Brown Hoops Unis!!

During the UM period, it actually looked like we were phasing brown out of our color scheme, and replacing it with black.

BROWN MAKES A COMEBACK!!

Brandon Must Win Presser

HEAD COACH Gregg Brandon

Thoughts on playing Friday games after a Saturday game
"It's an adjustment that gets a little difficult at times to manage because of academics. The kids are here to go to school and scheduling these mid-week games, or games that throw the schedule off, makes it tough on the academics side. That would be the only drawback, but it's a great opportunity to play TV games and get a chance to show off your program."

Its one less day to practice...oh, yeah, that's obvious. But, on this TV thing....I think its fine to screw up our whole schedule, play on a night when 5,000 people will show up and all that to be on REAL TV, but doing all that to be on ESPNU and seen in a dozen households? Not worth it.

How has the perception of Akron's program changed through the years?
"They're a competitive team in the MAC, as is everybody else now. It's a very balanced league. You look at our side and we are the only team that doesn't have a losing record overall. We are sitting at 2-2 and it's really a must win game for us right now and probably is for Akron. Their team is in the hunt for the championship; they couldn't say that five years ago.

Their team has WON the MAC Championship. We can't say that now.

"They've stepped up facilities by building the new stadium. I think they've made a commitment to coaches' salaries. They want to win and you can tell."

They want to win?

Some people thought Tyler Sheehan might be going through growing pains. It doesn't appear that he's lost confidence; do you or [offensive Coordinator] Mick McCall ever have to talk to him about confidence?

Who thinks that? Who? Name them.

"All the time. It's something a young quarterback has to fight through - the struggles. Each week is a new challenge with him. We just have to have patience."

Akron has the best passing defense in the league. Is that because teams are running the ball more against them that they don't have to defend the pass as much?

"I don't think necessarily. I think they're pretty good defensively overall. I mean, you look at their overall stats; they're a pretty good defense. I think that's something Akron has done a nice job with the last couple years. They've stepped it up defensively.

"I think their defensive scheme can present problems because it's a different scheme that you don't block every week. They are getting better players. They're getting faster, athletic players and they are built for speed."

Akron does typically play pretty well on the defensive of the ball.

When you say it's a different scheme, what do they do?
"Well we call it an `Odd Stack'; three down guys, three linebackers and two flat defenders. Its pretty much an eight-man front, but a different way of getting to it."

Well, if its an eight front we're going to have to protect and run quick routes. And Tyler will have to be accurate.

The guys in the flat are there for the passing game mostly?
"They are primarily there for run support and to defend the flats in the pass."

Can you talk a little bit about [senior RB] Dan Macon's role this season?
"I think he's done a nice job in a backup running back role and on special teams. He made a couple big tackles on the kicking game Saturday night. He does a great job as a gunner on the punt, running down the kick for us. He's a fifth-year kid who's embracing his role as a special team's guy and when Willie [Geter] got hurt he went in and did his job."

Dan Macon has shown himself to be a team player throughout his time at BG. If Geter misses the rest of the season, he will get many carries. By the by, whatever happened to Chris Bullock.

What kind of patience has he shown from last year to this year?
"I think he's shown a lot of patience. That could have been something where he would have not handled it well, but he has (handled it with) a lot of maturity. He's been a team guy and he's still a good leader and a guy we count on."

You talked about Akron's defense. What do they do offensively?
"They changed their system in that they're doing a lot of audible from the sidelines like we did last year. They had a fifth-year quarterback last year with [QB Luke] Getsy and they're having some growing pains there at the quarterback position. I think they still have some weapons. [Jabari] Arthur is a good receiver and he's one of the leaders in the league. They have speed at the other receiver spots and at the running back position so they're still pretty formidable, I think, offensively."

Not much to add their. I hope we can hold their RB under 200 yards.

With the calendar changing to November and four games left, is that how you're going to approach it? Wipe away these last eight games and let's just try to win these last four games?
"Well, I'm not wiping away anything. We've been very productive at times with the four wins and we've been sloppy and undisciplined with the four losses. With every win or loss, there are teachable moments and that's what we've had this season. Our team goals -- we win, we get most of them, and we lose when we don't. We talk about that and we will continue to talk about that. Being that it's a four-game season they remember what you do in November."

If you had to grade the team at this point what would you say?
"C plus, maybe B minus. I would say B minus because I want to be positive."

True Dat. On a curve.

Blogpoll

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	--
2	Boston College	--
3	Oklahoma	--
4	LSU	--
5	Oregon	--
6	West Virginia	--
7	Arizona State	2
8	Missouri	2
9	Kansas	6
10	Southern Cal	3
11	Texas	8
12	Georgia	4
13	Clemson	4
14	Auburn	6
15	Florida	7
16	Kentucky	4
17	Virginia Tech	6
18	Alabama	4
19	Michigan	2
20	South Carolina	7
21	Tennessee	5
22	Connecticut	4
23	Wake Forest	3
24	Boise State	2
25	Hawaii	--

Dropped Out: South Florida (#14), Penn State (#18), UCLA (#23), California (#24).

Note on Fair Warning

I know I gave "Fair warning" that if BC beat Va Tech I would vote them #1. I'm not. OSU's impressive win on the road over a good PSU team is their highest quality win to date, and I'm keeping them #1.

Falcons Dumped by OU--East Title Now Gone

The Falcons were dropped by OU Saturday.....38-27 in a game in which played poorly most of the way, yet were still in it at the end.

Much was wrong. Coach said we didn't come out with a sense of "urgency" and he was right. We were down quick. We did battle back into the game, but ultimately made too many mistakes to compete.

Don't have time for a full review right now, but here's the short form:

The killer was in the 4th. We cut the lead to 8 and then get a stop. They punt to us, and we have one guy fumble the punt (his second of the game) while another one runs around instead of diving on the ball. OU recovers, and basically, the game is over, as momentum leaves us.

The other key play was early 3rd. We came out of the locker room and scored to cut the lead to 1. We're driving again, and I'm starting to think, OK, we score here, take the lead, and we're gonna win. Tyler was scrambling, gets hit while he is throwing, and the ball bounces right into a LB's hands, and he runs it back for a pick six. That also swung the momentum.

We turned the ball over way too often.

Our passing game struggled. Coach said that Tyler has not been healthy since WKU and is playing in a brace.

Also, Corey Partridge went out, with reports saying it is for the season. Also, Willie Geter, who was eating their D alive sprained his ankle in the second half.

McRae ran for 200 yards against us, though we held him for long periods of time without a big play. He scored three times.

Sigh. Well, more later. But we're now playing for a .500 season, a remotely possible bowl bid, and a victory over Toledo.

All About the Bobcats

Reviewing the season:

09/01/07 vs. Gardner-Webb TV Athens, Ohio W, 36-14

Nothing win over an average I-AA team.

09/08/07 at Louisiana-Lafayette Lafayette, La. W, 31-23

Nearly lost to a 1-6 team from the Sun Belt.

09/15/07 at Virginia Tech TV Blacksburg, Va. L, 28-7

This game is not a total blow out, playing a good team in a really tough environment.

09/22/07 vs. Wyoming TV Athens, Ohio L, 34-33

This game was in Athens, but they played a pretty good Wyoming team pretty tough. This game is where I think they started to make people wonder if they weren't turning it around.

09/29/07 vs. Kent State TV Athens, Ohio L, 33-25

At home, you just don't want to lose this game. This is a common opponent with us, and we can see the difference between our two games.

10/06/07 at Buffalo Amherst, N.Y. L, 31-10

Now, let's be clear. Losing to Buffalo is not the humiliation it once was. In fact, the Bulls are the only undefeated team in the East. I'm not sure losing 31-10 to them is quite what anyone expects.

10/13/07 vs. Eastern Michigan TV Athens, Ohio W, 48-42

I saw parts of this game. Eastern is awful again this year, and this win--though a win--is nothing to be proud of.

10/20/07 at Toledo TV Toledo, Ohio L, 43-40

This is a game OU should have won, but they handed it away in the last minutes with a dumb fumble. It was on the road--and OU hasn't won at the Glass Bowl since LBJ was in the White House--but UT isn't very good this year. And the Bobcats lost.

So, you have a 3-5 team, and the three wins come against three of the worst teams in college football. You have a decent loss against Wyoming...and then losses in the MAC.

Let me tell you what else you have. Points allowed. By the basket full. In fact, the last time this season they allowed fewer than 30 points was against Virginia Tech, and they've been getting worse while the season rolls along. A look at MAC stats suggests they are easier to run on than pass on (something UT found too), so we need to have Willie and Macon geared up and ready to go.

Their QBing is not good. Brad Bower, a transfer from Illinois, is completing 56% of his passes with 7 TDs and 10 Ints. Not an exceptional ratio. Their other QB is Theo Scott, whose passing numbers are slightly worse and rating is worse. He does appear to be the "running QB."

Two players shine for OU. One is Kalvin McRae, their two time All-MAC TB. He's averaging just south of five yards a carry, and is simply a very good football player. Falcon fans had better get themselves adjusted....he's going to get his yards. Live with it. He also has 13 (yes, that's right) 13 touchdowns. We can hope to hold that total down a little.

The other impact player is Chris Garrett, a big return man who killed as a Freshmen last season. He has one KO return this year for a TD, but has been slowed on punts. We pretty much avoided him last season.

Their kicker is real good, too. 12-12 FGS, with four over 40. Punting appears to be serviceable.

Their TO ratio is -6.

This is a team we should beat, if we are even close to being what we think we are. We need to move and control the ball, force some turnovers, and get out to a big lead to held force them to pass. But if we play our game, we should be able to win this one.

Ripping the Redshirt Off

With true freshmen Willie Geter gaining 200+ yards Saturday, took a quick look to see who we had played as true freshmen. Glen Stanley from Ocala FL has also seen action in four games and made four tackles, and Nick Torresso of IL has played in 5 games and had a tackle for loss on one of the goal line stands yesterday.

The remainder of the class appears to be red-shirting.

The only fear you have is that you give up the year and they don't contribute, such as with Stanley. We clearly needed Torresso, and so it goes.

And Geter....well, its Willie's world.

Hoops Interlude

A quick basketball interlude....

first, reports on AZZ.com are that we have been previewing Brown....yes I said Brown, basketball uniforms. I can't wait to see them. I'm shocked---it will take some real getting used to.

Second, Coach Orr was interviewed on BCSN (also cross-posted from azz.com). If you want to see and hear from the man himself, here it is.

Warning....interviewer=tool

So that's how it works....

Coach Brandon from his presser....

“When our defense runs to the football we’re pretty good. When we stand around and look, we’re not very good."

Brandon Weekly Presser--Trick Play edition

The presser is always all warm and squishy after a win....ahhhhhhhhhhh, feel the endorphins.

Anyway, wise ass commentary is in orange. Enjoy the week, Falcon Nation.

It seemed that you guys wanted to be more creative, not just in the running game, but with the double pass, the onside kick and the fake field goal. Was that what you wanted to do coming into the game -- just show them some different things?
"It was no different than any game. The Miami game we had to save stuff that we had cooked up but we turned the ball over, never took advantage of field position, got behind in the game. We were trying to dig ourselves out of a hole and the tricks don't work. The window of opportunity closed pretty quickly at Miami. The window stayed open at Kent and we exploited it and did a good job of that."

OK, fair enough. Yes, you exploited it at Kent and did a good job. Kept us in the driver's seat. My fans were against the onside kick, but its not fair to be against something only after it didn't work. As I understand it, it almost worked. So, we took four risks (if you count the long FG) and three worked out. And we won the game. mmmmmmmmm

It had to have been hard on Anthony (Turner) going from a starter last year to now. Has he kind of embraced his role and he knows he can still be a big part of this team?
"Yes, I really think so. He was really excited on the boundaries when we made big plays. He was halfway out on the field, jumping around being excited. For the four snaps he got, he had two touchdowns, so that's a pretty productive guy. We've worked with Anthony to try and find his niche in the offense, whether it's continue to play quarterback and being the runner that he is, or moving him to tailback like we have the last couple weeks, or maybe putting him in the slot and doing some things. That takes a season and a spring to find out, but I do know one thing about the kid -- he's a competitor and he's talented. For this stretch of games I think we're going to see more of Anthony."

First, since we won, I'm going to forget that he said "boundaries." Next, I love the way we're using AT. Seeing more of him is a good thing. He is an absolute weapon. I saw Florida run a great goal line play with Tebow. They had him run at the line like a normal, boring QB draw....except he gets to the line and throws a jump pass to a wide open TE, who catches the ball for a TD. Since we never pass with AT taking the snap, this would be a great way to open things up.

How did you find Willie Geter? Did he fly under the radar of larger schools?
"Yes, he was a little guy. He didn't get recruited by the big time schools because they all said he was too small. If you look at him you say, `Yes, you are too small,' but we watched him on film in high school and we actually saw him play in person last year when we went down and played FIU. Coach (John) Hunter went and watched him play in person. I know he's small, but he's so dynamic just watching him play in a live game. That's what you saw Saturday, a kid who can make a guy miss in space, a kid that can break tackles, a kid with a good burst and all those things we recruited him for."

Willie's a good one. If he can stay healthy, he's got a big career ahead of him. He runs and catches.

You have said this before, but if you need a 40-plus yard field goal to win a game you're not afraid to send [Sinisa] Vrvilo out there, are you?
"Sinisa was already halfway out on the field before I even called for the field goal. I asked him what he was doing out there and he told me he would make it."

All Hail Vrvilo!!! We are not worthy!! Man, the guy is freaking deadline. To drill a 49 yarder to put a game away---we've missed that capability.

So he's not one of those guys you have to find and tell him to get out there?
"No. When I looked for him on the boundary I was told, `Coach, he's out there on the hash mark.'"

Jesus, he said "boundary" again. Sounds like the manager of a rugby team.

Does that make a difference then, in your end game situations, maybe when you're running your two-minute drill, how you call things?
"Yes, and one of the things I mentioned to [Offensive Coordinator] Coach [Mick] McCall when we crossed the 50 was that a field goal will make it two scores and we will win the game so make sure we keep it within field goal range. I remember the comment I made. I said, 'we are in field goal range, keep it there.' The next play was a loss so I kind of got upset there for a minute."

Doh!

Is he even better than you thought he would be?
"Yes, he's more accurate than I thought he would be. He came on late in the spring and showed some things that made us think,'all right, he's the real deal.' I think it was just him being more comfortable in a new environment, getting to know his teammates -- all those things factored into him flourishing as a kicker. He's a pretty steady guy right now."

Well, he's made 8 out of 10. I doubt if anyone expected him to be that accurate.

After Saturday's game [KSU head coach Doug] Martin said that they weren't really prepared for what Willie Geter did. What does this do going into the MAC, now that teams might think Bowling Green is not just a passing team, and they have to look out for Willie?
"I hope they're saying that. Early on we were throwing the ball really well and we really felt we needed to do that in that part the schedule to have a chance to win some of those games. We really wanted to get the passing game back to what we were used to. You don't just show up on Saturday and do that so we grinded through the spring and worked on it all camp. We didn't neglect the running game, but we emphasized throwing the football and it gave us a chance to beat Minnesota, it gave us a chance to hang in there against Michigan State and the Boston College game kind of set us back. It put Tyler (Sheehan) back on his heels. He's still working through that now, I think. He's still a young quarterback, and having the ability to run the football -- which we've always had -- helped him Saturday and will continue to help him."

OK, this is the key question. I heard Coach talk about this on the Ticket. Obviously, we didn't try to run against the Big 10 teams. His philosophy is that we want to pass the ball. But, the real philosophy is to take what the defense gives you. That's what the spread is all about. So, if the defense is dropping into coverage, you run the ball. He contends we always had the ability and the desire, but didn't need it. Some in the Nation will quibble with the idea that we didn't need it at Miami, where the passing game was in meltdown, but the counter is we were also way behind. Sometimes, you aren't executing the passing game, so you better be able to make some runs. He went on to say that balance was dumb--setting out to throw a certain number of times. Run if you need it, he said. Sooner or later Tyler will get it back on track, because the passes were open Saturday.

Do you feel some of your best offenses since you've been here are when you have versatile running backs that can catch the ball?
"Yes, no question. Even early when I [was the offensive coordinator and running backs coach] I had Joe Alls and John Gibson we had an effective system there running the football. When you have a guy that can run and catch the ball out of the backfield, that's some versatility."

Whoever asked this question should be on the boundary.

How does Ohio's defense look?
"They're still pretty solid defensively, even after they lost some kids in the back end that were pretty good. I think they had two senior cornerbacks last season, so there are some new kids there. We just haven't seen them on film as much as last year. I think their defensive line is the strength of their defense. I think their ends are big, strong, physical guys. Their inside guys, especially number 55, are very quick and active. We've played against him for three straight years now. He's very similar to the kid we blocked last weekend, (Colin) Farrell. They're just good. Their linebackers are very quick and active and they're a good defense."

Solid? My sources from the Rocket game say there were no defenses present that night. I'm sure they are good enough. And I'm sure if we aren't ready, we could get drilled.

This Week's Draft Blogpoll

If BC beats Virginia Tech, I am making them #1. Fair warning.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	--
2	Boston College	1
3	Oklahoma	1
4	LSU	2
5	Oregon	4
6	West Virginia	4
7	Southern Cal	4
8	Florida	5
9	Arizona State	5
10	Missouri	6
11	Virginia Tech	1
12	Kentucky	7
13	South Carolina	6
14	South Florida	12
15	Kansas	2
16	Georgia	2
17	Clemson	2
18	Penn State	2
19	Texas	2
20	Auburn	3
21	Michigan	5
22	Alabama	4
23	UCLA	3
24	California	16
25	Hawaii	--

Dropped Out: Cincinnati (#15), Tennessee (#22), Texas Tech (#24).

Willie is MAC East POTW

Willie Geter is the MAC East Offensive POTW!!!!

Good job, Willie.

Falcons Run Ball, Win Game

BG beat Kent 31-20 yesterday, in a game where we pulled out everything we had to eventually defeat the Flashes. On many levels it was a good effort, and while Kent got their yards, we made stops when we needed them. You have to feel good about the win, and with Miami's loss, we might climb right back into it.

The big news, as noted in all stories, is that we ran the ball most of the time on Saturday. In fact, today was the nightmare scenario many Falcon fans had feared. Tyler was just not on his game. He had some good spots, but missed a lot of open receivers, held onto the ball too long, and showed some lack of confidence. He didn't turn it over--which is really important.

Tyler was 14-25 for 184 yards. In contrast, we ran the ball 32 times.

So, stranded in Dix Stadium without our passing game, we had to turn to the run. Mind you, we're playing the best run D in the conference. And, our linemen and Willie Geter got it done. Willie ran for 203 yards on 22 carries--the first 200 yard rusher at BG since PJ Pope and just 22 yards short of the school record. He broke a big play when we were pinned deep in the second half. He was simply fantastic.

All credit to our line as well. Coach said in the post-game that some nice holes were open and Willie found them. It saved our ass yesterday (that's me, not Coach).

If we can consistently run the ball---and then get Tyler's confidence back--we just become really tough to defend.

We were clearly determined to win this game. We also faked a FG for a first down, and then ran the old double pass to AT for a touchdown. We then tried an onside kick that didn't work out, but all in all, we were clearly ready to do what we had to do to win.

Our defense has to be pleased with its effort as well. Kent State--with one of the top 10 running attacks in the nation--was going to get its yards. But, after the first drive, we kept them from just eating us alive, and made three goal line stands and that won the game for us.

Kent was going to get their yards--Jarvis and Edelman are both incredibly elusive players. We managed to keep them off from putting too many points on the board.

Case in point. Jarvis was 33 for 168 overall. However, on Kent's opening drive, he was 10 for 63. We tightened up after that--23 for 105 and a 4.5 average. Edelman also had 100 yards, and ran around like crazy on us. (Sadly, he broke his arm late in the game and is out for the season).

Keep in mind that these results come on the back of a badly injured D-line. Joe Schaefer played with guts. True freshmen Nick Torresso also was in a lot of plays. The d-line showed up under adversity.

The goal line stands:

1st Q. 1st and goal at 4. This is Jarvis' first drive, where he had dominated us like Miami's back did, but here, he was stopped for a one yard loss, and two one yard gains. Kent kicked the FG.

Flash ahead, 3rd Q, BG up by 8. Kent has it 3rd and goal from the 8. Edelman takes it to the 3 (but we do contain him), and then they bring in Andre Flowers who is stacked up on fourth down and we take the ball over.

Finally, 4th Q, we're up 15. Kent completes a big pass and has first and goal on the 8. We had just scored to go up by 15, and this was a big momentum moment. Jarvis ran for 4, then Edelman threw an incomplete pass. They went back to Jarvis on third down, and we held him to one yard, and then on fourth they threw another incomplete pass, and we took over on downs again with 7:28 left in the game.

So, we give up 254 rushing yards, but we avoid getting torched, make big stops inside the 5 and we win the game. Nice job D.

One final note. Late in the fourth we're up 8 and its 4th down on the Kent 32. Last year's team almost certainly goes for it, and gives the ball up. This year, we send our Vrvilo for a FG--a 49 yarder. And he drills it to put us up two scores and take the pressure off the D.

Man, does that feel nice.

On to the Bobcats. We gotta keep winning, but at least we're back at home again. OU lost to Toledo last night, but our team can't take anyone for granted. Let's hope that having a running game will open up some passing lanes, and Tyler can start to feel a little more confident and then we can move the ball like we know we can.

Falcons Win!!

Its Willie's World, he's just letting us live here.

More later.

Temple Beats Miami

Maybe a little lift for our guys, looked at right.

On one hand, it means Miami now has to win out to beat us--if we win out. It also points out that our win over Temple (who has beaten Miami and Akron in consecutive weeks) may have meant more than we thought it did at the time.

On the other hand, Miami can't move the ball against Temple at all....or anyone else...except us. Gulp....and Minnesota?

Beat Kent.

Carle on Media Day....The Words of Orr

Jack Carle writes on the media day stuff. This ought to get your orange blood flowing...

These are excerpts from Jack Carle's article on MAC Media Day...gotta say, the words below are music to the ears of the Falcon Nation.

“They have really had to adjust because we play a totally different style from what they have done in the past under coach (Dan) Dakich,” said BG first-year head coach Louis Orr during the Mid-American Conference preseason media day Thursday at Quicken Loans Arena. “That’s not necessarily an easy adjustment … It’s just about developing an up-tempo mentality.”

While the Falcons will pick up the pace on offense, the key is defense and rebounding.
“He’s been stressing defense before offense,” Clements said. “Everybody is comfortable with it.”
“Rebounding is a big area that we have to improve,” Orr said.

And running the floor is not about being the fastest or the quickest, Orr said.
“Who doesn’t want to run?” Orr said. “Running and being good at running are sometimes two different things. Most young players want to get up and down the floor, but you just can’t be running up and down the floor and not be productive and efficient.

“You don’t want to turn the ball over and you want to get high-percentage shots,” he added. “We just want to try to get some easy baskets and not have to work for every point that we score.”

BG will also play more inside-out than outside-in as Orr hopes to develop play at the low post, in the lane and also scoring off dribble penetration.

The Falcons were picked to finish sixth in the MAC East in the preseason media voting.

“I’ve never been a head coach of a team picked to finish first. In most cases we weren’t picked to finish in the top half of the league,” Orr continued. “I don’t pay a lot of attention to it … We’re going to determine our success.

“Joe Jakubowski can be a big part because he can really push the basketball and he’s very creative in the open court,” Orr said. “He’s still a freshman, but his instincts to push and make plays in the open court are very good … He could definitely be an asset for us to play up-and-down basketball.”

Looking at the Kent Golden Flashes

If the Miami game dredged up memories of being wet and very cold, then the Kent game dredges us memories of watching us get our ass kicked. Last year's Kent game was the worst lost we ever had at the Doyt, and remains a black mark on our football history. It was simply awful.

So, this year, we were hoping to see some improvement. After last Saturday, we are no longer so sure. Let's look at the Kent State Golden Flashes, beginning with a season review.

Kent is 3-4, sure. But, they have losses to two Top 10 teams (Kentucky and Ohio State), so you gotta discount those. Let's look at each game....

@Iowa State 23 - 14 (W)

Iowa State is a bad team that lost to Toledo. Still, winning on the road in a Big XII Stadium is always something for a MAC team.

@Kentucky 20 - 56 (L)

Didn't seem like a big deal at the time, but Kentucky is in the Top 10 today.

Delaware State 38 - 7 (W)

This is a game they should have won easily and did.

@Akron * 20 - 27 (L)

Tough loss to an arch-rival. It was on the road, but gave them that first MAC East loss that puts you way behind the 8 ball.

@Ohio * 33 - 25 (W)

Nice road win against an OU team that has struggled this yea.r

Miami 20 - 13 (L)

Tough loss at home. Second loss in East virtually ends any hope of winning the East.

@Ohio State 3 - 48 (L)

Ohio State is #1. For now.

When Kent has the Ball....

I'm afraid we don't match up very well with Kent, but maybe I'm wrong.

In fact, Kent seems to play a lot like we did last year. Running QB, strong TB, and a heavily weighted run/pass mix.

Kent is led by Eugene Jarvis, the top running back in the MAC, who nearly has 1,000 yards seven games into the regular season. We have typically struggled with strong backs, and he'll get his yards Saturday. He went 18-70 last year. He is also Kent's leading receiver.

Kent's QB is the player Brandon says he really fears--Julian Edelman. Edelman is an Anthony Turner runspead QB who is averaging about 50 yards per game. Typically, we have had real trouble with QBs who run like that.

In fact, Kent is the leading rushing team in the MAC, but are last in pass efficiency. They run about 67% of the time. But, if our players don't stay in their lanes, these two guys will light us up Saturday.

They don't protect well--only one team in the MAC has given up more sacks. Perhaps worst of all, their turnover ratio is -9....a ratio that has more to do with their MAC losses than anything. Finally, they are second to last in the redzone.

When BG has the ball...

Kent's D appears to be pretty good, and they've played some tough competition. They are allowing only 5.4 per play which is pretty good, and its only 3.7 per rush, which is even better.

In fact, they're 1st in the MAC in run defense, which means we may not gain a yard rushing all day, given our success.

Against the pass its a little more deceiving....Kent is second in the MAC in Pass D, but that's based on yards. In fact, they they are in bottom half on pass D efficiency, which takes completion %, ints and TDs into effect. Opponents are completing 60% of their passes against Kent. So, if we can't run, this might be a game where we can pass, and we are going to need to if we are going to win. They do get good pressure....they are third in the MAC in sacks.

Special teams

Quick hit on special teams. They have really good KO returns, a good kicker, a lousy punter and average punt coverage. Don't count on special teams costing them the game.

Final Analysis:

We don't match up well here, I am afraid. I don't make predictions. If we are going to win we are going to have to over-achieve on Run D and then figure out how to get our passing game going, and then hopefully open up some running lanes. Also, take care of the football and force some turnovers.

After a big loss, nothing ever looks good. Another loss, and we're off the island, so I hope we can rally the troops Saturday.

Media Hoops Today

The MAC Hoops meeting was today at the Q in Cleveland. The media made its usual votes--not surprisingly, Bowling Green got the lowest vote total of any team.

We will certainly exceed those expectations, though we have to temper what we would expect.

East Division Points

1. Kent State (10) 147

2. Miami (9) 146

3. Ohio (8) 131

4. Akron (5) 128

5. Buffalo 52

6. Bowling Green 47

West Division Points

1. Western Michigan (23) 173

2. Toledo (6) 144

3. Central Michigan (3) 131

4. Eastern Michigan 92

5. Northern Illinois 58

6. Ball State 53

Falcon-Hilltopper Feud Emerging?????

Apparently, we have a little feud emerging between Coach Brandon and Coach Elson, of Western Kentucky. Check this story out from the Kentucky paper...

Elson said Western’s so-called reputation dates back to the Hilltoppers’ 41-21 loss at Bowling Green on Sept. 29. According to Elson, he received a pair of e-mails after the game from Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon, who questioned a play in which Bowling Green defensive tackle Nick Davis tore his anterior cruciate ligament on a cut block by an unnamed Western player.

Elson said no flag was thrown on the play.

“I went to review the play, watched it with our entire staff and said, ‘What do you guys think?’ ” Elson said. “The guy was in front of him. It was a cut block. It was toward the end of the play.

“You could look at it and say maybe it was unnecessary, but when you coach your players to play to the whistle and the play is still going on and that defender still has a chance to run the play.

“I e-mailed (Brandon) back and said, ‘I prefer you not discuss this over e-mail. Let’s talk on the phone.’ He did call and we discussed it and said, ‘I didn’t think you would agree with me, but I just wanted to get a response.’

“I explained to him exactly how I saw it and that we don’t coach dirty play.”

Elson said he thought Brandon was “completely OK” with the explanation, but Brandon informed Ball State - a fellow Mid-American Conference member with Bowling Green - to be wary of the Hilltoppers.

“Apparently there’s some ill will, but when I speak with Gregg Brandon on the phone there isn’t any.”

Elson goes on to then accuse Brandon of warning Ball State Coach Brady Hoke about the Hilltopper's dirty play.

No biggie. But, I thought it was interesting to see our Coach involved in something like this.

On Coach Brandon...just sayin'

The BG News blog points us to an article in the Sporting News that says the following:

A source told me that Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon approached athletic director Greg Christopher in the offseason about getting a contract extension. Brandon was denied. Bowling Green is 3-3 this year in Brandon's fifth season.

I'm not surprised. I'm not surprised that he asked and I'm not surprised he got turned down. With how the program looked last year, there was no reason to grant an extension. Brandon wasn't going anywhere, and there was serious doubt if we were on the right track.

I don't think, however, that it means that Brandon's days are numbered. 2008 is the last year on his contract. Based on everything in the history of the BGSU program, he is going to coach until the end of the 2008 season for our team.

My best case scenario? That we win the MAC title, and he gets a well-deserved extension prior to his "lame duck season." If not, he will go into his last season trying to earn an extension....really tough to do and hard on recruiting. It could happen--we don't lose anybody, really.

This really is a key year for the program. Let's hope we turn it around Saturday, because I thought we were back on track.

This Week's Blog

Arrrggghhhh, it pains me so. OSU #1.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	2
2	South Florida	2
3	Boston College	4
4	Oklahoma	1
5	Kentucky	10
6	LSU	5
7	South Carolina	1
8	California	6
9	Oregon	--
10	West Virginia	--
11	Southern Cal	1
12	Virginia Tech	2
13	Florida	--
14	Arizona State	2
15	Cincinnati	7
16	Missouri	5
17	Kansas	5
18	Georgia	--
19	Clemson	--
20	Penn State	6
21	Texas	5
22	Tennessee	4
23	Auburn	3
24	Texas Tech	2
25	Hawaii	1

Dropped Out: Texas A&M (#17), Florida State (#20), Illinois (#21), Wisconsin (#23), Connecticut (#25).