Proud to be a Falcon Part II: Kent's 4 big plays

Looking back at yesterday's game, here is what I saw...Kent State made a number of big plays during the game...four, by my count...and three of those times BG showed great perseverance in striking right back and keeping the game close.  I will look later at the offense and defense specifically in another post, but the flow of the game deserves to be looked at, because it was just great.

Play number one was the first quarter fake punt.  Over the course of the past week, we as Falcon fans have been recounting the big games at the Doyt and you can't do that without talking about the F*t P*un*r game against CMU...well, watching Kent's punter rumble for 31 yards and have a chance to score gave me a very unwelcome flashback to that day in 1994.  It was a great play call, we were clearly not minding our business and in a game where we really didn't want to be behind, it could have been a big play.

Kent drove to the BG 23, but from there BG stiffened, stopping a run for 2 yards, getting an incomplete pass and then monster blitzing Keith for a 16 yard loss that left Kent out of field goal range and without points from their fake punt.

BG did turn the ball over deep in its territory on the next possession but the defense held on a 3-1 and Kent only got a FG, so even if you want to argue that this was an extension of the field position gained by the fake punt, it now counts as two big plays for Kent and all they got was a FG.

The second big play was Dri Archer going 79 yards on the second play of Kent's next possession.  

At this point, down 10-0 with 8 minutes left in the first half, we are in real trouble, especially with the issues we have had passing the ball.  Everyone wondered if it would be there if we needed it.  We absolutely didn't want to play from behind in this game.

Which is why it was so critical that BG respond on its first play from scrimmage with a 72 yard touch down pass to Chris Gallon, making the score 10-7.

BG got a fumble which led to a red zone FG to tie the game.

The third big play came early in the 4th with the game tied at 17.  Dri Archer again, this time for 74 yards in a highlight reel run that was among the best runs I have ever seen watching MAC football.

Now, at 24-17 early in the 4th, BG again is in deep trouble.  Not only is the score in the wrong direction, but momentum could have been a disaster.

Instead, it was Schilz to Gallon with an 81 yard play on the first play from scrimmage, and BG had responded once again and tied the game.

The fourth and final play--and the one we eventually did not respond to--was the interception on our 20 with 10 minutes left.  Kent had a lot of pressure and they have to know Schilz gets a lot of passes blocked, and they deflected a pass and came down with the ball and converted that into a touchdown to take a 31-24 lead...which, of course, is how the game ended.

It was not for lack of trying.  BG took the ball on its own 25 and drove to the Kent 25 with 5 successful plays out of 6. Then Schilz was sacked on a missed offsides call and it was 2nd and 17.  Schilz and Bayer got 15 back on the next play, but two cracks to get the 2 yards didn't make it, including a 4th down pass where Schilz was pressured.

The defense responded and got a 3 and out.  BG again had the ball with 2:33 left at its own 25.  BG had played fast paced on the previous drive and did it again on this drive.  All of a sudden, here's Shaun Jopin, making leaping catches in traffic to move the drive forward.  BG got all the way to the Kent 14 before a botched WR screen to Gallon on 2nd down cost them 3 yards, Schilz overthrew an open Alex Bayer on the goal line on 3rd down and then on 4th down he was under a lot of pressure and he had to heave the ball into the end zone and it was intercepted.

It was a thrilling finish, if not the one we wanted.  Our Falcons showed tremendous resilience, trading punches with this Kent team for the entire afternoon.  In the end, that turnover deep in our territory in the 4th quarter was the only one we couldn't respond to.