There was no talk of vindication. Or turning points. Or even turning the corner. Or being close. Being in dogfights. Etc.
Because the fact is that BG has played progressively worse in its two games since the UT game, which was, we can safely say, a blip and not a turning point.
BG is now 1-8 with no FBS wins and a legit shot at finishing with none as well. This team is who its record says it is, which is a very poor football team, one of the worst in the FBS and having one of the worst seasons in program history.
There isn't a lot of analysis to be done. On a weekday night in Dekalb, with an announced crowd of less than 5,000 people...an odd game with no crowd noise...BG was beaten handily (45-20) by a 2-6 (now 3-6) team, allowing us to dispense with the argument that the early season woes were the result of playing the unstoppable Memphis Tigers and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. We can't beat anybody.
The offense. How does 4 yards per play grab you? BG's running game was the one thing that came back intact (RB and o-line), and, yes, Beggan is injured, but BG lost another round of battles in the run game, with 2.6 yards per rush. On the passing side, Morgan completed only 51% of his passes and only 10.6 yards per completion...MAC averages this year are 59% and 12.5. Also, 1 INT and sacked 3 times and fumbled once, though it got out of bounds. Finally, BG was 3 of 14 on 3rd down.
On the defensive side, NIU had 29 first downs and 6 yards per play, which is actually just above the MAC average for the year. They ran the ball very effectively, which is how they roll, with 5.8 yards per run. They executed their high percentage, lower yard game plan by completing 67% of their passes for 9.2 yards per completion. They were 9 of 15 on 3rd down and had 6 touchdowns in 6 red zone trips.
On the special teams side, BG had a disastrous fake punt that handed NIU a TD and then a 49-yard FG attempt that failed to clear the line of scrimmage. (Coach said after the game that we had been making them from that distance in warmups. Announcers do this all the time, but coaches shouldn't. They make them in warmups because they don't have to clear the lineman with a long kick, which is going to be lower). And a blocked extra point.
Anyway, it was another poor performance. If the goal was to create a situation where there is nowhere to go but up, it would be the one thing we've succeeded at.
I've got nothing. I watched a little last night in hopes of seeing progress yet it's as if I watch to find they have figured out something different that's stupid. It's almost like many of them are just beginners in playing football. Can't believe the elementary mistakes, and new ones each game, they make. I've got nothing.
ReplyDeleteI long ago stopped watching mid-week games after getting rid of cable TV nearly four years ago now. The slim crowd isn’t shocking with the World Series having been played at the same time and involving a regional team of interest to fans of both schools.
ReplyDeleteNIU was built on a better and more sustainable foundation than what Babers shifted BGSU too. That great experiment has failed, even if it managed to beat a crippled NIU for a title last year. We would have been better off with Clawson II than Babers. Jinks has the opportunity to turn away from what Babers did and I think he knows that. The question is if he can be the one to build in the same way, only quicker, than Clawson did.
For all the benefit of the doubt I want to give Jinks, it is difficult not to consider that a percentage of this collapse is due to the new staff. Time will tell. I still don’t feel like either Jinks (out of professional decorum,) or people at BGSU are being full or accurate in speaking to what we really were left with from Babers.
Yeah, you can't argue that NIU was built better. They have won six straight West titles under three coaches. When people say "what do you want?" I want what they have or had.
ReplyDeleteAs to your other point, I don't think it was all coaching, but the completely untested and untrained coaching staff played a role. The "new" thing isn't an excuse, I'm sure we could have found a seasoned coach who would have brought it seasoned assistants.
Fact: the players huddled around the the linebackers coach and the defensive coordinator and waited for them to draw a play on the white board. Neither of them could come up with a play. The players are beyond frustrated with the inexperience of these coaches. They have ruined great players recruited by Elko. I will forever wonder what this team could have looked like under different coaching!
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