25 questions that RACE!

What is their body of work?

They are 2-1 so far this year.  They were up 14-13 @Missouri after one quarter but lost 58-14.  They than smoked NAIA Campbellsville 83-14 in a game that last only 51 minutes.  And, they pulled out a last second victory at home over Missouri State (0-3, close game with Iowa).  So, given that, it is not easy to say.  They were picked for an average finish in their conference, they added a QB after that voting was done.  Here's a stat for you: coming into the season, OVC teams were 19-159-1 against the FBS.

They didn't mean this kind of racer.

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

29, which is a huge number, although many of them are JUCO players who don't have 3-4 years of collegiate experience.

Who are their statistical leaders?

The guy to watch here is Walter Powell.  He is #16 in FCS in punt returns and #18 in receptions.  Clawson says he is an NFL-quality player and many authorities rank him as among the best players in FCS.

What is their turnover ratio?

Note:  I am doing what I can to exclude the Campbellville game, which is very distorting.  In fact, the Missouri State game is probably the best available comparison.  They are even so far this year in their DI games.

Offense:

How is their QB Play?

Miller is a really good QB.  An Ole Miss transfer, he did not have a great passing game against Missouri but he was awesome at 24-33, 272 yards, 5 TD and 2 INT.  He is a dual threat QB, ran for 73 against Missouri though not much against Missouri State.

What was their scoring and yards per play?

This is a team with a potent and fast paced offense.  They ran 55 plays against Missouri State with only 18 minutes TOP.  That's one play every 19.6 seconds and 6.6 yards per play.  Against Missouri, they had 3.96 yards per play.

Who is this handsome fellow?
Mercury Astronaut Gordon Cooper!
Grew up in Murray, did not attend
Murray State.

Can they run the ball?

They had 4.2 yards per carry against Missouri State and only 3.4 yards per carry against Missouri.  You'd like to think BG can stop the run.

Do they pass the ball?

Well, as mentioned, they had a huge game last week with eye popping numbers and don't forget about Walter Powell.  Three of the 5 TDs against Missouri State were over 37 yards, so there is big play potential.

How is their run/pass balance?

They ran on 40% of their plays against Missouri State in a close game, so presumably they are comfortable in that range.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

Not good, 11 of 30 against The Two Missouris.  They are 5-6 on 4th down.

Do they score in the red zone?

Uh...yeah, about this.  They have 11 red zone trips and 11 TOUCHDOWNS...7-7 in D1 games.

Do they protect the quarterback?

They are pretty good, with 4 sacks allowed in 115 attempts for the season as a whole.  That could be partly a function of play selection.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

So, based on the Falcon Fodder interview with the Murray State beat writer, defense game Murray State a not-so-fresh feeling last year.  As I noted yesterday, they have flooded the zone with JUCO and D1 transfers.  How is it working?  They gave up 58 to Missouri (which is one thing) but 38 to Missouri State (which is another).

Do they defend the run effectively?

They allowed 5.4 yards per rush against Missouri State and we're set for a good day if BG is getting more than that.

Murray's only 2-star restaurant.

Can they be passed on?

Missouri passed on them effectively and Missouri State had 20-31 but gave up only 212 yards.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

This is not a strength.  Their opponents are 22 of 35.

Do they defend in the red zone?

Not good...16 opponent trips with 11 TDs and 1 FG, 5 points per trip.

Do they pressure the QB?

They have 9 sacks, and one guy (Chavez Sims has 5 on his own, which is #4 in FCS).

Look, if Missouri State can get 38 on these guys we should be able to score.

Special Teams:

Murray, KY, is named for John Murray, a one-term
Congressman. This is not a picture of him.

Punting?

At 38.8, this is not great.  However, he is 6 of 7 inside the 20 and has no blocks.

Punt Return?

Powell is always a threat, but he has a long of 16 so far.

Placekicking?

Hard to say.  Missed his ONLY attempt of 39 yards.  Last year, he was very good at 11-14 and 11-13 under 40.

Kickoff?

Very strong.  Teams are starting at the 20 on average.  5 touchbacks.

Kickoff Return?

This is incredible.  As a team, they are averaging 37 yards per return.  Powell averages 42 with a TD.  On average, they start on their 31.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

I would not want to play a decent team after what happened last week.  Yes, MAC teams have been struggling against FCS teams and I don't think this is going to be like the Rhode Island or Morgan State game, but I think BG should win this game and I hope that it at least has a reasonable spread.  As noted yesterday, we have injury issues, so this would be a great week to get things done.