25 questions that flounder!

What is their body of work?

Well, I wouldn't think things are especially good down there.  They have kind of a habit of going south in the late season and things are rough right now.  They always seem to be incredibly banged up when November comes around, and that was true heading into their last game as well.  After a 5-1 start, they have lost their last two games 90-31, including getting smoked at Buffalo.  Solich says they are "floundering."


How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

25, which is pretty normal.

Who are their statistical leaders?

7th - Fumbles Recovered - Nate Carpenter
16th - Passes Defended - Ian Wells

What is their turnover ratio?

In MAC play they are -1.

Offense:

 How is their QB play?

I think Derrius Vick has largely been a disappointment.  He's 10th in the MAC in passing efficiency (all stats from here on down are MAC Only unless noted) with 61% completions but at a safe 10 yards per completion.  He has 4 INT and 3 TD.  He was also supposed to be a dual threat guy but his long run is 17 yards.

What is their scoring and yards per play?

They are 10th in the MAC in scoring offense and tied for 10th in yards per play.

Can they run the ball?

They are last in the MAC in rushing offense with only 2.6 yards per carry

Do they pass the ball?

They are 10th in pass efficiency, see Vick comment above.  However, they are 5th in passing yards per game.

How was their run/pass balance?

They have run on only 45% of their plays, which seems pretty low for a Solich team.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

They are pretty good here, 5th in MAC at 43%

Do they score in the red zone?

They are terrible in the red zone.  In 14 attempts, they have 6 non scoring trips.  They average 3.7 points per trip, which is the lowest I recall seeing.

Do they protect the quarterback?

They have given up 10 sacks but given the sack numbers, that's not too bad.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

Solich clubs have always been defensively minded.  They have floundering here as well.  They are 10th in scoring defense and tied for 8th in yards per play allowed.

Do they defend the run effectively?

No.  They are 12th in yards per carry allowed at 5.6.

Can they be passed on?

This is a stronger area and will be the main focus of the battle.  They are 2nd in pass defense efficiency.  They allow only 54% completions, and give up 12 yards per completion.  They hvae not been passed on very much, possibly because they can be run on.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

Yes, they are third in the MAC with 35%.

Do they defend in the red zone?

Actually, they are really good.  They allow only 4 points per trip.  They have forced 8 FG attempts in 14 opponent trips.

Do they pressure the QB?

They have only six sacks in 4 MAC games.

Special Teams:

Punting?

They are 8th in net punting.  They are very difficult to get returns against, in fact, one of the 10 top teams in the country on that measure.

Punt Return?

They have 5 PRs for 36 yards, which is pretty typical these days.

Placekicking?

He's pretty good.  He is 5 of 7 overall and 3 out of 4 outside 40.  Long of 50. (All games)

Kickoff?

Teams start on the 27 which is typical.

Kickoff Return?

They start on the 26, with no TDs.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

Well, the first is what kind of crowd will we have.  Weather won't be an issue and it would be great to get a good crowd for this key game.  With a win, BG all but sews up the MAC East again.

Ohio's profile is very similar to Akron and Kent.  Pretty good on defense, especially pass defense, but weak on offense without great QB play.  Obviously, we know what happened in those games.

Also, OU is playing very poorly right now...or at least in the last two games.  I think they are better than they are playing--which they showed earlier in the year, when they looked like a contender.  I don't know what to think about which OU team we will see.  BG absolutely should win this game based on everything, but it falls into the category where we can't take it for granted.