FalconBlog--Triumphs and Trials in the BGSU Falcon Nation

Mid Point MAC Standings....

2012-02-02T15:11:00.000-05:00

"Kind of surreal" Coach Louis Orr.

2012-02-02T11:30:00.000-05:00

Those words from Coach Orr, who is not prone to making statements like that. After years of gut wrenching and horrifying defeats to WMU, this laugher on their floor could not have been more unexpected.

"One of them nights," said our Coach. And it was. A crazy, zombie infested night when BG couldn't miss in the second half and WMU couldn't score, where everything, and that pretty much means everything, bounced the Falcons way as they walked to a delightfully easy victory in a game they really needed to have pretty badly.

The game was close at halftime--BG led by only 2. But the Falcons came out with incredibly hot hands, and went on a 12-4 run, followed by a short break and then a 13-3 run. Once BG went up 10 with about 14 left, the delta (like that?) was never in single digits again.

College Basketball Stats

BG shot 76% in the second half. That is truly surreal. And Western shot 36%. Same deal.

For the game, BG had a 1.14 points per possession rate, which is actually on their 3rd best D1 game of the year. If anything the defensive performance was even more remarkable because it lasted for the whole 40. It was the program's best D1 defensive efficiency since the Fordham game two seasons ago.

As you can see, WMU had a good day on the offensive boards, which was expected, and 42% is pretty good. However, BG outplayed them in every other facet of the game. WMU turned the ball over 22 times, which is almost 35% of their possessions and when you shoot badly on the other 65%, that's not a sign that things are going to go your way.

College Basketball Stats

Individually, Dee Brown scored 21 points, Crawford 16 (and 8 assists) and Calhoun 15 in a huge second half. Torian Oglesby had a couple of big dunks on alley oops and 6 for the game.

So, that helps a lot with the whole thing. BG is now 4-4, and with NIU coming in on Saturday, a fading Ball State after that and then Toledo, if they can find a way to string a few together this is a place where they can make some hay. In fact, most of the teams in the East have been winning, so you almost have to make hay. But, you go through those games you could be 7-4 heading back to the East, and that would have a different look to it.

That all remains to be seen. For right now, it is nice to have another road win, and one against a team that is playing really well. I think all Falcon fans are hoping for the same thing....that this team will string together some wins. Now, I don't think we're going to shoot 76% in a half again soon, but we also don't need to. Just nice, solid performances strung together.

Letter of Intent Day, 2012

2012-02-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Class of 2012 Recruits...

I just took some time to watch Coach Clawson's presser from today, which you can watch to, if you want. Obviously, all caveats apply, especially with ratings. These are young men, and some of them will be what we expect and some will not. Every team is talking excitedly about their recruits...the end result is on the field, and years later.

There were a couple of surprises. First, Tyler Goble committed to Navy after being a BG commitment. Obviously, that's a pretty significant life decision to make, and we wish him nothing but the best in Annapolis. Mikhail Dubose was a guy who opened his recruiting recently...the word was to look at Illinois or WMU. You know, I don't think it bothers anyone to lose a guy to Illinois, but you hate to have a de-commit in your own conference. Anyway, he went to WMU, and the best to him, too. You don't want anybody who doesn't want to be here.

On the plus side, we signed a long snapper (Greg Hohenstein) and another kicker (Anthony Farinella), neither of which had been seen anywhere by me, anyway.

So we ended up with 20 guys which was our goal. Because we didn't need a full class, we were able to be a little more patient with guys with offers elsewhere, and Coach felt it paid off for us. We fought some tough battles (he said) and won some and lost some.

He was most excited about the O-line. After two years of really being thin on the line, BG had 15-17 scholarship o-lineman in the program with a good distribution through the years. You will see that there is some size too.

A couple notes....we only brought in WRs because Jermal Hosley and Je'Ron Stokes are both coming in to start this year and are sort of in this class.

Also, 3 guys got scholarships who are not freshman. They are:

Brian Schmeidebusch (Punter of the Gods)
Andre Givens (RB)
Je'Ron Stokes (WR)

He noted that BG can keep promises to players...BG has not lost one player to academics since Clawson arrived.

So, below are the players. I have sort of summarized coach's comments below each player....

Michael Allen, WR, 5-10, 175, Los Angeles, Calif. (Lynwood) (East L.A. College)
Junior College: Spent two seasons at East L.A. College ... was named the team’s Freshman of the Year ... earned first-team all-league as a sophomore. High School: Is a 2009 graduate of Lynwood High School ... coached by Mark Williams ... team captain ... earned first-team all-conference as a senior ... was team’s co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2009.

Similar player to Eugene Cooper. Recruited at a high level last year, but had a graduation issue and couldn't graduate. As Coach said, a year ago, we can't compete for him. He fell under the radar with his year off. He is enrolled.

J.J. Beggan, OL, 6-4, 290, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Seton LaSalle)
High School: Currently attends Seton LaSalle High School ... coached by Greg Perry ...team captain ... helped lead team to a 20-4 record as a junior and senior ... anchored an offensive line that produced a 1,700 yard rusher and an offense that averaged 35.5 points and 325.8 yards of offense per game his senior season ... was named a two-time All-Century conference offensive and defensive lineman ... was named All-State (AA) by the Pennsylvania Sports Writers Association as a senior.

"Classic Pittsburgh Offensive lineman" (HA! Like the sound of that!)
Early commit, never wavered even when the big schools came in late.

Jacob Bennett, OL, 6-6, 290, Lebanon, Ohio (Lebanon)
High School: Currently attends Lebanon High School ... coached by Shawn Lamb ... was named first-team Greater Western Ohio Conference South Division ... earned honorable mention All-Southwest District (Div. I) by the Associated Press.

Has a prototypical LT body. Could end up 6'7" and 320 lbs. Considered a diamond in the rough.

Coy Brown, LB, 5-11, 215, Wakarusa, Ind. (Northwood)
High School: Is a 2012 graduate of Northwood High School ... coached by Scott Hoover ... team captain ... earned first-team all-state and all-area as a senior ... was named to the first-team All-Indiana Football Coaches Association that same year ... helped lead team to a 4A win in the State Sectionals ... was elected to play in the North/South Indiana All-Star game.

Versatile athlete who will contribute at LB and special teams. Enrolled.

Dalton Chapman, OL, 6-7, 285, Grove City, Ohio (Grove City)
High School: Currently attends Grove City High School ... coached by Matt Jordan ... earned second-team All-OCC and honorable mention All-Central District his senior year at offensive tackle ... as a junior was named to the second-team All-OCC and honorable mention All-Central District as a defensive end ... was name honorable mention at offensive tackle in the All-Central District as a sophomore.

Great size potential. Coach says we want lineman tall, lean, and physical, and let them bulk up here.

Jhalil-Nashid Croley, LB, 6-3, 245, Cincinnati, Ohio (Princeton)
High School: Currently attends Princeton High School ... coached by Gary Croley ... team captain ... earned second-team All-Ohio, first-team all-conference and first-team all-city as a senior ... was nominated for the Tri-State (Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana) Defensive Player of the Year, finishing with 102 tackles that same season.

Heavily recruited. Broke some of Dwayne Woods' records at Princeton.

Scott Davis, TE, 6-5, 240, Richmond, Va. (Mills E. Godwin) (Fork Union)
Prep School: Spent one season at Fork Union Military Academy ... coached by John Shuman. High School: Was a 2010 graduate of Mills E. Godwin High School ... coached by John Phillips ... team captain ... earned first-team all-district, All-Metro and All-Region as a defensive end and tight end his senior year ... was team’s offensive MVP.

Neighbor of Coach Clawson's in Richmond. Dual threat TE...not a need, but he was too good to pass up. He is enrolled.

Logan Dietz, OL, 6-5, 280, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Pittsburgh Central Catholic)
High School: Currently attends Pittsburgh Central Catholic ... coached by Terry Totten ... team captain ... earned first-team all-conference as a junior and senior ... was third-team 4A all-state as a junior and second-team all-state as a senior.

Also tall, lean, physical protoypical T.

Anthony Farinella, K, 6-3, 180, Woodridge, Ill. (Downers Grove South)
High School: Currently attends Downers Grove South High School ... coached by John Belskis ... team captain and 4.0 student ... was the West Buburban Conference Special Teams Player of the Year ... named to the Tom Lemming All-Chicagoland team as a place kicker ... named a Top-12 kicker by chrissailerkicking.com ... had 46 touchbacks as a senior ... was a state champion in wrestling and a state qualifier in the 800-meters.

46 touchbacks on kickoffs??? Are you freaking kidding me? Ridiculous! Note, wrestler and runner too.

Erick Hallmon, LB, 6-0, 195, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Cardinal Gibbons)
High School: Currently attends Cardinal Gibbons High School ... coached by Mike Morrill ... team captain ... four year starter ... earned second-team all-county as a senior ... recorded 65 tackles, one interception and one touchdown that same season ... played in the Broward All-Star Game and the Nike South Florida versus Dade County All-Star Game.

Patience helped as BG outwaited a Texas Tech verbal and then other teams. Could be an OLB, even a Box LB. Could play special teams early.

Greg Hohenstein, LS, 6-3, 195, Warrenville, Ill. (Wheaton-Warrenville South)
High School: Currently attends Wheaton-Warrenville High School ... was a two-time state finals long snapper ... played in the 2010 ESPN Rise versus Maine South game as a long snapper ... earned academic all-conference as a senior ... converted on 61 of 62 snaps to the punter and 120 of 120 snaps on field goals and extra points in his career ... ranked 17th nationally and fourth in the midwest according to Rubio Long Snapping.

Our long snapper is a senior this year, so we wanted his replacement in the wings.

(David) Kelii Kekuewa “Chief”, OL, 6-3, 300, Keaau, Hawaii (Kamehameha) (Arizona Western)
Junior College: Spent two seasons at Arizona Western Junior College ... coached by Tom Minnick ... team captain ... led the Matadors to an 11-1 record, including an appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association Football Championship game ... was part of an offensive line that finished the year sixth in rushing offense and was part of an offense that averaged 50.2 points per game ... earned first-team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference, first-team All-Western States Football League and first-team All-National Junior College Athletic Association. High School: Graduated from Kamehameha High School in 2009 ... coached by Ulima Afoa ... team captain

Apparently missed a plane for another visit and was snapped up by BG. BG wanted a JUCO C with Bojicic and Lewis graduating and he will compete for playing time right away.

James Knapke, QB, 6-3, 185, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Bishop Luers)
High School: Currently attends Bishop Luers High School ... coached by Matt Lindsay ... team captain ... was a three-year starter and first quarterback in the state of Indiana to win three state championships ... earned All-State honors as a senior and was a two-time MVP and first-team all-conference member ... owns the school and conference passing records with 5,983 passing yards and 76 touchdown passes.

BG's first choice at QB. Early commit, never wavered when the phone rang and rang. Has an excellent chance to play for BG.

Izaah Lunsford, DT, 6-3, 265, Cincinnati, Ohio (Shroder Paideia)
High School: Currently attends Shroder Paideia Academy ... coached by Gerald Warmack ... team captain ... was a three-year starter ... earned all-league honors as a junior and senior ... also lettered in basketball and track ... was named first-team all-league in track ... owns the school record in the shot put.

Big physical D-tackle we wanted as our current guys become juniors and seniors.

Mike Minns II, DT, 6-0, 300, West Palm Beach, Fla. (Dwyer)
High School: Currently attends Dwyer High School ... coached by Jack Daniels ... team captain ... earned first-team all-state and all-county as a senior, his only season as a starter ... that same season he recorded nine sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries ... played in the Nike South Florida versus Dade County All-Star Game.

Late signee. From Dwyer, where Darrell Hunter came from. Is 300 today, and coach said was sometimes unblockable on tape. They seem very high on this guy.

Josh Pettus, S, 5-10, 200, Detroit, Mich. (Southwestern) (College of DuPage)
Junior College: Was a two-year starter at the College of DuPage ... coached by Gary Thomas ... team captain ... as a sophomore was an All-American Nominee, while earning first-team all-conference and first-team all-region honors ... led his team with five interceptions and was second with 72 tackles that same season ... won his team’s Most Inspirational Award ... team MVP ... helped his team win the Graphic Edge Bowl as a freshman. High School: Was a 2009 graduate of Southwestern High School ... coached by Michael Dennis ... three year starter at wide receiver and cornerback ... was his team’s track MVP as a senior and was part of a 4x100 relay team as a freshman, sophomore and junior.

Also very high on this guy. Not a need, but too good to pass up. Great tackler, said to have BCS offers. Wanted to be near home.

James Sanford, S, 6-2, 190, Xenia, Ohio (Xenia)
High School: Currently attends Xenia High School ... coached by Bob DeLong ... team captain ... earned first-team all-conference honors in his junior and senior season ... was selected to play in the Ohio North/South All-Star game.

Could contribute right away. Had early offers, but BG could wait and it paid off. Could play high S or is strong enough to play Rover.

Ben Steward, OL, 6-7, 300, Holt, Mich. (Holt)
High School: Currently attends Holt High School ... coached by Al Slammer ... team captain ... as a senior he was named to the Detroit Free Press Dream Team and the Lansing State Journal Dream Team ... earned first-team all-state and first-team All-CAAC Blue recognition ... three year starter that blocked for three 1,000-yard rushers ... was nominated to play in the Michigan High School Coaches Association All-Star Game ... was named to the Mid-Michigan Sports Journal Dream Team.

Half the MAC was on him. Early commit, never wavered. Obviously, starts as a pretty good sized fella.

Will Watson, CB, 6-1, 185, Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Jefferson)
High School: Currently attends Tampa Jefferson High School ... coached by Jeremy Earle ... team captain ... was named the 2011 Returner of the Year in Hillsborough County ... was second-team All-Tampa Bay Area in 2010 ... helped lead his team to the 3A Florida State Championship as a junior.

Had an Iowa State offer. Wanted quality at CB because we have good guys. Also want bigger corners.

James White, WR, 6-1, 180, Southfield, Mich. (Crockett Technical)
High School: Currently attends Crockett Technical High School ... coached by Rodereck Oden ... team captain ... earned first-team all-state class “B” honors as a senior ... was ranked as the 47th best recruit by Midwest Blue-Chip ... helped lead his team to a 10-2 record and a Public School League Championship (Div. 1) as a senior.

Was recruited elsewhere as a S. Stuck to his BG commitment...there had been chatter Iowa was looking at him.

Anyway, that's the signing day story from BG...as always, I am enthusiastic for the future of our program. I think we are getting good players...and that all has to play out on the field. Welcome to the Falcons.

Falcons Pull Shocker in K-zoo

2012-02-01T22:17:00.001-05:00

More tomorrow, but for right now, our Falcons certainly pulled off the best night of the season by blowing WMU away on their home floor. A much needed win, BG now has a chance to try and make a little bit of a run if they can stay consistent. It was a 72-48 win, the biggest in 11 years in a MAC road game. Also, it broke a 10-year losing streak at WMU for the Falcons, and was WMU's first home loss of the season.

BG shot a ridiculous 76% in the second half from the field. You will not lose many games like that. BG also allowed only 48...hard to lose that way, too.

I thought a very close win was all BG could hope for...this was an amazing win. More tomorrow....

By the way, that's an East sweep tonight.

You are entering Kalamazoo...

2012-02-01T11:02:00.000-05:00

So the Falcon's men's basketball rolls its way into Kalamazoo tonight for a MAC cross-over game with the Broncos. The Falcons played some close games a couple years ago with WMU, but last year WMU beat BG by 14 and 11 last year, once on a neutral floor. BG's last win in Kalamazoo was 10 years ago last Sunday.

Add to that happy history that WMU is 10-11 this year, but 9-0 on their home floor. The positive thing? Every streak comes to an end.

WMU is 10-11, but they played a tough schedule (#95 in the country) in the non-conference (SD State, Temple, Iona, Colorado, Purdue, Gonzaga, Duke, Duquesne), and they are probably better than that record. They are 4-3 in the MAC, with losses @BSU, @EMU (a surprise at the time, maybe less so now) and @OU. They lost their first 7 D1 Games but are 9-4 in the meantime.

In common opponent land, they did lose to Detroit and Temple, who BG beat, and beat Duquesne, who BG lost to.

The Broncos are second in the MAC in scoring efficiency, at 1.04 points per possession. They are 7th in the MAC in effective FG%. They are like Bowling Green in that they prefer to score close to the basket and they are 10th in 3FG%. They are 8th in turnover percentage as well. All that doesn't sound like a team that is 2nd in the MAC in scoring efficiency, but, with the Broncos, you come to expect very physical inside play, and we find that they are second in the MAC in offensive rebounding percentage and free throw rate. They get a higher percentage of their points on FTs than any other team in the MAC and they are shooting almost 74% (also 2nd in the MAC).

They are solid, but not great on the defensive end. They are 7th in defensive efficiency. They defend the shot very well (3rd) and keep the boards clean, too (2nd in the MAC). They don't do too bad in terms of allowing free throws (5th). The only week part of their game is that they don't force turnovers--they have the lowest turnover percentage in the MAC on defense.

College Basketball Stats

Actually, if you look at that chart, the game appears to be pretty even.

On an individual basis, WMU has three bigs who lead them in scoring. Nate Hutcheron, 6'7" (11.5/5), 6'9" Matt Stainbrook (11.3/6.8) and Flenard Whitfield 6'7" (10.5/5.4). They also have 6'10" Shayne Whittington who doesn't score much but gets 5.7 rebounds. They are solid at guards, at least at feeding the ball inside--both Mike Douglas and Demetrius Ward are both having decent years on assists.

BG is playing a team very much like themselves....that is, a team that wants to play in the paint. They are very physical and tough, and, of course, have played well at home, whereas the Falcons have yet to consistently play well on the road. This win would be very important to the Falcons in seeding, and if they are going to get it, there's going to have to be very good inside play from Calhoun, Black and Oglesby. BG has to keep WMU from dominating the offensive boards the way CMU--a bad rebounding team did--and BG needs to play a very strong defensive game against the shot.

Overall, this looks like a pretty tough assignment. However, this is a team whose strength matches our strength, and if we play our game effectively, we can hope we have another chance to successfully close a game out.

National Signing Day....

2012-02-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

It is national signing day....hopefully you got all your shopping done....anyway, I'll have a post up about all this later in the afternoon when all the dust settles, but in the meantime, I can't do better than the official BGSU site which has a live blog starting now (7AM) and tracking the LOI as they come in. There will be other interviews and features during the day. Enjoy.

Falcons Get Verbal from D-lineman

2012-01-31T11:42:00.000-05:00

AZZ.com is reporting that Michael Minns of Palm Beach Gardens, FL, has made a verbal commitment to BG. He is a 6'1" 285 D-tackle. There isn't a lot of info on him. Internet talk says that he is a run-stopping lineman who is almost college ready in terms of strength, and is compared with Hunter Maynard in last year's class and that he had offers from Marshall, UAB, Middle TN and Florida Atlantic. I'm sure we will hear more tomorrow, if this turns out to be true.

Falcon Verbal Re-opens Recruitment

2012-01-31T10:06:00.000-05:00

Illinois' Mikhail Dubose has re-opened his recruiting search and is considering BG, WMU and Illinois. He had committed in December to BG. These are always trying times for the coaching staff and as they try to hang onto the commits they have. I know we successfully hung onto a couple last year and I'm sure we're doing everything we can. Ultimately, it is his life, and his heart will need to be in whatever decision he makes. If that's to play for BG, then all the better.

He is one of 2 d-lineman in the class. ESPN ranks him as a 3-star recruit.

Coach Monroe Drops Tantalizing Hint for Football Recruiting

2012-01-30T19:24:00.003-05:00

We'll have to wait to see what this means, but here is a tweet from Falcon Assistant Coach Nick Monroe...

I don't have any actual facts, but the Clawson style is to leave some scholarships open until late in the process to compete for some late deciders....there were a couple last year, and I would be surprised if there was not at least one this season.

Bracketbuster....Falcons Get the Most Giggling Game Possible....

2012-01-30T19:13:00.000-05:00

So, the Bracketbuster announcement is out. BG will host Morehead (easy!) State on 2/18 at 2 pm. I think we actually played them in a previous bracker buster, which is pretty bizarre.

This is their coach...he looks like your uncle who always called you "champ."

They are 12-11, though they have played a very good schedule. They pulled a huge upset over Louisville in the tourney last year before Richmond knocked them out.

Should be an interesting game.

Coach Orr Presser--Stay the Course Edition

2012-01-30T15:30:00.002-05:00

Coach Orr held a presser earlier today. You can head over to bgsufalcons.com and check it out if you are so inclined. As usual, there were not many highlights....

The most important thing was that the media asked if the team had gotten to the point "where you might try to switch things up."

This is a really good question. We've all heard the old saying that insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results...and I think under the surface in the question was whether we aren't kind of stuck with this approach and these results. I don't know that we have anything different that would be better...the question was in a context related to Jehvon Clarke, and you might think that Craig Sealey could get some more minutes. Might not be better. But, it might. And what we are doing right now seems to have played itself out.

Anyway, Coach essentially said no, that we might try things on a game to game basis, but he is not prepared to try a different approach on a bigger picture basis.

He talked about the last possession against EMU. He said that Thomas was supposed to come off a
"pin down" and when Coach watched the film, he said it was "hard to see" where it went wrong. He said that Clarke picked his dribble up, and then when Calhoun had the ball, he still had time but jacked up a poor shot. Most importantly, we didn't need a 3. There was still time to get a 2 and then maybe EMU splits a pair of free throws and now you only need a 2 to tie.

Coach was asked if there was anything that could be done to improve in the last seconds. He said we already practice "situational" basketball and he probably should try to save a timeout.

Which is the kind of thing I don't understand. If you are already practicing it and yet we don't execute, then you have to try something else. I am sure our guys are working very hard. I just don't sense that we are getting any better, and I'd think you'd be concerned about that.

Falcons in MAC rankings...

2012-01-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

Thought I would check in on where the Falcons are standing in the individual MAC statistical tables...stats listed below are for league games only....smaller sample, but it eliminate the variance of out of conference scheduling....

A'uston Calhoun is tied for 8th in scoring
Scott Thomas is 14th in scoring

Thomas is 3rd in rebounding
Calhoun is tied for 10th in rebounding

Jordan Crawford leads the MAC in assists, but is 8th in assist/turnover ratio

Dee Brown is 4th in FT%
Crawford is 8th in FT%

Thomas leads the MAC in steals

Thomas is 9th in 3FG%

Cam Black is 4th in blocked shots

Torain Oglesby is 4th in offensive rebounds

Thomas is second in minutes played.
Crawford is 6th in minutes....
Brown is tied for 7th.

Now, those are the mainstream stats....if you are interested in some tempo-based stuff...

Scott Thomas is 6th in Effective Field Goal %.

A'uston Calhoun is 16th in possessions used.

(This is important, actually. Not to digress, but last year he was 5th in the MAC and 40th in the country. Now, you might observe that his scoring is only up a little from last year, but he is doing it while using fewer possessions, which is helpful to the team. His offensive rating went from .95 to 1.04.)

No Falcon is rated in the top 20 in offensive rating (points per possession).

MAC Online News Association Players of the Week...

2012-01-30T09:18:00.001-05:00

The MAC Online News Association has issued its second MAC Men's Basketball Players of the week...

East: Chris Evans, KSU
West: Jarrod Jones, BSU

I personally voted for Evans and Rian Pearson, so I swallowed my pride and voted for a Rocket and he still didn't win. Meh.

Real MAC Standings

2012-01-29T15:11:00.000-05:00

So here are the MAC standings as they really count with no attention paid to division. A couple notes....

First, ties breakers will start to come into focus, but I am still using RPI to break ties....

Second, look at Akron...6-1 in the MAC with 6 home games left. They are simply in very, very good position to make the semi-finals. If I had to guess, I'd say Buffalo would look good for the second spot, though Kent is still lurking.

As you can see, BG is two games behind the top four, and has only four home games left. Our team has clearly put itself in a very difficult position. Either things are going to change from the way they have been for the year, or BG is going to be fighting for a home game.

EMU defeats Falcons...

2012-01-29T10:08:00.001-05:00

Last year, EMU was 9-21 with one of the 20 worst RPIs in D1 basketball. They were 5-11 in the MAC finishing tied for 10th. That team lost its top scorer and rebounder--its only double figures scorer, in fact. They fired their coach, and brought in a Syracuse assistant who is in the first year of implementing a defensive style and the same 2-3 zone that BG has been trying to use for five years.

And for all that, EMU beat BG last night. EMU is 5-2 in the MAC. You have to give Rob Murphy credit...he took a pretty messy situation and figured out how to win games.

It isn't necessarily pretty. They hold the ball for long periods of time, running down the clock without even attempting to move the ball. But, they play among the most effective defenses in the MAC, and they are winning games. When they say it starts with defense, they can actually back the words up.

Meanwhile, BG's Falcons, who were 14-19 last year and tied for 7th in the MAC, lost only one bench player from that team, and figured to be better this year. BG isn't finding ways to win games, BG is bumping along, matching wins with losses. EMU has found a way to consistently win; BG has not.

Yesterday's game unfolded almost exactly as expected. It was a 61 possession game, which is very slow, and neither team shot the ball very well at all. Which is exactly the way EMU wanted the game played. When you play the way EMU does, you're not going to build up any big leads but you aren't going to fall far behind either. It just changes the psychology of the game....a 5 point lead feels insurmountable.

EMU led most of the second half, much of it in the 5 point range. With 3:39 left, the game was tied at 43 when Jehvon Clarke nailed a 3-pointer. For all the struggles of the night, it was anybody's game.

That didn't last long. EMU came down and nailed a 3 to go back up 3. Oglesby drew a foul on BG's possession and made 1 free throw. And EMU came down and nailed another 3 for a 5 point lead with 2:28 to go. EMU is not a good team shooting the 3, but the Falcons defense wasn't guarding on those possessions, and they made 2 right when they were needed.

So at 49-44 with 2:28, EMU then held BG without scoring until there was :42 left. The Eagles had made one more basket in the meantime for a 7 point lead. Jordan drained a 3, and then with :28 left he was fouled on a 3 and made all 3 FTS to cut the deficit to 3 points. BG fouled Antonio Green with :24 left, and he gave the Falcons a gift, missing both ends of his bonus.

BG was out of time outs and really needed a 3, though you're still in the game even with a 2. Whereas EMU had nailed 3FGs when they needed them, BG could not get open against the Eagle defense and settled for a low-percentage jumper by ~~Clarke~~ Calhoun that missed.

~~College Basketball Stats~~

And that's how a frustrating loss occurs.

Jack Carle asked Coach Orr in the post-game if EMU "imposed its will" on the Falcons. Coach didn't want to go there, preferring to say that his team beat itself.

It is pretty hard to argue with that assessment. BG had 19 turnovers against only 11 for EMU. In a game where you are already struggling to score, 19 completely empty turnovers is deadly. (Keep in mind that 19 turnovers is a lot in a normally paced game. In this game, BG turned the ball over on 31% of its possessions).

And, BG shot only 59% from the line, wasting a night where they had generated 22 free throw attempts. You change those variables, and you can win the game.

EMU held BG to .82 points per possession, which is about the same efficiency BG had against Georgia. It is the lowest in MAC play since the game @Akron in the 09-10 season. Meanwhile, EMU got .9 points per possession, slightly above their season average. As you can see below, BG was equal with EMU on shooting, got some offensive boards, but failed on turnovers. The free throw rate stat, which measures FT attempts against FG attempts is misleading when you miss your free throws.

~~College Basketball~~

Individually, Calhoun led the team with 12 points, but that's a victory for EMU, because he was forced to take 16 shots to get those 12 points. He did have 9 rebounds and 4 turnovers. Dee Brown had 10. Scott Thomas scored 7 with 8 rebounds, and Crawford had 8 with 4 assists. Oglesby had 6 points and five turnovers.

And so the beat goes on. Next up is WMU in K-Zoo, where the Broncos are undefeated this season. WMU is right in the mix with the Falcons for seeding, and a road win would really help the Falcons. To deliver on that, they will have to bring something we haven't see too much of. Everything starts somewhere.

Defeat in Ypsi...Falcons continue to struggle to find consistency

2012-01-28T21:50:00.002-05:00

One win, one loss.

And so it goes.

The Falcons continued to be unable to string any kind of success together, losing in a glacially-paced game in Ypsilanti Saturday, 55-50. BG falls to 2-8 on the road, and as the standings look today, are the final team with home court for the first round of the MAC tournament.

I'll have more tomorrow. In the meantime, a couple of things...

First, EMU is playing lock down 2-3 zone defense. How is it their team plays the 2-3 very effectively in the coach's first season, and BG has used it for 5 years and always ended up ranked in the middle of the conference in defense?

Thanks to 2 missed free throws, BG had a chance to tie the game late with a 3, but had no timeouts and did not sound like they got anywhere near getting a shot off.

BG lost the game with 19 turnovers. EMU had only 11.

There is always a chance for things to turn around, but we seem to be settling into a pattern....and that is to be a good team at home (though not great) and a poor team on the road...unless that changes, especially the second half of the equation, this is a .500 team at best. And with everyone back this year, I just guess we'd hoped for something better than that.

Again, you can never tell. Perhaps things will turn around Wednesday in Kalamazoo. But, save the Temple game, this has been a season devoid of surprises...

Falcons Get Walk On QB Commit

2012-01-28T13:15:00.000-05:00

Based on this article from PA, BG has a preferred walk-on QB heading to the Doyt for the Fall. His name is Tanner Garry (he is not, repeat NOT, the guy from the Bad News Bears) and he was a top-flight HS QB and wrestler at Fort Cherry HS, which is near Pittsburgh. He is a coach's son....other stuff...

He guided the Rangers into the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals and their first postseason victory since 2003. He passed for 2,171 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing for 703 yards and 12 scores.

Garry will graduate with Fort Cherry records in career passing yards (4,502) and touchdowns (50). He rushed for 1,223 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was coached by his father Tim Garry, and played alongside his cousin Corey Garry. At Fort Cherry, the football field is named after his grandfather, Jim Garry.

According to the article, if he improves and shows potential he will be in line for a scholarship after he redshirts next year. He did have a number of FCS and DII offers, but wanted to play in the FBS. "If you can throw, you can throw," he said.

I don't think you hurt yourself with a guy like this. You never know what a guy can turn into when given the chance. And from his perspective, he can always transfer after a couple of years to a FCS or DII school.

2 more players leave football program--Updates Via Falcon Fodder

2012-01-28T09:45:00.000-05:00

Falcon Fodder at The Blade had a football update, and there was some news in the post, so check it out. I will summarize here....

First, we knew Hurley had left the program. Falcon Fodder lets us know that DB Aunre Davis and RB Erique Geiger have also left.

Davis is transferring to Mercyhurst. He was in Clawson's first recruiting class. He made 3 career starts and 9 tackles in the 2010 Miami game, but made 0 tackles last year.

Geiger was also in that first class. He had 52 yards on 19 carries last year and 6 receptions. He made one start late in the year. He added depth to the RB corps. No word on where he is going.

As always in these situations, my attitude is that it is their life and they have to live it. I got to make my own choices and so should they, so we wish all 3 of them the best.

Falcon Fodder talks about a couple JUCO players who are in the house. You have heard about both of them here before. WR Michael Allen was a guy we wondered about because he had no football activity last season, but it turns out he was a short a class and could not go to San Diego State as planned. So, he sat out and now is coming to BG.

The other guy is C David Kekuewa. Both are enrolled and will be in Spring Practice.

They will be joined by Coy Brown, a true freshman, and WR Jermal Hosley, who was part of last year's class but delayed his start due to a summer injury.

One that I have not written about is Andre Givens. Givens signed a LOI to Pitt in 2010, never played there and went to a Prep School instead. He enrolled at BG last Fall. He did not practice with the team or appear on the roster. According to Falcon Fodder, Givens was one of the top RBs in Ohio as a HS player, and will be able to participate in football once he clears up some eligibility issues.

You don't know what to expect with a guy like that, but it would appear that he has the tools to contribute if everything can be focused right. And depth at RB will be key.

Eagle Eye Preview

2012-01-27T14:34:00.000-05:00

The Falcons travel to Ypsi on Saturday for a game against the surprise team of the MAC, the EMU Eagles. Now, how much of a surprise they are will be revealed from their trip through the East. They have already met last year's win total. In fact, last year, they were 9-22 with an RPI of 328, and plain dreadful on top of it. Note, too, that their best player Brandon Bowery, had graduated off an already weak team. They fired their coach, and brought in Syracuse Assistant Rob Murphy, and he has shown some success right out of the gate.

Now, to put that "success" in context, their out of conference wins were really soft. They had only 5 wins, 4 D1 wins, and their best win was over UALR (#191) in Ypsi. Three of their wins were over teams with RPI over #256 and they lost @Colgate (298) and @Texas Southern (#241).

I think people were thinking it was more of the same when they opened MAC play beating NIU and then losing to CMU at home. The Eagles then went on a 3-game winning streak, winning @Ball State, and beating WMU and UT (both in Ypsi). Their first cross-over game was @Buffalo and they lost by 18.

Based on this, I'd say they are not as good as their record. They are 5-2 at home, however, and have one more quality road win in the MAC than BG does...this is the kind of game you need if you are trying to break out of the .500 track...and BG has 1 road win and 2 home losses, so a win just gets us to even.

EMU has been making its bones on defense--incredible rock solid defense. They play the slowest paced game in the MAC at 59.7 possessions per game (all numbers here are conference only). They lead the MAC in allowing only .87 points per possession, which is #10 in all of D1.

We have seen in the past there are are a couple ways of doing that--creating turnovers or defending the shot--and they are clearly the latter. They allow a straight FG% of 38.6 and an effective field goal% of 42.6%, both of which lead the MAC and are 9th and 17th in the NCAA respectively. They are still strong, though in the middle of the MAC, in allowing free throws, preventing offensive rebounds and forcing turnovers.

As an aside, and I don't know the answer to this, but if they are playing a 2-3 with the residue of last year's team and getting these kinds of results and BG has been playing and recruiting for it for five years...

Anyway. They're playing great defense but they are only 9-11/4-2, so you have to expect that their are not scoring the ball great. They are last in the MAC in offensive efficiency, effective field goal %, and 10th in offensive rebounding. They are 11th in turning the ball over, and only rise to the middle of the pack in their ability to get to the free throw line, in which they are 7th.

College Basketball

Now, it is worth nothing that this is the 2nd most experienced team in the MAC, behind only Kent State, so Murphy is partly building on that. Darrell Lampley, a senior G, leads the team with 10 points per game in conference play. To get there, he is shooting 32% from the field.

Jamell Harris, a 6'9" Jr., is 7th in the MAC in rebounding at 6.8. They have another big man, 7'0" So Da'Shonte Riley who transferred from Syracuse. He actually received hardship status because he wanted to move closer to home to be near his grandparents (he is from Detroit). He is averaging 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.

This will be an interesting game. You have a one-dimensional team in EMU, but they are at least strong in that one dimension. BG needs to string some strong games together, and this would be a time to start. It will be interesting to see what the Falcons show tomorrow.

Falcon Nation Sends Thoughts and Prayers to Coach Miller

2012-01-27T11:50:00.001-05:00

As I am sure you have heard by now, BGSU Women's Basketball Coach Curt Miller suffered a mini-stroke during a recent game and will be away from the team indefinitely

This was shocking news when I heard it this morning, and I certainly send my best wishes to Coach Miller for a speedy recovery. The University has asked everyone to respect his privacy, and I'm sure everyone will.

Here is BG's release.

In it, he refers to a "wake up call."

Obviously, I have no idea what was behind this from a medical standpoint. I do think it stands as a reminder to all of us to keep our life in perspective, to enjoy your passions, but not be ruled by your passions. There is a healthy balance to all things, and we should all strive to find that balance through harmony and moderation.

A good time for all of us to reflect, I think.

Real MAC Standings, Updated

2012-01-26T16:11:00.000-05:00

Ties broken based on RPI...

Falcons Beat Chips, Keep Wolves at Bay

2012-01-26T10:57:00.000-05:00

The Falcons went out yesterday and got a win they pretty much had to have. It many ways, it was far from a perfect effort, on the other hand, they took a poor team and beat them pretty easily, and that's what you are supposed to do with poor teams. (Final: 71-58).

I was surprised, in fact, at how negative Todd Walker and Kirk Cowan were when I got out to my car. While acknowledging that it was far from a great effort and we might have lacked intensity here and there, BG took the lead 8 minutes into the game and never lost it again. In fact, it was not a one-possession game for the last 26 minutes of the game.

BG had a 17 point lead in the second half, and yeah, they did run it down to 9 with about 10 minutes left, but it was back to 15 within 2 minutes or so and never within 10 again.

I know Central is not a great team, I covered it in the preview. I just think we did what we had to do to a poor team on our floor, which is beat them soundly.

NCAA Basketball Stats

Now, there is one area of the game that was poor--historically poor, in fact--and that was BG's work on its own defensive boards. CMU...the WORST offensive rebounding team in the MAC...rebounded 55.6% of their missed shots. That is an incredible number. I use statsheet.com for this kind of thing, and it is the highest rebounding percentage allowed by BG since their stats start in 2000-2001. That's a lot of basketball, and a lot of games against teams who were set up to outrebound us--like MSU--and they never did that kind of damage. This year, MSU only got 44% and last year 52.9%.

And CMU was not set up to outrebound us, they were set up not to outrebound anybody.

So, that can't happen. Hopefully, we can make it a teachable moment off a win...

The other facets of the game, however, were squarely in the Falcon's hands. BG shot 51.7% and held CMU to 36.5%, had better 3-point shooting, won the free throw war by 10 and had fewer turnovers. CMU was held to only 4 3s...so while rebounding was very poor, the remainder of the game was all BG and the Falcons had an easy home win.

NCAA Basketball Stats

BG had 3 strong scorers. Crawford, Thomas and Calhoun each scored 14 points, and Crawford added 7 assists over 2 turnovers, and Thomas added 8 rebounds and 4 steals and Calhoun had 11 rebounds and was 4 of 6 shooting and 6 of 6 at the line, providing efficiency we have not seen from him often. Dee Brown added 12 points, and Oglesby brought 8, all in the first half and all when BG needed someone to step up and score.

Cam Black continues to look more mature in every game. He had 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals and 2 assists in 25 minutes. Coach Hopson said in the post-game that Calhoun is drawing consistent double teams now, and I continue to think that a player which Black's skills can really exploit that on the offensive end. Coach Hopson said he only needs confidence.

On the CMU side, big-time recruit Trey Zeigler had 17 points and 10 rebounds. He's a good player, though if we had a MAC draft, I wouldn't pick him first. The rest of the starting backcourt shot 5 of 25, and Trey is only one guy, and they just didn't have nearly enough last night.

So, for the Falcons, two road games loom. First, against EMU, the upstart of the conference, and then @WMU, a place BG had struggled to close out close games. I did agree with Walker and Cowan on one thing....this Falcon team is not a serious contender for anything until they start to string together some wins...and their season-long winning streak of two doesn't cut it. And the next opportunity to change that comes Saturday in Ypsi.

Crossover Madness

2012-01-25T10:11:00.000-05:00

The middle phase of the MAC schedule is cross over time, when East plays West. This is where things start to become clearer. The East is considerably stronger than the West, and this is typically a time when we see if those jackrabbits who have run to the front of the Western pack are players or pretenders. And, the East teams realize they need a nice run to be competitive. It was in the cross-over games that BG's regular season championship team began to take form....perhaps it might happen again.

First, the Chips. They come to the Stroh at 7-11 on a 3-game losing streak. They have played, to date, a pretty easy schedule. RPI wise, their best win is @EMU, which is pretty hard to believe. They also lost @Tennessee State and are the only D1team anywhere on earth to lose to #337 NIU.

Looking at conference games only, and remembering who that includes, CMU is 6th in the conference in offensive efficiency at a straight up 1 point per possession. They lead the MAC in 3FG and 3FGA although they are only 5th in 3FG%. Their efficiency is largely tied to the fact that they lead the MAC in only giving up turnovers on 15% of their possessions. They need every one of those possessions, because they are 9th in Effective FG%, 9th in Free Throw Rate and last in offensive rebound percentage.

Coach Orr said at his presser this week that CMU is a guard-oriented team. If BG can keep the guards from getting hot from outside, they should be able to own the paint. In other words, you'd like to think this is a nice match up for our defense.

Defensively, the Chips are allowing 1.04 points per possession, which is 9th in the MAC. They are dreadful defending the shot--they are last at 55% Effective Field Goal Percentage. They do force turnovers--they are 3rd in the MAC at about 26%, but they are 10th in defending their own offensive boards and allow the highest free throw rate in the MAC.

NCAA Basketball

CMU is paced by 3 high scoring drives. Obviously, phenom Trey Zeigler is leading the way with 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds, both team highs. Derek Jackson and Austin McBroom are both 6'0" guards who are scoring 13 points a game. McBroom also gets about 3 assists per game.

I don't know how to say this any differently than this...BG absolutely has to have this game. Two home losses in a row have put BG behind the 8-ball, and they need to hold serve, especially against a team like this. I don't necessarily think that BG is a MAC powerhouse, but on our home floor, we just gotta have this game. A loss here, and even competing for home court becomes a challenge.

Beyond that, if this team is going to play with its better nature, it needs a run through the West, and this is a chance to help.

Final note: as if to make the point, Akron beat West favorite Ball State by 12 last night in Muncie and Buffalo smoked upstart EMU, though that game was in Buffalo.

Falcon Football Loses JUCO Verbal

2012-01-25T10:00:00.003-05:00

Earlier there had been talk of Nigel Westbrooks, a JUCO WR from California making a verbal commitment to BGSU. As we know, verbal commitments are non-binding and it has been announced that he will attend Nevada. Que sera sera. BG still has two WRs in the class, James White, a HS player from Detroit, and JUCO WR Michael Allen.

Orr Presser...

2012-01-24T14:04:00.004-05:00

Coach Orr held a presser...much of it the normal stuff, but he did get one good question about how you balance out the need to win with the need to get young guys some playing experience.

Coach nodded his head and conceded he has been thinking about that. He says our momentum has come from our Juniors and Seniors, and that in games the margin of error is very small. Basically, he said that young players are supposed to improve in practice and contribute by being solid when they get a couple of minutes in the games. But, the games are so close that you can't give them minutes just for growth. He cited James Erger as a player who makes the most out of his minutes.

CMU Media Review....

2012-01-24T10:17:00.000-05:00

Just a quick look at what they are writing about the Chips...

The Chips lost to their arch-rival WMU Saturday. It was their third straight loss. CMU mounted a rally, coming from 11 down with 4 minutes left. They had a shot to tie the game with a 3FG in the last seconds, but had a player slip getting the inbound pass and Zeigler missed a desperation 3.

In the game prior to that, they were smoked by Ball State...note Ziegler's analysis...

Ernie said that he saw his team panic once the Cardinals opened a large lead, and then players tried to do it themselves instead of moving the ball and finding an open look at the hoop.

“We weren’t sharing the ball,” he said. “We have numerous guys who have the capabilities to make plays for each other and we just weren’t sharing the ball.”

Note as well that Freshman G Jorddan Myrick has a hip injury and has missed the last four games. He was used sparingly when healthy.

Finally, here's a column from the CMU student paper. It addresses what is the central question about the CMU program. You get the top recruit in the MAC in recent memory (Trey Zeigler), a guy who was recruited to the top programs in the US. And yet, the team has struggled and really not improved and they play in the West, where a little skill would go a long way.

Zeigler has been good, though he is far from dominating the MAC. I know he's only a sophomore, but for a player with those credentials, you'd expect an immediate impact, and his impact as a freshman was less than DJ Cooper or Javon McCrea, as examples.

He’s fifth in the Mid-American Conference in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game. Zeigler is seventh in the conference in rebounds, averaging 6.8.

To be fair, he's getting their the hard way. Zeigler is using 30% of his team's possessions, which is second in the MAC behind Abdel Nader of NIU, who, frankly, I never heard of. Zeigler is 52nd in the MAC in offensive efficiency.

The columnist, John Manko, proposes that Zeigler is getting wrongful blame for the team's struggles:

Nobody can win a championship alone. The pieces around Zeigler are slowly coming. Sophomore guard Derek Jackson is a high-riser with speed and athleticism. Freshman point guard Austin McBroom is a floor general and gives added stability to a position that was in shambles because of the Amir Rashid-Antonio Weary project.

That might well be true. My own thought is the same one that I had when Trey signed at CMU...which is that I think they were ready to unload his Dad as Coach, and kept him to get Trey. I have yet to see anything from Zeigler the Elder in terms of building a winning program.

Maybe that will not turn out to be not true. He's certainly gotten the gift of a little extra time....

The latest two sport star...

2012-01-23T15:19:00.000-05:00

It used to be a lot more common....having a guy on the football team also play baseball. In the era of specialization, it has become far less common. I grew up watching Paul Miles play football and then play baseball. BG QB Bob Niemet played both sports. Of course, there is the famous Cole Magner tenure on the basketball team (along with Keon Newsome)...and that magic day at Anderson against the RedHawks.

There are probably more. Last week, we heard for the first time about a new one--OL Clay Rolf, who is going to play for the baseball team as well.

Rolf was a big HS star at Eastwood, and according to this story by Kevin Gordon in the Sentinel Tribune, wanted to play baseball at BG. Coach Clawson said that if he got through his freshman year and was doing well on football and academics, he could play baseball.

It is a burden on the player, especially during spring practice. Catch this schedule from the Sentinel article...

He conditions and works out with the football team in the morning, attends class from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and then heads to baseball practice until approximately 4:30 p.m.

On the other hand, baseball has limited scholarships, and it gets them a scholarship quality athlete without having it count against them. And, if managed correctly, I think it can be a non-issue for football, and Clay might be a better player if he can do both.

Blogger's Players of the Week

2012-01-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

As another collective effort of the MAC bloggers, we are starting a Player of the Week award, moderated by The MAC Daily.

This week it was:

East: Javon McCrea
West: Nate Hutcheson

Which happens to be exactly how I voted.

Real MAC Standings....

2012-01-22T16:00:00.000-05:00

So...things are different in the MAC this year. There are now two levels of byes you can win, and finishing in the top 2 and 4 present a huge advantage. Also, the division champion is no longer guaranteed a bye of some kind, which essentially means that the divisions are meaningless except for scheduling. So far, EMU and Ball State are qualifiers, but it remains to be seen if that can survive the cross-over games.

So here are the MAC standings, with byes noted. For now, I have broken ties with RPI. It is too early to worry about tie-breakers. Obviously, Akron at 4-1 with an extra home game is a nice position to be in. It is clearly still early, we are not even 1/3 into the schedule but here is where things stand.

Falcons lose 2nd straight heartbreaker at home...

2012-01-22T10:02:00.000-05:00

For the second straight home game, the Falcons lost a last-second heartbreaker. It is extremely disappointing....you turn those two around and this team is 4-1 and we're feeling really good. But those two don't turn around, they are what they are, and the team is 2-3 and only four of the last 9 at home. Our cross-over road games are against the better teams in the West...at this point, 8-8 would be an accomplishment.

Similar to the Akron game, this game turned on Buffalo making plays at the end and the Falcons not doing the same. The key sequence came with about 1:30 left. Calhoun had nailed 2 free throws to take a 1 point lead. Buffalo came down, their PG got some penetration, and the defense left the Bulls best player, Javon McCrea all alone, and he had an uncontested dunk to take the lead back.

BG came down the floor, ran some offense. Cam Black had the ball and they didn't double him so he went to his hook shot but it didn't go down and Buffalo had the board.

Buffalo came down, got the ball inside, and BG lost track of Barnett who drained a 3 and the Bulls were up 4.

Right there, you have two defensive lapses where the Bulls made the Falcons pay....and a possession where BG had the ball and couldn't convert.

There was still one more shot. Calhoun made a hoop to cut it to 2, and then BG got a turnover but missed another shot. Buffalo rebounded, was fouled, and missed the front end of the 1-1. Thomas rebounded and dished it to Crawford

There was only about 5 seconds left, and Coach said later that we only have one guy who can get down the floor that quick, which he is probably right about. Jordan raced down the floor. Buffalo had Mitchell Watt back--the conference's leading shot blocker--and you have to admire the hell out of Crawford because he went right at him. Unfortunately, Watt swatted his shot away and the Bulls had the win.

Coach said after the game that you'd hope you might get a foul or something. You can second guess it all you want....maybe he should have pulled up for the jumper for example....the guy attacked the basket and Watt made the play.

NCAA Basketball

The defeat wasted a career night from A'uston Calhoun, who had 29 points on 12 of 17 shooting and added 8 rebounds. He also nailed all 5 of this free throws. Faced with a much bigger Buffalo team, Calhoun played an excellent game.

Thomas added 12 points, 6 rebonds, 3 assists and 4 steals and Dee Brown had 13 points and 5 rebounds, though he shot poorly. Jordan Crawford also struggled with his shot, but had six assists over 2 turnovers.

BG once again shortened their rotation a lot. Beyond the starters, only Oglesby (16) and Erger (9) got significant minutes.

It was a 66 possession game, which has been slow for Buffalo. BG got 1 point per possession, which is about their average for the season. The Bulls got 1.03 points per possession, largely on the back of 8-10 3 point shooting in the second half. BG had an 8 point edge in free throws--the Falcon shot well at 15 of 19 and Buffalo shot poorly at 7 of 16--but the Bulls had 9 3's and BG only had 5.

Overall, BG tried 17 3's, which can't be something that makes Coach Orr happy.

In addition to the hot 3 pt shooting in the second half, Buffalo also had 7 offensive rebounds on 16 missed shots. For the game, they were actually below their season percentage.

NCAA Basketball Stats

Buffalo is a good team. I can't stand Witherspoon, but this is a good team. They lost their PG, but Oldham has slid right in and is a very solid player. McCrea is as good a player as there is in the MAC, and Mitchell Watt is a Euro-style big man who presents a lot of match up problems. Robinson and Barnett and good in the supporting cast. This is a very solid team.

Not to be lost in the mix is that this was a highly entertaining college basketball game. It was close the whole way, had a couple of second half runs and came right down to the finish. Except for the finish, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

One step forward....one step back...

2012-01-21T22:30:00.001-05:00

It was an excellent game at the Stroh tonight, with the exception of only one thing, and that was the result. BG loses its second straight at home on the final play of the game. Certainly disappointing. I think we played pretty well most of the way, and really let ourselves down with our lack of guarding on two key late possessions. More tomorrow....

DA Bulls

2012-01-21T10:14:00.004-05:00

So, the Falcons wrap up their first swing through the East with a game against Da Bulls, still coached by the old Buzzer Banger, Reggie Witherspoon. I think this has the potential to be a really good one and, under the new MAC format, you really have to hold court at home. I think its really put some heat under the regular season.

The Bulls are 9-6 but they have played the #104 schedule in the country. They are 2-2 in the MAC with both wins at home.

That schedule thing is a little over-rated, maybe. They did beat Dayton at UD, and decent Youngstown State and Niagara teams, but they also beat really bad St. Peter's, Cornell and Canisius. Their non-conference losses were @Princeton, St. Bonaventure, @BYU and @Temple, the last 3 of which all have two digit RPIs.

They bring a very strong front court game. Javon McCrea is the 2nd leading scorer in the MAC (all stats conference games), and is 2nd in offensive rebounding as well. He's 6'7", plays taller and is a true stud. He was freshman of the year last year, and had some serious run with the national U19 team.

He is joined up front by 6'10" Mitchell Watt. He is a senior who is averaging 13 PPG and 8.5 rebounds, which is tied for first in the MAC. He leads the MAC with 3 blocked shots per game. He is also shooting 58% from the floor.

Then, there is Titus Robinson, who comes off the bench to score 9 points and get 5 rebounds per game.

Their backcourt has some players too. They are led by Zach Filzen, one of the top 3 FG shooters in the MAC. He has struggled for most of the MAC season, through he did heat up in their last game. Their PG, So. Jarod Oldham, is 2nd in the MAC with 5.5 assists per game.

Their struggles in MAC games to date have been related to scoring the ball. They are 10th in the MAC in offensive efficiency at .94 PPP. They are 7th in effective field goal percentage and last in turnover percentage...they are turning the ball over on 27% of their possessions. They are third in offensive rebounding, which helps, but should also be showing up in their shooting. They also do get to the line---they are 3rd in the MAC in free throw rate.

They have been last in the MAC in 3-FG shooting, though Filzen's struggles are a part of that.

So, we can see what the Bulls will be thinking about improving. They showed better offense than this in the pre-season, so they have to be looking to get back in the groove.

And it presents an opportunity. If BG brings defensive chops, this team clearly can be defended.

Now, Buffalo has been playing really good D themselves. They are 3rd in the MAC in defensive efficiency, allowing only .92 points per possession. Teams against them have only a 44% EFG%. Like Miami, they don't go for turnovers. They are in the middle of the pack on the defensive boards---they give up a lot of offensive rebounds but there are a lot of missed shots, too, so they end up in the middle of the pack in the conference.

They do foul a decent amount and give up the 3rd highest free throw rate in the MAC.

NCAA Basketball

I think this has the potential to be a very good game. BG has played so well at home, and Buffalo is hungry for a road win. BG needs to play strong down low, which especially means watching to see if Cam Black continues to emerge on the inside. I'd say there's a shot that 3 of the top 4 seeds will go to the East, and if you are BG and Buffalo you need to win this game to get into that conversation.

Falcons lose football assistant

2012-01-20T16:43:00.000-05:00

A guy who coached linebackers at BG has decided to go coach elsewhere. Up North. I forget his name. Some dude.

Bull Media Review...

2012-01-20T13:33:00.000-05:00

Just a quick check in with the Buffalo Bulls media coverage.

The most notable thing is that everyone seems to recognize how the new playoff structure makes finishing in the Top 4 basically imperative in winning the MAC tournament. This is placing increasing pressure on the regular season games, which is why I think it was exactly the right thing to do. Based on this thinking, Buffalo really needed a win at home against Akron, and they knew it and they got it.

In other notes, Zach Filzen has really been struggling in conference games but had a good game against Akron.

And, the Buffalo News reports on "rumors" that the MAC will scrap divisions for basketball and go back to an 18 game schedule, reflecting the expense and difficulty in getting non-conference games at home. I also applaud this...combined with the new format, I think we'd be able to extend the most exciting part of the season.

Falcons Post Road Win in Oxford

2012-01-19T14:40:00.000-05:00

Well, just when things were looking like another average season for the Falcons, a little light showed up in the tunnel. They might still end up with a pretty average season, but last night was also the kind of thing you can turn things around on. You head to that game 1-2, and if you lose you're 1-3. Now, you're 2-2 with the next two games at home, and you start to feel like you might be able to make a little run. Now, obviously, you have to continue to produce consistently and that means putting a little winning streak together.

But everything looks and feels better after a road win. BG had not won in a full decade in Miami, and Coach Orr (obviously) has never had a win.

It sounded to me like this was the kind of consistent, buzzer to buzzer effort BG has put together only a couple of times this year, and the first on the road. It is only BG's second road win of the season, the other coming against Florida International, a team with a 4-13 record.

The initial 27 minutes of the game were very close, with the lead changing hands off and on and no team ever holding a lead of more than 4 points. The game was tied at 38 with 13 left in the game, and BG made a 14-4 run over 5 minutes to take a 10 point lead. Thomas and Crawford both had 5 points during the run.

From there, it was never a one-possession game again. Miami did make everyone a bit nervous and got the lead to 5 with about a minute left, but they could get it no closer and BG made 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute and held Miami to 2 points to get the win.

College Basketball Stats

BG's defense was probably the star of the day. It sounded like BG played a mix of man to man and zone but mostly man to man, and it sounded like they were effective in man for the first time in quite a while. It was played at Miami's pace (63 possessions) but BG held them to .9 points per possession, our third best road defense this year. BG held Miami to 38% shooting in the 2nd half and 27% from 3, and that was truly the difference in the game.

On offense, BG tried only 8 3s, which must have made the bench happy. Consequently, BG shot 50% and had an offensive efficiency of 1.03 PPP. As I have mentioned before, if you can shoot 50% and take care of the ball, that is a nice combination, and BG had only 11 turnovers compared to 16 for Miami. BG, in fact, had modest advantages in each of the four factors of the game.

NCAA Basketball Stats

I think the big story of the game was the big contributions from a few different Falcon players. You have to start with Scott Thomas, who had 11 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 8 steals while shooting 5 of 8 from the field. That, my friends, is a stat line to be proud of.

Then, Jordan Crawford chipped in 25 points on 10 of 13 shooting. That's a career high, and incredibly valuable on a team that sometimes lacks scoring punch.

When those two guys have those kinds of games, BG is going to be tough to beat.

A'uston Calhoun had 13 and 6 rebounds and Dee Brown had 10. Neither of those guys shot particularly well, but did come up with a couple key baskets as needed. Finally, Cam Black played 25 points on a bad foot and blocked 3 shots.

(During Coach's presser this week, he said Black is starting to play with more confidence. I think he contributes things that aren't in the stats, and he seemed to last night, and I also think he has the capacity to contribute stats too. It will be interesting to see how he finishes the season.)

BG definitely tightened up the rotation, which we have seen Coach Orr do previously when the team needed a win. Black didn't start, but Thomas, Brown, Crawford and Calhoun each played at least 34 minutes.

Meanwhile, Mavunga had 17 points but he had to get there on 5 of 12 shooting, which means he actually used a lot of possessions for 17 points. He also was held to 4 rebounds. On Mavunga, a pretty good day for the Falcons.

So, BG produces a nice victory on the road, and comes home to play the Buffalo Bulls on Saturday afternoon. It would be great to see the Falcons go on a little run here and string together some wins, which you can only do one game at a time. We have seen this team play like this before, but consistency is the challenge. Perhaps they felt a little challenged after the Kent defeat, and maybe they are willing to express a different identity to the league.

Evil Genius Vanquished....

2012-01-18T20:54:00.002-05:00

First win at Millett in 10 years for Falcons....great effort....sounded like a great night from Crawford, Thomas, Calhoun and Black. Go Falcons!!!

MAC Blogger Roundtable

2012-01-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

Our host this week is Eagle Totem. Here are my answers to his questions, and I'll post a link to the compilation when it is ready later in the week.

1. Getting a second NCAA bid: did Ohio screw the MAC's only chance, or is there still hope?

No. Well, technically, there never actually was any hope, so the hope level is the same as it ever was. Which is none. The MAC is a one-bid conference.

2. Parity or fluke? Ohio started conference play 1-2, while the directional Michigan schools, which combined for a 16-25 non-conference record, each went 2-1.

These things tend to come out in the wash. It is a very long conference season, and the stronger teams usually rise to the top. I would expect the cross-over games to be tilted to the East again this year. The MAC has an odd kind of parity. Certainly, there is home-court parity, and there are three good teams and 2-3 wretched ones. In the middle, though, are teams that are close to each other and not that far fro the top 3 teams.

3. If you could steal one player from another MAC team to add to your school's team for the rest of this season only, who would you take?

Well, the obvious answer is McCrea or Jones. But, if I was looking for a guy who could really compliment the guys the Falcons already have, I'd say a scoring guard--Ziegler, or, if that seems greedy, Zach Filzen.

4. Miami's Julian Mavunga leads the MAC in both points per game and rebounds per game. Make the case for someone else as Player of the Year.

Well, to make that case you would have to resort to the argument that the best player can't be on a team with a poor record, and then you'd be looking at Justin Greene, DJ Cooper or Zeke Marshall.

5. Rank 'em.

Kent State
Akron
Ohio
Buffalo
Western Michigan
Bowling Green
Miami (OH)
Ball State
Eastern Michigan
Central Michigan
Toledo
Northern Illinois

Evil Genius 2012

2012-01-18T10:42:00.002-05:00

Sources I would prefer not to disclose have provided me with this photo. This is the evil genius, Charlie Coles, during his playing days (late in the William Howard Taft administration) in what has now become his Treacherous Lair: Oxford, Ohio.

It is a human tragedy. Something happened to turn this hopeful and happy young man into this man...

...the man who is the evil genius. I don't know if it was exposure to radiation, a very bad plate of clams, or some horrific trauma, and, my friends, it doesn't matter. He is who he is.

This year, he has employed a giant, basketball playing zombie, a remorseless player who attacks without conscience...we shall know him as Mavunga. And he leads the MAC in scoring and rebounding.

His RedHawks are 5-10 this year, but as usual, that is nothing but a clever ruse designed to lull the innocent hikers into his cave for the night. They have played the 40th toughest schedule in D1. They beat a very good Dayton team and a good Belmont team, and while I am sure he was not happy to lose to Troy and Evansville (that one at home), their 10 losses include defeats at Xavier (by 6), UC, Ohio State and Vanderbilt.

Inside the MAC, they have lost to Akron in Oxford and @Kent, though both games were winnable right up to the end. Then, they battled from behind to beat Buffalo in Oxford, 52-51, in a game they had to have.

And got. See what I mean?

There was some trouble off season, as JR G Orlando Williams was convicted of theft charges and excised from the kingdom. Then Jr. Guard Allen Roberts, who played 24 minutes a game last season was lost with an injury for the year.

All eyes turned to Oxford. What was next for the evil genius, left now with the Zombie Mavunga and a team consisting of mostly neophytes? (By a statsheet.com analysis, they are the third youngest team in the MAC.)

First, Mavunga transformed from good to great. Then, freshman Brian Sullivan stepped into the guard's role and became the team's second leading scorer. Sophomore Josh Sewell, who played 10 minutes a game last year became their third leading scorer. Transfer Bill Edwards became their second leading rebounder.

And the beat goes on. Next Zombie Up.

His tactics do not change. They play the a stupefyingly slow pace, 60 possessions a game in conference play and then they defend the field goal, not the turnover. To the evil genius, a turnover is rebounding a missed shot.

They can't be happy with the success so far. Tempo-free stats are important here, given their place. In terms of points per possession, they are 8th in the MAC and they are 9th in the MAC allowing 49.7% effective field goal percentage.

On the other hand, that Buffalo game, where they won with 52 points. That must have been music in the dark soul of the evil genius.

Offensively, they are scoring only .98 points per possession and are 6th in effective field goal percentage. They don't really care about offensive rebounding and it shows...they are 11th in the conference. They are near the bottom in getting to the line....they do take care of the ball well, but don't shoot the 3 especially well, which leaves us with a pretty typical Coles team...very deliberate, a lot of passing, and a desire for higher percentage shot.

There are no easy road games in this conference. But, compared to winning @Kent or @Akron, and this year in particular, this is one where the Falcons would need to pick one up if they are going to pick one up. At this point, winning out at home would require one road win just to be .500. It won't be easy. The Evil Genius always has his legions prepared for battle, and they are difficult to beat. BG has shown no ability to play effectively on the road.

The question, ultimately, is whether the team hit a tipping point at Kent. Coach Orr was clearly frustrated...are they ready to play as well as they are capable, or are they going to continue to provide only tantalizing glimpses?

We get a chance to answer that question tonight.

Two more football verbals

2012-01-17T15:47:00.001-05:00

As signing day draws closer, BG continues to close fast with one highly rated HS player and a JUCO WR.

The HS player is William Watson of Tampa Jefferson. He was at one point committed to Iowa State, but then was available again. He also visited Middle Tennessee State and had reported interest from Indiana. He was named to the all-district team He is listed on rivals as a 3-star recruit. When he committed to Iowa State he was considered "one of the top secondary prospects in the Bright House Sports Network’s extended I-4 corridor Tampa Bay region." Here are his senior numbers...note the return numbers as well as the defensive numbers.

Watson recorded 18 total tackles, six passes defended and two interceptions, tied for the team lead, for Jefferson, who finished the year 6-4 after winning the Class 3A state championship in 2010. He also rushed for 160 yards on 24 carries, caught one pass for 12 yards in a 22-0 win over Sickles and returned eight punts for 209 yards.

Michael Allen is the JUCO player, coming from East Los Angeles College. He is a bit of a mystery. He was their leading receiver in 2010 with 674 yards, 51 receptions and 4 TDs. He made first-team all-conference.

Here it says he was the college's male athlete of the year and headed to San Diego State. Then there is nothing for 2011.

Based on what we have to work with, I can only assume that it didn't work out with the Aztecs and that he did not play anywhere last season. Perhaps more information will emerge.

Welcome to the Falcons, Will and Michael.

Redhawk Press Review

2012-01-17T09:09:00.000-05:00

Just a quick round up on what the local papers are writing about the RedHawks, who picked up their first MAC win at home against Buffalo. Everyone involved has correctly identified that was a win they had to have Their games have been close, but they have been on the losing end..

Josh Sewell, a starting G, declared himself ineligible to play due to an academic issue. He thought it would be cleared up this week. I'm assuming he violated a team rule and not an NCAA rule.

After a loss to Kent, the evil genius, Charlie Coles, said these two things in the same press conference.

We might very well not win another game

and

I’ve got to convince my guys, (whose) heads were down in the locker room, and I’m not buying into that, man, we’ve got a thousand games left,” he said. “We’ve got to get better. That’s what we’ll try to do.

Football Verbal....

2012-01-16T14:16:00.001-05:00

The Falcons have another verbal commitment, this one another JUCO player named Joshua Pettus. He is from the Detroit area originally and was playing for the College of DuPage in Illinois. JUCO players can be hard to find info about. ESPN reports that CMU and Houston offered him, and he was first-team all-conference.

And for good reason. He was the team's second leading tackler with 70, had 5 TFL and 1 sack. More impressively, he had 5 INT in an 8 game season, and 5 Pass Breakups to go with it. His team was 4-2 in conference and 7-2 overall.

He seems to have played Safety up until now, but projects to a corner in D1.

That is our 3rd reported JUCO verbal, which surprises me, especially at CB, where I thought we had some pretty good players. Obviously, he looks like a good player who can contribute.

Welcome to the Falcons, Joshua.

Blogpoll: Pre and post test

2012-01-16T10:10:00.000-05:00

So, with the college football season, I thought it would be fun to look at the blogpoll I started with back in August and the final ballot I cast as the season ended.

It is sobering.

First, however, my pre-season #1 did end up winning it. There are others that were not too bad. I had Oregon, Akransas, Boise, TCU, West Virginia pretty close. I think the South Carolina pick was not bad, given what might have been expected.

I severely underrated LSU based on their suspensions, which didn't end up making much difference. I didn't see as much out of Oklahoma State, USC or MSU. And, I didn't have Michigan or Baylor ranked, and they both ended up in the Top 20.

On the other hand, I REALLY liked Texas A&M and Florida State and they ended up unranked. (Note yellow on left side). Notre Dame....sigh...I think I fall for the "they're back" deal every year, especially when you look for a minute at the schedule they play. The other teams, 18 and below, those are largely crapshoots and not nearly so embarrassing.

In the end, 17 of my original 25 ended up ranked.

The blogpoll is very fun for me. I enjoy it, and I think was one of a handful of blogs that had a vote every week this year. Can't wait for next year to start....

Kent: Sadness accrues.

2012-01-15T13:20:00.002-05:00

Looking now at the actual game. It was a bizarre game. A fast start, a dreadful middle, a crazy indulgent second half with no guarding and as the smoke lifted over the wreckage Kent had won more or less comfortably on their home floor.

Six minutes in BG was up 15-7. Over the next 10 minutes, they outscored BG 26-8 to take a 10 point lead and then then had a 12-4 run over the last six minutes of the first half to lead by 18 going into the locker room. Over 14 minutes of basketball, BG was outscored 38-12.

The second half--especially the middle part of the second half--was a whole different story. With 12:34 left, Kent was up 19, so play to that point had been pretty even. Over the next 4 minutes, BG went on a 13-0 run to bring the game back to six. While it was the only period in the game where BG was competitive with Kent, the Falcons had brought the game back into focus and had a chance to win the game.

However, the game never got closer than that. In fact, with 3:47 left, Kent was back up 10. BG did nail a couple of late 3s to close the final gap to 5, but never has a possession where the game was a one score game.

There's no doubt that winning at Kent is tough. They don't lose their very often. BG scores 87 and loses. BG gives up 92? Ugh.

The last time BG scored more points than that, it was actually against Kent in the 2008-9 season. The last time we allowed more than 92 was against Xavier a couple of years ago.

BG stayed with Kent shooting, which is good and bad, because it means we defended poorly enough to lose anyway. BG made 10 3s, the most since a game against Georgia State very early in the Orr reign. The 3-balls helped make up for a big difference in FTS (20-5), which, in all fairness, included 12 attempts in the last minute. It also included BG shooting only 45% from the line.

The biggest thing BG could not overcome was turnovers. BG had 16 turnovers, which isn't awful, but Kent only turned the ball over 8 times and those 8 extra possessions were pretty deadly, especially on a night where BG was shooting well. Both teams were strong on the offensive boards, with Kent getting 19 and BG getting 16. Keep in mind that there were not as many missed shots as normal, which really makes those numbers impressive. BG rebounded about 57% of their missed shots.

Overall, BG had 1.24 points per possession, their best D1 game of the season. Kent had 1.31 points per possession, BG's worst game of the season.

NCAA Basketball

Scott Thomas had 23 points, almost all in the 2nd half, to go with 8 boards. Oglesby double-doubled at 16 and 13 (missed one shot). Brown had 12 and 4 rebounds, and Jordan Crawford scored 10 points and had 13 assists over 6 turnovers. Craig Sealey had 11 points and 7 rebounds on 5 of 6 shooting in 19 minutes.

Coach has been saying he needs to try and find Sealey minutes. In this game, it looks like he ended up with some of Calhoun's minutes. Calhoun played 21 minutes with 8 points on 4-11 shooting and 1 rebound.

So, a pretty ugly and disappointing loss. I give our guys credit for fighting back, but when they show how well they can play, it almost mocks how poorly they play over stretches. The team needs consistent, high level performance, and until they can provide it, they are destined for the middle of the pack. They get another chance Wednesday to show they are making progress. Miami is weakened...but on the other hand, they did hold serve against Buffalo yesterday.

Orr: "You can talk about it, you gotta be about it."

2012-01-15T10:44:00.001-05:00

One of the things about Coach Orr is that he always maintains a pretty calm exterior. He isn't a yeller--especially at a school where he took Dan Dakich's place. I'm not saying he doesn't care, I know he is very competitive. He just doesn't show it the same way as other coaches do.

During last night's presser after the defeat at Kent, I thought he sounded genuinely frustrated. It was a crazy game where BG started out strong, then played about as poorly as they are capable of playing for a long period. Then, they manage to score 60 points in the second half, the most in a long while, and make them game close before losing.

I recommend you take ten minutes to listen to the presser.

Here are some things he said:

"In this league, especially on the road, you have to bring a certain level of toughness."

"The first half...you look at our stats...we didn't bring that."

"We put ourselves in a hole in the first half, and that was the difference in the game."

"There was a point in the first half where they stepped it up physically and we didn't respond."

"The second half was a whole different level of energy and competitiveness. But you can't put yourself in a hole here."

"We cut it to 6 with 7 minutes to go, so it was anyone's game."

"Craig Sealey, I thought he was very good. I have to find a way to get him onto the floor."

"He made a great play. He chased down a block, he blocked the shot. And it was in the crucials. He makes the energy play but we get out worked for the ball. Two or three of our guys, I don't even know if they crossed half court."

"But this is how competitive you have to play."

"Hopefully this is a lesson we learn, but, you know, you only get so many opportunities."

(Asked if the glass if half full). "Always. You build on that. But you know what? We gotta carry forward. You will be able to see how half full it is the next game. You can talk about it, you gotta be about it....you can't be inconsistent with that....especially on the road."

(On Kent missing 2 FTs late and getting the board) "Free throw box out. We talk about it, it is part of our pre-game talk. Its huge. Torian Oglesby--I'm saying this because it happened on his watch but it could have been any of our front court guys--we have to do a better job on those types of plays in the crucials...you can't give teams an opportunity like that."

"When you see that you're capable and then you play a half like we played and you play the two games and a half that we played, we're more than capable. I'm mean, we're right there. The next step is you have to bring consistent effort and compete at a high level. (He is slapping his hands here). This is a competitive game, man. Basketball in the MAC is competitive....physically, emotionally, you gotta bring the fire for 40 or more. You gotta bring it."

This week I posted some video of John Groce after the BG game. With a different demeanor, I think Coach Orr is in the exact same place. He's clearly frustrated, as I'm sure everyone is in our program. From a fan's perspective, I think his comments are very illuminating. We have some players, but we can't compete day in and day out, especially on the road. I mean, when a player misses a box out and the coach says "it could have been any of our front court players?" That's tough.

I honestly think we are better than this...or we should be...but right now, this is who we are.

There's always another chance to show it...you can always change it. But right now, I think he made a pretty fair and accurate assessment of our body of work.

More on the actual game later.

Two Football Verbals

2012-01-14T14:45:00.000-05:00

The Falcon football team has two new verbals, as signing week comes up.

The last two years--and especially last year--our coaches leave spots open until late. They want to compete for the good players and we often get some late signees who we are beating other programs for.

The first reported verbal is James Sanford. He is a S from Xenia, OH who looks like a great get for us. ESPN calls him a high 2-star. He had an offer from West Virginia and the Dayton Daily News reported offers from Michigan State and UC. He also was offered by Ohio and Toledo.

He is an athlete. He is a track star, and the Dayton paper reports that he runs a consistent 4.5 and has a 36 inch vertical. He is very strong in coverage as well as in coming up to make tackles in run support. He starts at 6'1'' 180, and would be expected to get bigger at BG. He was all-conference and honorable mention all-district.

The other is Scott Davis, who was playing post-graduate ball at Fork Union. He is originally from Richmond and also had an offer from Ohio U and James Madison, a top FCS program. He is a TE. At first I wondered why we were signing another TE, since BG is pretty deep at the position already. One thing to notice about Davis is that he is HUGE, 6'5" and 240.

In addition, he was all-district as a TE and punter. In the video below, it appears that he was lined up often in a more wide position playing like a WR. (Just for grins, check out the circus catch that leads the highlights off). These post-grad guys can be hard to find info on, but he is mentioned here with a number of key receptions in a game against Wagner College.

So, welcome to the Falcons, James and Scott.

Kent Preview--Flashing better done at home

2012-01-14T10:33:00.001-05:00

Back in the saddle...an actual business trip prevented me from doing more than just seeing the Akron score alerts from ESPN during a long dinner meeting out-of-town. Sounds like we had a very good shot at starting 2-0 in the MAC and couldn't close the deal and the Akron whammy continues.

Anyway, now on to Kent. The Flashes are 11-4 overall (RPI 112) and 1-1 in the MAC. This is the model program in the MAC. They are good every year, through graduations and new coaches, they have not skipped a beat in many years. If you wanted to see where your program should end up, this would be it.

They didn't play a brutal non-conference schedule. They did get a big win @WVU, lost an opportunity for a big win against Cleveland State, but beyond that, their wins are solid and consistent, but not over great competition.

They lost @Buffalo by 1 to open the MAC season and then beat Miami at home to even things up.

Their local paper reports that MAC POY Justin Greene will play, despite having a boot on his foot as a "precautionary measure." Eric Gaines, however, will not play (he's a reserve who does figure in their rotation).

Kent is very, very difficult to beat on their home floor. They are 64-7 over the past 9 seasons in MAC home games. Three of those wins belong to BG, for whatever it is worth. BG won @Kent in '05, '06 and '10. Last year, Kent swept the series with BG.

Statistically speaking, on offense, BG and Kent are very comparable. The Flashes are better at getting to the line, but the other numbers are very similar, and at least according to the RPI, BG has played a tougher schedule this year.

NCAA Basketball

It is on defense where things might start to diverge a little. Kent has played very good defense, allowing only 61 points a game, compared to BG's. That's 55th in the country. Their points per possession, at .91, is 38th in D1. They are a good defense team because they force turnovers on 25% of their possessions, which is in the top 20 in the MAC (on other other hand, OU was #2) and when you do get a shot off, they are strong there, too, ranked #76 in EFG Defense. They are not strong on the boards, but they do keep teams off the line--#76 in the country.

Player wise, this is an experienced team. They are in the top 10% of the country in playing time ranked by class. Their marquee player is Justin Greene, who is scoring 12.4 points per game and 6.5 rebounds on 49% shooting. He was last year's MAC POY. Randall Holt is scoring 11.9 points and Carlton Guyton has 10.4 and 3.5 assists. Michael Porrini is scoring 8 points, getting 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game.

They do play deep. They have 9 guys who are averaging 10 minutes a game or more and no player averaging more than 31.

I have felt for a while this is the best team in the MAC. They are experienced, play strong defense, protect home court, and are stone-cold when it comes to winning games. This will obviously be a tough assignment for a Falcon team that has yet to play well on the road. On the other hand, perhaps the OU game showed the Falcons what they could do and the Akron game pissed them off a little, and they can bring something we believe is in there but we haven't seen yet.

Hard as it would be, a win here would be huge. It is like gaining a game on virtually every team that plays at Kent this year.

Final Blogpoll.

2012-01-11T16:31:00.001-05:00

Results for Week 16

#	School	Points/blog	SD	Delta
1	Alabama Crimson Tide (39)	25.18	3.50	2
2	Oklahoma St. Cowboys (6)	23.98	3.28	--
3	LSU Tigers (5)	23.98	3.17	-2
4	Oregon Ducks	22.16	3.01	1
5	Arkansas Razorbacks	20.41	2.48	2
6	Stanford Cardinal	19.76	2.25	-2
7	Boise St. Broncos	19.12	1.46	-1
8	South Carolina Gamecocks	17.43	1.51	2
9	Wisconsin Badgers	15.90	1.28	-1
10	Michigan St. Spartans	14.82	1.91	3
11	Michigan Wolverines	14.69	0.97	1
12	USC Trojans	14.61	7.25	-3
13	Baylor Bears	13.08	0.99	1
14	TCU Horned Frogs	11.55	2.14	2
15	Oklahoma Sooners	10.92	2.55	4
16	Houston Cougars	10.51	3.64	4
17	Kansas St. Wildcats	9.96	3.19	-6
18	West Virginia Mountaineers	9.61	1.99	5
19	Georgia Bulldogs	7.04	3.75	-2
20	Southern Miss. Golden Eagles	6.16	2.92	2
21	Virginia Tech Hokies	5.55	2.72	-3
22	Clemson Tigers	4.04	2.53	-7
23	Florida St. Seminoles	2.57	2.17	2
24	Nebraska Cornhuskers	2.53	2.43	-3
25	Cincinnati Bearcats	2.33	2.31	1
Others Receiving Votes: Northern Illinois Huskies \| BYU Cougars \| Missouri Tigers \| Texas Longhorns \| Auburn Tigers \| Penn St. Nittany Lions \| Rutgers Scarlet Knights \| Arkansas St. Red Wolves \| Temple Owls \| Ohio Bobcats \| Arizona St. Sun Devils \| Purdue Boilermakers \| Toledo Rockets \| Washington Huskies
Updated: Jan 11, 2012 12:35 PM EST

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Rankings 2011

Final Ballot, Blogpoll

2012-01-11T09:33:00.000-05:00

Falcon Blog Ballot - Week 16

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Alabama Crimson Tide	1
2	LSU Tigers	-1
3	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	--
4	Oregon Ducks	3
5	Arkansas Razorbacks	3
6	Boise St. Broncos	-1
7	Stanford Cardinal	-3
8	South Carolina Gamecocks	1
9	USC Trojans	-3
10	Wisconsin Badgers	--
11	Michigan St. Spartans	1
12	Michigan Wolverines	1
13	Oklahoma Sooners	7
14	Kansas St. Wildcats	-3
15	TCU Horned Frogs	1
16	Baylor Bears	3
17	Nebraska Cornhuskers	1
18	Georgia Bulldogs	-4
19	Southern Miss. Golden Eagles	4
20	Houston Cougars	5
21	West Virginia Mountaineers	1
22	Clemson Tigers	-7
23	Virginia Tech Hokies	-6
24	BYU Cougars	--
25	Cincinnati Bearcats	--
Dropouts: Penn St. Nittany Lions, Arkansas St. Red Wolves

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Orr Presser---Talking Defense

2012-01-10T15:18:00.003-05:00

Coach Orr did his weekly presser last week, which had a couple interesting nuggets I thought I would pass along.

He talked a lot about zone and man defenses. Jack Carle had asked him to comment on the idea that "some people" find the zone a "crutch." This is one of the key questions for us this year. BG started the year wanting to play both kinds of defense, played a lot of man early on, had some rough nights, and now (by my perception) have slowly moved into playing more and more zone.

Coach said that you play defense based on what will work for you, and not just because you are a "man to man" team. He gave a long analogy of thinking you were tough and deciding to fight Mike Tyson---a losing proposition. My note: this was similar to the philosophy of Dakich, who rarely rarely rarely played zone.

Anyway, he went on to say that if you plan good man defense it means you are playing good help defense, and if you are playing good help defense, than you are using zone principles. He says that with rotations, weakside help, etc, there are very few PURE man to man defenses, and that they are all essentially hybrids. So, perhaps there is not as big a difference.

Ultimately, he says he uses the defense that gives us the best shot at winning.

A couple of individual players came up. Jordan Crawford was mentioned. The question was whether he was better in the man or guarding a spot in the zone with his quickness. Coach said that there were benefits either way, a man defense allowed Jordan to use his quickness to guard sooner and a zone allowed him to help near the basket. Either way, given his size, he needs to use his quickness.

Also, Craig Sealey came up. I've been wondering about his minutes, which have been going down, and apparently someone else was too. Coach said that his minutes are going down, because it is tough to get him on the floor. He doesn't like Calhoun in the in the middle of the zone, which means he has to play a wing, and it means that Sealey essentially can only come in for Calhoun. (Presumably, Thomas is a fixture at the other wing). As Calhoun has been more effective (and Coach thought he had one of his best games against OU), it has impacted Sealey's minutes. They have talked about it, Craig practices well, and he wants to try and find ways for him to play.

My idea only, I don't know why you couldn't play Calhoun, Black/Oglesby and Sealey on the front line to give Thomas rest. You can maintain an outside threat with Brown at 2. And Sealey has a nice mid-range jumper.

Anyway, some interesting talk about defense. If you want my guess, you will see most zones from here on in, as that really seems to be where we are most comfortable.

Zipper problems

2012-01-10T10:16:00.000-05:00

Next into the Stroh are the Akron Zips, one of the perennial powers in the East and coming off a road win at Millett over the weekend. The conference season is a grind, but the Falcons really need to continue their strong home play with a win over the Zips. Until we see improvement on the road, there's a lot of pressure to hold serve at home.

The series has been unkind to BG of late. The Falcons have lost 12 of their last 13 against the Zips, with the one win coming when Brian Moten drained a miracle shot....that was the game that set BG up for its most recent regular season title. A couple of the recent games have been blow outs, including a 35-point whipping at Anderson Arena.

So, the Falcons have a little bit of history to correct if they are going to win this one. Put another way, maybe they are just due.

The Zips have 9-6, but that's against the 116th best schedule in the country. Their RPI is 106. This team is better than a 9-6 record. They started the season with a big win @Mississippi State, and then struggled to 3-5---but 4 of those losses were against teams with sub-100 RPI. They hit a softer part of their schedule, and have now won 6 out of 7 with the one loss being in OT on a last second basket to VCU. The streak has included a nice win @Marshall and the previously mentioned win over Miami.

There are an unusual number of common opponents. And, just like BG, they have lost to Valpo and Duquesne and beaten Detroit.

Offensively, they are very effective, scoring 74 points a game and getting 1.06 points per possession, both of which are in the top 100 in the country. In total from the field they are shooting 46% which is slightly better than BG is, but they are trying 3 more 3s a game and hitting 40% (16th in the country) which is how they end up with better scoring.

Their free throw rate is in the lower 3rd of the country, but still stronger than BG's, which is 333rd. They are good on on the offensive boards--112th in the country. Finally, 14 turnovers a game which is about 20% of their possessions, which is relatively typical.

On defense, they are giving up 65 points a game and .94 per possession, the latter of which is in the top 100 in the country. Teams are shooting only 41% against them and 28% from beyond the arc. That's the basis of the defensive game...they are decent but nothing special in forcing turnovers and on the offensive boards. They are physical and commit more fouls than average.

Individually, Akron features its usual balanced scoring. They have 7 players who are averaging between 8 and 10.6 PPG, their high. Those players are Marshall, Cvetinovic , Diggs, Harney, Walsh (transfer from Xavier) Treadwell and Abreu.

Cvetinovic is their leading rebounder as well. Abreu has been injured some but still leads the team with 4 assists per game and Zeke Marshall is 10th in the country with 3 blocks per game.

Marshall is an interesting case. He came into the MAC highly acclaimed, yet I would say he is only just now reaching the poing where he is a force in games. (And might be the kind of player Cam Black could be). There are rumors he may go pro after this year, which would probably not be a good move, although I read somewhere that he would project to a second round pick.

You have to give the Zips credit. I think they develop their players well. Both Treadwell and Harney, for example, play limited minutes as freshman, but here they are ready to step up and contribute in the sophomore year.

Akron is a good team. So was OU, and the Falcons were able to win that game, and it is going to take that kind of an effort. Crawford played Cooper tough and now he needs to bring the same kind of game against Abreu. BG needs to play outstanding defense--whether man or zone, though I am betting zone--as Akron has multiple scorers and obviously shares the ball. And, of course, as we always say, the Falcons could make it a lot easier on themselves getting some baskets.

This is going to be a very interesting game. If BG shows chops on the home floor again, then it might really be turning into something. Akron is battle hardened though, and used to beating BG. If they sense any cracks, they are going to rush through them. It would be great to show that BG is the kind of team that can pull two of these off in a row.

Groce Post-Game Presser

2012-01-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know why, but I just loved watching this presser from OU Coach John Groce after the game on Saturday. On the sidelines, the guy is like a teapot that's at 211 degrees, he is constantly about to boil over. He's got the world's most expressive face, including a teeth gritting frown that sends chills down your spine.

So watch the presser below....six very entertaining minutes. He's honest, he's disgusted, he's passionate...things are unacceptable, his team is setting itself up for disappointment...he's just beside himself, but not out of control.

MAC Bowl Success!

2012-01-09T10:28:00.002-05:00

During the MAC's long 16 game losing streak in Bowl Games, I kept count, and it was certainly embarrassing for our conference to lose that many in a row, especially when the competition was not top-flight BCS teams. So, in fairness, since the 16 game streak was snapped, the MAC has now gone 7-3, and that's a pretty good record.

This year, the conference was 4-1, with the only loss to the only team from a BCS conference--Purdue. But, the conference did very well in the other games, including a nice win over Arkansas State last night by the NIU Huskies. Given who we end up playing in bowls, you just can't lose 16 straight. So, good on the MAC for the turnaround in the last couple of years, and congrats to Temple, OU, NIU and UT for holding up the MAC's honor this year.

Falcons Open MAC Season With Big Win...

2012-01-08T10:04:00.000-05:00

I will say this. The Falcons are a completely different team at the Stroh Center than they are on the road.

Yeah, I know, most teams are, but this seems like a pretty serious divide. On the road, BG had lost to Western Kentucky (who fired their coach mid-season) and UTSA, and had generally played sluggish and poor basketball.

But the performance yesterday on the Stroh Center floor was something completely different. BG took on an OU team that was 5-1 on the road for the BG and the Falcons probably played the best game of the year in beating the Bobcats by 10, 67-57.

As I noted in the preview, it was a win they really needed. If you're going to get a top 4 slot, you have to at least defend home floor. If BG had lost to OU and Akron and was 0-2 with only 6 home games remaining, it starts to look bleak.

The key, so far as I could tell, was defense. OU had only .84 points per possession, a season low. They shot 38% from the field and only 20% from beyond the arc and had turnovers on 26% of their possessions, which is their worst result of the season. BG committed only 14 fouls in all this, and the Bobcats shot only 16 free throws.

The only team to hold OU to less than 57 points was Louisville.

The most important observation is that BG was in zone for the game, something that they have played less of this year. I had noted that they had struggled with teams like OU (small, athletic and guard-oriented) over the course of December, and Coach more or less acknowledged that in a man to man, we had a lot of matchup problems. He also said our zone was our best defense. And, it clearly got the job done. Whatever defense you play you have to play it well--BG has been torched in the zone, too--but I'd expect to see more zone as the conference season moves forward. Just a guess.

The other key element to the game was BG's resilience. BG had owned most of the second half. With 15 left it was a 33-32 game for BG. Over the next seven minutes, BG had outscored the Bobcats 17-7 to post an 11 point lead. With 5 minutes left Scott Thomas hit a 3 to put the lead back to 10 and with 4 minutes left, BG still led by 10.

OU scored 7 points in one minute to bring the game back to 1 possession. Cooper hit a couple free throws, and OU was then in full court pressure, and they got a steal and Cooper drained a 3. BG called time out and still turned the ball over. Calhoun got a key block on Cooper but the ball was out of bounds and Baltic ended up with a hoop.

Then, with 2:43 OU nailed another basket, and in 1:20 the game had gone from 10 points to 1 point.

With 2 minutes left (about), OU had the game tied at 56.

It would be have been easy for the Falcons to be overwhelmed. There are not many times you lose 9 points in 1:20. You're still facing full court pressure, and OU is sensing blood.

But what happened was that OU scored only 1 more point in those 2 minutes, while BG scored 11 points and closed the game out on a big run, with 5 missed shots by the Bobcats and zero second chances.

NCAA Basketball

And that's something to be proud of for Falcon fans. BG looked right in the face of that OU run and shut it down.

Coach Orr talked about a key play in there. With the game tied at 56, Crawford threw an alley-oop to Oglesby. It was a little off target, and the right handed Oglesby caught the ball one-handed/left-handed and dunked it left-handed. Coach says we don't have guys who can make that athletic play.

BG's offense was far from stellar, mostly due to 21 turnovers. When BG did get shots off, they were effective, shooting 52% from the field, trying only 8 3FG but making 4. BG committed only 14 fouls and won the rebounding battle comfortably. It was BG's 3rd best D1 shooting performance of the season, and not coincidentally, the best in a win since the Temple game.

NCAA Basketball

Individually, the key player was Jordan Crawford. He was matched up with DJ Cooper, the MAC's top point guard, and he very much held his own. Crawford had 16 points (game high) on 5 of 9 shooting, some key transition baskets, with 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. He did make 6 turnovers, but overall he managed the game very effectively, especially as BG turned back the OU run.

Dee Brown had 13 points on 4 of 7 shooting to go with 5 rebounds in 28 minutes. Dee has been struggling to score since the first 3 games of the season, and it was good to see.

Scott Thomas started slow in scoring, but ended up with a 10/10 double double with 4 steals.

A'uston Calhoun also struggled much of the night. OU was double teaming him and clearly committed to keeping him off the scoreboard. Calhoun did finish with 12 points and 3 blocked shots.

Torian Oglesby did miss a shot, bringing his streak to an end, but he ended up with 5 points and 9 rebounds.

I should also mention Cam Black, who, as normal, did not post any big numbers. However, when he's in there, he does alter the other team's attack...he only officially blocked one shot, but he does effect the game when he is on the court.

So, a very nice win to open the MAC season for BG. The Falcons beat a team that I think a bunch of teams are going to lose to. Of course, the great thing about conference basketball is that it just keeps coming, and next up are the Akron Zips on Wednesday. They're good too, but if BG could win this one, they can beat Akron.

And then, the other challenge is for BG to find someway to take what they do at home and apply it somehow on the road. If you win your home games and lose the road games, you are .500. You might be looking at the cross-over games, but BG has both WMU and Ball State away this year, and plays Toledo and NIU at home. So, we're going to need to find some road magic somewhere.

Against OU, it was our juniors and seniors who found the way. Here's a fan hoping they can figure out a way to do the same on the road.

Victory!

2012-01-07T20:22:00.003-05:00

Kitty, Kitty, Kitty

2012-01-06T09:56:00.004-05:00

Things get serious now.

The Falcons play Ohio, Akron and Kent over the next 3 games and will get a full snort of the best teams the MAC has to offer. Two of those games are at home, which is good, as BG has played well at home, but it also means that if BG doesn't win, it will have more road games left as it tries to make up a gap.

If BG is serious about competing to be in the top 4 of the conference, the next three games--and especially the next two--are vital, nearly must wins. At 0-2 (worst case) with only 6 home games left in the MAC schedule, you'd be facing a really tall road.

The first team to come into the Stroh is the team that everyone is talking about in the MAC, the Ohio U Bobcats. They are 12-2, after playing a schedule that, RPI wise, is very similar to BG's. They went on the road to beat very good Marshall and Northern Iowa teams (the latter was a 17 point win) and they beat a good Lamar team at the Convo. They have beaten the teams they should. Their only losses are to Louisville and Robert Morris, both Top 100 teams.

This is a balanced Ohio U team. They are 3rd in the MAC in points per game and 4th in points allowed per game. Tempo-free, they are even better, second in the MAC in offense (1.06 points per possession) and 3rd in defense (.98 points per possession). That latter number is 36th in the country.

It isn't hard to see why. The defense is built on turnovers. They have been forcing turnovers on almost 27% of their opponent's possessions (8th in D1) and they are getting steals on 13.6% of their opponent's possessions (14th in D1). Unlike Duquesne and UTSA, however, even if you get to the shot they are pretty effective. Their are allowing a FG% of only 41%, a 3FG% of 35 and an effective FG% of 52%, each of which is either fourth or fifth in the MAC.

They do a reasonable job on the defensive boards but do give up a lot of free throws, which often comes with an aggressive defense.

The first challenge for the Falcons is this: OU presents exactly the kind of defense that BG has struggled with. BG has struggled with taking care of the ball and if they don't have that ironed out tomorrow, it will be a very long day for BG. After that, however, BG is going to have to make some shots, and if they do turn the ball over, they're going to have to make a lot of shots.

All this talk about defense is not to slight their offense, which is 2nd in the MAC in points per possession. They are 5th in FG% but 4% in effective field goal %. They have shot and made for 3s than any other team in the conference. They are average rebounders and they don't get to the line that much, but building off steals and a strong 3-point attack, this team is very formidable on the offensive end as well.

They are led by Junior DJ Cooper who scores 14 points per game, 6.5 assists (2nd in MAC), and 2.5 steals (first in the MAC by a lot). Ivo Baltic is averaging 11 points and 5 rebounds, Reggie Keely 10 points and 5 rebounds. Walter Offut is also scoring 11 points a game as well.

This is an ensemble cast.

That doesn't include Nick Kellogg, who is their 3 point specialist. While averaging about 9 points a game, he is hitting 49% from beyond the arc.

This is not a big team. Baltic and Keely are only 6'8". This is an athletic, guard oriented team.

I've documented before that teams in the MAC win about 2/3 of their home games, so we have that, and we have a team that has played well at home. This is going to require a complete effort out of the Falcons, such as we have really only seen in the Temple game. BG is going to have to take care of the ball, make shots, and then defend better than they have so far this season. Whichever defense we use--or both--we have to be prepared to defend a team that has inside and outside players who score.

I hate to sound pessimistic. Jordan Crawford has been playing well, if he takes care of the ball and produces at the point, and they can get Calhoun untracked and creating pressure on the inside, then BG should absolutely be able to play with these guys.

But, if you think you are one of the top 4 teams in the conference, you need this win on your home floor.

And one prediction: this is John Groce's last year coaching in the MAC.

Hurley: "I felt like I really didn't have shot."

2012-01-05T19:42:00.001-05:00

Trent Hurley has found a home. He's transferring to the University of Delaware. Southeast Missouri was the expected destination, but that was because Dayne Crist was considering Delaware, but when he went to Kansas, Hurley went to Delaware, which he had visited during his original recruiting.

He had some things to say about Bowling Green.

Trent Hurley said his Bowling Green coaches told him he’d lost the starting quarterback competition because of a “gut feeling,” even though he’d been given indications he’d done enough to win the job in preseason.

Hurley completed 9 of 16 passes for 115 yards and had five carries for 31 yards last fall while backing up Matt Schilz, the Falcons’ starter in 2010 and 2011, who’ll be a junior in 2012.

“I felt like I really didn’t have a shot,” Hurley said of the quarterback competition at Bowling Green, where Schilz seemed entrenched despite Hurley’s strong performances.

Obviously these are the words of the guy who didn't have the job. Schilz certainly did seem entrenched, that stands up to observation. As to whether the other parts are true, they are just one man's words...they might be right, they might not. Either way, you can't win without a QB, and the current administration has cast their lot with Schilz, and will be accountable for the results.

We covered Schilz during our post-season review. He improved in 2011, and I hope we see him and his supporting cast continue to improve this year as the Falcons try to win the MAC Championship Game for the first time. And we wish Trent Hurley the best at Delaware, where, according to the story, he will have competition for the starting job.

MAC Non-Conference Scorecard

2012-01-05T09:42:00.000-05:00

So, each year, I take a look at how the MAC did against its non-conference opponents in hoops. Understanding that the bracket buster is still ahead, I wanted to compare the MAC's D1 out of conference winning % this year pre-MAC with the past three years.

The MAC is having a pretty good year in non-conference play. For all my griping in previous years, the record is pointing up. The MAC won 47% of its D1 non-conference games, up from 40% last year, as well as the 44% and 37.5% the years before that. As always, there is always the disclaimer that the MAC often plays these games on the road, and the 47% needs to be considered with that in mind.

Based on the current RPI, the MAC is now 14th...last year #15 and the year before that #19.

Other notes:

The MAC has one win over the Big East and one over the SEC, which are their only wins over a BCS conference. We had 2 last year and only 1 the last two years. (See comments, thanks for the correction)
We were 11-37 against the top 10 conferences, which is significantly better than last season. (8-39 against the top 10 conferences). Before that, it was 10-44 and 13-39, so we are doing better this year.
Not counting those conferences with just one game contested, the best conference the MAC has a winning record against is #10 C-USA, which is much higher than normal.
The MAC is 13-7 against the bottom six conferences. I think the MAC has had more quality wins this year, but also more quality losses. Two years ago, we only lost 1 game to a team from a bottom 6 conference.
I have long called for a BG-Horizon challenge to help us get RPI points and good home games. They are in the same regional footprint as the MAC, and I think we should be competitive in hoops. This year, it would have been a good matchup, as MAC was 11-12 in these games.
The second most common opponent is the A-10, but the MAC won 4 of 14 games against them
The MAC's best win, as of this morning, with Temple beating Duke, is BG over Temple (#13). Other top 50 wins includes OU over Lamar (#50) and @Northern Iowa (#21), KSU over @WVU (#25) and Miami and Buffalo over Dayton (#27) with the Bulls winning @Dayton (Thanks to commenter for the correction). Note the three road wins for special emphasis.
The MAC has 14 sub-200 losses, though no sub-300 losses. The worst loss goes to UT @Texas State (#299). Of those 14 losses, 12 were on the road. Special note to BG losing to GW (#217) and Toledo losing to Loyola-Chicago (#262) at home.

1. Big Ten (0-9)
2. Big East (1-5)
3. Big 12 (0-1)
4. Mountain West (0-2)
5. Atlantic Coast (0-2)
6. Southeastern (1-2)
7. Atlantic 10 (4-10)
8. Missouri Valley (2-4)
9. PAC 12 (0-2)
10. Conference USA (3-0)
11. West Coast (2-3)
12. Summit League (4-2)
13. Horizon League (11-12)
14. Sun Belt (5-3)
15. Western Athletic (0-2)
16. Ivy League (2-1)
17. Metro Atlantic (4-1)
18. Atlantic Sun (3-1)
19. Colonial (3-1)
20. Big West (1-0)
21. Southern (1-0)
22. Ohio Valley (5-4)
23. Patriot League (0-1)
24. Big Sky (0-0)
25. Big South (2-0)
26. Northeast (0-1)
27. Southland (1-3)
28. MEAC (6-1)
29. Great West (3-1)
30. SWAC (3-1)
31. America East (0-0)
32. Independents (0-1)

Welcome Back to the West, Falcons....

2012-01-04T14:38:00.000-05:00

It is a shoe that has been waiting to drop for sometime, and I don't think there was much doubt about what it would be.

UMass is entering the MAC for football. They are far and away the easternmost team in the MAC and therefore, really need to be in the East division, which would put 8 teams in the East and 6 in the West. Soooo, somebody had to move, and BG, which was in the West during 2002 and 3, will be moving back again.

You could have taken Miami, I guess, but there was never much doubt it was going to be BG. You also could have ditched the idea that geography means anything (Big East, anyone?) or gone North and South or all Leaders and Legends, but the MAC decided to follow their normal trend.

They did think about it....Commissioner Steinbrecher...

“We considered a number of different paradigms and ultimately we focused on the core principles of geography, travel and rivalries. We now have a true rotational cycle for football and a scheduling model that will extend for future years.”

I mean, they examined different paradigms? Really? Paradigms? It was just 14 football teams, right?

But, its OK. They focused on the core principles so NOTHING could go wrong.

Actually, I mock the bogus self-importance of the statement, and not the decision itself. In most ways, it will be better. BG was in the 7 team division before and therefore did not play one team in its division each year, which turned out to be Akron, which was to BG's detriment.

There will still be 8 conference games...six in division and 2 crossover games. Now that BG and UT are in the same division, there are no more "protected" or annual cross-over games, creating a "true rotational cycle." (Its OK, keep one foot on the floor).

On the upsides, division strength is cyclical and we should be able to compete regardless of which division we are in. This makes more sense for the league, and it eliminates what was a ridiculous situation. (Until someone else leaves and we may be moving back to the East again, such as if Temple were to accept a potential C-USA/MWC invite.). We will not have to regularly face the Human Hurricane, Terry Bowden.

The biggest downside is that BG has a natural rivalry with some of the older MAC teams (Miami, Kent and OU) that will now turn into rotations. I think that we have slightly less long-term interest in the teams in the West than we do with the teams in the East. When BG moved to the East, we were told that it was actually better for us because of those long-term connections so that must still be true. On the other hand, it wasn't like we were selling out in the East.

Finally, BG will be in different divisions for football and basketball, which seems odd.

Falcon Fodder in The Blade has this about next year's schedule.

Bowling Green will play host to Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Buffalo (cross-over game). Road MAC games will include trips to Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Ohio (cross-over game).

Anyway, the shoe has dropped, that's the way its going to be. Welcome back to the West, Falcons. We get to hang on to that trip to Athens one more year.....

Mid-course Men's Basketball Review: Nothing Much Has Changed

2012-01-04T10:49:00.000-05:00

When last season ended, I think there was a high level of optimism as BG entered into a new season. There was the new arena, and with only one player graduating, it looked like the Falcons would benefit from every player gaining a year of experience and be in a position, finally, to play with the top teams in the conference.

We were surprised to be picked last in the East.

And, I think overall, we are disappointed with what we have seen so far. As I look at it, despite returning players and another year, our team is very, very similar to the team we had last year and may not even be any better.

Currently, BG is 8th in the MAC in RPI. You can like or dislike RPI, but even under the most charitable rankings, we would be 6th behind OU, Kent, Akron, Buffalo, and WMU. We have a very nice win over Temple (RPI 22) which shows the upside of what we can do, but our home wins over Austin Peay and Detroit were both over teams who are struggling. The Valpo loss certainly looms as a missed opportunity as does the UTSA loss.

The Falcons are 6-7 and 5-7 in non-conference wins.

On offense, BG just seems to spend too much time off track. There are times it looks good, but in general, the team has trouble scoring consistently. Here is the issue. BG is the #2 team in the country in percentage of points scored on 2-point Field goals. Yes, BG's field goal percentage (45%) is 4th in the MAC, as it should be with all those 2-FGs--or should it even be higher?

At the same time, BG is last in free throw rate and in 3-point shooting. Even worse, BG is 9th in turnover percentage.

Here's the problem. Teams with some firepower might be able to get away with giving the ball up on 20% of its possessions, but a grinding offensive team focusing on 2s and only doing OK at that can't get away with it. We can't do enough on the remaining possessions to get points.

I went back and looked at last year. Now, comparing this year so far to last year at the end of the season, I was shocked at how similar things were.

Last year, BG was #2 in 2-FG scoring percentage.
Our FG% was slightly lower at 43%
Points per possession is almost precisely the same.
Turnover % is almost precisely the same.
We were last in free throw rate last year, too and in 3s made.

What about defense, which is supposed to be our identity. Here, BG has been just average this year, despite broadening the repertoire to include man defense. BG is allowing .98 points per possession, which is 7th--last year was .99 and 8th. The issue here is that BG continues to give up a lot of 3s, yielding an effective field goal% of 49.9, 11th in the MAC. BG is also last in free throw rate.

On the plus side, BG does a good job keeping opponents off the offensive boards and leads the MAC with 23% turnovers on defensive possessions. Those factors all mix out and yield an average MAC defense and mirror very closely last year's final numbers.

I don't like to spotlight individual players very much, so I will just note this. Scoring wise, only Jordan Crawford and Torian Oglesby have been significantly better than last year. When I look down our roster, I really only see four guys make a consistent contribution.

So, there is indeed good reason to fear that this team isn't much better than last year's team. Perhaps the conference season will alter that. We can certainly hope for it. Our most recent games have been on the road, and maybe that skews perceptions.

But at this point, I would say that BG has not shown anything to suggest it can get into the conference's top 4 and snag one of those byes and if fans were hoping to see a much better team, they have not yet.

I know the team is working very hard, and sometimes progress is not evident but just around the corner, and that's what we'll hope for.

Does BG's men's basketball team foul too much?

2012-01-03T19:42:00.000-05:00

I started writing this post because I thought BG was fouling too much...or at least a lot...but after care review, the issue is not so much the bulk number of fouls, but how many free throws they are causing.

BG is committing 19.1 fouls per game, which is 7th in the MAC, so not all that bad.

However, BG is allow 22.3 FTs per game, which is 10th in the MAC, so there must be some kind of disconnect. My theory is the fouls on BG are more likely to be shooting fouls and result in free throws than perhaps some of the other teams, who are committing fouls before someone gets around to shooting.

And, when we delve a little deeper, we see that BG is giving up 1.17 free throws per foul, which is by far the highest in the MAC. If that was all double bonus stuff, you'd think it would show up in total fouls, so I am sticking with my theory that BG's fouls are more likely to be in the act of shooting.

The tempo free stat is a free throw rate, which is the number of free throws attempts for each field goal attempted. The idea is that for each time a team didn't turn the ball over, how often did they get a shot off and how often did they earn a free throw.

BG is last in the MAC in this category, at 43.3, which means that for every field goal attempt against BG, there are .43 free throws. Toledo leading the MAC at .26, which is pretty close to half of BG's rate. The Falcons are 287th in the country in free throw rate against.

There is a very clear home road difference. BG had been over 20 fouls 8 times...and 6 of those came on the road and they were all losses. The only road game where BG did not have foul issues was their one win @FIU.

Looked at another way, when the free throw rate is worse than .43, BG is 2-5...which is what you would expect.

The fouls were probably fresh in my mind due to the spate of recent road games. One fear I had was that the man was causing more fouls, but BG is only 1 foul a game more than last year, when the team played almost 100% zone.

But, it is clear that if BG is not fouling too much, it is allowing the opposing team to the line way too much. Even accounting for some late game fouling, BG is the worst team in the MAC. In the long grind of a conference season, that's going to be tough to succeed with.

Football Final Note...

2012-01-02T15:17:00.000-05:00

So, I've taken a look at the football season area by area, with the objective of determining two things: was BG better than in 2010, and how much.

And the answer is pretty consistent across the board...BG was better, but still below average in the conference. I understand from what I read at BGSUfalcons.com that BG improved by 3 games, and that was something only 12 teams in the country bettered.

And, yeah, the team had an FCS team on the schedule, but also replaced CMU with WMU...certainly, the schedule did not do BG any favors in 2011.

So, progress was made. It was not stupendous, "Urban Meyer in his first year" progress, but it was progress. BG had one of the youngest teams in the country and it showed. If the 2010 season was rock bottom, then you would have expected to get a little better anyway...on the other hand, that's what they thought at Akron and, oh, yeah, Terry Bowden.

My point is this. Relative to the MAC competition, BG made modest, incremental progress, which very well was all that anyone could expect. I think because we were able to run the ball better, we might lose sight of the fact that we were still below average in our conference, and if we want to compete for a championship, we are going to need to see more progress.

Coach said in his post-game presser that the team needs to get stronger over the off-season, starting with the lifting program. As with everyone, it won't be enough for BG to just not be young anymore. There are signs that the players are good, but they have to get better and in many cases, stronger.

The team also needs continual improvement at the QB position. We clearly documented that Matt Schilz played better than he did in 2010. But, he was not in the Top Ten in passing efficiency in the conference. Whether you like that measure or not, it is probably the best we have to work with.

One issue is that of the top 10 QBs in pass efficiency in the MAC, only Chandler Harnish will not be back in uniform next year. So, entering his junior year, Schilz has to improve MORE in the off-season than guys who were more efficient than him this year. His supporting cast should be better...and while he was good in spots in 2011 there were also plenty of times that he was, in Coach Clawson's words, "hit and miss."

Bowling Green fans have been pretty patient, I think. We understood what was going on with the 2-10 season, we wanted to see progress in 2011 and we did. We're being told that our young guys are going to be very good players, and there is reason to believe that. I think fans are expecting a huge jump next year. I think anything less than 7-8 wins will start to strain that patience.

MAC Blogger Roundtable--Compiled

2012-01-02T12:07:00.000-05:00

Bull Run has compiled the MAC Blogger's thoughts on MAC basketball. He had some kinds words for this blog, which I certainly appreciate....check it out if you get a chance. Some interesting discussion.

Falcons Turn over Game--Oglesby sets record

2012-01-02T10:36:00.000-05:00

The Falcons opened 2012 the way they closed 2011, with a game in which they failed to take care of the ball on the road against a team that has had trouble defending the shot, and lost in overtime to a team they should have been able to beat.

UTSA led comfortably for most of the first half and led by 8 at the half. BG came out of the locker room and got some stops, and about 6 minutes in had a 12-4 run that had tied the game. From there, the 2nd half was very competitive, and the lead bounced back and forth. UTSA was up 1 with 2:16 left when Scott Thomas made a three after a game-long scoring drought. UTSA was fouled and made a free throw and then Crawford hit a jumper and BG was up 3 with 1:35 left.

As Todd Walker says, this is the kind of a situation where you need a "stop and a score" to win the game. Unfortunately, UTSA was able to get free and nail a 3 to tie the game with 1:13 left. BG had the ball, Thomas missed a 3, Oglesby had the rebound but turned it over trying to get the ball outside for another shot.

Big possession for UTSA with :27 left and BG does get the stop and calls time out. With :09 left, BG had time to set up a play to get a good shot. What was supposed to happen on this play? We may never know. But they can't have meant to do what they actually did, which was to have (based on Walker's description) Crawford slow-dribble the ball up, not do much, and then get an impossible stepback jumper at the buzzer.

We're supposedly an experienced team. I understand if the shot doesn't go down, but you gotta be able to get a good look in that situation.

So, on to overtime, where the collapse finished. UTSA scored the first 7 points and had a 7 point lead with 1:41 left, and then made 11-12 free throws in the last minute of the game to end up with the 7 point victory.

College Basketball

Before looking at team stats, there is one Falcon who deserves mention. Torian Oglesby had the best game of his career with 20 points and 13 rebounds. He set a school record by making all 10 of his shots, and set an NCAA record by making his 26th consecutive shot, a streak which is still in effect. I know all his shots are "zero footers" but there are hundreds of players like that in D1 and do you see them making 26 straight?

Apparently not.

So congratulations to Torian. This is the second game where BG had had a height advantage against a guard-oriented team, and while that has shown up in rebounding, I sometimes think that only Oglesby is really working to get open down low. Our other bigs certainly did not have productive games against UTSA.

Calhoun did have 13 points, but on 4 of 14 shooting, to go with 8 rebounds. Jordan Crawford had 16 points and 11 assists, many of them to Oglesby. Scott Thomas struggled to score, shooting 3 of 13 and 1 of 7 from 3, but had 10 rebounds.

From a team perspective, it was turnovers, 3FGs, and fouls that brought the team down. BG had 21 turnovers, which is about 26% of their possessions. Many of those turnovers occurred in the first half as BG simply could not get untracked. BG tried 26 3s, which is never a good sign for us, and made 8 of them. UTSA tried 17 and made a ridiculous 11. Then, UTSA made 23 free throws, and yes, I know 11 of them were in the last minute.

UTSA made only 14 turnovers, and those 7 extra possessions were a big difference.

Even with all those turnovers, BG ended up at .96 points per possession and UTSA ended up with 1.04 points per possession. UTSA actually shot 65% on 3FG and 37% on 2FG.

College Basketball Stats

So, the Falcons finished their 5 game road swing at 1-4 and their pre-season schedule at 6-7, 5-7 in D1. I'm going to do a post later in the week where I take stock of where we are entering the MAC season. It will be nice to play at home...even if the red-hot Ohio U Bobcats are the opponent.

MAC Blogger Roundtable, Hoops Style

2012-01-01T09:39:00.002-05:00

The MAC Blogger roundtable is back for hoops. Our roster is a little slimmed down as there are some MAC blogs that are football only and we lose Temple, but we still have a nice roster of people who wil join together to share our collective wisdom. This week, the questions are from Bull Run...

1) Kent or Ohio: who is better and why?

The obvious answer so far is Ohio, based on the results this year. They are off to a terrific start. However, Kent's players are battle hardened and used to winning, and I think that both teams start the MAC season for or less even. On the floor of the Q, I'd still take Kent, based on what I have seen to date.

2) Ball State: Every year someone in the west looks legit until the MAC Championship tournament begins. This season Ball state has positioned itself as that team. The cards are receiving votes in the
mid major top 25 poll and were ranked 4th in Hustle Belts last MAC power rankings.

Will they be a factor in Cleveland or not?

No. I don't even agree that they are that legit right now. They have played one of the 20 weakest schedules in D1 and are still only 7-4. No doubt, the Butler win was nice, but they also have a non-D1 win in that 7-4. At best, they are the best team in the West, which doesn't really even matter anymore, and right now, there are four teams in the East who are ahead of them (Ohio, Kent, Akron and Buffalo).

3) Speaking of Cleveland what do you think of the MAC new format and revenue sharing for hoops? Will this help elevate the conference or just make the bad teams even worse?

I'm for it. The new format increases the chances that the team that wins the regular season--and is probably the best team--makes the NCAA tournament, hopefully yielding a better seed and then wins a game or two, yielding the MAC some cash (dollar bill, ya;ll). From a competitive level, I like anything that makes the regular season more meaningful, and the new format does. The race for fourth will be competitive, and the teams that survive the rigors of the regular season will be the ones with a solid shot to win.

4) When, if ever, will NIU turn things around?

They will. I think they got a good coach and it will take some time. Has to be painful around there this year, though.

5) What has to happen in conference play for the MAC to crack an at-large bid?

Expansion to 96 teams? I only joke a little. The MAC is a one-bid conference, and I think we're pretty much locked in there. What we would need would be for a team to be clearly dominant--meaning quality non-conference wins and then something like a 14-2 record in conference--and then lose in the final of the MAC tournament. Even then I would have my doubts.

Happy New Year to the Falcon Nation...

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

May 2012 bring you peace, health, and championships.

Miep Miep. UTSA Preview

2011-12-31T14:15:00.002-05:00

The pre-season sparring, the non-conference part of the Falcon schedule comes to an end tomorrow in San Antonio as the Falcons play a return game against the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners.

The two teams played last year at Anderson, and BG won by 11 points. They went on from there to get hot, win the Southland Tournament as a #7 seed and then win a play-in/first round game against Alabama State before losing to OSU. They entered the Dance as a #16 seed.

Broken record alert: they have played 5 NCAA tournament games since 1988, which is 5 more than...well, you know how that sentence ends.

Out of 33 D1 conferences, the Southland is ranked #29. On the other hand, UTSA is in the process of joining the WAC as part of conference realignment.

They were picked to win the Southland West Division this year. To date they are 6-6 with 1 non-D1 win. They have a couple nice wins--@Oral Roberts and Fresno State but they also lost at home to a struggling Pepperdine and UC-Riverside teams, as well as @Houston and @San Jose State.

Their current RPI is 192 against a SOS of 272.

They are coming off the loss to UC-Riverside, which their coach said was their worst loss of the season "by far."'

Last year's game was highlighted by BG getting 50% field goal shooting (in particular good shooting from JoeJak and Crawford) and forcing the Roadrunners into 20 turnovers. Scott Thomas had a double-double.

NCAA Basketball Stats

On paper, UTSA looks like a small conference version of Duqusne. USTA is averaging 74 points and 1.07 points per possession. The primary weapon is the 3FG....their overall FG% is about the same as BG's, but they are getting almost 33% of their points from beyond the arc...by contrast, BG is getting about 19%. They take pretty good care of the ball, and are nothing special on the offensive boards.

NCAA Basketball Stats

Like a lot of teams that have soem offensive firepower, they struggle a little bit on the defensive end, allowing 71 points per game and 1.03 points per possession. Sadly for this matchup, their primary defensive weakness is defending the 3 and obviously, BG could exploit that kind of weakness but is not in the habit of regularly doing so. They force turnovers on 23% of their possessions, which is exactly where BG is for the year.

They were expecting to be led by Jeromie Hill and Melvin Johnson III, both of whom were pre-season all-Southland. Hill is their 3rd leading scorer, hitting 50% from 3 and leading the team in rebounding. Johnson III, who was also Southland freshman of the year last year, is the second leading scorer and is hitting 40% from 3. The surprise in their lineup is Kannon Burrage, a JUCO transfer who is coming off the bench, playing 24 minutes a game and leading the team scoring 15 per game. Even in limited minutes, he is using a high number of possessions.

Bottom line...UTSA is no pushover, if there is such a thing on the road. Having said that, I don't think UTSA has shown anything other than that they would be an average to below average MAC team, especially this year. To get a bye in the MAC tourney, BG is going to need road wins, and this will be a typical example of the kind of road games teams win when they are earning byes.

Stylistically, it is a tough matchup for BG, but this is not Duquesne from the A-10. As we enter conference play, it would be reassuring to see this game end up as a win.

Tragic Story

2011-12-30T10:21:00.002-05:00

We all remember Chris Jacquemain, who was a QB at Akron and then was kicked off the team early in one season. He passed on recently in very sad circumstances. I thought this article was excellent and it captured the incredible emotions something like this cause. Chris didn't die because no one cared about him...lots of people did and they did a lot. Addiction is just a terrible, terrible thing.

Duquesne...same story

2011-12-29T10:03:00.003-05:00

Duquesne beat the Falcons last night for the fourth straight year, in pretty much the same way they always have. I suppose you could say that (similar to the MSU game) that when their run came, BG wasn't able to rally back but did eventually hold the game within a semi-respectable score.

My pre-game analysis was pretty much right on. Duquesne does not defend the shot well and they didn't against BG, as the Falcons shot almost 54% from the field. Unfortunately, BG also had 18 turnovers, which meant that on over a quarter of our possessions, we didn't get a shot at all, wasting those opportunities to score.

Meanwhile, we had to keep the Dukes off the foul line, which also did not happen. BG committed 20 fouls to Duquesne's 10, and the Dukes had a +8 advantage in free throws made. They also turned the ball over only 7 times, so between the free throws and the 11 extra possessions, they were able to win the game.

NCAA Basketball

The Falcons had no answer for the Dukes attack for most of the game. Duquesne had torched BG's 2-3 zone last year, so I was hopeful that we might find something in the man to man, but we started in it, and the Dukes had old-school 3-point plays on their first 3 possessions, so BG went back into the zone. That worked for a while and BG had a 12 point lead inside of 9:00 left in the first half, but Duquesne scored a blistering 28 in the remaining 9 minutes while holding BG to 10 and had a 6 point lead at the half.

BG actually nipped into the lead with about 15 left, but in a couple of minutes the Dukes were up 6 again and with 7 left the lead had gotten into double digits and from there it was just a matter of sorting out the damage.

NCAA Basketball Stats

This was actually the second time this year that a game has sort of followed this pattern...BG had a good offensive game at 1.12 points per possession but still lost because they couldn't hold the opposition to less. The other game was Valpo. Both away games, for whatever that might mean. Anyway, Duquesne got 1.26 points per possession which is exactly what BG gave up to George Washington, and it is also almost exactly the efficiency the Dukes brought last year when they got 1.27 points per possession.

This would appear to be the kind of team that gives us trouble. Duquesne is a small, athletic, guard oriented team and they present huge matchup issues for us, and it does not appear that it matters which kind of defense we use.

BG was able to do some things inside. A'uston Calhoun had a great game, with 24 points on 10 of 15 shooting to go with 8 rebounds. Coach said in his post-game that he felt like BG got away from getting touches in the post, which is too bad, because Calhoun appeared to provide matchups issues for them. Scott Thomas added 20 points on 8 of 14 shooting and 4 of 8 from outside the arc. Oglesby kept his shooting streak alive but attempting precisely 0 shots but added 8 rebounds.

One thing I don't understand is how Craig Sealey only gets 3 minutes when we are playing a team we have a hard time matching up with athletically. I'm sure there is a good reason, but I don't understand it.

Scott Thomas also went over 1,000 points, so congrats to him. He is our 38th player to reach that level. He's been a remarkable and probably undervalued player at BG, and I'll be doing some things to try and remedy that as we head through his senior season. Just a note: I had wondered if his game would get stronger or if he had reached a plateau and I think he is clearly a stronger player this year than last year.

So, BG has one more game left in the road swing against UT-San Antonio on New Year's Day. Then, the MAC wars start and they start fast, with Ohio coming to town.

Recruiting Class Review 2007

2011-12-28T12:11:00.000-05:00

For all the energy spent evaluating recruiting classes on singing day, I have always contended that the best time to evaluate them is when they are done...high on the truth scale, low on the immediate gratification scale. Of course, you have to wait until the class is 5 years past so the guys who redshirt get their senior year in.

I use the following scale...

STAR--ALL MAC, top flight starter and producer, etc.
Starter--player in starting lineup consistently at some point in career.
Role Player--Corn McGrady type. #4 WR or special teams player. You get the idea.
Finished, no footprints. Completed eligibility without doing much.
Washed out--Did not finish career.

It is admittedly subjective, but they are broad categories too. Obviously, if you see any of it differently, I'd be interested in hearing that.

Essentially, the end results of this class are a disaster. There were 20 players announced on that day, and of those, 60% did not finish their career as Falcons. Nothing against the guys who did succeed, including 2 very good players and 5 other guys who were consistent starters...they were just badly outnumbered. Also, of the 5 starters, 2 of them were JUCO special teams players, which is a shorter putt, in my opinion.

This was talked about a lot...but if you want to know why BG was 7-17 over the past two seasons, this is it.

I have actually compiled some statistical numbers tracking this over time...I do understand there will be some attrition, but a ratio of 7 stars/starters to 12 washouts is terrible. BG has, in recent memory, and should in the future, generate 1.5 - 2 stars and starters for every player who washes out.

Two more notes: Eric Ransom is in the wash out category only with my reluctance, because he heroically battled through injuries to try and play at this level...

And Glen Stanley...remember him? Yeah, he started here before committing verbally to nearly a half dozen top programs (including USC and Florida State). No idea how it turned out, but here is a little chronicle that captures the story, though it fails to mention his start as a Falcon. Obviously a talented player with some flaws...

Anyway, here is how it all works out...

STAR (2)
Ben Bojicic
Willie Geter

Starter (5)

Kevin Alvarado

Adrian Hodges

Nick Iovinelli

Nick Torresso
Sinisa Vrvilo

Role Player (1)

Ray Hutson

Finished, no footprints (0)

Washed out (12)
Darren Branch
Nate Brown
Preston Burrell
Jerrson Davis
Josh Dodge
Andrew Johnson IV
Eric Ransom
Anthony Smith
Glen Stanley
Mark Wooldridge
Gary Wright
Christopher Young

Duquesne, the Dukes

2011-12-27T14:11:00.000-05:00

So, the Falcons head to Pittsburgh to play the Dukes of Duquesne tomorrow. I was searching online to find a team photo or something, and this is what I came up with.

So, I'm thinking we can take these guys. Plus, they were outsmarted by Eddie Murphy, Dan Akroyd and a topless Jamie Curtis, so they are not only un-athletic but also lacking in guile.

In reality, in the Falcon-Duke relationship over the past 3 years, it has been the Falcons playing the role of Randolph and Mortimer Duke while Duquesne has been playing the role of, well, the side that wins.

This is year 4 in an annual series between BG and Duquesne, and Duquesne has won the first 3, by 18, 11 and 36 points. Last year's 36 point drubbing on BG's home floor was one of the low points of last season. It was the most points BG allowed in a game, the third least efficient defensive game paired with the third least efficient offensive game.

Not to say Duquesne is a bad team, because they are a good team that plays in a very good conference. Still, BG only lost by 19 @ Michigan so you'd think you could hold Duquesne somewhere south of a 36 point deficit on your own floor. It was pretty ugly. It was never close. Duquesne was up 10-2 and never slowed down. BG turned the ball over 25 times.

College Basketball Stats

But that was last year....what about this year? Can BG break the hex with a road win?

Of course they can. It won't be easy. The Dukes are 7-5 with an RPI of 78. They have played the #59 schedule in the country. One of their wins is non D-1, and, in games of interest to Falcon fans, they beat Akron by 5 on a neutral floor and then lost by 16 @Valparaiso and lost @WMU by 14. Their best win of the season was Green Bay and their worst loss is to WMU. They have also lost to very good Arizona, Pitt and Robert Morris teams.

For whatever it is worth, Duquesne's coach was "incensed" at the WMU loss and shuffled the lineup around prior to the road win at George Mason.

This is a team built on upbeat play and offensive efficiency. They are scoring 1.06 points per possession as compared to BG's .99, for example. Their shooting is a little better than BG's, but they generate more points with a little richer mix of 3s and a much better track record of getting to the line though they are not great at FT shooting. They take good care of the ball (17% turnovers) while creating turnovers on 27% of their defensive possessions which leads the country.

Like a lot of teams that play like this, they are not especially active on the offensive boards. They are very strong on their own defensive boards, however.

They are giving up 1.02 points per possession, which is also not good.

NCAA Basketball

Individually, they feature 4 players in double figures...Sean Johnson, BJ Monteiro, Eric Evans and TJ McConnell. Johnson is leading with team with 15 points a game and only plays 25 minutes. The tallest of those players is 6'5", however....this is an athletic, guard-oriented team. Two of their bigs--Derrick Martin and Martins Abele hardly play at all, and Abele is now ineligible.

Andre Marhold at 6'7" is their second leading rebounder, and their lineup changes after the WMU loss gave Freshman Mamadou Datt (of the Senegal) a chance, and he had 8 points and 9 rebounds against Mason.

As always, I am interested to see how BG plays against this style. As I have already noted, this has not typically worked out very well for us, but tomorrow is always another day. I'd like to think the Falcons are as "incensed" about last year's game as the Dukes were to lose to WMU and maybe that brings some extra focus.

The first challenge will be to take care of the ball. This will include everyone on the team. They are at 1.02 points per possession WITH all the turnovers, which means that teams do score when they actually get a shot off. We need to do that.

BG will need very strong guard play on both ends of the floor to compete with this team. I think BG might be able to score inside on these guys, which means that we need to get Calhoun untracked and into the game early.

On defense, BG has to avoiding fouling first and foremost...and play very solid team defense. One difference from last year is that the Falcons have added the man defense to our repertoire which could make a difference.

This would be a very nice road win for the Falcons to get, especially against a team we have struggled against. The keys will be forcing Duquesne to defend the shot and holding them well south of the 90 they got last year.

Redshirt Review

2011-12-27T09:17:00.000-05:00

Every program hopes to be able to redshirt most of its freshman. You only want to have a guy play right away if he is a special player, and not solely to fill a need. Also, if they are going to use up the year, you want it to be worth it--not just a one-time fill-in. For example, MAC freshman of the year Anthon Samuel played as a true freshman.

Let's look through the recruits announced in February and see how many of them played and how many red-shirted. The list below is all of the signing day players, minus JUCO. All of them were on the year-end roster. (If I missed anyone, please let me know).

"Took the redshirt off" (5)
Hunter Maynard, DT, 7 games, 4 tackles, 1 TFL

Brian Sutton, DB, 11 games, 8 tackles, 1 PBrUp

Anthon Samuel, RB MAC Fr of Year.

Zach Colvin, DE, 10 games, 11 tackles, 1 sack

Darrell Hunter, DB, 7 starts, 32 tackles, 5 PBrup and an INT

RedShirted (13)
Tyler Tate, K,
Shaquille “Shaq” Hall, DE
Alex Huettel, OL,
Zach Steinmetz, TE,
Diontre Delk, WR,
Matt Johnson, QB,
Johnny Joseph, DB,
Travis Green, ATH,
Herve Coby, WR,
Bryan Baird, DE,
Fahn Cooper, OL,
Dernard Turner, DB
Christopher Gallon

Special Case
Jermal Hosley--As we noted in September, he had an injury over the summer, is enrolling in January and will start his eligibility clock then.

Hometown Paper Talks with Clarke and Rorie

2011-12-26T16:12:00.003-05:00

Nice article from the Canton Repository about Jehvon Clarke and Desmond Rorie, BG's two freshmen who were teammates at Canton McKinley High--and never lost a league game in four years--are now learning the ropes of D1 basketball.

In the profile, they discuss how much different college ball is, how they adjusting to not getting as much playing time as they are used to, the Stroh Center, and their decision to play college basketball at BG.

Like I said, it is interesting. Both players are patiently waiting for their chance, but not TOO patiently. You want guys who are hungry to play. Clarke has already made a contribution and will get more minutes in the games coming up. He had two simply amazing drives to the hoop in East Lansing and Coach has talked about targeting him to be our next PG, while Rorie has yet to play in a game. I have been assuming that he will redshirt and then start to play the role Oglesby plays, but all that still has to play itself out.

Past and Future Opponent Land

2011-12-26T12:53:00.000-05:00

We last ran this on December 11, so let's check up on the teams we have played and how they have ared over the past two weeks. Most of the teams have seen their RPI go up since the last time we looked. The Georgia results are better than they look, Mercer is pretty good. And, I was surprised to see Duquesne lose so badly to WMU...

Howard, 4-9, RPI up to 304 from 325

1-3 since last we looked. Lost to Indiana 107-50.

Georgia 7-5, RPI 74 up from 108

Won their last 3 (USC, Mercer and Furman)

Austin Peay, 3-10, RPI falls from 256 to 261.

1-1 since last we looked, but the one win was non-D1.

Detroit, 6-8 RPI up to 261 from 297

1-2 but losses were to Alabama and Mississippi State. Beat Alabama State.

George Washington 4-7, RPI down to 136 from 90

Lost to Bradley and James Madison. Lost six straight, have not won since beating BG.

Temple 7-3, RPI up to 28 from 50

Lost to Texas and beat Rice. Looking like an even better win for BG.

WKU 4-9, up to 194 from 222

Lost to Furman and Louisville.

MSU 11-2, 21

They have beaten Missouri-Kansas City and Lehigh. The Lehigh game was somewhat similar to the BG game, as MSU was pushed in a game that should have been easier.

FIU 3-9, RPI up (a little) to 254 from 257

Off since BG game.

Duquesne 7-5, up to 78 from 98

Lost by 14 to WMU (in K-Zoo).

UTSA RPI up to 157 from 163 6-5

Lost by 2 @Houston and beat Troy.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

2011-12-25T08:15:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone in the Falcon Nation and beyond. Whatever your religious beliefs are, I hope the season brings you peace and joy, and that there are lots of championships under your tree.

Football Review: Mopping up, Sacks Against, Penalties

2011-12-24T10:16:00.001-05:00

So, in our first pass through a review of the football season, we missed a thing or two. We can take today to mop them up before a little break to enjoy the holiday.

Starting with sacks...remembering that in 2010 BG's offensive line was terrible and not healthy on top of it. It showed up in the sack numbers, with BG allowing 20 sacks (MAC-only). Only one team was worse, which was CMU at 22. BG was sacked on 6% of its pass plays.

This year, BG reduced that number to 15, which was still 10th in the MAC. (Miami gave up 37 sacks in 8 conference games!!). That is a sack on 4.9% of passing plays. So, a nice improvement in numbers, but relative to the competition, we stayed pretty much the same.

It also doesn't tell the whole story. Pressure on the QB can also yield lower completion percentage, interceptions, and lower yards as team go to safer routes, and there really isn't a measure for that.

Moving to penalties, my impression has been that this has been a strong point for our team...we don't seem to get many penalties. In 2010, BG was third in the MAC at 44 yards per game and in 2011 that strength continued as BG led the MAC with 35 penalty yards per game. Yards per penalty fell form 9 to 8.4.

For whatever it is worth, BG's opponents had 59 penalty yards a game, the second highest total in the MAC. BG netted out 24 yards per game on penalties.

Oglesby Not Missing

2011-12-23T16:17:00.000-05:00

A couple odd little things for stats...

First, Torian Oglesby has made his last 16 field goal attempts. Yes, it helps that he is rarely more than a foot from the basket--at the same time, BG has struggled with "zero footers" over the past years, and Oglesby has been doing very well. He has actually developed into a pretty good player. When he came from JUCO he sort of looked like a strong guy to eat up some minutes inside, but he is making a really nice contribution to the team this year.

One other note...FIU drew 835 people for that game last night. I know it is in the middle of the holidays, but still....that's a major city and you have a hall-of-fame coach. Shaking my head...

Falcons Enter Holidays With Road Win

2011-12-23T10:54:00.001-05:00

The Falcons went down to South Beach, and while it sounded pretty ugly at times, eventually put together enough to beat FIU for the third straight season and enter a short holiday break with a 6-5 record and a first road win.

FIU entered the game short-handed, as their leading scorer and rebounder, DeJuan Wright, did not play. The first half was not pretty. BG shot 28% from the field and FIU shot 50%. BG was 2-11 from beyond the arc. FIU led by 10 with 5 minutes left in the half, in fact, but BG went on a 10-4 run to cut the margin heading into the locker room. FIU did have 8 first half turnovers and BG had 4 to go with a +4 FT advantage, which helps account for the closer than expected score.

In the second half, BG pushed the spread to 2 a couple of times, and then FIU blew it back up to 6 about four minutes in. BG first got the game to even with 14 left when James Erger hit a jumper. FIU took the lead back again, and BG did not actually take the lead until there was 10:30 left on a Dee Brown layup. The lead bounced back and forth for a while, and then Scott Thomas hit a layup with 7 minutes left to give BG a lead it would never relinquish.

The key closing sequence came just after FIU had nailed a 3 to cut the lead to 3 with about 3 minutes left. BG was really struggling running offense, and Jordan Crawford nailed a jumper to bail them out as the shot clock was running out. FIU had similar struggles and a shot late in the clock was blocked by Oglesby. On the other end, again deep in the clock, Thomas fired a 3 that missed, but A'uston Calhoun who had struggled all night, slammed the rebound home and the lead was 7 with 1:13 left and the game was over.

NCAA Basketball Stats

The second half was statistically much different from the first. BG shot 58% and FIU shot 32%. It was sloppy--BG made 12 turnovers and FIU 10--and the Falcons outrebounded FIU 20-12.

Neither team had a great deal offensively. BG scored .94 points per possession, but FIU scored only .82. As you can see, BG won most of the key statistical categories by the time it was all over. BG was +7 at the free throw line and committed only 11 fouls (8 of them by two players, Calhoun and Oglesby).

College Basketball Stats

Individually, it was a huge game for Scott Thomas. There's been an interesting thread on azz.com about Thomas, who is going to end up as a statistical leader in numerous career categories. It is remarkable to look at, because he seems to do much of it without being noticed. He is such a steady player and so good in so many phases that I don't think people appreciate what a good player he is.

Anyway, Thomas had 18 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. (He did make 5 turnovers). That's a pretty good line for anyone. Crawford had 15 with 3 assists and 4 steals and Oglesby had 11 points. Calhoun had a rough game, playing only 16 minutes, but still contributed 7 points and 6 rebounds and made a play in the last 2 minutes when the team really needed it.

We had wondered after the MSU game if we would see any shifting in playing time to some younger players. Jehvon Clarke got 17 minutes in the game as did Craig Sealey, while Dee Brown played 24 and Luke Kraus played only 5 minutes.

Next up for the Falcons is Duquesne, a team we have really struggled with the past two seasons. The FIU win was nice, especially on the road. They are not a great team and they were down a top guy, and you should beat a team like that and BG did. Just two more games left before the conference season starts.

Football Depth Chart

2011-12-23T09:17:00.000-05:00

Just a quick look at our depth chart to get a visual look at who is coming back. As you can see, it is pretty clean...I put an orange line through the seniors and Hurley. Aside from WR and one line position, this team is back almost entirely. That's a start...and if they come back and stronger and better football players, it is even better.

Verbal Commit Roundup

2011-12-22T10:51:00.001-05:00

Just a check up on news from around the web on our known (to me) verbal commits for football.

The player who makes the most news in any given week is James Knapke, the QB recruit from Bishop Luers in Fort Wayne, IN.

Photo from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

As seen to the left, Bishop Luers won the Indiana 2A championship this season, which is their 3rd straight title. The won the title game easily--41-17.

Knapke threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns in the title game.

He is the all-time leading passer in their conference, and he won all-state honors.

LB Coy Brown, also from Indiana, was first-team all-state as well.

Jhalil Croley was also all-district.

Late breaking news....JJ Beggan was all-state in PA on the O-line!

Usually, there are more of these, but remember that there are a ton of o-lineman in this class, and those guys don't get in the paper as much as the skilled players....through based on our experience at BG the last two years, they should. If you ask me, they need stats...

Football Review...special teams, kickoff coverage

2011-12-21T15:17:00.000-05:00

Moving through special teams....BG's kickoff coverage was not especially good (11th in the MAC) in 2011. However, as noted in our review of BG's kickoff returns, being just 2 yards better would have been 7th, and who really cares about 2 yards. Touchbacks are good, but BG only had 2 of those (conference) play.

BG was 9th in depth of kicks, which is more where the problem was, and held teams to 20 yards per actual return.

One interesting thing I noticed...we had 3 guys kick off. Burkhardt 49 times, Phillips 8 times and Stein 6 times. Phillips was getting 66 yards on his kicks, Stein 62 and Burkhardt 58. (Keep in mind that sometimes a kicker is told to kick it short).

Oh, and if touchbacks are good, then out of bound kicks are very bad, and BG had 6 kicks out of bounds, which is 10% of kickoffs. Burkhardt alone put 5 O-B.

Based on this, I'd say the players doing the coverage were reasonably effective, and the kicking side of it was less than stellar, which has been typical over the past few years, although BG had a good kickoff game the year before. The best coverage teams in the MAC are getting double figure touchbacks to start with, and going from there.

One last note that I haven't see anywhere else....Falcon Fodder reported in the notes for the OU game that the Falcons honored Jerry Phillips as a senior before the game. It was only his junior year, but he may have opted to graduate.

Orr vs. Isiah---battle moves to South Beach

2011-12-21T10:46:00.002-05:00

The Falcons are in Miami to play Florida International in game 3 of the Falcons 5 game road swing. I just looked. The temperature this morning was 80 degrees.

Anyway, we've talked in previous years about two things, one that FIU was essentially founded by Bowling Green people, and second, that this is a coaching matchup between two former NBA players--Orr and Isiah Thomas.

The two teams have played twice, and BG has won both times, although both games were in Bowling Green.

There is no way to say it other than that Thomas' tenure in Miami has not been successful to date. I thought it was kind of a joke when he took the job, and he hasn't done much to dispel that, both by winning 28% of his games, and by meddling in the affairs of the Knicks. Last year, they finished with an RPI of 282.

Their last winning season was in 1999-2000.

This year, on paper, seems to be more of the same. They are 3-8. However, they have played one of the 100 (ish) toughest schedules in the country and their RPI is actually better than BG's, although those things can be notoriously dodgy early in the year.

Their three wins are over George Mason, Coastal Carolina (a nice win for them) and Stephen F. Austin. They lost to very good Virginia Tech, Oral Roberts, Maryland and Dayton teams. They also lost to not very good Georgia State, Alabama State, UA-Pine Bluff, and non D1 Texas Wesleyan. This is only their 3rd home game....the Alabama State loss was on FIU's floor.

So, it is hard to tell what you are getting. They did play Maryland tough, but for every game like that there is a 26 point loss to Georgia State.

BG has yet to win on the road this year.

I saw the Maryland game, and they appeared to be a very athletic team, which is what you would expect. I was surprised to see that their games are generating only 63 possessions per game, which is one of the 30 slowest paces in D1 basketball. They score only .95 points per possession, which is not very good. This is because they don't shoot especially well and they turn the ball over. They help themselves with good offensive rebounding and they are about average at getting to the free throw line. Here's how they compare to BG...

NCAA Basketball

On defense, they are allowing 1.05 points per possession, which is 290th in the country. (This is a good ad for tempo-free stats....their points per game is 160th in the country, but they aren't playing as many possessions). Teams have an effective FG% of 52 against them, which is 300th in the country. They do force some turnovers but they also foul a lot--their free throw rate is actually higher than BG's.

Individually, they are led by DeJuan Wright, who is their leading scorer and rebounder. At 15.9 points and 6.9 rebounds, he is a true threat, and although he doesn't shoot the 3 often, when he does he hits 52%. He is a 6'4" senior.

They also are led by sophomore PG Phil Taylor, who is scoring 14 points and notching 4 assists per game. Finally, 6'4" G Jeremy Allen is scoring 12 points per game and hitting 37% of his 3s.

They are not a big team. They have a seven footer who plays 15 minutes a game, but their most used big man is 6'9" Dominique Ferguson, who is scoring 8 points and getting 6.6 rebounds per game.

This actually has all the trappings of an interesting game. You have BG who has played well in spots but not on the road, against FIU, who has played well in spots and then awful in spots. I think BG feels like they are better than their ranking might be at this time, and FIU might be a lot worse than theirs. You don't know which FIU team will show up. Also, we will be watching to see if Coach Orr shifts his player rotation any more based on the game at MSU...

As always, we work through the non-conference season trying to project how results would translate into MAC games. Winning on the road is tough, but this is a winnable road game....just as some will be in the MAC. This is a great time to see our guys bring their best game on the road, because I think the game is very winnable.

Football Review: Special Teams, Kickoff and Punt Returns

2011-12-20T11:06:00.001-05:00

Moving through the special teams, we hit an area that I think had some significant improvement this year, which was kickoff returns this year. We'll cover punt returns, but the way people punt in the college game today has largely removed the punt return as a major factor in games.

BG was 10th in the MAC in 2010 with about 18 yards per kickoff return (conference only). This year, BG vaulted to 2nd with 22 yards per return. This is largely the result of the work of Boo Boo Gates, who as an individual was 4th in the MAC and he was the second team kickoff return specialist

It didn't add to too much on the yard lines, as BG in 2011 started, on average, on the 29 yard line following a kickoff and the MAC average was 28.

Still, to me the more important issue is how many big returns did we get, and it seemed like more. We had one touchdown both years, but kickoff returns can make a huge difference when you score (obviously) or give the offense a short field.

As for punt returns, BG's average fell from 8.9 to 7.3 yards per return, however we're only talking about 11-13 returns per year and even finishing second in the conference would only have yielded 2 yards per return. There were only 2 punt returns for TD in the MAC in 2011.

As far as I'm concerned, if the punt returner catches the ball and doesn't fumble, I'm more or less happy.

Anyway, Boo Boo did a little punt returning for us, so he may handle both duties next year, or we have a some young guys who might be able to do it, too. I'd say that the return game is rounding into shape as part of special teams that were--in total--solid this year.

Football Season in Review: Placekicking

2011-12-19T13:22:00.004-05:00

Close your eyes, Falcon fans. This has, of late, been a painful one. It has been some years since the Falcons have had a consistent placekicking game, and this year was certainly in the same trend. However it might have seemed, however, the placekicking game was probably better than in 2010....though nowhere near where it should be.

Yes, BG did lose a chance at OT vs. Wyoming on a missed XP, just as a missed FG cost BG the Buffalo game the year before. But, in bulk numbers, how did things stack up?

In 2010, BG's two kickers were a collective 5 of 13, with the low number of attempts reflecting a strong lack of confidence in the kicking game. Inside 40, where MAC kickers make 80% of their attempts, BG was 5-8, still below average. The long FG for the season was 34 yards. Perhaps even sadder, BG was only 24-28 on XPs.

Ouch.

In 2011, Kyle Burkhardt started the year, but was replaced by Stephen Stein following the Wyoming mess. Stein did better, hitting 8-11 and 8-10 inside 40, both numbers that were at least adequate. BG still did not make a FG over 40 yards, but the long did move up to 39 for the year. Collectively, the two kickers were 9-13 and 9-11 inside 40.

A stronger offense got the kickers more extra point attempts (41) of which 37 were made. Even with the higher number of attempts, missing four extra points is not acceptable. Six MAC teams missed 0 or 1, and some of them had more opportunities than BG.

And I guess that brings things to the ultimate point. OU had a good kicker. UT did. WMU did. CMU did. Why can't BG? It is clearly possible, but placekicking woes have not been addressed here going back to Shaun Suisham's last year and it is very frustrating. FGs make a big difference...they can extend a lead or win a game. And missing an XP that would force overtime is just embarrassing.

BG did have Tyler Tate redshirt this year, and he's on scholarship, so there have been attempts to invest in placekicking. At this point, the issue is less accuracy, and now we'd like to add some reasonable range and get those extra point misses down.

But, for 2011, you have to say that placekicking was improved over 2010.

Football Review: Special Teams, punting

2011-12-19T09:37:00.002-05:00

Next, we look at the special teams for the Falcon football team, which were improved over 2010 and really one deficient in one area. We'll save that one for later today.

Let's start with punting, perhaps the bright spot for our team this year. Brian Schmiedebusch was the All-MAC punter, and had a fantastic year for BG. He's a football player--he went to Findlay as a LB--and we can look forward to his work for two more seasons. The punt is a huge play, and he made numerous kicks this year that flipped field position and made a material impact on the game.

Last year, BG was 4th in net punting at 35.6 yards. This year, we were second at 38.8. Schemiedebusch was actually third in punting average, but his punts were difficult to return, and that helped to neutralize some of the opponent's best skilled players.

Here's the key stat. In 2010, BG had 10 punts over 50 yards. In 2011, BG had 19.

BG has not been blocked for the last two years.

So, put punting in the +1 category.

MAC Football: Bowl Success!

2011-12-18T14:17:00.000-05:00

So, I've certainly written a lot about the MAC's putrid record in bowl games over the past few years. Yesterday was a good day--two wins--for the MAC, in a year where I think the matchups are pretty favorable to us and the conference has a shot at winning at least four and maybe all the games.

In the New Mexico bowl, Temple manhandled Wyoming pretty well. You don't want to bring a true freshman against that lineup. Anyway, it was also a bad day for common opponent analysis, where a team BG beat won easily against a team that beat BG. Anyway, congrats to Temple. It was a very nice win.

Then, the OU Bobcats, taking on a Utah State team that should have won at Auburn, had a great comeback, survived a clown-car officiating period at the end, and scored in the final seconds to rally and win that game. I thought OU was, in many ways, the best team in the conference this year, and it was good to see them represent that conference well in Boise.

Great job. Two thumbs up.

Falcons Fall to Spartans, Is Youth Served?

2011-12-18T09:17:00.000-05:00

Very early in the second half last night, the BG game against MSU was starting to look a lot like last year's game. In that game, BG played a very tight first half, was down 5 with 18 minutes left and then lost the game by 35 points.

Yesterday, BG played a very strong first half, outrebounding one of the nation's top rebounding teams, and heading to the locker room down only a bucket.

The Falcons even got the first bucket of the second half to tie the game. The Spartans are not a winning team for no reason however, and they clearly had sorted themselves out in the locker room. Following that basketball, MSU went on an 8-minute, 20-3 run to build up a huge lead.

At that point, however, something different happened from last year. Coach went with a very young lineup, including Jehvon Clake and Chauncey Orr, and rather than see the lead continue to expand, BG actually won the last 11 minutes by 3 points.

NCAA Basketball

Now, we're clearly playing a team that knows they have the game won, but that was true last year as well. Coach gave the young guys some minutes, and they seemed to do pretty well.

Coach was asked about this at the press conference after the game, and he said that our veterans were the ones on the floor for the 20-3 run, so he decided to leave the younger players on the court.

Then, he was asked the question that is on the lips of many Falcon fans that I have talked to. Coach clearly wants a veteran team--it is clearly very important to him. But, this is basketball and not football...young players make a contribution sooner in many cases. It seems to some people like BG has troubles with athletic teams and with scoring the ball, and there are guys on the bench (Clarke, Henderson, Sealey, Orr) who could help with those things, yet they rarely see many minutes.

So, Coach was asked the question...did he seem some things that might effect minutes in the future. And he was quiet for a few seconds and said something like we're still going to rely on our veterans.

And then, rather than waiting to see if there were any further questions, he thanked everyone and ended the presser. (That's how it sounded, it might not have been that abrupt in reality).

Jehvon Clarke was a good example. He had 14 points in 12 minutes. He had two scintillating drives to the basket that ended up IN BASKETS. He made all his free throws. His offensive rating was 168. And 3 assists.

So the question remains...will the experience lead to the Falcons putting a younger lineup onto the court over the coming games. FIU and Duquesne are both very athletic teams...anyway, it will be interesting to see. But, for people who think BG is leaving too much on the bench, last night's game will only make them wonder more.

Not that the veterans didn't contribute at all...A'uston Calhoun had 12 points and 7 rebounds, and Jordan Crawford, who seems to have his mojo back, had 11 points with 3 assists and 3 turnovers. Oglesby had 8 points and 9 rebounds.

I guess the ultimate point is that I always felt Coach Dakich had a blind spot on this issue--he liked veterans so much I don't think he was open to other possibilities. I wonder the same about Coach Orr. I know I don't see practices, and it was just one game, and the veteran lineup had played well in the first half...I get all that...but I don't understand why, if you are playing a game where you team can't score, you wouldn't at least give (for example) Clarke a run to see what might happen.

It will be interesting to watch this unfold.

College Basketball

Defense in Review, sacks

2011-12-17T13:30:00.000-05:00

One last stop on the review of the defense....sacks. Did BG do a better job of getting to the QB in 2010 than it did in 2011? BG did have Chris Jones, MAC's #2 sack man, and went from 13 sacks in 2010 to 15 in 2011. That moved the Falcons from a tie for 7th to sole possession of 7th.

Stats don't always tell the whole story and here it isn't really even close. A true measure of QB pressure would also include hurries kept on some kind of objective scale...and possibly even include pocket escapes as well.

Football in Review: Defense, Red zone, 3rd downs

2011-12-17T09:02:00.001-05:00

Continuing with our review of the BGSU football team for 2011, let's look at red zone and 3rd down plays, remembering that some plays mean more than others, and that we are ultimately trying to answer how much better BG was in 2011 than in 2010.

Conference games only.

Starting with the red zone...BG was pretty poor in 2010. Opponents scored 5.29 points per trip (12th in the MAC), and BG only held the opponents without scoring 4 times and 2 of those were on missed field goals. BG allowed 28 trips, which was in the middle of the pack.

For 2011, BG allowed more trips (33). However, BG allowed only 4.94 points per trip, which was way up to 4th in the MAC. (This probably partly accounts for something we have been seeing in the date, which is that BG's final scoring defense position (7th) was a lot higher than most of their stats.) The improvement was mostly in having more field goals in the mix, as opposed to outright stops.

In terms of 3rd downs, in 2010 BG was 12th at 40.2%. In a trend we have seen on a number of different measures this year, BG performed essentially the same in 2011 on 3rd down (40.7%) but moved up to 8th, relative to the competition.

So, on key plays that have more leverage than other key plays, BG was improved in real terms in the red zone and improved in relative terms on 3rd down, if not overall.

SPAR-tans, blah blah, What is your blah blah PROFESSION

2011-12-16T12:57:00.000-05:00

The Falcons make their second trip in two years to the Breslin Center tomorrow to take on what is probably the best team they will play all season, the Michigan State Spartans. They went 0-2 (one loss at sea to UNC and one to Duke is MSG) but then have been all "how you like me now" in the past few weeks, ripping off 8 straight wins, including beating EMU by 32, Florida State by 16, Milwaukee by 13 and then winning @Gonzaga.

Just as a reminder, the Spartans are slated to play in the Stroh next season.

They are 6-0 at home this year and were 12-3 last year. They are very tough to beat on their floor. Speaking of last year, BG did play there and the result was as painful as feared, with MSU beating BG 74-39.

With 18 left, it was 28-23 Spartans, and from there, it was, yeah, 46-16. At .59 points per possession, it was BG's worst offensive game of the season by .14 points per possession (WKU). It was the 65th worst offensive game in all of D1 that year and the worst for BG since 1998 when they lost 53-41 to UT.

Now, MSU was #6 at that time and they are ranked in the 20s this year. Anyway.

Coach said in his presser this week that you know what you are getting from the Spartans, and you do. They are 11th in the nation in defensive efficiency (.83 points per possession), 23rd in Effective FG% defense, and 13th in defensive rebounds. They are also 17th in assists. They get 39% of their available offensive rebounds, which is also in the top 50 in the country.

This is not a team that shoots the 3 very well, but their overall shooting is around 47% which is in the top 1/4 of the country. On offense, these guys really do play in the paint and on defense, they play very good field goal defense, don't try to pressure for turnovers and limit second chances.

I'm sure you already know more about these guys than you did about Howard.

Individually, they are led by Draymond Green, the 6'7" F who leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.

So G Keith Appling is also scoring in double figures and Brandon Wood is nearly in double figures from the other G position. They really have two true bigs who split 35 minutes between them, but obviously they have guys like Green who are strong and beast-like on the inside.

Obviously, this is one of those games. Every year, some of these games go to the underdog--not very often, but it does happen. For it to happen, BG will need to play absolutely as well as they are capable of playing, especially on defense and then find a hot shooting hand or four.

Game will the on the Big Ten Network, and we'll be watching.

2011 Football Year in Review: Passing Defense

2011-12-16T09:47:00.004-05:00

Having looked at the running game where we moved up a little by keeping our performance static while others fell behind us, we now turn our attention to the passing defense, remembering the passing offense was way up in the MAC in 2011 compared to 2010.

In 2010, BGth was 4th in passing yards allowed per game with 203.1, though that was largely influenced by our poor run defense. The 212 attempts we allowed were the second lowest in the conference. On pass efficiency defense, BG was 11th with 152.5. BG allowed 65% completions, the worst in the MAC, 19 TD passes (12th) and had 7 INTS (10th). BG allowed 7.7 yards per attempt (11th).

In other words, the yards per game figure is an illusion. The pass defense was porous and the only reason in 2010 we didn't give up more yards passing is that it was easier to run.

So, were things better in 2011. BG was, in fact, 4th again, and allowed 202 yards per game, so that number stayed almost exactly the same from one year to the next. It took 221 attempts to get those yards. BG had the 11th fewest passing attempts against.

In passing efficiency, BG took a big jump however, moving to 6th in the MAC. Efficiency was down to 130.8, a significant improvement over the 150+ from the year before. Completion percentage against BG fell from 65% to 61% (8th) and BG allowed only 8 TD passes (tied for 1st). Interceptions fell in the conference as a whole, and BG fell from 7 to 4, which was 11th in the MAC. BG reduced yards per attempt to 7.3 which was tied for 10th.

Two things...teams are not throwing on us very much. When they do, we were stronger in 2011, but as in all areas of our program that we have looked at to date, we just moved from bad to below average, or in some cases average. These are all steps in the right direction. We had a very young secondary, and they will be more seasoned now. If they continue to improve (hopefully at a slightly sharper vector), they are on track to be pretty good.

Hurley Leaving BG Program

2011-12-15T15:11:00.000-05:00

Falcon Fodder (The Blade) has the news today, Trent Hurley has been granted his release and will transfer. The Blade says a likely possibility is SE Missouri State.

I guess I'm not surprised and kind of expected it. He was in a difficult position. Clearly, the coaches feel Schilz is the starter, so he was either waiting for an opportunity due to an injury or Schilz to graduate, which would have left him only one year as the starter. Being one year behind the starter is a tough place to be.

Coach had alluded to attrition at QB in his post-season presser and something in his body language suggested to me that he had some idea what might be happening.

Hurley red-shirted the year Schilz was injured, and played only mop up time this year. He certainly looked good in the spring game, but you can't blame him for wanting to play and I'm sure everyone wishes him the best.

That would leave Matt Johnson, also of Pittsburgh, who red-shirted last season, as the probable back up. Malik Stokes is also on the roster, as is true FR James Knapke, who today is just a verbal commit.

Football Review: Rushing Defense

2011-12-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

As we work our way through the review of the Falcon football season, let's turn our attention to the rushing defense.

This has been the defense's fatal flaw for years. We might play a team tight in the first half, but in the second half, they know they can adjust the game plan, put a heavy formation in and just run the ball over us. Coach Clawson said in the post-season that this was a priority, especially as we were getting stronger in the middle of the D-line, able to rotate players, etc.

So, how did it work out? My perception was that we were better, but far from where we might need to be. Let's see. (You know the drill, conference only stats).

In 2010, BG allowed 180.1 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry, both 12th in the MAC.

Remembering that rushing offense was up in the MAC overall, BG allowed 4.8 yards per carry in conference games and 218 yards per game, but moved "up" to 10th in both categories. Teams actually attempted more runs against us than they did in 2010, which in a way is probably a compliment to our pass defense.

So, based on results, things are pretty static in the run defense. Coach Clawson has talked about this...the team needs to get stronger and more physical, and he believes it will. Based on the numbers, BG was only slightly better relative to the competition and not better at all based on raw numbers.

Football Verbal #15

2011-12-14T18:23:00.000-05:00

Via AZZ.com, The Falcons have another verbal commit, this one Erick Hallmon, a LB/S from Ft. Lauderdale. He was at one time committed to Texas Tech, and then wasn't anymore. ESPN says they pulled their offer, he says he decided to look elsewhere. ESPN ranks him a 77 (3-star) recruit, which makes him a very good player for us to be recruiting. He was the 20th ranked recruit in Broward County.

As a hybrid LB/S, he would appear to be perfect for the Rover position.

His father played at the U.

Welcome to the Falcons, Erick.

2011: Defense overall

2011-12-14T15:05:00.000-05:00

Having concluded our review of the offense, we now turn to the defense, starting with the overall metrics.

We presented the entire offensive review with the context that scoring and offensive production was up overall in the MAC, and you had to do better just to stay even to your competition. Since we are only using conference games, that means the defense has to have the reverse effect: defensive production was down, and if you moved ahead, you were doing better than average.

In 2010, BG was 10th in scoring defense at 30.9 points per game. Despite the fact that the defense FELT better, BG was actually only 1.5 points better at 29.4. That was good, however, for 7th in the MAC. This actually fits with everything we found about our team, which is that while 2011 was better than 2010, the team only progressed to an average or below average position.

BG allowed 5.9 yards per play in 2010, which was 11th in the MAC. That actually improved only to 5.8 yards per play in 2011, good for 9th in the MAC.

So, overall, the defense did not improve as much as we might have thought from 2010 to 2011. Other teams fell, and relative to the competition, there was more improvement. In spots, they were much better, I think--Miami, and Temple, for example--but in other spots, they were no better--or no more productive--than before.

MAC Football Attendance Issues....

2011-12-14T09:21:00.002-05:00

If you are a a fan of football at this level, I'm sure you are aware that there are attendance rules that determine whether teams can stay in the FBS or be relegated to FCS. In fact, a long time ago, BG actually competed for part of a season in I-AA.

We have also been present as teams, including BG, have pulled various shenanigans and games to make the attendance requirement. The Ball State student paper recently wrote a pretty solid piece on this subject that I wanted to recommend to you. Titled "An Empty Rule" is details some of the things MAC teams have done to skirt the NCAA's attendance requirement...usually involving having a donor buy a big block of tickets no one intends to use or playing a Big 10 team in a neutral stadium as a "home" game as BG did when it played Wisconsin at the Browns Stadium.

Coach Clawson is quoted as saying that the ESPN games in November hurt attendance. And while there is no doubt that they do, here is where I would quibble with Coach Clawson and the author of the piece (Teddy Cahill) who are both relative newcomers to the MAC. Again, the weeknight games are not good for attendance. At the same time, the attendance issues in the MAC have been endemic and stretch back waaaaaay farther than the ESPN contract. The attendance requirement has been an issue for the MAC for as long as it has been in place, which goes back somewhere around 30 years. I can remember plenty of frigid November Saturdays at the Doyt where the stands were as empty as they are on Tuesdays now.

The MAC no longer puts attendance figures on its website, at least that I could find. However, some quick work with a spreadsheet allowed me to get the numbers. Keeping in mind that these are ANNOUNCED attendance figures, subject to whatever they might be (but surely not solely the counting of actual people in the stadium), the MAC averaged 23,470 fans per home game. Only EMU and Kent finished below 15,000.

Interestingly, six teams in the MAC finished between 15,000 and 16,000. Two of the teams--Ball State and BG--finished between 15,000 and 15,100. (BG averaged 15,006). Coincidence?

Falcon Verbal #14

2011-12-13T15:44:00.000-05:00

Another JUCO to report. ESPN.com has David Kekuewa, a native of Hawaii who was attending Arizona Western College. He is 6'3" and 315, and played C in JUCO. Not only was he was first-team all-conference at C., but he was also named a first-team all-American in the NJCAA. He visited Arkansas State and apparently had D1 interest from Middle Tennessee and FCS interest.

A couple things. Chip Robinson played a lot at C for us when Bojicic moved to T due to injuries, so he would be the heir apparent. On the other hand, Coach has said that we will play our best 5 lineman, so either of them could also be shifted to G if need be.

Secondly....our 14 verbals now include 6 offensive lineman.

2011 Review: Offense, Big Plays

2011-12-13T13:06:00.000-05:00

One last thing on the offense. I know that Coach talks about explosive plays--plays that are over 20 yards. I think it is exactly right...I don't know the math, but if you have to run 4 plays to get 20 yards, the chances of something going wrong are a lot higher and it only takes one penalty or lost yardage play or even dropped pass to set the whole thing off.

In fact, I think 20 yard plays should be an individual stat, as should first downs.

Anyway, for the team, in 2010 (all games), BG had 4 running plays over 20 yards (that's pretty amazing) and 30 passing plays.

In 2011, those numbers did improve. BG had 11 running plays over 20 yards and 37 passing plays. The running number was so low in 2010 that it almost had to shoot up just on the law of averages, put even the passing represents a 25% increase or so.

In total, BG went from 34 to 48 20 yard plays. Because this isn't a uniformly kept statistic, I don't have any actual comparisons. I just know that we did better in 2011.

Falcon Verbal #13 (JUCO)

2011-12-13T08:45:00.000-05:00

At his season ending presser, Coach Clawson said that it was a possibility that BG would bring in a JUCO WR to add depth. Currently, the Falcons will feature only Shaun Joplin and Je'Ron Stokes with any significant D1 game experience.

They went all the way to Southern California for this one....Nigel Westbrooks of Palomar has verbally committed to be a Falcon next season.

Here's a local media story...

Westbrooks, who had 52 receptions for over 700 yards and 11 touchdowns, said he made official visits to Colorado State and Nevada along with Bowling Green, but ultimately he chose Bowling Green because they are in a similar situation to Palomar’s team this year.

“They have a sophomore quarterback so he will be there (my) whole time, and they have a lot of people coming back,” Westbrooks said via text message. “I really just fit into their program and they are the best situation for me to come in and make the biggest impact.”

He's listed as 6'3" and 190 pounds. He was first team All-Avocado league (I swear to god) in HS. His QB at Palomar is heading to Kent, FWIW.

The Falcons have had success with this route. Both of this year's top receivers were JUCO transfers. I understand Coach doesn't want to build a program on JUCOs, but I also agree that for short-term gaps, it is a perfect viable approach.

Welcome to the Falcons, Nigel.

2011 Football Review: 3rd down and Red Zone

2011-12-12T19:19:00.000-05:00

Having looked at running, passing, turnovers, and overall scoring and yardage statistics--where we saw the Falcons make decent gains that were partially swallowed up in a conference that had much more offense this year than it did in 2010, we now look at an area where BG did not get better: 3rd down and red zone offense.

Once again, MAC games only.

There is no question that football is harder to look at statistically because certain plays mean more than other plays, and 3rd down and red zone plays are the best example. Good third down play can bail a team out. Bad red zone play can sink you.

In 2010, BG was 12th in the MAC on 3rd down with a 31.2% conversion rate. In 2011, that number was ever so slightly worse (30.8%) and while BG did tick up to 11th, the conclusion is not avoidable...the Falcons were not effective on 3rd down. This will have to get better. Part of it will come when (and if) the running game improves and BG can be on schedule, and then again, it will also come when BG can more reliably convert 3rd and 1 or 2 situations.

BG was also very shaky in the red zone. (No surprise to anyone). In 2010, BG only generated 19 red zone trips in conference games, tied for 11th in the MAC. When they got there, they were pretty good, scoring 5.1 points per trip.

In 2011, BG got there 30 times, obviously a huge improvement. However, BG only scored 23 times in those trips, and had a 4.7 point/trip average. Clearly, in bulk, red zone scoring was up for BG, however, BG did not maximize scoring opportunities they earned, which was very costly in a number of games. BG was only one of three teams to have 5 "lost possessions" (turnover or downs) in the red zone.

You have to believe that as the rest of the team functions better, the red zone numbers will get better, and it did seem like the issue was largely resolved in the last couple games. Having said that, just improving the running is not going to do it on its own. BG has to execute in close quarters much better in order to help increase the overall scoring numbers.

2011 Football Review....Passing

2011-12-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

So, having looked at modest improvements in our rushing game, now we turn to look at our passing game. Here, I will take a slightly different approach than I did for the rushing game. I don't really like evaluating players as individuals because it is a team game and it doesn't always seem fair. However, when you evaluate the passing game, you kind of have to look at your QB, in this case, Matt Schilz.

Just a note: I understand that jobs are always open. Schilz is who we have to look at. If you have someone else you think is going to start next year, than we'll truly be looking at a blank slate.

The question for him is the same as it is for the rest of the team. Did he get better, and how much better, especially in relation to the rest of the MAC competition?

We use MAC-only stats, and the numbers listed here are not sack-adjusted.

In 2010, BG was actually 4th in passing yards per game. That is a little bit misleading, however, because the Falcons had such an awful run game that they were forced to pass a lot, which inflates the yards per game. BG averaged 219 yards per game. In 2011, that number went up to 249 yards per game, which is a pretty significant increase. However, the overall numbers in the MAC were much higher in 2011, and BG actually fell from 4th to 7th, despite the increase.

In terms of efficiency, BG was 11th in 2010 at 102.5 and made a nice jump to 129.1, only to end up in 9th--in other words, pretty big improvement, but more or less just keeping pace with the conference.

Now, looking at Matt Schilz specifically:

Matt Schilz Comparison, 2010-2011
	Completion %	INT	INT/Att	TD	TD/Att	Yards/Game	Yards/Reception	Yards/Attempt	Efficiency
2010	58.7	10	3.7%	6	2.2%	222.7	9.9	5.8	109.6
2011	58.8	7	2.5%	16	5.8%	240.5	11.8	6.9	137.6

As you can see, Schilz did make significant improvement in his sophomore season. While his completion percentage was the same, there was a big improvement in his yards/reception, which means there were more downfield passes with a higher risk of incompletion. Also, yards per attempt was up. Interceptions were down a little and TD passes more than doubled.

As you can see, his passing efficiency was also up quite a bit. However, in 2010, he was not in the Top 10 in passing efficiency and in 2011, despite the improved numbers, he was still not in the top 10 in efficiency. Now, you can say that is an egghead number that doesn't matter if you want. He also fell from 4th to 6th in yards per game.

Don't get me wrong. He was improved this year, and also benefited from a stronger line and a better running game. As I said at the end of his freshman year, the line was so porous and the run game so poor that it was almost impossible to figure out how good he was.

So yes, he improved. And yes, there is still room to improve in the future. I thought there were times he was very effective, and times where he was out of rhythm and was very hit and miss. (These are comments Coach Clawson has also made).

As a Junior, I think fans will be looking to see a high-level starting QB in Matt Schilz, which means his game needs to progress along this trend line. In fact, only one QB in the Top 10 in MAC passing efficiency and two in passing yards per game are seniors, which means that most teams in the MAC are bringing back QBs more productive that our guy was.

The Falcon line should continue to improve, and with it the running game. Schilz will have to break in new receivers.

Anyway, I think the story here is much the same as it is throughout our team. We improved but remain in the bottom half of the conference in most measures, and still have considerable growth to go to be better than our competition.