BG over Tulsa: Sweet Victory...the Offense

So, having looked at the defense, now let's take a look at how the offense performed in the Tulsa game.

It was a mixed bag.  It was not a great offensive performance but it certainly was good enough. Yes, the team had 34 points, but 7 came on special teams and we had a very short field twice.  In addition,  BG had 4.9 yards per play, which is not great.  Based on his post-game comments, Coach said that BG had over 38 minutes of possession, something that is very important to our game plans.  Even when we don't score, getting a couple of first downs and punting a team inside their 20 (which BG did 4 times) makes it very difficult for them to score.

The biggest story on the offense came at QB.  Matt Schilz started and was 1-4 on BG's opening possessions.  Most critically, he just seemed like he was where he left off last year.  I thought he should have checked out of a play on an obvious blitz and there was another throw where he had time, a clear passing lane and an open receiver and didn't make the throw.

And then, in the next possession, in came Matt Johnson.  You could feel things change right away.  First of all, he is a big change of pace over Schilz.  With Schilz, you don't have to worry about him taking off, so there's no need for anyone to be assigned to that.  Johnson is ready and willing to run and is plenty elusive.

In a related point, Johnson moves around the pocket better.  He also avoided a big sack with his feet and then completed a pass to Chris Pohlman.

I thought he made some nice throws and he had a couple risky ones.  He had an INT and a couple close calls.  His passing stats were not great, but I think he certainly showed the ability to lead the team.  BG ended the first half with a 16 play FG drive (that included converting a 1st and 25) and then opened the 3rd with a 75 yard TD drive.  There was also an 8 play drive in the 3rd where BG didn't score but did bleed vital clock and leave Tulsa starting at their own 7.

Johnson was 11-23 for 151 yards, which is not great.  I did think that he had a few incompletions when he was forced to throw the ball away on what were about to be coverage sacks.  I thought our WRs were inconsistent/poor at getting open in many situations.  (No receiver had more than 3 receptions.)

Coach says that it was his plan all along to bring Johnson in after 3-4 series, but I find that hard to believe.  I would suspect that Johnson will start at Kent...and I find it hard to believe that it won't happen.  He is just a more dynamic player and Schilz has been given every opportunity.

If the passing game was average, the running game was above average.  Travis Greene got the start and had 88 yards on 22 rushes, a straight 4 average.  Fred Coppet saw some snaps as well (in the 3rd and then in garbage time).  Including all rushers including Johnson, BG averaged 4.4 yards per rush, again, effective if not off the charts great.

One thing coach always talks about is big plays.  They make a huge difference.  That 3rd Q TD drive was sparked by true freshman Ronnie Moore taking a jet sweep 37 yards.  For a team like ours, that is incredibly huge.  He also had a reception in 18 yards.  When Moore gets the ball in space, he is very difficult to get a hold off.

Finally, the new fan favorite emerged.  William ("Say Hello to My Little Friend") Houston, the former OSU player who has just been in camp a little while, took his expected role as a short yardage battering ram.  He had 10 carries, 3 of them for TDs.  He even dodged a guy.  When he gets going downhill, he is not easy to bring down.  He is a huge addition...I don't think we have anybody else who can do what he does.



Lastly, we had talked about having freshmen at both tackle positions.  I thought Tulsa did pressure the edges early, but you wouldn't have all of the success listed above without good line play.  BG gave up only one sack, and room to run on the inside, and even the pressure they did get on Johnson was often based on coverage as opposed to winning battles.  There were a couple of penalties, but for a first game, not very many false starts.

Overall, I think you have to be pleased with the way the line performed.

Later today, special teams and a parting thought.