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.
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