Bowl Projections

The ESPN Bowl projections are in for this week.  Both "experts" are expecting BG to go to the EagleBank Bowl in DC for a rematch with Marshall, with NIU going to the Humanitarian Bowl to play Idaho.

On an interesting note, they also think that CMU will play Notre Dame in the GMAC, which could be really interesting and does ensure that a very good CMU team will get well-deserved attention.  They expect Temple to play Rutgers in Toronto, and Ohio is expected to play Middle Tennessee State in the Little Caesar's Bowl.

I'm assuming these are getting to be pretty obvious, since there is not much difference between their "projections."  Time will tell.

CBSSports.com Blog Poll Draft

Let me know if you think you can do better.....

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Alabama	1
2	Florida	1
3	Texas
4	TCU
5	Cincinnati	1
6	Boise State	1
7	Oregon	1
8	Ohio State	1
9	Iowa	3
10	Georgia Tech	3
11	Penn State	3
12	Pittsburgh	2
13	Oregon State	4
14	Brigham Young
15	Virginia Tech	5
16	California	2
17	Southern Cal	1
18	Houston	7
19	West Virginia
20	Miami (Florida)	1
21	LSU	4
22	Oklahoma State	9
23	Arizona
24	Stanford
25	Wisconsin
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Utah (#15), North Carolina (#19), Mississippi (#22).

Former Coach News....

A couple of quick notes on our former football and men's basketball coaches.....

Hopefully, Gregg Brandon was renting down in Virginia, because HC Al Groh was fired today.  Here is what the Washington Post had to say about Brandon...

Mike Groh, who stepped down last December, was replaced by former Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon as part of a staff shakeup. Brandon, whose spread offense proved ineffective and was abandoned early this season, could not fix the Cavaliers' offense, which finished ranked No. 118 out of 120 division I-A teams.

Emphasis added:  the spread offense didn't even last the season at Virginia.  I read elsewhere that he was on a multi-year contract, so he will be receiving his second buy out in as many years.


And, Donald Emmons of The Blade has a talk with Dan Dakich, covering life on the radio, and his memories of Bowling Green.  Love Dakich or hate him (and he had a lot of support from me), of this there is no doubt:  he was all in.

"I REALLY LOVE Bowling Green. I still go back a lot. I miss it. I had a great time there. I think Louis Orr has done a great job. I still follow them. I follow the basketball teams and the football team."

"My whole thing was to win the MAC championship and get to the NCAA tournament. I would have loved to reach the NCAA tournament for Bowling Green and the fans.... It still bothers me that we weren't able to do it. We got close two or three times. But the MAC is tough.

"We had a lot of great wins. Truthfully, to this day there are three or four games we lost I still can't get over."

Monday at Anderson Arena....Florida International Preview

So Monday, the patrons at Anderson Arena will be treated to one of the more bizarre spectacles in Anderson Arena History.

Isiah Thomas, 2-time NBA Champion, NCAA Champion, NBA Coach and Executive, (971 starts in The League and over 18,000 points) will be on the sideline at Anderson Arena.

Who will he be coaching?  Indiana?  DePaul?  Illinois?

Nah.  Florida International.

And if you check out the, uh, inconsistent life of Isiah Thomas, you will see that it has an odd kind of logic to it.

Without checking completely, I am pretty sure it is the first time two former NBA players will oppose each other as coaches on the AA floor.  I'm not sure how many times it has happened in our conference, in fact.  Coach Orr and Thomas did compete against each other "numerous" times, according to Coach Orr.

That's gonna be a weird site.  Just sayin'.

There is a pretty strong BG connection to FIU.  BG Athletic Hall of Famer Chuck Perry, for whom the Perry Field House is named, was the first President of FIU.  The University was founded in the late 1960's as part of an effort to bring state higher ed to South Florida and reclaim an abandoned airport.  I was at FIU 20 years or so ago, and there is a point where you are on campus, and you can see a sea of uninterrupted asphalt, and in fact the control tower was still up.

Here, Chuck Perry is actually on the control tower, surveying what would become FIU.

Coach Thomas has clearly walked into a rebuilding opportunity.  They lost four starters of a 13-20 team last season, and they are struggling this season, too.  They are 2-6 with a loss to UNC combined with big losses to Monmouth (29 points), Tulsa (22 points), James Madison (13 points) Murray State (13 points) and Eastern Kentucky (14 points).

Their only wins are over Florida Memorial (possibly also on an airport), and North Carolina Central.

They are #323 in the Sagarin rankings.

So, you know, you'd like to see a win for us in this one.  As Coach Clawson said, "I don't know how this team looks past anyone."

There's a stats profile here, but here is the general idea.

They play an uptempo game, with 6 more possessions per game than BG generates.  They are slightly better on the offensive boards, but don't shoot especially well.  On a per possession basis, they are equal to Bowling Green thus far this year.

Similarly, their defense appears to be worse than BG's, but it is pretty similar on a per-possession basis.

This is an excellent example of using tempo-free stats to compare teams of different styles.

So, controlling the tempo is going to be important.

They have played a lot more this year, which is also an advantage for their team (and for UWM for what it was worth).

They are led by Marvin Roberts (small forward) and Phil Gary (point guard).

They get a lower portion of their scoring from 3-pointers than BG does, which to me indicates that BG had better lace up their ball defense, because these guys are going to the basket.

So, it will be an interesting/surreal night.  Based on the body of work this year, you'd expect BG to be able to get their first D1 win against these guys, but I think they do present some style and matchup issues that could make them dangerous.  (Further, NO ONE in the MAC plays this way, so we don't see it that much).

I did think BG pushed the ball a little more against UWM then I remember them doing last year.

Falcons Men's Hoops Defeated By UWM (in OT)

Bowling Green lost an overtime game yesterday against UWM, a game they probably should have won.  But, beyond that, the game is more important as for what it tells us than the actual result, since we know that we are in a one-bid conference and being ready when MAC play starts is the key.

Clearly, BG is nowhere near where they want to be right now.  This was their first close game, and for all that, it was a pretty good game and went into overtime and all that.

BG was up 5 with 1:21 left, but UWM got a hoop and then immediately fouled Otis on the inbound.  He missed both free throws, and then the Panthers came down and got an old-style 3 point play to tie the game.  BG turned the ball over on the next possession, and had to get a stop just to force overtime, which they did.

In overtime, BG made only one FG (a desperation 3) and UWM hit 4-5 of their shots and eventually had more than enough to win the game.

Coach said in the post-game that we hate to lose, but that there could be a bigger picture to look at.

There were plusses.  I think Dee Brown had some nice minutes on the offensive end, and Jordan Crawford played really well on both ends of the floor.  Erik Marschall contributed 25 very strong minutes (12/6) and Otis had a double double.  Jakubowski had 16 points and 7 assists.

But we are not going to win games scoring 74 points in regulation or 90 through OT.  Just not likely.

Which brings us to what we could really see out there today that must be fixed, and that is the defense.

For most of the game, UWM shredded our D. In particular, we did not defend the ball at all, and one of our guards was just abused on dribble penetration.  I am not quite sure why we stayed in a man defense as long as we did...(Coach Stone on the radio gave some vague answer about how it had been working with Crawford was defending the ball), but it seems like a zone might have helped.

Coach Orr said in his post-gamer that UWM was difficult to defend because their big men can also be outside men.  In particular, James Eayrs, a 300-lb, light on his feet ballerina of a forward, was difficult for us to defend.  Because our bigs had to step out to defend Eayrs, they were less able to help on the drives to the basket, and I guess that showed.

Perimeter defense was also a problem in the first half, when UWM hit 41% from beyond the 3, and while that gotten tightened down in the second half, it just converted itself into 46% shooting overall for the half.

We did end the second half with 7 straight stops after UWM was up by 12, which was pretty important in keeping the game close.

Coach went on at length in the post-gamer about "playing tag" and how you can't just trade baskets with a team, because then the pressure is always on the offense.  We're just not going to win that way.  But, we did get to see that Jordan Crawford is really tough on the ball, and if we can continue to improve our team defense, I think we can compete in the MAC.  UWM would be a good MAC team, although not necessarily a favorite (and they are playing without the top returning player).

Looking at the numbers, we are not surprised that this game ended up in overtime....

NCAA Basketball Stats

Again, this was our first evenly matched game of the season, and we showed some strong things, and some things that definitely have to be improved.  It was great to be back in AA again.

More on the Rockets

Still soaking in the glow from the victory last night.

Checking in....Eric Page's fumble.  Nope, still don't care.

A few points.

BG had some real defensive stars out there that I neglected to mention last night.  Roger Williams had 2 INTS, Jerrett Sanderson had two fumble recoveries, Magnone had a sack and a fumble recovery, James Schneider had 13 tackles to lead the team, and PJ Mahone had 11 tackles, a TFL and broke up a pass that was nearly an INT.  Clearly, we struggled on defense and only stayed alive because our guys made some big plays, so they should be noted.

It was clear to me that BG's defensive strategy was to stop the run by keeping guys in the box, and then blitz to get pressure on Dantin.  UT has a lot of weapons, and I think that dropping into coverage would have been deadly.

The first couple possessions we seemed to rattle UT with the blitzing, but they got their coverage put together and for most of the game we had a hard time getting home.  When we did, Dantin slipped out of the pocket.  Of course, when you blitz and don't get home, you have guys like Williams and Page running around in an undermanned secondary.

BG did put together a 4th quarter stop when they needed it.

The Williams INT at the end of the first half was pretty critical.  UT gets that score, and its hard to know what could happen after that.  Still not sure what happened on that play, except that they threw the ball directly to Williams.

In the midst of all of Freddie's records, I think Tyler Sheehan has some career accomplishments that have been lost.  He is now our career leader in passes attempted and completed, as well as in total offense.

He has also thrown a TD pass in 21 straight games.

UT clearly was working hard to keep Barnes from beating them.  While he didn't get the numbers we'd expect, but he did score twice and was a clear difference maker in the game.

Overall, BG's offensive numbers were way down, although that was partly due to the short fields they had to work with.

At the end of the day, as much as UT raced around the field, you cannot make what amounts to seven turnovers and expect to win, and as much as BG struggled, they only turned the ball over once and took enough advantage of the UT mistakes to win the game.

As a Falcon fan, of course, beating UT is very, very satisfying.  I will have more to say reviewing out season in the coming days and weeks, but suffice it to say that I am very pleased with the first year under Coach Clawson.  UT has some fine young players and their program is clearly getting better.

So is ours.  And ours is being run by a proven winner at the helm.

Only about a year until we get the chance to beat Toledo again.

Brookhart fired

I am surprised but not shocked that JD Brookhart was fired in Akron.  It was a rough season there,  with a starting QB suspended for the year and then an assistant coach fired for potential recruiting issues.  And, a fourth or fifth losing season.  Sounds a little bit like Brandon's situation...only Brookhart has a losing record as a coach.

Akron's AD made it clear that with the new stadium and the talent on board, he is not looking for a five year plan.  Look for Akron to pay good coin for a high profile new coach.

Falcons With the Peace Pipe

PB270166
Originally uploaded by PhotoBen27

If this isn't good, I don't know what is.....Falcon Seniors with the Peace Pipe after a thrilling victory at the Doyt. This was a really good class of players, and we thank them. Seeing them like this is terrific.

Previewing the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers

Later today, we'll be tipping it off against Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers from Anderson Arena.  It is our second home game, and our first D1 home game.

BG is 1-2 with a couple road losses that were to pretty big teams, but not close games.  Coach says we are a work in progress, and the game Saturday looks to be a decent test.

UWM is a good team, but they aren't Xavier or Iowa.

They are 4-2 on the season, but they have not had a really solid test yet this year.  They lost to WKU and Indiana State, who are both good (like top 120 teams), and beat Concordia and Hillsdale (non-D1) and Colgate and Texas State, both pretty weak opponents.

They were 17-14 last year, and are picked to be 4th in the Horizon League.  You can argue about the varying strengths of conferences, but last year the MAC had a losing record against the Horizon.

Tone Boyle is an all-conference guard who is coming back, and F James Eayrs was on the all-newcomer team in the league last year.

Also, in the pre-season, there was talk that Ricky Franklin was hitting the books to get another year of eligibility, which he apparently did because he is their second leading scorer.

In fact, they lost one starter off last year's team.

They pump up a ton of 3s, although their efficiency is not that good, and they do give up 3s on the defensive end.

College Basketball Stats by StatSheet.com

Offensively, they are getting 1.08 points per possession, which is actually pretty decent, and their defense is holding right at one point per possession, which is on the low end of being decent.

So for both teams, we have what is a first good test.  This team will be a challenge for the Falcons, but it would be nice to see us come around at home, and pick up the victory.

Falcon Victory--Rivalry Win, Feelings of peace and well-being

Everyone wearing orange today at the Doyt left with a very happy feeling, as BG defeated their hated rival Toledo Rockets for the third straight win.  I have to admit that there is a small (and immature) part of my brain that will feel good about this non-stop for a whole year.

The regular season ends with a 7-5 record for the Falcons, and given that BG was, at one point, 1-4, it is a pretty good outcome for Coach Clawson's first year.  We are hopeful, or course, of playing in a bowl game, but nothing is going to take away the feeling of winning tonight.

UT came out and had about the most horrifying first quarter a team can have.  It reminded me of the first quarter BG had in the GMAC Bowl against Tulsa....except, of course, that game ended up as the all-time worst bowl defeat, and this game ended up tied in the second half.

There is no doubt that UT shredded the BG defense when they were in their offense.  They have some really good, young playmakers, including Dantin and Page.

The Rockets were eventually sunk not because they couldn't more the ball, but because they committed FIVE turnovers on top of two blocked punts.

They also did a really good job on defense....and yes, that was without their all-everything Safety Barry Church who wobbled off the field in the first half, not to return.  (I listened to the UT players during the presser, and from the way they talked about him, you would think he died instead of getting knocked out of a game).

BG struggled to move the ball very much at all until the game was tied 24-24.  I never despaired partly because I just believed our senior offensive players (Sheehan and Barnes, especially) would find a way to move the ball.

We had just been out of sync for much of the game.  Sometimes, we seemed to try and force the ball to Freddie and sometimes they throw was behind the receiver (or the receiver was ahead of the throw).

The BG drive after the game was tied was one of the game's two critical moments.  This was true for a couple reasons, mostly because BG ran the ball to create a lot of the opportunity on this drive, reflective of what I see as this Coaching staff's commitment to finding a way to win, as opposed to the previous regime's commitment to their system.

The drive was completed by Freddie catching a third down pass alone in the left flat, and then simply beating defenders to the pylon and scoring the go-ahead TD.  I will Freddie in that position against any team in the MAC, and he will score every time.

BG's defense then came up with a stop, something that had been in short supply.  After swapping punts, UT moved the ball down to BG's 29 (and BG's defense was tired at this point) and it was 4-9.  You gotta figure if we make the stop, it is probably over.  They hit Page and he has first down yardage around the 12.  A scrum ensues, and Adrien Spencer rips the ball out and BG recovers.  (Page's second fumble of the game).

Tim Beckman negated his ability to lecture his team about losing its composure by throwing an absolute hissy fit, claiming the Page's momentum had been stopped.  Asked whether he thought his momentum had been stopped (in the post game), he said, "Yes, I do."

Coach Clawson, for his part, said that he was still moving forward and was even moving forward after the fumble, and it was on his sideline.  Apparently, such things are not reviewable, and Beckman eventually earned himself a 15 yard penalty which set BG up on the 26, and on 2-10, with BG needing a  couple first downs to put the game on ice, Willie Geter ripped off a 61 yard run to the UT 13, and from there it was just a matter of how and when (but not whether) the Rockets would die.

The Page fumble was clearly a huge play, no doubt about it.  I haven't seen any video of it.  But,  even if an angel came down tonight and assured you that Page's forward progress had been stopped, you can't argue that UT deserved to win that game, with 2 fumbles and 2 INTs and 2 blocked punts.  Furthermore, UT had been inside the 5 and held to a field goal earlier in the half, so a TD was a not automatic.

And it would only have tied the game.

Even with the angel it does not diminish my enjoyment of the win 1%.

I think perhaps the hidden key to the game was that BG held UT to only 4 yards per carry on the ground, which is a pretty good performance for a team that was getting torched for a lot more.  I think we did it by packing the box, which opened up lanes for Dantin, but had UT been able to dominate on the ground, the result might well have been different.

Even with the 24 first half points, Coach Clawson pointed out post-game that BG could have been up 35-0, and that would have put the game away.  But, a FG and a fumble inside the 5 left the door open just a little crack.

I'll have more tomorrow.  Right now, I'm just enjoying the victory.  There is nothing so satisfying and life-affirming as beating your rival and it is a great way to end the season.

Sweet Victory!

And that's three in a row.

More later.

Game Time!!!!

Game Film from past BG-UT encounter

Senior Day....

Just a quick note to honor the 20 seniors who are making their final appearance at the Doyt today.  Thank you for being Falcons, and for the many hours of dedication your put in over the last 4-5 years.  You are always in our hearts.

• Scott Albert
• Freddie Barnes
• Cody Basler
• Jahmal Brown
• Chris Bullock
• Giovanni Fillari
• Tony Hunter
• Nick Iovinelli
• Brandon Jackson
• P.J. Mahone
• Brady Minturn
• Matt Norsic
• Craig Rutherford
• Jerett Sanderson
• Jimmy Scheidler
• James Schneider
• Tyler Sheehan
• Shane Steffy
• Roger Williams
• Chris Wright 

Happy Thanksgiving to the Falcon Nation

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vermininc/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the Falcon Nation.  I believe today is our most spiritual day.   The act of giving thanks is humbling and enriching.  We are privileged to be able to spend our time as fans, on something that makes us happy but which we do not need to live.

 Today, I am thankful for all I have, and for the blessing of hope for the future.

25 Rivalry Questions--punters need not report

What is their body of work?

They are having a respectable year, especially given their injuries at QB (a former BG Coach would have written the whole season off--and once did--after an injury to a star QB).

What is their best result?

Their win over Colorado.

What is their worst result?

Losing to Miami.

What is their turnover ratio?

They are -6, which is 11th in the conference.

Offense:

How is their QB Play?

Austin Dantin is supposed to get the start, but pretty much anything can happen for the Rockets at QB. Dantin has been very effective this year, although it would appear from the numbers they go downfield less than they did with Opelt, who has had big injury issues this year. Media reports also say that David Pasquale will also take some snaps, he appears to be a run-threat QB.

What was their scoring and yards per play?

They are 4th in scoring offense in the MAC (BG is 5th) and lead the MAC with 6.2 yards per play.

Can they run the ball?

They have a very strong run attack. DeJuan Collins is close to having 1,000 yards and Morgan Williams is very effective as well, but was suspended part of the year. They both lit up EMU, with is last in the league in rush defense, but BG is 12th. They are both averaging over 5.7 yards per carry and the Rockets are 2nd in the MAC in yards per carry.

Do they pass the ball?

A true dual-threat team, they are third in the MAC in passing with the 2nd highest yards per attempt average. You can't talk about their passing attack without recognizing Eric Page and Stephen Williams, both of whom are outstanding receivers.

How is their run/pass balance?

See above.

Do they convert on 3rd Down.

They are 6th in the MAC at about 40% which is pretty average given the yards per play numbers we have seen above. Not that it is bad, just that you'd expect it to be through the roof.

Do they score in the red zone?

4.3 points per trip is pretty good. They are the only team in the MAC not to have missed a RZ FG. They have created only 38 red zone trips, which is pretty low for a team with their offensive power. I suspect this is the result of scoring on big plays.

Do they protect the quarterback?

Toledo always has good line play, and they have allowed only 17 sacks, with is 4th in the MAC.


Defense:


Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

They are 12th is scoring defense and tied for 10th in yards per play allowed.

Do they defend the run effectively?

Not especially, they are tied for 10th in yards per carry allowed. Their per game average is better, partly because teams throw so much on them.

Could they be passed on?

They are dead last in passing yards allowed, although 8th in pass efficiency defense. Both WMU and CMU lit them up, which impacts their numbers. Their 12 INTs is 4th in the MAC.

Did they get off the field on 3rd down?

This is not a strong point. They allow 46% conversion, which is 11th in the conference.

Do they defend in the red zone?

They are the worst in the conference in red zone D. They have allowed the most red zone trips, the highest percentage of scores, and their average of almost 5 points per red zone trip is really poor. BG has not been strong in the red zone, but that will clearly need to change Friday.

Do they pressure the QB?

They have 20 sacks, which is 4th in the MAC.


Special Teams:

Punting?

They are 12th in net punting. They have had 3 punts blocked.

Punt Return?

They are 6th in punt returns, with no TDs this season. Page returns their punts, however, and is dangerous every time.

Placekicking?

Alex Steigerwald is 11-15, but that is deceiving. He has missed 2 over 50, is flawless inside 40 yards and has kicked 5 FGs over 40 yards with a 50 yarder in there. He is a very effective kicker.

Kickoff?

They average a 40 yard net, which is very typical in the MAC.

Kickoff Return?

Their return average is also right around a 40 yard net, so that's pretty typical.


Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

Here is where is gets interesting.

First, and perhaps most importantly, BG has beaten UT handily the last two seasons. Historically in this rivalry, that has been unusual, especially because BG was not a dominant team either of those two years.

You gotta think UT has been pointing to this for a while.

This game could come down to who can get even minimal stops on defense. There could be more scoring than in the BG-UT basketball game last season.

For BG, the plus side has to be that both CMU and WMU hung 50 points + on the Rockets. If BG can do the same, you have to like their chances.

On the contrary, BG's run defense will need to have some kind of success without crowding the box. In other words, man for man, BG will have to find a way to at least slow down the UT attack.

Both teams have to feel this is a good match up for them. It certainly lines up as a very exciting game. In the end, it is my hope that BG, playing confidently and improving each week, will bring its best game of the season and win the game, but the Rockets are a very dangerous team and very capable of winning this game.

CBSsports.com Blog Poll is Up...

Here are the results....I finished #5 for Mr. Manic-Depressive, which is my first award nomination since early in the year.  I'm not sure what I was thinking with Houston...have to recheck my thinking next week. And Clemson?  I'm going to have to look harder at that.  Anyway....

Last Regular Season Presser, OMG BORING edition

Coach Clawson did his presser today.  Usually there's a little football education or something in there, but not today.  Snoozerville.

Anyway, you can go to BGSUfalcons.com and see it in its full glory.

The media didn't bring any real interesting lines of question.  They asked a lot about Tim Beckman coming back to BG, because, let's be honest, they have already written those stories because it is just so obvious that they can't avoid it.  For Coach Clawson, who has barely met Tim Beckman, it is not a big deal.  It might or might not be a big deal to Beckman, but he wasn't in the room.

Remember people:  these are professional coaches.  This is their job.  They are competitors by nature.  BG would want to beat Toledo no matter who was coach and vice versa.  I haven't really enjoyed beating at UT Coach since Nichols retired (rare as those wins were).

Hey!  Bo and Woody didn't really hate each other.  Sorry for your loss.

A lot of coachspeak, with things like "it is the biggest game of the season," "they are 3" from having our record," "they have a lot of weapons on offense," and "they are hard to prepare for on defense," some of which are probably truer than others.

Also, a dumb line of questioning on where it ranks in non-BCS rivalries.  I will contend that it is every bit as intense as any BCS rivalry, and someone covering our team should realize that.

(BTW, Coach Clawson did a good job answering it, saying that the only rivalry he's interested in is this one.)

Preparing for the UT offense is like preparing for the CMU attack.  (I will have more later today on 25 questions, but UT has the potential of running like crazy on us...and that doesn't count Page and Williams).

The most interesting part was when someone asked Coach about the team starting 1-4 and what adjustments were made to get the team to where it is today.  He said, in fact, that nothing was done differently, we just "stayed the course."  We never lost faith in ourselves and we just kept improving, got a couple close wins and ended up coming into this game with a good amount of confidence.

We must defend this house.....

Football Recruiting News

I would anticipate that this will slow down now that the high school season is ending....

Heath Jackson was the Division VI all-district offensive player of the year.  (Ada eventually did lose in the state playoffs).

Darius Gilbert was honorable mention all-district in Southwest Ohio.

QB verbal Trent Hurley's Greensburg Central Catholic team will play in the state championship at Heinz Field on Friday after their latest victory.

Their nickname, by the way, is the Centurions, which is an awesome nickname.

Their coach's name is Muzzy Colosimo, which is even awesomer.

Marcus Beaurem's Stevenson team is also going to play for the state title (in Michigan).  (He had two key catches in the game, as included in the story.)

Isaiah Byler is first-team all-district.

Update:  I see on AZZ.com (via rocketfan) that BG QB recruit Caleb Watkins (Middletown) will be here in January and participate in Spring practice.

More Rocket Failure....

Orr Presser

Coach Orr's presser from this week is up on the bgsufalcons.com website.  Seeing the video helps a lot.  Anyway, he had some interesting things to say.

The first thing was that someone asked Coach is he was praying more given the results of the last two games.  You know, I don't know if they were joking or not, but it was kind of an "awk-WARD" moment.  You won't be surprised to know that Coach prays the same whether the team is winning or losing.

Anyway, he then segued effortlessly into a pretty nice metaphor when he said it was "revelation time" for our team is.  These early games, you find out what you have and what you need to fix.

The foundation of our team is defense, and we have not guarded---especially the perimeter--in the last two games.  As such, we have not "established the foundation" of our team.

He said some interesting things about defense, which he said is mostly about "will."  Yes, we need to defend the easy basket better (he ticked off about a dozen things that go into defending your basket)  but it starts with will--the determination to shut your opponent down every time down the floor.  If you don't defend you are just "playing tag" and that makes it hard to win.

Coach feels that we have to improve our man and zone balance, because we apparently are not doing either one very well.  (Which is a kind of balance.....anyway).

Other than a stretch where BG got 7 straight stops against Wayne State, (DII), we have had no real sustained success on the defensive end of the floor.

We are a work in progress, and everyone is still sorting their roles out.  Someone asked, more or less, who's going to be Nate Miller, and Coach said that it doesn't work that way, we don't have a guy like that right now, but the team has to sort out the roles that work and then find the team's chemistry within that.

You can't look at our team to date without noting that we just aren't getting to the line.  Coach says that our guys who handle the ball have to do better at creating foul situations, which you can do other ways besides just driving to the basket.  So, Jakubowski, Brown, Thomas, etc, need to get themselves to the line more.  (Our opponents have attempted 55 FTs to our 27, and BG is shooting 48% on top of it).

Finally, he had nice things to say about Marc Larson, who has really brought his skills along for his senior season, which is what Coach expects when a player becomes a senior.

Key words are revelation and work in progress.  We had a read from the last two games....the question is can we grow from there?

The votes are in for Biletnikoff, Barnes a finalist

And Freddie Barnes is in the final three.  (Screenshot above from BGSUfalcons.com).

This is a huge honor for our program and for Freddie.  He is having a dominant season, far more than I think any suspected he would have.  Teams are keying on him, and yet he finds ways to get open and makes plays after he gets the ball.

The other two are Jordan Shipley of Texas and Golden Tate of Notre Dame.

I also give credit to the people who vote for this award for recognizing when someone is having an excellent season, even at a non-AQ school.

Voting was before the one-handed highlight reel catch against Akron.

Finally, let's not forget the rest of the offensive team.  The coaches are figuring out how to get him the ball and Tyler is getting it there, the line is blocking and the other WRs are contributing.  They are all part of Freddie getting in a position to perform like no player has in our conference at this position.

He is having an historic season for our program.  I haven't gone back and looked, but it probably is among the top 5 seasons any player has had in orange and brown.  Martin Bayless' season with all the INTs is the only one that leaps to mind, but I will do some research when I get some time.

Now....beat the Rockets.  Again.

CBSSports.com Blog Poll Draft

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida
2	Alabama
3	Texas
4	TCU
5	Boise State
6	Cincinnati
7	Georgia Tech
8	Oregon	1
9	Ohio State	1
10	Pittsburgh	3
11	Houston	5
12	Iowa	1
13	Oklahoma State	5
14	Penn State	2
15	Utah	2
16	Southern Cal	3
17	Oregon State	4
18	California	5
19	North Carolina	3
20	Virginia Tech	4
21	Miami (Florida)
22	Mississippi
23	Arizona	3
24	Stanford	10
25	LSU	17
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Wisconsin (#15), Brigham Young (#25).

International Centre for Special Teams Research

We are reaching the end of the season and the first season of work for the International Centre.  As we look at the second to last game of the season, we see that this was a game with only one big special teams play, and that was the onside kick BG returned for a TD.  Other than that, there were some minor plays here and there but pretty much a non-event.

Bowling Green Positive (+8)

BG Punt to Akron 14 (+1)
Akron kickoff returned to BG 46 (+1)
BG kickoff return TD (+6)

Bowling Green Negative (-5)

BG Kickoff returned to Akron 37 (-1)
Akron Kickoff to BG 18 with penalty (-1)
BG kickoff returned to Akron 42 (-1)
BG Kickoff Out of bounds (-1)
BG missed xp (-1)

Bowling Green Neutral

BG Kickoff returned to Akron 22
Akron kickoff returned to BG 27
BG Xp
Akron kickoff 44 yard net after safety
BG punt 35 yard net
Akron kickoff returned to BG 27
BG xp
BG xp
BG xp
BG Kickoff returned to Akron 22
BG Punt, 35 yard net before penalty

Akron Positive (+2)

BG Kickoff returned to Akron 37 (+1)
BG kickoff returned to Akron 42 (+1)

Akron Negative (-8)

Akron kickoff returned to BG 46 (-1)
BG kickoff return TD (-6)
BG Punt 45 yard net with penalty (-1)

Akron Neutral

BG Kickoff returned to Akron 22
Akron 27 yard FG
Akron kickoff returned to BG 27
Akron Xp
Akron kickoff returned to BG 28 before penalty
Akron kickoff 44 yard net after safety
Akron kickoff returned to BG 27
Akron punt 30 yard net
Akron 30 yard FG
Akron xp
BG Kickoff returned to Akron 22
Akron punt 30 yard net

Looking at the season as a whole, we do see some small improvements in special teams play for BG.

It is our third straight game in positive territory, after several games of being on the negative side of the equation.  Still, our special teams play has been worse than our opponents and certainly not where they could be if we were making more plays

Conversely, Akron was -6, which is the 3rd straight week in negative territory and tied for the worst game of the season.  Akron only had two positive plays, which is by far the lowest for any BG opponent this year.

It is Rocket Week!!

Enjoy....

Permutations Fins

It was downright quiet in the MAC this year.  No four-way tie breakers or other mind numbing possibilities.  Temple and OU will battle in Athens for the right to play CMU in the MAC Championship.  BG looks to be in position to finish third.  The loss to OU--and the lack of a chance to beat Temple--end up being decisive.

Iowa Too Much for Falcons

Things were better in Carver Arena last night than they were against Xavier, but they weren't good.  BG is struggling to score, and that was especially apparent last night, and then tack 15 turnovers on top of it, and you just are not getting enough quality possessions to compete.

Perimeter defense was a struggle for the second straight game, as Iowa shot 48% from beyond the arc.  I think it is safe to say that our defensive game plan is to hold teams well below that for ALL their shots.

NCAA Basketball Stats

The scoring troubles are not terribly surprising.  Miller was the go to guy for points last year, and Moten was key from time to time, so I think the Falcons are struggling to get into the right rhythm so far.  If you look at the playing time, it is clear that Coach Orr is experimenting with different approaches trying to see what he has, especially from the young players.  Danny McElroy, for example, had some strong minutes last night.  I remain optimistic that as our players (especially on the frontline) continue to develop  and learn their roles, we could be competitive during the MAC season.

The backcourt is a little worrisome.  We just seem really thin.  Darion Goins is not getting much time or production.

Perimeter defense is an issue too.  Last year, we played a lot of zone because we didn't have the horses to go man for the time and intensity we need.  I'm guessing these bombs are coming against the zone again, but if we are going to compete we need to be able to defend the trey.

Finally, we don't get to the line and haven't been shooting well when we get there.  We went most of last night's game without even one free throw.  BG was called for only 11 fouls, which is pretty good.

Anyway, this one was never in doubt.  I will be very interested in seeing this team and UWM in a week.

NCAA Basketball Stats

MAC Blogger Roundtable

Our host this week is Temple Football Forever, as they prepare to play Kent and lock down a division title

Subdue the Roo

Ok, with a night to reflect, I'm still feeling pretty good about the win last night.

Here's the perspective.  I know that Miami and Akron are among the worst teams in FBS football.  I know that Buffalo is struggling.

Even so, we beat all three....we beat the teams we are supposed to beat.

And that's better than last year's team.

Also, we can be trusted to hold a lead in the fourth quarter.  We seem to have the ability to close games out.  Note, if you will, the onside kick vs. Buffalo last year....and vs. Akron last night.

Some other thoughts:

BG's running game continues to be pretty poor.  The stats were bolstered by a 72 yard run on our last real play from scrimmage, we were 32 for 70-something, and just over 2 yards a carry.  Obviously, this is a struggle that is not going to go away this season.

Sheehan had an excellent game, maybe his best of the season.  72% completion, 10.6 yards per attempt and 14.7% per completion with no interceptions, that's a pretty good day on anybody's sheet.  He managed the offense very well, especially the first drive in the second half.

I think our offense is much better managed overall than it was last year.  Our OC is doing a great job finding ways to move the ball.  I often felt in the past like we had one idea how to move the ball, and we just kept doing it over and over again.  This offense is far more creative in how we find open space for our good players.  Our screen game, in particular, has really improved, and that throwback screen yesterday was a back breaker.

The red zone stuff also continues to be vexing, although we mitigate it by getting down there so often.  I don't really care about whether the calls were good or bad, we should have punched it home there in the second quarter.  To not be able to make six inches on a QB sneak is really disappointing.

For as much as I think the run game is not getting consistent productive blocking, our pass protection was excellent, albeit against a team that doesn't get many sacks.

On defense, you know, the story isn't changing that much.  The best thing that ever happens for our defense is that the offense puts us in the lead.  Akron's offensive struggles coming in were pretty well documented, but Nicely had almost as good a numbers as Sheehan had, and they ran the ball like crazy in the first half.  We still tackle poorly in the run game.  With the lead, we did collapse the pocket on Nicely a little bit, even if we didn't get home with sacks.

The safety was a big play.   It looked to me like the RB had the opportunity to duck out of the end zone on the inside but went parallel to the goal line and Brown swooped in on him.  We did a nice job on the tackle, because he was kind of leaning downhill and BG stood him up and kept him in the end zone.  So, even if it was an Akron mistake, they made a mistake and BG made them pay for it, which is what good teams can do.

On special teams, we had a TD on that onside kick, and beyond that, it seemed like a pretty even game.  That missed XP was an absolute killer.  With a 17 point lead, the last six minutes are a sleep walk.  With a 16 point lead, Akron still had a shot.

I think our coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for us being 6-5.  They have doggedly pursued ways for these guys to win, not ways for some guys who are going to be here three years from now to win.  I haven't seen anyone write recently that Coach Clawson always loses in his first year, etc.  This team hemorrhaged defensive players since last season (plus Mahone), and despite that the team is still 6-5.

We can't run the ball or stop the run, and this team is still 6-5.  That's an accomplishment.

Falcon Victory...ahhhhhh

So, the Falcons picked up the victory AT HOME tonight at the Doyt.  It was actually a pretty fun night.  First of all, it was a perfect night for football....a  great night to see our team.  Even though we struggled a little in the first half, we came out in the second half and lit them up and ended up winning by two scores.  Even though they had a shot to get it a little closer at the end, they were still two scores and two 2-xp from TYING the game.

I don't know what it is, but half the time under the current regime, even when we won I'd leave frustrated.  I don't feel that way now.  A very satisfying way to leave the Doyt.

Freddie had a great game.  There has been some nonsense from UT fans on AZZ.com that Freddie is some kind of system player.  He was dominant tonight.  He made huge plays, big catches, and even one complete and total circus catch.  He's a great player.  If it wasn't for LeFevour, he'd be a shoo-in for player of the year.

His 12 catches leave him 13 short of the NCAA record.

Akron moved the ball effectively against BG, and Nicely made some really nice throws.  He is going to be a very good QB in this conference.  BG was able to get stops when needed, and 20 points is a pretty good result.  The tackling in the first half was really spotty, and we were fortunate to have the lead in the second half so they had to throw.

I thought there were a couple of key points.

The first was the drive that opened the second half.  BG took the kickoff, marched down the field with a 14 play, 7:28 drive that not only gave BG the lead but kept the defense off the field for what was 1/4 of the remaining time in the game.  BG converted 3 3rd downs, including Freddie from the gun, a brilliantly called QB draw and a pass to Barnes on 3rd and 9.  BG also finished in the red zone on a nicely drawn up shovel pass to Barnes.

The other key point was the Keith Morgan kickoff return for a TD.  Coach Clawson said in the presser that Morgan is supposed to fair catch that ball, but he picked it off and ran the other way for what had to be a very demoralizing TD to give up for Akron.  And, it kept it a two-score game, which defines the dynamic the whole way home.

Overall, another relatively comfortable win for our team.  BG started 1-4, and now is 6-5.  Technically bowl eligible, our "Super Bowl" as Coach Clawson called it is next Friday.  A win gets us (most likely) into a bowl game, plus gives us our third straight victory over our most hated rival.  It will be a great day for college football.

More tomorrow.  In the meantime, enjoy the win.

Crowd at Doyt roughly the size of a large family thanksgiving

Game Day With Akron

Go Falcons.  Beat the Zips.

Iowa Men's Basketball Preview

I went to do a little research on Iowa for tomorrow night's basketball game, and I have to admit that I was a little surprised.

Things are not as good there as I thought.

Their program is in a deep hole right now, and it is looking to be a long year over there.  They are a very young team, with 9 of their 12 players being freshmen or sophomores.  Beyond that, 1 of their three upperclassmen is injured, and in total, two of them were Junior College transfers, which I do not believe is the preferred way to build a senior class in the Big 10.

They are not especially big.  I am sure that Xavier had a better inside game then Iowa does.

Further, they started off with two home games and lost them both.  They lost to Texas-San Antonio (by 12, and I know that isn't a bad program, but come on) and then to Duquesne on a last second shot.

So, on one hand, beating them in Carver Arena is clearly not impossible.  I'd like to think that having had our pride wounded a little the other night in Cincy, we'll be ready to go on Friday night.  And I'd like to think we have a shot at these guys.

On the other hand, Iowa will have in "teeth gritting" mode for this game.  They have a tough pre-season schedule ahead (including Texas and Pitt) and really can't afford to fall to 0-3.  I expect them to doing whatever they need to to win.

They have played strong defense, even holding high powered Duquesne in the low 50s, so it is clearly the offense that is holding them back.  That pretty much compliments our style, so, you know, a 12-8 game is not outside the realm of possibility.

For Falcon fans, the game will be on the Big 10 Network. I hope to back from the Akron game in time to see all or most of it.  This is actually a nice test for our team and if we play our game, is a winnable game.

Great Barnes Article in USA Today

Quick thing, a great profile of Freddie Barnes and his Mother was in the USA Today.  Just a reminder that people have the power to overcome their circumstances, and a transformational story lives within each of us.  By this time next year, Freddie Barnes and his Mom will both be college graduates.

25 Kangaroo Questions

What is their body of work?

It is not great. They have won only one FBS game, against their arch-rival Kent. This has to be a tough year in Akron. They were set up for an exciting season with a new stadium, and in general it has been a dreadful year. You have to look back and remember that a lot of people thought they could beat Indiana. They suspended Jacquamain for the season, and then the backup ripped his knee up. There were reported problems with the coaching staff...just a rough year at Akron.

What is their best result?

By default, their best result is beating their arch-rival, the Kent Golden Flashes.

What is their worst result?

They provided Buffalo with their only MAC win.

What is their turnover ratio?

They aren't losing because of this---they are only -3 for the year.

Offense:

How is their QB Play?

This has probably been the single biggest issue for them. One of the reasons I put this as the first question is that I believe in the MAC, it is very difficult to win without good QB play. As noted above, their top two choices for QB are gone, so Patrick Nicely, highly touted true FR, is in the game now. Nicely was originally a BG commit but switched when Coach Brandon was let go. His QB ranking is 101, just a tick ahead of where Kelly Page was. He had a better game against Kent but not a great game. It is really tough to be a true FR QB.

What was their scoring and yards per play?

They are 12th in yards per play and 11th in scoring in the MAC. They are struggling to score points.

Can they run the ball?

We have already talked about Nicely's struggles, but if it wasn't for BG and Miami, they would also have the worst run attack in the MAC.

Do they pass the ball?

See above. They have 53% completions, 11 INTS, 4% interceptions and a very low 6.2 yards per attempt.

How is their run/pass balance?

Well, they don't do either very well. In terms of play mix, their last two games have seen 69 runs and 69 passes.

Do they convert on 3rd Down.

At about 30% their are only five FBS teams that are worse. Obviously, this is not surprising given that what we have seen above. They are likely to be facing harder to convert situations with a poorer attack.

Do they score in the red zone?

On a straight percentage, they are worse than Bowling Green, worst in the conference and 117th out of 120 in the FBS. The difference is Bowling Green has generated 51 red zone trips and Akron has only 31. Thier per trip average is 3.5 points, which is not good.

Do they protect the quarterback?

They have a veteran line that has given up 25 sacks, which is one fewer than BG. However, BG has thrown 485 passes and Akron only 292. I believe that if BG can keep them from running, as we did against Miami, we can tee up some pressure and do what we did to Dysert, which is cause havoc.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

Akron is 10th in scoring defense, 7th in total defense and 5th in yards per play. Normally, when we see numbers like that, our true enemy reveals itself somewhere in the numbers.

Do they defend the run effectively?

They are 8th in the MAC with 4.3 yards per carry, which is not great but better than BG for the year. It will be interesting to see if we can run on Akron.

Could they be passed on?

They are 7th in pass efficiency defense. They do have 11 interceptions, which is a lot. They are allowing 60% completions which is 10th in the MAC, but for only 6.2 yards per catch, which is 4th.

Did they get off the field on 3rd down?

Negative. They allow conversions on 45% of their third down plays, which is second to last in the MAC. (Clue number one, by the way, to our question).

Do they defend in the red zone?

First, they have allowed 45 red zone trips, which is among the worst in the MAC. Once there, they allow 4.4 points per trip, which is pretty typical.

Do they pressure the QB?

Uh, no, they have 7 sacks in 10 games. Only Western Kentucky has fewer in FBS. Our line's goal should be for Tyler to leave the field with his uniform clean.

Special Teams:

Punting?

They are 10th in the MAC in net punting. They have been blocked once and allowed two returns for TD. When teams do return on them, they average 11 yards.

Punt Return?

They are 10th here too, though they do have one return TD.

Placekicking?

Their kicking rotation sounds like the criminal docket at the Hague--Branko Rogovic and Igor Iveljic. Rogovic has been getting the kicks lately, and he is 5-13, with 3 misses inside 30 and a 45 yard long. They are the only MAC team to miss more than half their FGs.

Kickoff?

They are 8th in the MAC with a 40 yard average (nearly), which means starting on the 30 is par for the course. They have allowed a TD.

Kickoff Return?

This is among their stronger points, they are 4th in the MAC and have a TD. Their net is 40.2, which means they start on the 30 today, on average.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

Even if Akron is playing better, (and they beat Kent but gave up huge points to Temple) this is a game we should win.

It would be great to reward the home fans.

Beyond that, it would be great to see the progress continue and BG play as well or better than it did in Oxford last week.

There will be a shockingly small crowd at the Doyt on Friday. The 5:30 kickoff time is a joke. Sometimes, they takes the road team out as much as the home team. Akron is either super-resilient or weary of the wars and ready to pack it in (or quit at the first sign of trouble.)

This is a game BG should win, and let's hope we can get it done.

MAC Blogger Roundtable, My Responses

1) Do you like the MAC's current bowl setup, where the bowls get to pick, rather than a 1 goes to A, 2 to B, etc? How would you change that, if you could?

I think that it is probably as good as it is going to get. I think flexibility is good for two reasons. First, the flexibility allows teams to not necessarily go to the same bowl every year. Second, it keeps the bowls happy, and that should be our primary goal.

2) Recognizing that probably no one will be fired this year, who do you think will be the NEXT coach in the MAC to get a pink slip ?

I predict that the next MAC Coach to get the pink slip will be JD Brookhart.

3) What do you think can be done, if anything, to get the MAC more bowl tie-ins?

From an historic perspective, the MAC has never had it so good, bowl-wise. Us old-timers remember when the MAC had one bowl tie-in, and frankly were lucky to have that. There were even a couple years with no bowl game for the MAC. So, the current set up is pretty good. For the MAC to get another bowl tie-in, I am assuming that they would have to buy our way into a game.

4) Who do you like in the MAC's only pick-'em game of this week, NIU at Ohio, and why?

This is a really tough call. I like NIU because they have been playing well in the much tougher of the two decisions, and they are a difficult team to beat. I think OU is overrated.

5) MAC Power Poll

1. CMU
2. Temple
3. NIU
4. OU
5. WMU
6. BG
7. Kent
8. Toledo
9. Buffalo
10. Ball State
11. Akron
12. Miami
13. EMU

Recruiting News

The news on the Falcon verbals keeps coming in...

Isaiah Byler was named all-conference.

In this article, you can see Kevonte Martin-Manley's stat line, which is pretty good (59 catches, 7 TDs)

Caleb Watkins and Nick McKnight's Middletown team ran into a buzz saw at the end of a really great season.

Watkins was named the district's offensive player of the year.

Watkins, McKnight, a D-L Darius Gilbert were all named all-district.

New O-Line verbal Cody Silk gets credit from his running back for helping to open holes

Heath Jackson of Ada led his team to a first round victory in the state playoffs.

Marcus Beaurem had a TD pass as his team won their first round game as well.

Jude Adjei-Barimah was Honorable Mention All-District for Central Ohio.

QB verbal Trent Hurley had 2 TD passes as his team won a Penna state playoff game by the mercy rule (you can do that?)

CBSSports Blogpoll is Final and on the AIR

Well, here you go. The CBSSports.com blogpoll is out. Here are the rankings, click through for more.

Xavier Part II, with charts

So, courtesy of statsheet.com, here is the sad tale of the Xavier game, told in its full and foul glory. The effective FG% for Xavier is just sick...(effective FG counts 3-pointers as 1.5x a regular FG), and ours is bad even for our team. The FTs are not good either, but there is no point in looking past the one key fact of the game, and that is that the Musketeers just killed us with their shooting.

We took care of the ball real well, in fact. Todd Walker said before the game that Xavier plays a no-risk defensive style, and if you can shoot like that, why not?

NCAA Basketball Stats

Final CBSsports.com Blogpoll Ballot

I made one adjustment, dropping WI a couple spots.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida	1
2	Alabama	1
3	Texas
4	TCU	2
5	Boise State	1
6	Cincinnati	1
7	Georgia Tech
8	LSU
9	Oregon	1
10	Ohio State	6
11	Iowa	2
12	Penn State	9
13	Pittsburgh	1
14	Stanford	10
15	Wisconsin	4
16	Houston	4
17	Utah	4
18	Oklahoma State
19	Southern Cal	8
20	Arizona	3
21	Oregon State	1
22	North Carolina
23	California	2
24	Virginia Tech	1
25	Brigham Young
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Miami (Florida) (#15), South Florida (#22).