Over the Pylon Blog Swap

So, I had some questions for Alan at Over the Pylon, the excellent BSU blog.   He had some answers. Enjoy.  He gives an honest appraisal of his team.  I can remember over the summer that he was high on BG, maybe higher than I was.  And while he says rationality has no place in fandom, he does show a reasonable approach to the coaching controversy in Muncie.


1.  The first question I think we all have is about Stan Parrish, who now has a mind-boggling losing streak as a head coach.  You have alluded on Over the Pylon about the natives being restless over the winless start.  Do you think Hoke would be doing better?  Do you believe Parrish has the making of a head coach, his last couple dozen games notwithstanding?

Man... I could go for hours about those issues. Let's take Brady first. Do I think Brady would be 0-6 right now? Probably not. Do I think he would be 6-0 as some are claiming? No.. I don't. Regardless of the coach, the biggest issue for us is the lack of an offensive line, the lack of an experienced QB, and the significant lack of experience at the corner positions. Brady was a defensive-minded coach, sure, but this defense was far from dominating last season. Many of the games and teams were easier to defend because the offense for BSU scored so damn early and often that teams had to throw. The Cardinals dropped back into coverage, played a 3-4, and bent but rarely broke. Would it work this year? Who knows.

As for Stan, I wish I could say I was positive he would be successful, but with each loss that gets a little harder to justify. However... and this is a big qualifier... Stan wasn't the guy getting burned in coverage. Stan didn't have 5 turnovers in the Temple game. Stan didn't miss an extra point or shank a kickoff out of bounds. Those sort of errors are on the players. There's always a bit of a problem when a new guy takes over. Add that in with the lack of returning starters and it's bound to be troublesome. Nowhere near the level that we've seen, but troublesome all the same.

2.  What's up with Lewis?  He appears to be having one of the more disappointing seasons in the MAC.

What's up with Lewis is the lack of an offensive line. I feel bad for Quale, and really hope that the NCAA grants him his 6th year of eligibility. With the lack of a downfield passing threat and the inability for the o line to dominate the defensive front, I'm not sure Adrian Peterson would look any better. Quale is a hell of a back, and looked damn good last year because of the significant skill on the o-line and the downfield vertical threat... neither of which are present now. Regardless of all of that, I don't think "disappointing" even begins to cover Quale's season so far.

3.  Talk about Kelly Page.  He was highly touted.  Do you still believe that he will mature into a strong MAC QB.  (And hey---put Aaron Mershman in!!!)


Page is getting better and better each and every week... which I think is a great sign. This is the same sort of thing that happened with Nate Davis his freshman season... it was frustrating as hell to watch him play. I think when it's all said and done, Page will be a very solid QB option for the Cards. Mershman is less ready than Page from all indications, so if Page were to be switched it would be Tanner Justice. Justice has seen some snaps, but I'm of the opinion that you take your lumps as early as possible and move forward. That seems to be what Stan is doing this year at the QB position.

4. So be honest.....you're looking at a 2-4 BG team as a good chance to get things put back together, right?

That's not what I'm thinking only because I have been high on BG since moment one this season. I think personally, they're the way better than their 2-4 record would indicate. Add in that BG has handed us our lunch in Muncie the last 5 times we've played, and the way we've looked lately, and frankly, there isn't a whole lot of reason to be optimistic about anything. At this point in the season I am just wanting to see what this team is capable of. And I believe that if we play 4 complete quarters and not giftwrap the damn game with turnovers and piss poor defense, it will be remarkable how successful we can be.

5.  Your defense looks to be hampered by a poor pass defense and a poor turnover ratio.  What parts of your defense can you see improving and getting better?

The good news is that there are some new faces coming to the forefront. Jason Pinkston is now starting at corner, making Koreen Burch, the bane of our passing defense the last several weeks, disappear. Pinkston is a freshman, and that scares me, but he is talented and skilled. That makes it easier to swallow. Sean Baker should be a bit more comfortable now with the cast and ready to break someone in half in the secondary. The defensive line has been virtually non-existent this season, but they've looked better week to week in the new 4-3. Is this the week that everything fixes itself? Who knows considering the offense we're facing... but I feel good about things. Surprising, I'm sure, and totally irrational, but hey... we're fans... rationality has no place in fandom.