It is pretty good. Their only loss is to arch rival Miami and they have a high profile win at Penn State--a team that ended up being better than everyone expected, if not great. They had one possession wins over UMass, Buffalo and Akron (OT), so they have certainly not been unbeatable. They are also the only consistently effective program in the East.
How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?
They have 28 on their two deep which is a lot, especially on offense. It is a very veteran team.
Who are their statistical leaders?
Beau Blankenship is #9 in FBS in rushing yards per game.
Matt Weller is tied for 3rd in FGs.
What is their turnover ratio?
They are +15. Yeah, I know. They have only lost 5 turnovers all year, which is the lowest in the MAC and they have gotten 20 which is 2nd in the MAC. (Kent is +20, BTW). OU's margin is #4 in FBS.
How is their QB Play?
Their QB is outstanding. Tyler Tettleton is #2 in the MAC in passing efficiency and is a true dual-threat QB. He torched the Falcons last year with 18-27 passing and 128 rushing yards.
What is their scoring and yards per play?
They are second in the MAC in scoring offense and #4 in yards per play, with the difference probably accounted for by all those turnovers.
Can they run the ball?
This is actually a pretty run-focused team. They are 2nd in the MAC in yards per game although they are only tied-6th in yards per carry.
Do they pass the ball?
They don't pass the ball that often, but, as mentioned above, they are very efficient. Think 62% completions, 20 TD/2 INT, 7.9 yards an attempt and 12.9 yards a completion. They get you buying the run, and then they torch you and make it worth their while.
How is their run/pass balance?
They run on 61% of their plays which is a huge number.
Do they convert on 3rd Down?
They are 4th in the MAC at 44.7%.
Do they score in the red zone?
They average 5 red zone trips per game, which is 2nd in the conference. When they are there they are only average, with 4.7 points per trip.
Do they protect the quarterback?
They have given up 11 sacks but they don't pass much. It is still a good number--3.9%.
Topline: Scoring and yards per play.
This is also a team with a strong defense. They are #3 in scoring defense and #3 in yards per play allowed, and don't forget all those take aways.
Do they defend the run effectively?
They are right behind BG, #2 in yards per game and yards per carry.
Can they be passed on?
They are #3 in pass efficiency defense. They are 10th in passing yardage allowed, mostly because people don't run much against them. They allow only 57% completions and their per attempt and completions yardage numbers are average.
Do they get off the field on 3rd down?
This is not a strong point--they are 10th in the MAC.
Do they defend in the red zone?
They allow only 3 trips per game, which is a good place to start. Once you are there they are not great at getting stops, allowing 5.3 points per trip.
Do they pressure the QB?
They have only 20 sacks but with a lot of attempts, which comes out to an average of 5.1%.
Punting?
They are 9th in the MAC in net punting, almost equal to BG. They have allowed next to zero return yards this year.
Punt Return?
They are second in the MAC, they have some very strong punt returners.
Placekicking?
Weller has tried 26 FGs, which is a lot. He has only made 72% and missed 6 under 40 yards, along with being blocked twice. He is 5-6 over 40, however, with a long of 49.
Kickoff?
They are 4th in the MAC, with an average starting position of the 25. Dude has 26 touchbacks.
Kickoff Return?
Not bad....they are starting on the 28.
There's a lot to say here.
First, this is the "Close the Deal" game from last season. Lest we forget, OU started on their own 10 with about 7 minutes left down 2. With no play over 14 yards and without converting a third down over 2 yards (and with a first down on a dodgy offsides call on 4th down), they controlled the ball for that entire time and ended up with a 23 yd FG to win the game and the East Division. This is the game BG focused on for its entire off-season regimen. How that works will be seen....
OU has the much tougher road. They played on a short week last week and then played Thursday and had a short week this week. They played at home last week and against this week, so that helps, but it still is tougher road than BG had.
The game is at OU, this is a big advantage to the Bobcats.
Essentially, OU is a team that is close to BG on defensive numbers but considerably better on offense. As with all of these games, BG's defense is going to have to play their best game of the season against the OU offense, and then the BG attack needs to find its legs and get enough points to win. I don't think BG can afford to get way behind, so the defense has to be going right from the beginning.
With all that, they have played some close games against some not-good teams, so you have to believe that it can be done.
This is a very difficult assignment, but also a great test to see where we are.
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