Those around me have frequently likened me to a dad, and recently I embraced this lifestyle.
Dad jokes, dad style, and for a while even a dad bod became the norm for me. Today I take it a step further with Porch Talks with yours truly.
Each week, we’ll join together on the porch where I will share my thoughts, feelings, emotions and most importantly, dad advice, on a variety of topics, including sports, entertainment and maybe even girls.
Probably not girls though, I don’t know much about them.
This week on the porch, I want to share with you my thoughts on Liberty football.
While watching the Flames fall to the Hokies, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the loss to North Carolina just two years ago.
In that game, the Flames had a lead in the third quarter against the nationally ranked Tar Heels, but saw that lead slip away in a matter of minutes when North Carolina scored 28 unanswered points in just under four minutes.
That team was led by former Flames quarterback Josh Woodrum. Have you heard the saying, “you never know what you got, till it’s gone?” Unfortunately, I am not sure I appreciated Woodrum as much as I should have during the 2015 season.
It was easy to pick on every bad throw or poor decision Woodrum made, but now I just wish I could see him don the Flames jersey one more time.
I wish I could go back to freshman year as I yelled “Joshy Football” while he led the Flames to their first ever playoff victory. But those days are over.
Now I’m not necessarily giving up on starting quarterback Stephon Masha just yet, but I am definitely looking at Stephen “Buckshot” Calvert to start warming up.
If Masha has another game like his first this season, I cannot imagine Head Coach Turner Gill will be able to deny Buckshot a chance at the starting job.
Of course, there is no guarantee that Buckshot is any better, but we will never know until he gets a chance to “fire away.”
See what I did there? That’s what you call a dad joke. You’re welcome.
I will leave you with a staggering statistic on the Flames’ road game woes.
After the Flames most recent loss on the road to Virginia Tech, Liberty has only won one road game out of their last eight, dating back to 2014.
What’s more, the last time Liberty beat an FCS team on the road was their playoff victory at James Madison in 2014.
Maybe Masha will turn things around. Maybe he will be the next quarterback that I wish I appreciated better after the fact. Or maybe his college career climaxed when he led the Flames to victory over Coastal Carolina in 2014.
If the latter is true, he’ll still be a hero in my book. After all, nobody likes Coastal.
Schmieg is the sports editor