From the beginning of the year, BG's value proposition was that the Falcons would be able to move the ball very effectively and do it well enough to give their undermanned defense a chance to develop and BG would at least be competitive.
A codicil was added later that we would actually see more of that once BG got into MAC play.
We saw some of the promised success against Toledo and then we really saw it against Western Michigan. Problem is that the offense seems to eventually find itself in situations where it has to score every time it has the ball, and that's a tough assignment for anyone.
BG's offense is showing itself to be an explosive force. BG ran 56 plays and 7 of them were for 30 or more. That's pretty good. BG scored on two plays of 70 yards plus and also had a long TD drive at the end of the first half.
Those big plays really stuffed the stat sheet. BG had a huge game. BG had 511 yards on 56 plays, which is 9.1 yards per play and their most proficient attack in a long time. BG ran for 6.3 yards per carry and Doege was 21 of 34 for 62% and 18 yards per completion. The only two picks were by Doege on the big 4th down play and then on the Hail Mary. BG was a big play offensive engine out there on Saturday.
The other side of that coin is that BG wasn't on the field that much, and that put pressure on the BG defense. BG had 21:49 time of possession and scored 35 points.
The problem is that BG is not really set up to be a long drive team right now. Yes, we did it the one time in the 2nd quarter, but BG doesn't have the consistent run game you need to have long drives.
For example, BG had 132 net rushing yards and 127 of those came on three plays. On 20 non-sack rushes, BG lost yardage on 7 of them and gained between 0 and 3 yards 9 times. I love big plays and who doesn't, but there's still room for the run offense to be more consistent and allow for longer drives. A lot of that is on the line. I think our backs are pretty good.
Beyond Doege, the biggest day was enjoyed by Scott Miller. This guy is a stud. He had 8 catches for 206 yards and 2 TDs. He's just a great player. He is playing back on the outside most of the time now and he's a deep threat even without tremendous height. WMU had no answer for him in single coverage.
Doege also found Quinton Morris for a huge TD catch in the 2nd quarter and RB Marlow caught 5, including one for 50 yards. Even after the issues with WRs in the off-season and the Phoutavong injury, BG is getting productivity out of its WRs.
One other note, Andrew Clair did leave with an injury on the play when he fumbled. Coach said it didn't appear to be "season-ending" in his words.
So, the offense put points on the board and that's what they need to do. They have huge big play ability and still have room to get better, particularly depending on the play up front, mostly. But the key is that this team needs points on the board and I think we can get it against all of our opponents coming home.
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