FalconBlog--Triumphs and Trials in the BGSU Falcon Nation

Falcons live to fight another day

The Falcons picked up a hard fought 24-14 victory over Kent today. It was a struggle the whole way--complete with AT going down and having to bring in our #3 QB (DB Van Johnson, recruited at QB). This Kent team is very young and banged up on top of it, so I think we should be careful about talking like "we're back." But it was a win.

We took care of the ball. We had a game plan AT could execute, including 50 runs and 16 passes. We could have fallen apart when AT went down, but we didn't. The defense played well, creating turnovers, making tackles. We DIDN'T make Jerry Flowers look like a Heisman trophy candidate.

This was a road game, and one we plainly could have lost, and for the first time since Omar went down, we gritted it out and got the win.

Terrell White had a great game, and so did Brad Williams. The DBs played well, and great hands on that INT by John Haneline.

Special teams were much, much improved. Nate Fry punted well, even on the rugby punts. Chuck had a big return. By and large, this was a much improved effort.

I wouldn't go this far though:

Bowling Green Head Coach Gregg Brandon
"Our guys played lights out . Our defense stepped up and our kicking game came through at some key times. Our DBs were hitting like torpedoes. Offensively we did just enough to win the game and keep ourselves out of trouble (0 turnovers). Being able to finish after their turnovers gave us a chance to win the game. Our guys have focused this season and we're still playing for a championship."

My chief complaint is our "scaleability," as the computer guys say. When its Betts and not Machen on the other side, how will we do?

Still, as Coach said later in his comments, we are still playing for a championship. With Akron's loss in Muncie, we win two, and we win the East. In fact, if Akron loses to OU on 11/15 (the same night we play Miami), we clinch the East with a win.

How likely is that? Who knows. On one hand, you have our lousy road record against good teams and our general lackluster play this season. You have to think its unlikely that it all turns around and we pull out a win down there.

Then again, this season has had nothing likely happen yet. How about this? Omar comes back, and he and the team realizes that have cheated death, and the team that comes out of the tunnel in Oxford is sick of being a little short, and we get the attack from the Wisconsin game, and the defense from later in the season, and we pull it out. With our A game (mythical so far this season), we are capable of doing it.

Of course, we've been capable of more than we have shown all year. There's been a lot of worrying here about the program being in decline, about how tough we are, and about how we meet obstacles. There's been talk of Gary Blackney, of missing determination, of a lack of fire, of poor recruiting, or who's blaming who.

Two wins (maybe one), and there's no blaming anyone. Maybe they'll realize it, feel the pressure of expectations off their shoulders, and pull the big win out at Miami.

It would be sweet, and something we would talk about for a long time.