Proud to be a Falcon

There will be lots more to say, but a few things here in the first moments after the very tough defeat today at the Doyt.

First, while I wish our team won, it is impossible not to feel good for Kent.  It has been 40 years since they have been any good, really.  They had great fan support today and you certainly have to feel good for them.  It is a great story and I congratulate them.

Second, Dri Archer is the real deal.  He's just unbelievable.  He is a game changing player unlike we have seen.  I will never understand how it was that he didn't get more than 140 two years ago last year, but he's a pro player.

Third, however, I am very proud of the effort our guys gave.  It was a first class football game...as good a game I have seen in person in years, and I was at the Michigan-Northwestern game last week.  We went toe to toe with Kent for the whole game, and in the end we were one play short, but we played very hard and effectively against a good team that was, really, two plays better today.

Fourth, I believe our program is headed in the right direction. This is still a young team and I believe we have layers of talent in the classes.  I am optimistic for our future.  This has been a very good season for us, and I have enjoyed it a lot.

Fifth, for all the criticism of our passing game, Matt Schilz and Chris Gallon really performed today when the running game was bottled up.  They both deserve a lot of credit for how they played today and Shaun Joplin had some huge catches in the 4th quarter (and a nice TD catch).  What Kent gave us was the passing game, and they performed within one play of being good enough to win.

We will have much more to say.  No, this wasn't the year to win the MAC Championship, but two years ago we were 2-10 and this year we have a shot at 8-4 and be in a bowl game.  For the first time in years, we actually believe we can get a stop when we need it.

Yeah, I'm disappointed that we didn't finish those last two drives.  But I'm proud of the season we have had (which is not over) and I'm excited about where our program has gotten.