FalconBlog--Triumphs and Trials in the BGSU Falcon Nation

Falcons and Rockets--the key to winning

Tonight's the big game--Falcons and the Rockets from the Doyt. November football in the Midwest--a good crowd, we hope, and hopefully a Falcon team that makes last week's win into a trend and doesn't regress to earlier performances (and I mean games we won like OU, BSU, etc).

A few thoughts.

UT is backed into a corner, and they will bring a better game than the one they brought last week. Bruce won't play as poorly as he did, and his receivers will catch the ball. UT is a well coached team, and they won't stink two weeks in a row.

Having said that, we had better be ready to go. Any of the problems which hurt this team in the games I mentioned above, and we're looking at a Boise-type situation, and I don't care where the game is being played.

We have to eliminate mistakes. That means taking care of the ball, and making our special teams plays. Just as importantly, I'm including tackling. If you don't tackle UT, they score TDs in their system. We simply must bring the tackling game we brought against Miami, running to the ball and wrapping up. Are our guys learning the Lovett system, or did we catch an out-of-sync Miami team? Let's hope its the former.

The other key to our team is to get a lead. We played well with a lead against Miami, and we need to get one tonight. Omar has to be on, and Sharon and Sanders have to be determined to make their last game at home a winner. We have to bring the passing game we have not brought since the Wisconsin game, and haven't brought for a whole game since GMAC. Pope and Lane have to be running and darting, receivers have to be open, Omar has to be accurate. If the offense is playing well, the pressure on the opposing team is tremendous.

I understand we are 6.5 point favorites. I'd take the points. This is going to be close, in my opinion. I simply don't believe UT will get blown out today, and I hope we can't get blown out too bad at home. We have to absolutely bring our best game to win this one. I hate to admit it, but I think over the course of the season, UT is the better team. Are we peaking now? Let's hope so. Playing in the MAC Championship game would be a sweet end to a season, and a MAC title, obviously, is what the goal has been all along. (A rematch with WMU wouldn't be bad, either).

I'm nervous, and I don't feel confident. Perhaps I am mistaken, and I will be happy to see us dominate tonight, but I don't expect to see it. May my gut feeling please be wrong.