Sweet Victory #5: The Recap
Coach Babers said after the game when you play the way we play and you get all three phases going at the same time, it is a "volatile" combination.
On the surface, it sounds kind of obvious. Score 59 points, hold the other team to 10 and get 2 meaningful turnovers and make 3 big special teams plays, yeah you are going to be very difficult to beat. That's volatile.
There's something more to it though, based on what we saw. Akron has one of the better defenses in the MAC and the BG offense just demolished them. With that kind of point total getting racked up, Akron can't run anymore, which makes them one-dimensional and easier to defend and then when you are getting a blocked punt, a recovered kickoff and a huge kickoff return, that just makes the mountain even higher.
Akron was expected to challenge for the East title, they only lost to OU by 2 and BG completely wasted them Saturday. It was incredible and it needs to be recognized.
BG won the toss and deferred. Akron made one first down and went back to punt. BG established the tone of the game right then when true freshman
A minute and a half later, BG had scored and led 7-0. After an exchange of punts, Akron had the ball around midfield and they made that work, even though BG's defense forced to run 10 plays to get the 52 yards and the game was 7-7 with about 2 minutes left in the first.
BG then muffed the kickoff and started on their own 5. From there, it was the Falcon offense at it best, with Johnson hitting Lewis for 42 and Redding for 43 and BG was on the Akron 6 before the end of the quarter.
Wilson banged it home and BG was up 14-7. On the kickoff, Nick Fields--who has never kicked for us before--came in and chipped a high kick that landed untouched and bounced high and BG recovered on the 12. Next play was a TD and now with 13:48 left in the 2nd it as 21-7 and Akron already has to see difficulty...this is what coach was talking about--because they have to get two scores more than us to tie the game.
BG tried the chip kick again but Akron recovered. They went on a nice drive but never got into the red zone before BG's D got the stop and forced Robert Stein to hit a tough 46 yard FG to make it 21-10.
Akron kicked it to Scott Miller in the BG end zone and I fully admit I was screaming for him to down it. He didn't. Instead, he went 77 yards deep into Akron territory, showing what I know. BG failed to convert, stalling out on the 9 and then leaving Tate to kick a 32 yard FG following a delay of game...which he missed.
Akron took a holding penalty and punted, but it was a boomer and then BG had a penalty so the Falcons were back on the 11. No matter, BG went 89 yards in 2 minutes to make the game 28-10.
That was all the scoring for the first half. BG took the opening kickoff and went 71 yards in 8 plays to score. The scoring play was incredible. Johnson (who has added a nice hard count to his game) caught Akron offsides and had a free play. Ryan Burbrink was streaking to the end zone. He was covered, the guy was right there, and Johnson had a window approximately the size of a microwave oven to throw the ball into, which he did and BG was up 35-10.
At this point, the game was over. BG scored twice more in the 3rd quarter and on the first play of the 4th quarter to be up 56-10. I mean, think about this. BG was sitting there with a full quarter to play and 56 points on the board.
Let's not forget the defense. In the 3rd quarter, Akron made one first down--on a BG penalty--and the defense had a pick as well
Bowden said after the game that they just weren't good enough to win the game. BG dominated in all phases of the game...and this was a conference game, not an FCS game. (It was the biggest conference win since @EMU in the championship season).
Right now, BG is playing at a very high level. However you feel about how it got here, this team is right where Coach Babers said it would be.
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