The Streak Goes on, Football Loses 5th Straight

 Things are not pretty rough right now in the football program.  I mean, yeah, this too shall pass, but the season is draining very slowly and it is hard to watch.

Last night's game, played in a nearly empty Doyt, in a cold rain, was a reminder of how uncomfortable #maction can be when you are out of everything and losing.  It was a terrible game, poorly played and penalty marred.

A 6-6 tie at the half and the Zips up 9-6 with 12 to play in the 3rd.  

BG got the ball with 6 minutes left after Ridley ripped off a 10-yard return of a short punt to start BG on the Akron 43.  That's our kind of scoring drive! Dendy ran us to the 21, and Najm threw to Jacob Harris, who made a circus catch to put BG up 13-9.

For a minute, it seemed like BG might climb out of the swamp and win a game.  Like, literally a minute.  Because the Zips hit a 75-yard pass on the next play to make it 16-13.  Akron started the final quarter driving to the BG 12 before the defense shut them down and they kicked a FG to make it 19-13.

Armed with that reprieve, BG got the ball with about 11 minutes left.  As slow as our offense moves, it might take us that long to get to the end zone.  BG went with play-calling that people have been screaming for.  It was a 16-play drive, with 13 Austin Dendy runs.  The three passes were incomplete twice and the last was a sack.

BG converted two 4th-and-1 and one 3rd-and-1.  They got to the 9 and decided to pass on 2nd and 3rd and goal, didn't score and kicked a FG to make it 19-16 with 3:16 left.

The Zips went 3-and-out with an incomplete pass, leaving them punting and BG with 2 timeouts.  This time, Ridley gained 15 yards on the punt and BG started on the Zip 42.

To be fair, no one wanted OT.  But it was an option and the Falcons were already practically in FG range. BG ran for 3 yards and then completed 2 short passes for a first down.  Then, from the Akron 30, they decided not to run and passed again and Najm was picked and it was over.

Again, I didn't like our odds in OT.  Seems like we could have advanced the ball in small chunks until we were close enough to take a late shot into the end zone for the win, with the FG in the back pocket.

None of it made much sense, except to say this.  We are not a very good football team.  Sack adjusted, BG rushed for 3.6 yards per carry.  Najm was 9-16 passing for 138 yards and 2 INT.  BG had 3.8 yards per play.  BG had 7 penalties for 90 yards and 4 unsportsmanlike conduct calls, including an ejection for going after, in Gibby's words, "the family jewels."

Akron wasn't better, but not much.  They ran for 5.3 non-sack yards per carry, which is pretty good. Their passing was terrible, 9-28, 1 INT and 176 yards, 75 of it on one play. They ended up at 5 per play.

It's just hard to imagine.  There will be chances to deconstruct how this went so wrong, but it went has clearly gone wrong.  Every game since the UT game...

Well, there's one left.  I'm disappointed.  I thought we would struggle and end up 6-6, 5-7.  The George honeymoon ends and the pressure turns a little.  I have confidence, but time will tell.