Falcon Football. The Beat Goes on.

A few things ended yesterday.

A 4-game winning streak over OU

A 17-game winning streak against the MAC East

Probably a three-year MAC East winning streak.

The only thing that isn't likely to end?  That streak with the Rockets.

BG is just a poor football team.  They lost 30-24 yesterday @OU...but a hail mary miracle made that look closer than it actually was.  The Bobcats were up two scores most of the second half...the stats ended up pretty even, but BG was beaten because of four turnovers and two times they got inside the 5 yard line and ended up with a total of 3 points.

I didn't see a great Bobcat team.  They don't have a great QB or a stellar offense and the defense is good but not great.  This is a team BG clobbered last year but this year they were clearly better than the Falcons.

OU did a nice job with BG's running game. They held Coppet--who had the bulk of the carries--to 3.5 yards per carry.  Josh Cleveland broke a long one, but in general they had control of the running game...and that was especially true inside the 5-yard line.  (Whatever happened to using Donovan Wilson down there?)

Morgan had the kind of day you might expect.  He completed 57% of his passes at 11.5 yards per completion.  However, he threw 3 picks.  He was also plagued by at least 2 drops on well-thrown balls and he was pressured and sacked 4 times.  I do think he's going to be good QB, and you can see where he can improve as he plays more.  The team definitely has a better chance to win with him in the game.

BG finished with 4.8 yards per play, which, despite what the announcer on ESPN said, is not good.  Even so, there were three possessions where BG lost the game on offense.

The first came after Brandon Harris intercepted a pass with BG down 23-7.  He returned it to the 6-yard line.   Moore wildcatted to the 1.  You just gotta score here.  A TD is a potential momentum changer.  Instead, Morgan fumbled the snap, and then BG threw an incomplete pass on third, doubting their ability (apparently) to move the OU defensive line.  Then, on 4th, they opted for a FG after going for it other times on 4th and I think OU has to feel like they dodged a bullet.

And, in fact, they marched down the field and scored a TD to make it 30-10 and essentially take control of the football game.

At 30-17, BG had another shot.  In the 4th now, BG started on their own 6 and drove to the OU 12.  They were pushed back by a holding call, and then got back to the 4 for a 4th down play.  Morgan tried to go to Redding again in the red zone, and OU defended and BG turned the ball over.

OU had success running the ball against BG.  They ran for 4.9 yards per carry as a team, and their top two backs had 5.2 and 6.4 yards per carry.  BG did a good job with Windham, who averaged only 4.8, but the price might have been paid with the yards by the RBs.

Windham was effective passing for what they asked him to do, with 20 of 27 but only 190 yards to show for it.  BG's defense got no sacks, even on a week where they were challenged to get pressure.  The problem for BG is that with our secondary, we can't afford to blitz much to get pressure and the line is unable to get it on their own.

So the season is half over.  BG is 1-5 with its two biggest defeats ever on its card.  They are 0-2 in the MAC and a bowl game is now virtually impossible.  In fact, Kent appears to be an improved team...there may only be 1 more win for us this year, and that will be in a cold, surely empty Doyt on the day after Thanksgiving against Buffalo.  Problem there is that they will come on the field thinking the same thing.  (Miami is improved but certainly winnable as well).