight 2011 playoff teams, hosting defending MEAC champion Norfolk State on Sept. 8 in their home opener at Williams Stadium, visiting national semifinalist and defending Big Sky Conference co-champion Montana on Sept, 15 and hosting two-time defending Patriot League champion Lehigh on Sept. 22.

Within Big South Conference action, Liberty will host defending champion Stony Brook on Nov. 10. The two teams shared 2009 and 2010 conference titles.

Other home games among the six at Williams Stadium are Gardner-Webb (Oct. 6) and Charleston Southern (Nov. 10) in Big South action and Division II Concord (Oct. 20) in a non-conference game.

The Flames also will travel to Big South rivals Presbyterian (Oct. 13), Coastal Carolina (Oct. 27) and VMI (Nov. 17).

"We have an exciting non-conference schedule that will prepare us well for our conference games," Gill said.

2012 Liberty Football Schedule

Sept. 1, at Wake Forest, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Sept. 8, NORFOLK STATE, LYNCHBURG, VA.

Sept. 15, at Montana, Missoula, Mont.

Sept. 22, LEHIGH, LYNCHBURG, VA.

Oct. 6, GARDNER-WEBB*, LYNCHBURG, VA.

Oct. 13, at Presbyterian College*, Clinton, S.C.

Oct. 20, CONCORD, LYNCHBURG, VA.

Oct. 27, at Coastal Carolina*, Conway, S.C.

Nov. 3, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN*, LYNCHBURG, VA.

Nov. 10, STONY BROOK*, LYNCHBURG, VA.

Nov. 17, at VMI*, Lexington, Va.

* - Big South Conference game