International Centre for Special Teams Research

So, the ICSTR has met and released its report for the Marshall game.

For a review of what all this nonsense means, feel free to click here.

The basic idea is that you score each special teams play based on a formula that scores plays in the normal range a zero and then good plays are positive and bad plays are negative, and then you add them all up and get a net total.

BG was +9 for the Marshall game, based on a recovered fumble, a blocked kick, some strong kickoffs and a couple of nice punt returns by Eugene Cooper.

Marshall was -8, for many of the same reasons in reverse.

A few notes:

• It is our second best game in the Clawson era, with the best being the +11 game against Toledo.
• It was our best game this year, besting the +7 at Tulsa.
• After a slow start last season, BG has now been in plus territory for 4 straight games.
• BG's opponents have been in negative territory in six of the last seven games.

I don't know.  It seems to me that this is representing an important reality, which is that we are getting big plays from our special teams, as pitted against our special team play in the Brandon era, when we continually gave up big plays.

I think it is an example of BG becoming a better coached and more fundamentally strong football team.