25 Questions that Go Here, Kitty Kitty Kitty.

What is their body of work?

They are 3-3, with wins over Kent, Idaho and Eastern Illinois, so no real strong wins there.  Losses were to Kentucky, WMU and CMU.  This team has a lot of injuries but is usually pretty good and probably views this season as being off to a relatively slow start.

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

They are pretty young, with only 20 upper class men on the two deep.

Who are their returning statistical leaders?

No players in the top 20 in any category.

What is their turnover ratio?

They are -5 so far this year, which is in a 3-way tie for 10th in the MAC.

Offense:

How is their QB play?

It is a struggle.  Derius Vick, their starter, is injured and out for Saturday.  His replacement is JD Sprague, who has really struggled.  Admittedly, they run the ball.  He has thrown only 19 passes per game, but completed 49% with 2 INT and 1 TD.  He is a dual threat QB who will make his 3rd career start agaisnt BG.

What is their scoring and yards per play?

They are 11th in the MAC in scoring at 19 PPG, however they are tied for 6th at 5.6 yards per play.  I believe the turnovers are playing a role in that.

Can they run the ball?

They are 5th in the MAC with 4.6 yards per carry.  AJ Ouellette--a walk on--has been very effective at 5.9 yards per carry.  He has been injured but Frank says he is "ready."

Do they pass the ball?

They are 10th in the MAC in passing efficiency and just Sprague alone would make them 12th.

How is their run/pass balance?

They run the ball 57% of the time, which in today's game is a strong commitment to the run.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

They are in the middle of the MAC at 38%.

Do they score in the red zone?

They have 3 red zone trips per game at 4.9 points per trip, both of which are average numbers.

Do they protect the quarterback?

They have given up 6 sacks so far, which is 3.5% of their passing attempts, which is good.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

They have had really good defensive numbers for the year but they are also really banged up on the defensive side of the ball.  The are 4th in the MAC in points allowed and 5th in yards per play allowed.

Do they defend the run effectively?

They are 4th in the MAC, allowing only 4.2 yards per carry.

Can they be passed on?

Well, they are better than Buffalo.  They are 7th in the MAC in pass efficiency defense, allowing 63% completions, 12 TDs and 4 INT and almost 12 yards per completion.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

No.  They do not.  They are dead last in the MAC and 123rd in FBS at 52%.

Do they defend in the red zone?

They are really good in the red zone, with 4.2 points per trip.

Do they pressure the QB?

They are 2nd in the MAC with 14 sacks, but that's against high attempts and is 5.6% of passing attempts, which is actually below average.

Special Teams:

Punting?

Very good, second in the MAC, net over 40.  Guy has 0 touchbacks, 8 over 50 and 9 inside the 20 in 30 attempts.  He has not been blocked.

Punt Return?

When he gets the chance, Daz Patterson is good, with 17 yards per return.  He only has 3 returns.

Placekicking?

Yazdani is very good.  He is 8 of 11 with 3-5 over 40 and a long of 46.

Kickoff?

They are pretty good, teams are starting on the 25.

Kickoff Return?

They start on the 26, which also isn't great.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

It is Homecoming in Athens, which should help the Bobcats with game atmosphere.  Beyond that, the pressure is on OU.  They have 1 MAC loss already and to hit 2 this early in the conference season would probably mean they would have to run the table to have a shot, so the pressure is on them.  Neither BG nor OU is healthy right now--in fact, BG might possibly be healthier and both are without their QB1.  I think this game is pretty much a toss up.  Will BG's play in tight games help them if this one is tight?