Clawson post-game presser

If you want to see what Coach Clawson looks like when he is jacked up, you might check out the presser on bgsufalcons.com.  He was clearly wound up...he might have even had his jaw jutted out.  Anyway, the adrenaline is clearly gushing through him.

He was asked what he told the team at halftime.  He said he told them the following, punching each word through the air. "We're going to win the game.  We're going to run the football.  Shut them down on defense.  We were going to find a way to win...I went to the offensive line and I asked them if they could run the football.  They said they could.  I said, 'I'm putting the game on your shoulders.'"

(Note, that's quotes from two different parts of the presser stuck together...)

The Akron A reporter asked about Akron's "video game" numbers from their previous games.  Coach was having none of it.  "If you noticed, our defense is kind of ranked high, too."

He said that in the first half BG was running the ball well but Akron loaded the box up and BG checked into a pass.  He absolutely did not say what happened next, which was that the passing game didn't take advantage.  He just said that at halftime, we decided we needed to run no matter what, and "our backs made some people miss."

He talked about Samuel (foot sprain), Pettigrew and Martin running effectively, and that there was even consideration of getting Givens in.

As far as defense, he said that Akron ran the ball effectively in the first half because we didn't take good angles when we were unblocked.  He said we adjusted to the speed in the second half and did a better job.

He also noted that BG was getting good pass pressure bringing 3 guys.  That means you are pressuring the QB while you have 8 guys in coverage.  Very difficult to pass the ball under that circumstance.  (Me talking)  The advantages to this just can't be overstated.

He was asked about the time out confusion at the end of the first half.  It appeared to the casual observer that Akron was about to dribble their last play down their leg and BG saved them with a time out.  Clawson said he had sent out a defensive personnel set with :20 left on the idea that Akron would try to run 3 plays.  When it was apparent that there would be only 1, I guess he was afraid it would be a hail mary and he didn't want to give up a TD and called time out.  Actually, it is largely academic since Bowden was ALSO trying to call time out.

Finally one of those sacks was by TE Kendall Montgomery.  He was absolutely mobbed when he got to the sideline.  Coach says the other players "love" Kendall and were thrilled to see him succeed.

More to come...