Zippy-Zip....Don't Zip Back.

 What is their body of work?

The Zips are one of the traditionally struggling teams in college football.  Terry Bowden was there and had one 8 win season.  Tom Arth came in and 3-24, with two of those wins over BG.  He was replaced and Joe Moorehead was brought in.  He's 3-16 but they are making some signs of progress. 

So, yes they are 1-6 last year, but they are close to winning games. They lost to Temple by 3.  Lost to Indiana in 4 OT.  Lost to UB in OT and to CMU by 7.  They also lost big to Kentucky and NIU and their one win was over Morgan State by 3.

The two teams have split their last 6 games. The 2020 loss to Akron was a program lowpoint.

BG is a 7.5-point favorite.

How experienced are they?

They have 23 juniors and above on the two-deep, which is very young.

Who are their national leaders?

Blake Hesler is #12 in combined returns

What is their turnover ratio? 

They are -4. 

Offense

How is their QB play? 

Third-team All-MAC QB DJ Irons was injured for the year.  They are playing 2 QBS....Undercuffler is more the throwing QB and Bullock is the running guy.  Undercuffler has an efficiency rating of 117, which would be #6 in the MAC and ahead of Bazelak.

What is their scoring and yards per play

They are 10th in the MAC at 15.6 per game.  They are 10th in yards per play at 4.4.

Can they run the ball?

They are 11th in the MAC at 3.3 yards per rush. Their lead back is averaging 5 yards a carry, which is #8 in the MAC. Every but him drags the average down.

Do they pass the ball?

Undercuffler completed 67% of his passes with 2 TD and 4 INT and a paltry 9.6 yards per attempt, indicating a very short pass play mix.  Bullock is much less effective passing, though they have a similar number of attempts.

How is their run/pass balance?

They run on 40% of their plays, which is low even in today's game.

Do they convert on 3rd Down, 

They are last in the MAC at 28%.

Do they score in Red zone

Not good, 3.8 points per red zone trip.

Do they protect the QB?

Not really.  They have been sack 25 times, on 9.6 of their passing attempts.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play

They allow 28 points a game, which is #7 in the MAC.  They allow 5.3 yards per play, which is #6 in the MAC.  (Note that the turnover deficit hurts their points per game).  This is a solid defensive team.

Do they defend the run effectively?

They allow 4 yards a carry, which is #4 in the MAC.

Can they be passed on?

They are #6 in the MAC in passing efficiency defense. They allow only 53% completions, which is top in the MAC. They have 12 TDs and 6 INT and completed passes average 12.6 which is a lot.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

They are 5th at 36%

Do they defend in the red zone?

Not at all.  They allow 6 points per red zone trip.

Do they pressure the QB?

About average, sacks on 6% of passing attempts.

Special Teams:

Punting?

They are 9th in net punting.  No blocks.  Allowing -6 yards on 9 returns.

Punt Return?

No TDs, 1 block, 6.7 yards per return

Placekicking? 

It's been not good.  They are used three kickers. Noah Perez is listed as their starter,  he's 3-6 with a long of 40. Has not been blocked.

Kickoff? 

They are 10th, with opponents starting on the 26. No TDs allowed.

Kickoff Return?

Typical, teams start on the 26.

Intangible Miscellany

BG is favored for the first time this year in an FBS game. Back at home after a long set of road game, things are set up for BG to begin to string wins together.  UA is hungry for a win, too, having lost close and at 1-6 to date.  I think both teams covet this win.  Last year's game was a thriller and I think this one could be very similar.