So Much for "Parity"

So much for the parity we'd find when we got into MAC play.  It was clear from the outset that, as noted in the preview here, this was not going to be a clash of titans.

BG played a badly flawed game against a badly flawed team and ended up with a two-score defeat at home, falling to 0-5 for the first time in 29 years.  This was an Akron team playing without their starting RB, who was injured early...and yet they still were able to get the win.

There will be more to come tomorrow.

For now, just a couple thoughts. 

First, clearly the biggest play was the pick 6.  BG had some momentum and had a shot to put a drive together and win the game, and instead threw an easy pick-6 that put the game away for the Zips.

After the game, Coach was VERY terse when asked about it.  This is unusual for him, but he was terse.

When asked what play was called, he said "a run."  Morgan checked out to a pass at the best Zip CB.  Even some time later, Jinks was highly irritated at the call his QB made.

Oh, and why was Morgan in the game?  Well, Doege started and got injured on a throwback pass from Wilcox to Doege.  He returned just for one more series and then was out for the remainder of the game.  Coach didn't know the status of the injury, but said that he didn't think it was season-ending.

Which is good to know.  If it was, however, Doege could get his redshirt back.

BG actually outgained Akron, but made too many turnovers and penalties to beat the Zips, who made their share of mistakes, but in the end made fewer.

BG is now 0-5 and 0-1.  For the entire Jinks Era, BG is now 4-13 and 3-6.  Three very tough games are coming up next.  This is shaping up very badly for the 2017 season.

The usual concerns exist.  We have yet to see any evidence that this coaching staff can win at the college level.  There is, first of all, the fact that they aren't winning, but then the team just doesn't seem to be making any progress. I mean, yeah, we haven't had anyone hang 70 on us, but I'm not sure we're any better and we might be worse, which is the opposite direction of where we wanted to go.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but you can say Morgan made a bad audible call, but who's been coaching him on audibles? This is the second year in the system, why isn't that ironed out.

Also, why is he audibling at all?  Why didn't we call timeout when he started to audible?  Sooner or later, these things are not just poor execution, but begin to reflect on the people in charge of the program.

I'm not saying we should give up on Jinks.  Mostly because we don't have much choice.  But given what we have seen so far, we are operating solely on blind faith and evidence to the contrary is continuing to pile up.

25 Marsupial Questions

What is their body of work?

It isn't great.  They have a coach who has literally never failed to succeed, and he has just been average while he has been in Akron.  He has only had one winning season at Akron and they are 1-3 this year.  Even with as low a bar as bowl eligibility is, they have only played in 2 bowl games in the last 12 seasons, though one of those came in a year where they won the conference title.

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

They have 36.  This is a very high number, which happens when you have as many transfers as they have.  They have 12 players on the roster who have played at another D1 school.

Who are their statistical leaders?

They have no one in the top 20 in any statistical category.

What is their turnover ratio?

They are -1 this year.

Offense:

How is their QB play expected to be?

He's OK.  It is Thomas Woodson.  Experienced starter.  Phil Steele/s #4 MAC QB.  However, only a 58% completion, 4/4 ratio and 10.3 per completion.  He's not great but much like our players, I am sure he is looking forward to conference play.  His QBR is 113, while Morgan's is 94, for comparison.

What is their scoring and yards per play?

They are struggling on offense, scoring just over 20 points per game, which is 109th in the nation and that includes an FBS game where they scored 52.  They average 4.79 yards per play, which is 113th.  BG averages 4.78.

Can they run the ball?

They are OK.  Their leading Rb is Warren Ball, an OSU transfer, and he averages 4.5 yards per carry, which is OK but nothing to write home about.  MTSU's backs were struggling coming into the BG game as well, so I'm sure Ball has his eyes on that.

Do they pass the ball?

As mentioned, their passing has been OK to less than OK.  They have a big play WR (Kwadarrius Smith) who is a transfer from Missouri.

How was their run/pass balance?

They have run the ball on 46% of their plays, which is a little run heavy in today's game.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

They are good on 3rd down at 48%.  Bowling Green's defense is last in the country on 3rd down.

Do they score in the red zone?

4.8 points per trip is about average.

Do they protect the quarterback?

It is average.  They have given up sacks on 6.7% of their pass plays.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

They allow 29 per game, which is not great and includes a game where they allowed 3 points in FCS play.  They allow 6.6 yards per play, which is rough at 119th in the nation.  BG's defense allows 6.9 yards per play (123rd).

Do they defend the run effectively?

No.  They allow 4.9 yards per rush, which is 108th in the nation.  BG allows 5.3.

Can they be passed on?

They are better in this area, but not great.  They are 106th in pass efficiency defense.  They allow 66% completions, 12 yards per catch and a 5/3 ratio.  (BG is 121st)

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

As noted above, their yards per play is much worse than their points per game.  When that happens, teams usually make up the difference on 3rd down or in the redzone.  They are #31 in the country on 3rd down.

Do they defend in the red zone?

It isn't here, with 5.1 points per trip.

Did they pressure the QB?

No.  They get sacks on 4.4% of their pass attempts.

Special Teams:

Punting?

They are poor.  #121 in the nation in net punting.  The initial punt isn't bad, but they have allowed ten returns for 157 yards.

Punt Return?

They've only returned 2 this year.

Placekicking?

He's only 2 of 3 for the year with a long of 34 and the miss was inside 40.  He's good though, 3rd team all-MAC last year.

Kickoff?

They are good.  Average start on the 22.

Kickoff Return?

Not good...they start on their 23.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

Look, if you peruse this preview you are going to get the correct idea that this game is far from a clash of titans.  You have two very flawed football teams looking to demonstrate in conference play that things are not as bad as they look.  Neither team has an FBS win and one of them has an FCS loss.

Akron is a 2-point favorite on our field.  Coach has put a lot on the return to "parity" in the MAC and ticked off the games BG almost won last year.  Well, BG did beat Akron in Akron and to go to 0-5 with home losses to SD and Akron is just going to make the situation worse for him among the fan base.

Lots of things need to get fixed.  BG needs improved offense and needs to play significantly better on defense.  I think Akron is correctly a slight favorite and will be delightfully surprised if BG picks the win up.

Must Read: Briggs Column In The Blade

I commend every word of this column by David Briggs to you.  It is a succinct and fair portrayal of where our football program is.

Injury/Depth Chart Update

Just a couple of things here.  First, as Coach mentioned, BG is relatively healthy entering conference play.

#BGSU football: Injury report from #Falcons practice ... Cameron Jefferies wearing a boot because of ankle injury. He is listed as doubtful

— John Wagner (@jwagnerblade) September 27, 2017

Having said that, the above injury is not good, coming as it does at a position where BG is already swimming up stream. 

The other note is on the depth chart, which is usually pretty static.  It shows Posey at #1 at OLB with Ballew his backup.  Aaron Banks, the starter at the beginning of the year, is not on the injury report and now is not on the depth chart.

Jinks Presser: Parity, sweet parity

Coach Jinks had a relatively interesting presser today.  There were certainly some things to talk about.

First, on the QB.  Doege will start against Akron, no surprise there.  Coach liked the way he extended plays with his mobility and that his progression through his reads was very good.  He made mistakes...not being under center enough and improper depth on his shotgun snaps.  But he can clean those things up.  At one point he was 20-27 and he was doing it with essentially no running game.

Speaking of which.  Big issues with the o-line.  We have a lack of quality depth at o line.  If there was a Doege-like FR on the o line, they would be putting him into the game.  My point here--that's not a good sign.  We don't have anyone better now.  One guy is Caleb Bright, who needs to get in.  He struggled earlier but so have the guys who took his place.  Coach said Ryan Hunter has a high skill set but has struggled making the transition to LT.

Also, we are losing too many 1-1 on both side of the ball on the outside--WR and CB.  Also not a good thing.  Especially disappointing at WR.  CB it could have been expected.

He also said that we don't have the corners to play press man coverage, which leaves us with two options....play off and let a QB get into a rhythm with completed passes, or play up and give up a big play.  He called it "robbing Peter to pay Paul."  This is made worse by the "look" system where the plays come from the press box and matchups can be exploited, like on MTSU's long pass to the RB.

In that respect, he's clearly looking forward to MAC play.  Mentioned that a few times.  That's because of parity.  Don't you know?

He agreed that we need to get some wins to help recruiting and to keep the momentum going on re-stocking the roster.

He reiterated that we're close with a long litany of last year's almost-won MAC games and by citing our turnover margin and special teams play.

Which is all well and good.  (Me now).  We might be the only 0-4 team in the country with a positive turnover rate.  and yes, the special teams are good.  On the other hand, you have said that your Oline is about as good as it is likely to get, you have coverage issues at CB and your WRs aren't doing what you expected.  Not sure how close that sounds, though parity is coming.

We are relatively healthy.

Past and Future Opponent Land

Michigan State (2-1) Demolished by Notre Dame
South Dakota (3-0) Idle.  #14 in the country.
Northwestern (2-1) Idle
Akron (1-3) Lost 22-17 @Troy
Miami (2-2)  Won 31-14 @CMU.  They could be serious.
OU (3-1) Beat EMU in OT in YPSI.
NIU (2-1) Week off
Kent  (1-3) Lost 42-3 to Louisville
UB (2-2) Beat Florida Atlantic 34-31 in Buffalo.
UT  (3-1) Lost @University of Miami.
EMU (2-1) Lost in OT at home to OU.

MAC Vs.

FBS:  10-21
P5:  4-14
FCS:  10-1

Falcons 0-4 for first time since 2000 (The Defense)

This game was an excellent opportunity for BG to show some defensive progress.  The Falcons were not playing a hyper-powered FCS offense or a Big Ten team.  This was a non-P5 team without its QB, WR and best lineman.  BG's defense is healthy.  You'd expect to represent.

And that didn't happen.  BG gave up 7 yards per play and 9.1 yards per passing attempt.  The Blue Raiders, who had struggled to run the ball all year, got better against BG with 5.7 yards per attempt.  For a few games we had thought that all we needed was the offense to come through, but in this one, the defense struggled in equal measures.

Coach said that we have to put our defensive players in positions where they can succeed.  This is the same thing that Coach said last year after the non-conference season and something that we were told would be fixed by the extended evaluation period this year...but has instead fallen into the Groundhog Day nature of Falcon football right now.

Among the issues is that BG is not tackling in space.  BG is rotating a lot of guys in to try and get that fixed, but for now it is a problem.  We have one CB who is really struggling, but the team is having problems.

On the bright side, BG did have two positive developments.  First, BG did create turnovers.  There were three...one on special teams and two on defense.  It is a testament to how flawed this team is that you can be +3 in turnovers and lose 24-13.

The other positive development was that the defense held MTSU to only 3 points in the second half, which is certainly an improvement.  BG forced four punts in the second half and did get better results.

The Falcons really struggled on 3rd down, allowing 8-12 conversions.

I'm not trying to imply that MTSU didn't have offensive weapons, even with the injuries.  But they ran the ball and passed it effectively against BG, especially in the first half.  We'll hope that things get a little better against the Zips...BG will play the first half without Shannon Smith, who was ejected for targeting.

Yes, BG had  tough non-conference schedule.  I expected them to be 1-3 and they are 0-4.  We are built to compete in conference play, so let's see if things improve in the MAC.

Falcons 0-4 for first time since 2000 (The Offense)

For the first time since 2000, the last horror year of the Blackney regime, BG has started a year 0-4.  In 2000, the 4th loss was the infamous Buffalo game that resulted in Blackney announcing he would leave at the end of the season.

Last night's loss contained few redeeming features, similar to previous losses.  Yes, this one was closer, but this was also a team playing without its three best offensive players.  MTSU pretty much had its way with the BG defense (especially in the first half) and the BG offensive line.  Along the way, BG learned that its issues go way deeper than QB.

We should start with that.  Jarrett Doege had a nice game, particularly for a true freshman.  He completed 60% of his passes, had 283 yards on only 21 completions, a big play to Scotty Miller.  No picks.  He's more mobile, got rid of the ball quicker most of the time, though not all of the time.  He certainly was an improvement at the position and I'd expect him to start next week for sure.

And yet....BG had only 4.4 yards per play, scored only one touchdown and had another nightmare day in the red zone.  Yes, Morgan was struggling.  Yes, the problems are deeper than that on offense.

Bad snaps were a huge issue.  You see this sometimes when there's a new QB, though this was on the bad end of the range.  McAuliffe (the C) is one of our better players, so I'm going to assume it is just a matter of getting used to each other, especially on the 4th down play in the 2nd Quarter when BG had a chance to get it to 21-17 at halftime and ended up with a bad snap and getting nothing.

So, that's one thing.  The second is the offensive line.  BG is really struggling up front.  Coach called is "worrisome" after the game.  And it is.

For a team that had a "running identity" after three winning games last year, the Falcons just cannot run the ball effectively.  Yes, BG had 1 yard rushing on 29 attempts...and yes, that includes sacks and bad snaps.  However, Josh Cleveland rushed for 3.2 yards per carry.  No other back had more than two carries, but Domer and Wilson and Clair were similarly ineffective.

BG just can't get a running game going, regardless of which back has the ball, and it would appear that is falling on the offensive line.

The same issues are being exposed in pass protection.  BG couldn't handle the stunts from the MTSU line, something that is now an unaddressed, multi-week problem.  Doege was under constant pressure, often with only 3 or 4 people rushing.  He was sacked three times, MTSU had four hurries and there were other times Doege had to throw it away or run for a short gain.

Coach said after the game that we had to be in "90 protection" in order to keep the QB safe.  90 is a max protect scheme with limited WRs in routes.  Coach says that isn't how we play, and it isn't.  We expect to have multiple guys out there with spread reads.

The line did lose starters from last year, but I surely don't see the line getting any better.  We will find out once conference play starts, but for now I think this is an area that is indeed "worrisome."  Among the things to worry about is whether our offensive line coach, who had never held this responsibility anywhere, is over his head or not in trying to make adjustments, Either way, it is on Jinks, but we wanted incremental improvement this year and we are not getting it.

Doege can be better.  But if we can run the ball or protect him, it frankly doesn't matter who we play at QB.

25 Questions from the Middle

What is their body of work?

The Blue Raiders have experienced modest success over the past five years.  They have won 8 games in 3 of those 5 years and never won fewer than six and played in 3 bowl games.  This year they are 1-2, with losses at home to Vanderbilt and @Minnesota, with injury issues in the second game.  They beat Syracuse 30-23 in the Carrier Dome.

Last year they beat BG 41-21 in the Deluge at the Doyt.  BG turned the ball over 4 times and lost despite have only 3 yards fewer than MTSU.

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

They have 25.  This is a young team.  A lot of sophomores are in the rotation.

Who are their statistical leaders?

They have no one in the top 20 in any statistical category.

What is their turnover ratio?

They are +1 this year.

Offense:

How is their QB play expected to be?

This is an open question.  If Stockstill plays and is healthy, he's a really good QB.  His backup is just not as good, which is expected.  Hard to lose a guy like that and have someone just as good in the wings.

What is their scoring and yards per play?

Last year, this was a big offense, the #12 scoring offense in the nation.  However, this year they have been held in single digits twice...once in the Minnesota game, but also against Vanderbilt in the opener.  For this year, they are scoring 13 PPG and 4.4 yards per play, both of which are poor.

Can they run the ball?

They are struggling to run the ball.  This is a big fall-off.  Last year they had the 2nd best runner in their conference, but he graduated and a true SO (Ty Lee) is getting most of their carries and averaging 2.2 yards per carry.  And he's a converted WR...in fact, was one of the top FR WR in the country last year.

Do they pass the ball?

They have.  Frankly, even when Stockstill has been in they have struggled.  His QBR of 127 would be right in the middle of the FBS.  His first two years it was over 150.  He's completing less than 60% with 4 TDs and 2 INT.  Also, Richie James, their star WR is injured, but has been less effective this season.  And they probably miss Ty Lee.

How was their run/pass balance?

Eesh.  Sack adjusted they run the ball on 37% of their plays.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

Not so far.  They are last in FBS at 16%.

Do they score in the red zone?

Negative.  They have only been in the redzone 4 times in three games and have 2 TDs to show for it.

Do they protect the quarterback?

It is average.  They have given up sacks on 6% of their pass plays.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

They give up 4.6 yards per play, yet allow 28 points per game.

Do they defend the run effectively?

They are effective against the run, allowing only 3.2 yards per carry.

Can they be passed on?

They are a good pass defense.  Not great.  They allow 64% completions but only 10 yards per catch and only 3 TDs over 1 INT.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

They are right on the average at 39%.

Do they defend in the red zone?

They are pretty good at 4.5 points per trip.

Did they pressure the QB?

Yes, they do.  This will be an issue for BG.  They get sacks on 8% of their attempts.

Special Teams:

Punting?

They are pretty good.  They are #47 in the country in net punting.

Punt Return?

This all depends.  If James is in, then they are dangerous.  Also, they have a big section in the game notes about their kick blocking prowess.  None so far this year.

Placekicking?

They have tried only one FG and it was good for 45.  He's good though, has made 15 of his last 16.

Kickoff?

They are good.  Average start on the 22.

Kickoff Return?

They are average, starting on their own 25.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

First, I don't think this is as good a team as we saw last year.  They just don't have as many weapons when healthy and its worse if they aren't healthy.

However, they won on the road against Syracuse and we lost at home against South Dakota...and they've still got to be the favorites in this game, especially at home.

There are huge wildcards here.  You don't know about their health and you don't know about our QB.  Will BG get a "spark" from Doege (the expected choice?)  Or will he struggle, which is what you would fairly expect in your first start.

There's reason to watch, for sure.  ESPN says MTSU is 81% likely to win, but there's only a 7-point spread.

Bottom line:  this game is still uphill, but not as uphill as when the season started.

Blue Raider Injury Report

So, there is intrigue for the game Saturday that doesn't ALL revolve around the BG quarterback.

MTSU also has injury issues to their two marquee players.

Brent Stockstill, who threw for 3 TDs last year in the Deluge at the Doyt, has been out with a cracked sternum and a separated collarbone.  He is questionable for Saturday.  Here's what his Father, the head coach, said....

Responsible party....

"If doctors weren't invented, he'd have been playing," he said. "If the doctors would have left it up to him, he'd have played. But he couldn't have played with the injury that he has."

All right then.  Who invented doctors, anyway?  Also, Richie James, their first team all-CUSA WR who had six catches and a TD last year, is also questionable.  He hurt himself on a wildcat play against Minnesota.

MTSU would be considered a strong favorite after beating BG 41-21 last year in BG and with Stockstill and James back and with the Falcons showing little ability to beat anyone.  The line is currently 9.  You add Doege in...and then remove Stockstill and/or James or put them at least them not at their best and it has the potential to be interesting.

Going to be warm.  88 degree predicted temperature.

Jinks Presser: We Are Better

So Coach Jinks had his opening presser today.  I watch so you don't have to.

Obviously, the first question was about the QB.  He claims it will be a game-time decision, but I don't think it sounds very much like that.  I'd be shocked if Doege isn't the starter Saturday.

Here's why.  Coach acknowledged that Doege was in the game mostly against reserves.  However, coach says he has "earned the right to show what he can do when the bullets are real" and that they "want to see what he can do before conference play."

So, you know.  If you want to see what he can do, you can't mean practice because you were seeing that before.  You have to mean in a game and there's only one more game until conference play starts.

We are looking for efficiency....and that seems to mean a higher completion percentage.  They will split reps for a couple days and then later in the week someone might get more.

On the redshirt.  He still has it.  This is a good point.  You don't have to redshirt your first year.  Now, if you want my opinion, the chances of him redshirting again after this year are not very good, but who knows, maybe Morgan improves and they think they can do it.  Or Doege shows he needs the time.

He notes that Doege dropped his first collegiate snap but then he picked the ball up and threw a "dart."  He's got "moxie"

Says he has been doing "a lot of thinking" in the last 48 hours, but when asked about it he claimed he was thinking about "consistency," which is an odd thing to think about that for that long.

He says we are better than last year.  Deeper and more talented.

He said we made some changes on defense, too., which were noted here and elsewhere.  Also, he said we played a lot of man early in the year, and we're re-evaluating that.  As I recall, trying to ask guys to play man was half of the problem last year and he made a similar announcement after the Memphis game.

The defense is giving up too many big plays.  What you want is to force them to make long drives and then you get a stop or a turnover.  He says this will "pay dividends" for us in the conference season.

As for MTSU, we all noted that they got blown out by the Boat Rowers.  Coach notes that their all-star QB Brent Stockstill didn't play in the game and is day to day, and their all-star WR (James) went out as well.

Past and Future Opponent Land

Michigan State (2-0) Idle
South Dakota (3-0) Beat North Dakota 45-7
Middle Tennessee State (1-2) Boat rowed 34-3 by Gophers
Akron (1-2) Lost 41-14 to Iowa State in Akron
Miami (1-2)  Heartbreaking 21-17 loss to UC in Oxford
OU (2-1) Destroyed Kansas, which is in last place in the MAC
NIU (2-1) Win of the day, winning
Kent  (1-2) Lost 21-0 at Akron
UB (1-2) Won their FCS game against Colgate
UT  (3-0) Won a thriller over Tulsa at Glass Bowl.
EMU (2-0) Idle

MAC Vs.

FBS:  8-17
P5:  4-12
FCS:  9-1

Another Long Night for Falcon Football

Well, Coach Jinks is going to see another week of a frustrated fan base.  Very little good happened in Evanston last night.  To be sure, BG is built to win the MAC, not beat Big Ten teams, but (in addition to the occasional upset) you do expect to make a showing and that did not happen last night.  This is not South Dakota.  You play poorly you get destroyed.

The Falcons continued their trend of making opponent players look like Heisman Trophy candidates.  Thorson was 23 of 30 for 370 yards, which means over 75% completions and more than 12 yards per ATTEMPTED pass.  Justin Jackson (who is legit) had 6.7 yards per carry.  Overall, Northwestern gained 9.2 yards PER PLAY.

On offense, things were not much better.  BG did get an offensive touchdown on a really nice run by Josh Cleveland in the first quarter, and the Falcons did move the ball in the first quarter, but after that things got a lot worse.  In the 2nd and 3rd Quarters, BG had 5 first downs.

Special teams (except punting) were no great shakes either, particularly the kick return game.

Coach also came through on his promise to let some new guys play if the other guys were not getting the job done.  On defense, you saw more from Sotolongo, Malik Brown, true freshman Darius Wortham, r-FR Torian Hampton and Josh Croslen.  On offense, Jared Wyatt got playing time.  Pete Norris.  And Doege, of course.

I guess the point is this...putting Jarrett Doege in there is not going to solve everything all on its own.  The team has big problems and QB is just one of them.

We were looking for incremental improvement this season, some sign that we had a program being led by people who knew how to build a team in college football.  I'm not being facetious when I say that Memphis hung 70+ on us last year, so Northwestern at 49 might represent an incremental improvement.  I think, however, we were hoping something slightly less incremental than that.

Nothing has changed.  This team, more or less, looks as poor as they did last year.  You know my feelings, this did not need to be a bottom-up rebuild, but it has turned into one.  The point is, after a full off-season to work with the players...something they did not have the first year...you just don't see anything going any better.  In fact, they might be incrementally worse.  The three-game winning streak at the end of last year is the illusion I said it was at the time, as BG beat three of the worst teams in the FBS...teams it should have beaten any day of the week.

Right now on the ESPN power index, BG is ranked #121 out of #130.  Only one MAC team...Kent...is ranked lower.  There are no guaranteed wins on this schedule.  I don't think it is very likely, but it is possible that BG could go 0-12.  And, to be clear, even under that circumstance the coach will not be fired.

I don't accept, by the way, the premise that Babers left the program in a shambles.  Every time Mike Jinks loses a game, Dino Babers becomes a worse coach.  Babers did not leave things in good shape, I understand that.  But we should be showing improvement.

Anyway, things are not good right now.  I thought the guys kept playing, so there is that.  There's another tough game coming up on Saturday before BG gets into conference play and now we've got a raging QB controversy hanging around.  Very possibly could get worse before it gets better.

Doege insertion lights fire in Falcon Nation

Well, give Mike Jinks credit.  He's got everybody talking after a 49-7 loss that had virtually no redeeming features.  With just a few minutes left in a game which had been over for literally hours...Coach Jinks pulled the redshirt off of Jarrett Doege and put him into the game in place of Morgan.

I have lots to say.

First, you cannot make that move if you don't plan on playing Doege.  John Gibson said that he expects the change to be permanent, and that's what you have to expect.  Doege has all the tools and you aren't going to blow a year on mop up duty in Evanston.

Beyond that, with the shitshow the season is right now, you could play Doege and still be awful.  And you're going to spend a year of eligibility on ... that?

The general comment in the Falcon Nation is that Coach Jinks doesn't care about four years from now, he's trying to save his job this year.

Let me tell you something.  We could go 0-12 this year....and that's possible.....and Coach Jinks will be back next year.  The only chance that doesn't happen is if he does a Dan Enos and goes to another school to be an assistant.

Which I believe is extraordinarily unlikely.  When we charge onto the field to start the 2018 season, you should expect to see Jinks leading the team out there and nothing this year will impact that.  Doege, Morgan, Loy....whatever.

After the game, Coach said that he has been saying that all the jobs on the team are open.  In his Monday presser, he said that if we can't get guys to do what we need, then it is their job as Coaches to get someone else in there.  And, true to that word, he played a bunch of guys last night.

So, obviously, with Doege red-shirted, there was no real competition for Morgan.  Now there is.  How much?  That remains to be seen (stand by for that).  But, Morgan is now no different than anybody else, including the WRs who saw Jared Wyatt making catches late in the game.  Or the linemen (Malik Brown in the house!) or the d-backs.

Coach said "we needed a spark."  We have to have needed more than that for this to happen.

This sets up a very difficult situation for a team.  Doege is a true freshman, and as much as he certainly looks like a player, they rarely step up and perform right away.  And while he had some success in Evanston, he was throwing high percentage passes against backups who were playing soft.  The first Q against Middle Tennessee will not look like that.

Here's the thing.  James Morgan made only his 10th start Saturday.  Lots of QBs don't develop in that period of time.  It is a very tough position and he has had chaos around him.  And yet it feels like they wouldn't put Doege in unless they were giving up on that potential at some level.

And that's another wow.  I have to wonder if our assistants on the offensive side have the skill and ability to develop a QB.  Morgan certainly isn't better than he was at the end of last year.  That's a problem you can't change QBs to get away from.

Anyway, the other thing you have to wonder is whether this is just a matter of Doege being "our" guy and Morgan being Dino's guy.  At some level.  Maybe not consciously.

One last thing.  It is possible that you were close to losing the offense behind Morgan's QBing, which was ineffective by any measure.  You did see much crisper execution with Doege in the game...much like you saw when Morgan replaced Knapke last year.

So, what happens next for sure is that Morgan and Doege battle for the job this week.  We don't see practice.  It is possible that Doege has been pushing Morgan already.  I expect Doege to start Saturday and we go from there.

Here are two scenarios where it gets worse.

One, if Coach decides he's going to alternate QBs.  And two, if no one claims the job and the team is playing this game week by week until we get to the end.

What gets it better?  Either Morgan responds to the competition and turns into the QB he has the physical skills to be or Doege claims the job and performs effectively when he's in there.

Either way, Jinks is not going gently into the good night.  Whether this is panic....or delusion...or a miscalculation by guys who are not ready for prime time..he's made the decision to regret something he did rather than something he didn't do.

25 Questions that do their own homework

What is their body of work?

Historically, this is pretty much the longest period of sustained success for Northwestern football.  For decades a Big 10 doormat, they are now consistently good.  This year they are 1-1...they beat Nevada and lost @ Duke big.  Neither game has been especially impressive but they often start slow.  FWIW, BG has never lost to Northwestern.

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

The Flip Flop incident

They have 27...which is a relatively seasoned team.  They are #19 on the Phil Steele experience chart.

Who were their statistical leaders?

RB Justin Jackson was #13 in the nation in rushing yards last year and #16 in rushing yards per game.  He's considered one of the top backs in the Big Ten.

S Godwin Igwebuike was #9 in solo tackles.

CB Monte Hartage was #13 in INTs.

What was their turnover ratio?

They were +9 last year, which was #13 in the country.  They are +1 this year.

Offense:

How is their QB play expected to be?

He was a mid-range QB last year in the Big Ten and has a lower passing rating this year to date.  He has completed only 58% at 12.1 ypc and 2 TD/3 INT.

What was their scoring and yards per play?

Last year they scored 26 and this year they are in the 24s, with 4.9 yards per play.  They have not shown themselves to be an offensive juggernaut.

Can they run the ball?

2003 Motor City Bowl.
BG 28, NU 24

They are struggling to run the ball.  Their feature backs are 3.4 and 2.8 yards per carry, neither of which is very good.

Do they pass the ball?

They are struggling to throw the ball this year as they did last year.  Their top 2 WRs graduated and the top returning WR is out for the season with an injury.  They do have an Oregon transfer.

How was their run/pass balance?

They ran the ball on 49% of their plays last year, which is still relatively run-heavy in today's game.

Did they convert on 3rd Down?

Last year they were OK at 40% but this year it is very poor at 31%.

Did they score in the red zone?

They are very good here, with 5.4 points per trip--5 TDs in 7 trips.

Did they protect the quarterback?

It has been an issue, allowing 5 sacks on 76 attempts, which is 6.6% of passing attempts.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

Last year they allowed 22 per game, which was a top 25 result.  This year, they are allowing 30.5 PPG on 5.3 yards per play, both below what their offense is generating.

Did they defend the run effectively?

Last year, they gave up 3.8 yards per rush which is one of the top 30 results in FBS.  To date this year they are allowing 4.4 yards per carry.

Can they be passed on?

They were ok last year at 117 passing efficiency defense and are about the same this year.  They give up only 55% completions, which is really good, at 11 ypc.  4 TD over 2 INT.

Did they get off the field on 3rd down?

They were among the worst in the nation last year at 56% and that's right where they are this year.

Do they defend in the red zone?

They are pretty good, with 4.8 points per trip.

Did they pressure the QB?

No, just 1 sack this year.

Special Teams:

Punting?

This might be the best punting matchup we will see this year.  The NW punter was #5 in the nation in net punting and he's back and on the same trajectory this year.

Punt Return?

They have not returned a punt yet.  Their PR is Flynn Nagel, which is the most Northwestern name

ever.  He was decent last year at 6.6/return with a 47 long.  No TDs.

Placekicking?

Highly recruited, he's decent so far.  67% last year and this year.  One bad miss inside 30, 40 long.

Kickoff?

They have done well, with opponents starting on the 22.

Kickoff Return?

They are average, starting on their own 25.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

First, Mick McCall, a BG QB Coach and OC in the past is the OC for the Wildcats, and Dennis Springer, another former assistant at BG is also on the staff in Evanston.

Proud Graduate

As noted, BG is 2-0 against Northwestern.  The first was in 2001 in Evanston.  BG scored late to be down 1 and a young Urban Meyer went for 2 and then win rather than forcing overtime.  It was a reverse to a true freshman Cole Magner who converted the score and the BG win.  The other game was the Motor City Bowl a couple years later, also a very competitive game that BG ended up winning behind the same players who played in the previous game.

Northwestern is certainly underperforming this year and they have to look at this as an opportunity to turn that around.  They have had injuries.  In particular, their defense has to be looking at the BG offense as a chance to assert some dominance after a rough week at Duke.

BG will be interesting.  Will the Falcons adjust positively or negatively to the loss against South Dakota.  You'd certainly expect to see a better performance and--obviously--if BG continues to play like they have, they aren't going to win any games.  BG is a 22 point dog and that's probably fair, especially on the road.

Lupro decommits from BG

pic.twitter.com/hPVGQvf8tP

— Patricklupro (@patricklupro) September 11, 2017

So, BG also has a football commit.  As you can see, he thinks he might have committed too early....as in, he was BG's first commit.  He is a 3-star CB from Belleville, MI.  Here's the write up I did when he committed. 

Best of luck, Patrick.

Jinks Presser: Damn Right I do.

More from Mike Jinks about fan frustration: "I want them blowing up my twitter...Do I understand their frustration? Damn right I do." pic.twitter.com/HXclhGzegY

— Jordan Strack (@JordanStrack) September 11, 2017

Let me tell you this.  As I said on twitter this afternoon, if there are some wins, I think a fan base could fall for Coach Jinks.

He was asked by Jordan Strack of WTOL if he understood why the fans were frustrated.  He said the above...here is (pretty much) the text version.

They should be frustrated.  That's what a fan is.  I'm frustrated when I watch the Cowboys.  That's what I want.  That's what we want.  I talked with Moose about that last night.  I want these fans blowing up my twitter.  That's what should be happening.  We want this community involved in BG football.  We want them passionate.  When you ask me do I understand their frustration, damn right I do.  And I don't want it any other way.  Period.

Wow.  Honestly, a guy who can talk like that starts racking up wins, I think this whole thing turns around.  This is a guy you could follow into battle.

He's right.  The worst thing is apathy.  When people don't care anymore.  You know a good example?  Men's Basketball.  That's the death of the program.  The irony is that what caused the apathy in the MBB program was keeping an ineffective (but honorable) coach two years longer than was needed to know he wasn't going to turn it around.  See?

Jinks wants high expectations...has said that all along...and you have to admire that.  Still, you have do more than talk.

Other things from today's presser...

There were two huge special teams mistakes but "those are easy to fix."  (Tell that to Gregg Brandon).

He said the defense showed a lack of focus and "eye discipline," particularly in the "back end."  They had some big plays on wheel routes when the safeties didn't have their eyes on the right thing.  On a play to play basis, BG played "pretty decent" defense but gave up some explosive plays, "and those plays count, too."  Those have to be eliminated.

He said the offense did some good things.  Big game for Teo Redding.  Ran the ball decently, though there were struggles for both players at G.

He thought Morgan improved as the game went on, which is a pretty PR way to put it.  Coach cited a play he threw a pick on in the first half that he executed in the second.

It isn't back to the drawing board.  We just "gotta have touchdowns."  And he's right about that.  Whether we can figure out how to make that happen and stop committing penalties....that's a bigger test.

He said that the officials were calling a lot of penalties and his players didn't adjust.  Also, he seemed to think that the call on the goal line to Wilcox was the right call.

He had lapsed a little into that "one play here, one play there" stuff and Strack was having none of it.  "When playing an FCS team at home," the question went, "one play shouldn't matter."

Jinks conceded the point.  "You want to dominate the FCS opponent.  We want the win.  We'd like to win by 40.  This is where we are right now."

He was asked about the RBs.  It is no secret that none of these guys are setting the world on fire.  He said he doesn't want RB by committee.  He wants one guy to get a rhythm going.  He says the backs know...if someone gets hot, they are staying in the game.  No one has stood out to date.

OK, one last thing.  After the "damn right" speech, he was asked what he could do to turn it around.

"Win games.  Stay the course.  Continue to build...."

That's what we are left with.  As noted, if he can get this team winning, I think he could reach all-time levels of fan affection here, just for being the guy he appears to be.  Sadly, there's no evidence right now that's going to happen right now.

Oh right...one other thing...Taborn and Banks could be back this week.  That would help.

Past and Future Opponent Land

Michigan State (2-0) beat WMU 28-14
Northwestern  (1-1) Slow start for the Wildcats.  Lost 41-17 @Duke.
Middle Tennessee State (1-1) Won 30-23 at Syracuse (yes)
Akron (1-1) Beat Arkansas Pine-Bluff 52-3
Miami (1-1)  Beat Austin Peay 31-10
OU (1-1) Lost 44-21 to Purdue
NIU (1-1) Beat Eastern Illinois 38-10
Kent  (1-1) Beat Howard 38-31
UB (0-2) Lost 21-17 to Army on 14 unanswered 4th Q points
UT  (2-0) Won 37-24 @Nevada.
EMU (2-0) Beat Rutgers for first Big 10 win.

MAC Vs.

FBS:  4-12
P5:  2-9
FCS:  7-1

In its winning FCS games, the MAC had a 159-54 aggregate scoring margin.

The morning after.....

Watching Irma coverage as I write this...I do get it.  Football is just football.  And we have players whose families are back in Texas and Florida, and I'm thinking about their families.

From a football perspective, though, last night isn't feeling any better.  

That's the first FCS loss since 1987, when Moe Ankney's Falcons lost to Youngstown State in his first year.  Jim Tressel coaching Youngstown State, BTW.

We had a pretty decent crowd to start the game, nearly 18K officially.  And yet, when it ended, I became one of the few football fans in America to drive out of the parking lot after the game with literally no traffic.  I hate to see that...I think it hurts our crowds for the rest of the year.

BG set a school record for penalty yards.  Coach called it "absurd."  We had 2 touchdowns called back on penalties and one on replay.  A lot of fans were upset with the officiating and I listened to the post-game radio show and Todd and Gibby had similar thoughts.  Coach did not jump on that point.  He said that if the team was executing properly, they would get calls.  He said that South Dakota's backs did something with their hands ("handplay") that kept them from getting calls.  I thought South Dakota played physical with our guys, but that was far from the only issue.

Fans also are concerned about the playcalling.  BG ran a huge number of vertical routes, which, more or less, did not hit.  Often, they were double covered.  We did hit a couple, but a lot of them were overthrown and some were underthrown on a rare (by the end) windless night in BG.

Coach said that issues with protection were the main reason for that.  He said that BG's young guards (both Kramer and Bright are new) could not handle a "twist" which is a type of stunt.  When BG was in "10" personnel (which is the 4 WR formation with one RB), they couldn't protect the QB.  So, they went max protect, which leaves you with probably 2 WRs out for the ball and that led them to call the vertical routes.

I always thought that the virtue of the spread formations was that you could go with short drops and quick hitting passes and mitigate the risk of getting rushed.  Apparently not.

The pressure on Morgan was real.  He was sacked four times and hurried five times.  He was also forced from the pocket and forced to throw on the run a few times, sometimes working OK and then once for a soul-crushing INT at the end of the 2nd quarter.  He doesn't look comfortable throwing on the run.

Also, for a team that supposedly found its identity as a running team, we did not remain committed to the run last night.  Factoring out sacks, BG threw 54 times and ran 31.  BG's backs were effective, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.  And yes, we were behind, but BG's defense kept USD on 21 points from last in the first through the middle of the third and it was only 21-9 most of that time.

Coach did, a couple times, lapse into "we're a young team" talk, but he would quickly change course.  That's not going to work as an explanation for this one.  It might Saturday in Evanston, but not today.

South Dakota deserves credit.  They were the better team on the field last night and deserved the win.  They had a game plan, which included attacking one specific CB early and our guards, and they executed it.  They were better prepared and executed better than we did and it wasn't really close.  

As Coach said, though, "you're supposed to win these games."

Last night I looked at this from the perspective of what it does to BG bowl game chances.  There's a more sour view.  As noted in my preview, BG needs to show incremental progress to show the world (and ourselves) that we have coaches who can do something besides recruit at this level.  I was hoping for 6-6 and you'd like at least a one-game improvement.

To win 5, BG will need to go 5-3 in MAC play, most likely.  Anything less and its 4-8 again.

And, look, if you want to look at a worst case scenario, this team is not set up to beat anybody right now and faces getting a couple beatings before the Akron game.  This team could easily finish worse than last year's team and I could see it getting as bad as 2-10.  That team last night is an 0-12 team, but you'd hope you don't play that poorly week in and week out.

That's not what the program needed.  The longer it goes on like this, the more the questions mount.  And it isn't like they're going to get rid of him, because they aren't.  What happens is the program ends up like Miami did, and it took them 10 years to dig out of it.

In other words, we (or I) was hoping we'd get some evidence we had leadership in the program that could win and right now we have gotten none and in fact are back to where we were after the Memphis game last year.  We're 4-10.  On the bright side, we're .500 in FCS games.

Jinks: "Horrible"

via GIPHY

I will give Coach Jinks credit.  He is brutally honest.  He isn't a Gregg-Brandon-we-were-two-plays-from-winning-the-game-type guy.  He used the word "horrible."  Says we got beat in every phase of the game.  Too many mistakes.  Refused to blame the officials.  Admitted the loss hurts worse because it was an FCS game at home.

"You're supposed to win these games."

Inability to handle the twist on the pass rush, turnovers on special teams, 15 penalties, poor hand position on pass defense, the list went on.  BG was awful in all regards.

15 penalties.  Jinks:  "absurd."

So, I give him credit for the honesty.

That's not what I want to give him credit for, though.  I want to give him credit for having a team that can execute a game plan.  I want to give him credit for beating the FCS team.  I want to give him credit for proving that you can take a guy pretty much out of high school coaching, pair him with a bunch of mostly untested assistants and win some football games.  I want to give him credit for having guys ready to handle a twist.  For having DBs with their hands in the right position.  For an offense that can score.  For a team that doesn't commit costly penalties.  For an offense that can put points on the board.  For a defense that can contain a mobile QB.

That's what I'd like to give him credit for.  If he's forced to be brutally honest too many more times he's going to be doing an exit interview.

This was a hugely costly loss.  For BG to go 6-6 and make a bowl game now--assuming losses to Northwestern and Middle Tennessee--will require BG to go 6-2 in the MAC. In other words, we would need to win the East (probably).  Or tie for it.

In other words, a 6-6 record and a bowl game now look like a difficult slog.  If they can make it, if this team does fix those things, he'll get credit for that.

Until then, the narrative has not changed since the day he arrived.  The basic question--is coaching high school successfully transferable to college ball--has not been answered in the affirmative.

25 Questions that say KY-OTE

'64 

What is their body of work?

They have had some difficult years.  They have not had a winning season since 2011 and had two double digit loss seasons during that run.  Their coach was new last year (two-time national champion and three-time national coach of the year elsewhere) and they went 4-7.  This year, they did open with a win, 77-7 over Drake, but that's a team without scholarships for football.  So far as I can tell, they have never played a MAC team but did beat Minnesota in 2010.  They play in the Missouri Valley football conference, where they have been for a couple years.

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

They have 24...which is on the young side.  Two-thirds of the roster is in its first or second year with the team.

Who were their statistical leaders?

QB Chris Streveler #1 in points responsible for per game.

What was their turnover ratio?

They were +5 last year and went 4-7 anyway.

Offense:

One of these men tried to ban football

 How is their QB play expected to be?

Chris Streveler is an interesting guy.  He was at Minnesota as a WR and now he's at South Dakota as a QB.  He was second team all-conference.  He was #4 in passing efficiency and #6 in rushing.  Led the team in rushing.

They play an up-tempo style.  Coach mentioned last week that if we had trouble keeping Lewerke in the pocket, we'd have the same problems with this young man.

What was their scoring and yards per play?

They scored 29.9 last year, which was third in their conference but is not a huge number.  Their 5.1 yards per play is just average.

Can they run the ball?

Their yards per carry was only 3.9 yards last year, and their main RB graduated, along with two starting lineman.  Their #2 RB is starting this year, though he averaged only 4.1 yards per attempt, which is nothing special.  Their backup RB is a rFR.

Do they pass the ball?

Well, as noted, Streveler is the #4 most efficient passer in his conference, was second-team all conference and they returned 6 of their 7 top WRs and both TEs.  You'd expect them to be better this year.

How was their run/pass balance?

They ran the ball on 59% of their plays last year, counting Streveler.

Did they convert on 3rd Down?

They converted 36%, which is below average.

Not sure who looks dumber here

Did they score in the red zone?

They were very good at 5.2 points per trip.

Did they protect the quarterback?

They gave up sacks on 7% of their passing attempts, which is a lot.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

They gave up 35 points a game last year, which was 9th in their conference.  They gave up 6.4 yards per play which is also a lot.

Did they defend the run effectively?

Last year, they gave up 5.4 yards per rush, and tightening that up has been a focus this year.  BG will present their first real test in that respect.

Can they be passed on?

You could pass on them last year.  They were 8th in their conference in team passing efficiency defense.  They gave up 59% completions and 13.5 yards per completion, which is a bad combination.  They did have 12 picks.

Did they get off the field on 3rd down?

They gave up 44%, which is very poor.

Do they defend in the red zone?

They gave up 4.7 points per trip, which is about average.

Copy of Jinks Game Plan

Did they pressure the QB?

They had really good sacks at 7.0% per passing attempt.  BG did a decent job protecting Morgan at MSU and will need to again.

Special Teams:

Punting?

The 'Yotes graduated an all-conference punter and kicker (same guy).  Their new guy punted four times last week (in a game where they scored 77) and 38.5 yards per, with 4 inside the 20.

Punt Return?

Paul Anderson is their return guy, and he is back and had a good game against Drake.  In fact, both of their returners had 5 attempts for 43 yards.

Placekicking?

The kicker is also new.  He transferred from Kansas and made 11 XPs.  He hasn't tried a FG yet.

Kickoff?

They did well, keeping Drake on the 21 for average starting position.

Kickoff Return?

Anderson is also a KOR and is actually a good one.  He had a 35-yard return last week.

Miscellaneous: Overall atmospherics and intangibles.

Look, this game was put onto the schedule to be a home win.  So was North Dakota last year, and BG barely won that game.  This is a team with a proven coach and a mobile QB.  At the same time, they have a lot of new players.  Their defense could be their weaker element, but BG will have to execute better to take full advantage of that.  Also:  as noted in Coach's presser this week, BG is playing South Dakota between two Big Ten teams.  One thing to watch for is whether BG makes an adjustment to keep the QB contained, which is a measure of coaching.  Last year, adjustments were not our strong point.

Should be a nice crowd and should be a BG win.  We shall see.

Injury Report

BG football injury report as follows: Taborn, Banks, Bozeman all out Saturday.

— Thomas Schmeltz (@Thomas_Schmeltz) September 6, 2017

Taborn had an x-ray last night, came back negative. Will have an MRI tonight. Indication is positive though. https://t.co/2Y4eBOHPNc

— Thomas Schmeltz (@Thomas_Schmeltz) September 6, 2017

So from Thomas Schmeltz at the Sentinel, here's the BGSU injury report.  No big surprises.  Taborn was injured warming up for MSU and doesn't appear to have a long-term issue.  Aaron Banks was injured in the MSU game.  There's another tweet, Bozeman had surgery on his hip and his season is over.

Obviously, we miss starters when they are out.  Having said that, I felt like Caleb Bright did a credible job on the oline and Posey did well in the Banks spot.  You definitely want to create the kind of program where you have depth and guys who can step up.

From a big picture, BG is on the healthy side of the equation to date, especially coming out of a game with a Big Ten team.

Jinks Presser! LIVE

OK, I facebook lived the presser since today isn't a work day.  Very nicely done.  (Also, if you like to people watch, don't go to the big Facebook Live map that shows all of them around the world and peek in on some guys drinking, smoking hookah and listening to music on the North Coast of Turkey)

So, there wasn't any big, big news.  The biggest takeaway is pretty straightforward.  Coach has said since the beginning that his goal is to compete on New Year's Day and he is 100% not backing off that.  He says that our expectation is to go into Big Ten stadiums and "come back with Ws."

The Michigan State game serves as a recent example of what needs to happen.  In particular, he looked to the 2nd Quarter.  He said the Spartans were "searching" and BG had the ball with 4 minutes left and coach told them we needed a 4-minute drive, score or not.  Defense had been on the field a lot, offense had to stay on the field.

Andrew Clair got one first down and then BG had a 3rd and 6 and they called a slant and it was there (MSU secondary was searching) and Guyton dropped a perfect ball.  If that's caught, he's down the field, BG gets nothing less than a FG and it is 7-6 going into the locker room.  (Note:  BG had a holding call on that play as well, but the overall point he was making is that if you are going to win @MSU you need to make that play happen).

Similarly, he pointed to Dirion Hutchins with a free shot on Lewerke.  Hutchins is in the first half of his first game bearing down on a QB who outweighs him, doesn't wrap up...instead of 2nd-18 MSU is on schedule again.  Make that sack, probably 7-3 going into halftime.

Those were his examples, to be clear.  And he attributed it to a lack of "focus."  Which is all well and good...the coaches need to teach that....there's only so long that remains on the players.

In short, "we let them off.  Can't do it."

He showed confidence in Morgan.  I know Morgan's taken a lot of heat and he certainly did not play well Saturday (my comment, not Jinks).  There were other issues.  He's still a young QB and I think incremental improvement is what we should expect.  Saturday did not exhibit that but I haven't given up hope for him.

Coach said we didn't make the big plays but we didn't make a catastrophic mistake.  Well, OK, but the only thing keeping that Pick 6 from being catastrophic is the score when it happened.

Another positive he noted was only 4 penalties for 20 yards. He did not address the ejection, though he did after the game.  Says he wants the players going for the ball, not the hit.

Oh, and obviously the defense getting those turnovers is a good thing he cited as well.

Also:  "Youth is not an excuse."

Also:  props for Caleb Bright who stepped in unexpectedly when Taborn was injured warming up.  He battled...tough assignment against a very good MSU lineman, but he battled and was fighting the whole way.

My comments from here on in.  I think those are (except where noted) reasonable views.  Here's the thing.  I feel like we had a game plan that was ready to work.  The players didn't execute.  That's part of coaching, too.

I got a few comments on twitter about our coaches.  My view is the same as it has been, which is that we entered an experiment when we didn't have to...but here we are.  We need to see if these guys can (in Coach's own words) "get the team ready to win."  We have yet to see them win a game that was a challenge and until that begins to happen, anyone is reasonable to have their doubts.  Having said that, I think some people thought this was all going to happen quickly in a PJ Fleck style thing.

The expectation should be for incremental improvement this year---some proof that the coaches can get players to focus and execute and develop at this level.  Win a couple tough ones.  That, combined with recruiting, should provide us with success.

Past and Future Opponent Land

South Dakota  (1-0) Destroyed Drake, 77-7 (Yes, you see this right...)
Northwestern  (1-0) Beat Nevada 31-20
Middle Tennessee State (0-1) Lost 28-6 to Vanderbilt
Akron (0-1) Lost 52-0 to Penn State
Miami (0-1)  Lost 31-26 @Marshall
OU (1-0) Beat Hampton 59-0
NIU (0-1) Lost at home to Boston College, 23-20
Kent  (0-1) Lost at Clemson, 56-3
UB (0-1) Lost 17-7 to Minnesota
UT  (1-0) Defeat Elon
EMU (1-0) Beat Charlotte 24-7

MAC Vs.

FBS:  1-8
P5:  0-7
FCS:  3-0

East Lansing: Special Teams

Quick one now....we're on the home stretch.

Special teams for BG was good.

Jake Suder hit both a FG and his XP.

Davidson averaged 46 yards per kick with a long of 64 and 3 inside the 20.

As noted already, Andrew Clair had a nice game with the KO returns and Milton had a 10 yard punt return.

And MSU had a couple decent returns, but nothing too shocking.

In total, BG's special teams were effective.