BG Football. Early Camp Thoughts

 So, camp is on for the BGSU Football program.  We are less than a month from the opening kickoff...I am excited to be back in the stadium, for sure.  Having BG sports out of my life (in personal attendance) has been a big void over the past year and a half.  (I recently attended a Mud Hens game, my first live sporting event since the BG MBB win over Akron in March 2020).

A full preview will be coming, but the headline is this:  nowhere to go but up.  Last year was the worst season for BG football since 1935.  Literally, there was nothing redeeming about it at all.  It would appear that BG will be better this year, but I don't know how many wins that will win.  We are picked to be the worst team in the country and you can understand why.

I'm still onboard with this process.  But this is no fun, to be sure.

A couple things I would say as practice starts.

QB Room

QB is the most important position in team sports, possibly only related to goalie.  Or, TE.  (I kid).

BG has struggled quite a bit since Matt Johnson left.  There were good QBs--James Morgan is on an NFL roster and Doege is starting at WVU. In 2019, BG was forced to slap together its QB position after Doege left and it showed...and then in 2020 it turned out to be worse.  Phil Steele called our QB numbers "shockingly bad."  McDonald was last in the country in passing efficiency.

And it looked just as bad.

No question, the QB position has to improve for BG to have even a remote chance at winning an FBS game.  Yes, McDonald was in his first year and yes, he was injured and yes, he had poor line support.  All true and valid.  Too often, though, when all those things came together to present an opportunity, we still didn't make the play.  Coach Loeffler has said as much.  Beyond getting healthy, McDonald has to get better.

It does appear that he enters camp as the starter.  Most of the backups have been injured as well--Gunther and Melton missed spring ball--but it appears he is the starting going in.  So if you were expecting a wide-open competition, it doesn't sound like that.

McDonald is on a pitch count for fall practice, with only 50 "competitive" reps.  Loeffler said reps with the 2s are being rotated.

How will the defense adjust to a new coach and system?

First, we can certainly hope that a more productive offense takes some pressure off the defense.  Which has been undeniably awful.  In 2019, BG was last in the MAC, giving up 38 PPG.  In 2020, BG was last and a touchdown WORSE per game, and second to last in the country.  From that, most of the accomplished players on the defense who were expected to return didn't.  Honestly, on paper, maintaining 2020's level of production would be a win.

As for fall practice, there are a couple of changes that could influence what happens and any chance BG has to get out of the national basement in 2021.  The first is that Brian VanGorder is gone and has been replaced by Eric Lewis.  He has been a DC before, but he is also not a big splashy hire.  The hope is that a fresh approach will help to improve the defense, but I suspect we are looking at more than a short-term project.

The other thing is that BG is moving to a 3-man front.  On one hand, this is good, because BG has struggled with Dline personnel for years.  Hopefully, it has more to it than that.  Everything in sports is becoming hybrid--from positionless basketball to needing LBs who are also Dbacks.  I assume we are trying to flex into that.

Which makes sense.  The ultimate question doesn't change.  Can you control the line of scrimmage?  Because if you can't, you won't win in the MAC.

How will the Oline come together?

Speaking of which.  Only one team in the FBS has fewer returning starts on the OL than BG does.  And that's Air Force, where guys graduate and they can't bring in transfers.  Anyway, BG's projected Oline starters include 4 freshmen.  This is going to be very rough, I suspect, and it will limit the effectiveness of the offense.  We have better RBs but if there is no daylight, they can only do so much.  And if the passing game has to stick to 3-step drops to protect the QB, that limits things too.  If these guys can play, someday we'll have an all-senior line with tons of playing experience.  But this year, the only direction is up.