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Slash is back! Remember Cordell Stewart of the Steelers? Meet the new Slash, Anthony Turner. He plays QB, WR, and TB....and makes us very hard to defend.

But let's look at the story of last night's game from the start......

To start with the big picture, we were playing the #2 in the MAC in total defense, without our best receiver and our starting TB, and with an attack that has been limping along for weeks.

What we did was score on every meaningful possession in the game, except for a missed 52 yard FG (hit the crossbar) at the end of the second half.

Pretty good.

How did we do it?

First, we put Anthony Turner into the game and let him make some plays. He rushed for over 100 yards. He ran a great play action and threw a TD to a wide open Chris Wright. He caught three passes.

AT is very valuable to us right now. Fans have been clamoring for him to draw the D in and throw a pass, which he did finally. He is a good enough RB to be a TB, and if teams have to respect the pass, he's just really tough to defend. It says a lot about him that he has accepted his role and is being such a productive role player---and because of that, his role is expanding.

We broadened out the receiver corps. Freddie Barnes had 8 grabs, but we also got Kelly, Brighton, Wright, Parks, and others into the game.

We saw a resurgent Tyler Sheehan, 26-36 for 268 yards, 2 Tds and no INTs, and only one sack. He was accurate, hitting most of the receivers on the numbers and in stride--very important for our offense.

If Sheehan can perform like this, we become very difficult to defend, as well.

Basically, we steamrolled a really solid defense.

As for the defense, they certainly got their yards, as everyone does. We were strong in the red zone, and forced three turnovers and made the plays we needed to win the game. Among them:

The games most precarious moment came at the end of the first half. We had just missed a 52 yard FG with :45 left, and Akron had charged right down the field and were in scoring position. It was 24-6 at the time, and they get a big lift to go in 24-13. Their elusive QB Carleton Jackson was running for what could have been a score, when true FR. Glen Stanley poked the ball free and stopped the drive.

Then, on the first drive of the second half, PJ Mahone picked off a pass and showed why he was an all-state RB in HS,and brought it back for a pick-six to put the game out of reach.

Kenny Lewis also had a big night--a forced and recovered fumble, and three passes defended.

Glen Stanley had a pass defended, too. With John Haneline out for the season with a broken foot, Stanley is a key player and I like how he plays. He planted the elusive Mr. Jackson once--something our veterans generally failed to do.

So, far from a perfect effort, but a winning effort. As I will demonstrate later, our chances of winning the East are not gone, though lots has to happen right. Our chances of having a winning record and being bowl eligible are much better, and for now, that's what we have to have our eye on.