25 Questions that Suck....

What is their body of work?

Their record is not great, but they are a lot better than that might appear.  They have lost to a healthy Florida team, a Missouri team that is now in the Top 5 and a very good Ball State team, all on the road.  I listened to the Missouri game on the way back from Kent and they were very competitive in that game.  They beat Navy in OT, as well as CMU and WMU.  This is a strong program that is good year after year and they are

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

24, which is a good number.  The offense is more experienced than the defense.

Who are their statistical leaders?

David Fluellen is #3 in the nation in rushing yards, #4 in yards per game, #6 in rushing touchdowns and #8 in all purpose yards.
Jayrone Elliott is #2 in the nation in forced fumbles with .57 per game.
Junior Sylvestre is #7 in fumbles recovered and #8 in total tackles.

What is their turnover ratio?

They are +8, third in the MAC.  They have 16 takeaways...BG had 8.

Offense:

How is their QB Play?

Owens is a good QB who is not having a great year.  He is #9 in yards per game passing and #10 in passing efficiency.  Still, he's a senior with a whole bunch of starts under his belt.

What is their scoring and yards per play?

They are scoring 30.9 points per game (about the same as BG and 4th in MAC) and 4th in yards per play at 6.2 yards per play.

Can they run the ball?

Yeah.  David Fluellen is one of the leading RBs in the nation.  Yes, he's injured but I would expect him to play Saturday.  Whether he is up for a lot of carries or at full strength is another issue.  Kareem Hunt is his backup and he's pretty good, too.  You don't rack up those numbers without a good line, which helps whoever is the RB.

Do they pass the ball?

As mentioned above, they are struggling here.  Owens is completing 60% and has 5 TDs over 6 INT.  He is getting 9.7 yards per completion, which is not great.  He has 2 really good WRs to throw the ball to as well.

How is their run/pass balance?

They run on 52% of their plays, which is a normal percentage.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

Not especially well at 38%.

Do they score in the red zone?

They are scoring just over 5 points per trip, which is very good.

Do they protect the quarterback?

Uh, yeah, about that.  They have given up only 3 sacks which is 1.3% of their passing attempts. This is something to watch for.  BG has struggled to pressure the QB.  If BG has to blitz, then they are going to have to get home because UT has skilled guys who are dangerous in space.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

They are 4th in the MAC in total defense and 6th in scoring defense.  That's 27.9 PPG and only 5.5 yards per play, which is actually better than BG's yards per play.

Do they defend the run effectively?

Actually, at 3.9 yards per carry they are tied for 2nd.  (BG allows 5).  And that's with a Navy game in there.

Can they be passed on?

Somewhat.  They are 6th in pass defense efficiency.  This is a key area for BG.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

OK.  Fifth in the MAC, 41%

Do they defend in the red zone?

They are terrible. 5.4 points per trip allowed.  (This and 3rd down account for how they are better in yardage defense than they are in scoring defense).

Do they pressure the QB?

They are 5th in the MAC with 18 sacks.  That's 8.4% of passing attempts and a very productive number.

Special Teams:

Punting?

They are 5th in the MAC in net punting with only one touchback and 15 inside the 20.

Punt Return?

Reedy does their PR.  He has one for 33 and six for 34 more.

Placekicking?

Dude is ridiculous.  12 of 13 this year and 5-5 over 40.

Kickoff?

See above.  27 touchbacks in 43 kicks.  Average starting point is the 25.

Kickoff Return?

OK.  They start on their own 25.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

UT has won the last 3 games in the series and the last one at the Doyt.  They have clearly been the stronger program while BG was rebuilding.  Meanwhile, this is the first rivalry game for BG when they have been back at a competitive level.

The team's strengths clash.  UT's offense against BG's defense.  That will be the battle to watch.  Note the importance of BG getting some kind of pressure on Owens.

At the same time, on offense BG has to establish the run.  That's going to start up front.  With a decent running game, they will also need to protect Johnson so he can get the ball moving in the air.  BG simply can't leave UT's offense on the field all afternoon.

Couple other notes.  Could be very windy based on the forecast, and that will put a premium on being able to move the ball on the ground.