Game Notes
There's really no other way to put it. Coach Brent Holsclaw and Kentucky Wesleyan face a daunting task today against Division I Liberty.
This marks the 28th game for KWC against a Football Championship Subdivision team. The Panthers' record in the 27 before this one? 0-27.
Saturday's game, which kicks off at 6 p.m. at Liberty's Williams Stadium, will be broadcast on ESPN3.com.
"We want to be competitive," said Holsclaw, who's 0-2 against Liberty as KWC's coach. "The guys will go there and we'll do the best we can. We hope that every play we'll come away with a victory somehow, someway, in terms of each individual playing hard for four quarters. We'll see what it does at the end of the game.
"But it's a tough game for us because our program is not where it needs to be at this point."
The Panthers (0-3) last played Liberty (2-2) in on Oct. 1, 2011 where they lost, 57-0.
So why play a Division I team again in the middle of the season? The reason is purely financial, Holsclaw said.
Liberty will pay KWC $75,000 to play the game, a "significant portion" of which will go to the football program, Askins said. The rest will go to the school.
Holscalw said these types of games are a necessary evil for KWC to sustain its budget, but didn't deny that it's tough on his team.
He's seen his team suffer injuries in games against Division I teams in the past that haunted the team the remainder of the season. He doesn't expect that to be an issue agaisnt Liberty, calling coach Turner Gill's team one of "integrity." He said he's never had injury issues in the two games he's played against Liberty.
Once the ball is kicked off, he and his team will try to make the most out of the situation while playing in what Holsclaw called an "unbelievable atmosphere."
"Our guys are excited about the opportunity, and as a coach and I certainly am," he said. "We'll go into it the same way we do every game. My biggest concern is that we get back to Owensboro Sunday afternoon and I have a healthy team."
