Football Update

Well.  A very action-packed couple of days for the football program.

There's signing day, with good news.  A presser with more clues. The All-MAC teams...and then, well, whomp-whomp, people began to announce they were heading into the portal.

Let's start with the recruiting.

All normal caveats apply here.  Ratings can be unreliable, especially for MAC-level players.  Also, Mike Jinks had a #2 ranked class in 2017...you can scan the class here and see how many you recognize.

Even with all that, it's a data point. And in this one, BG ended up with the #2 ranked class overall in the MAC and the #1 rating per player.  It doesn't decide anything...but it represents progress.

Again, using 247 numbers, the top ten recruits in the 247-era for BG had 6 of them sign yesterday.  For full info on each of the guys, check here.

We have been following this and covered these guys when they committed.  We had two guys we expected who did not sign--Jordan Tarver, who announced he was opening his recruiting and then Isaiah Hayward, a WR from Whitmer from which no one has heard anything publicly.

We had two late additions.  One was Travis Robertson, and he becomes, again by the ranking, the #2 recruit we have ever had.

He's a 6'5", 320 pound OL that we had once.  He flipped to UCLA and then we flipped him back. That has the potential to be big...he could even contribute right away at a position of severe need.

The other was Samuel Roussos, who we talked about a couple days ago.

Every player we signed has 3 stars...that's never happened.

Now, it needs to be turned into wins.  But for now, this is a big day for our program.

Coach had his presser today.  There was a lot of stuff about leadership, meeting families, character, etc.  It's important, but you can watch that if you want.

The key was the talk about the portal.  To be clear, he is going to look for a QB, OL and WRs in the portal.  And they are all needed.  As much as they might like Jarin Mock, they don't want to throw him right into the fires.  So starting 1/2, that will be worth watching.

The All-MAC team came out.  The headline was Cameron Pettaway being the MAC FR of the Year.  This is wholy deserved.  I hope we see him again next year.  

Lampron and Jyrin Johnson were also well-deserved members of the first team. Pettaway made it as the returner. 

Also, OL Nate Pabst and PK Jackson Kleather on the second team, while CB MJ Cannon and CB Jalen McClendon earned third-team recognition.

Not bad, it's what you would expect for a team with two league wins.  FWIW, only 3 of those players signed with BG out of HS.

Soooo.  Now, the literal worst part of the year.  Watching guys march into the portal.  These are the players far.  Moses, Eklund, Goodloe and Stocksdale did not get many snaps for us this year.

The others.  Starting with kind of heart-breaker, as Jacob Harris entered the portal.  Given everything, you'd hope to hold him, but if it's going to be a business, he is as entitled as the next guy to make his move.  Caden Marshall moved up when Pringle was injured and did pretty well.  Chris Edmonds didn't play too much, but Chris McMillian was the lead RB to start the year and ended up sidelined by the end. Finally, RJ Garcia played a lot but was part of our underperforming WR unit.

DT	Malik Moses
LB	Justin Eklund
LB	Caden Marshall
RB	Chris Edmonds
RB	Chris McMillian
TE	Jacob Harris
WR	Reis Stocksdale
WR	Caleb Goodloe
WR	RJ Garcia

 There will be more.  Such is the road we travel.

Commit....Portal...and Signing Day...

This commit is Samuel Dossous, a DE/Edge from Massillon HS.

Listed at 6'4" and 225 pounds, he also had offers from Kent and Miami.

He was named to the all-county team in a county where football is King.  Beyond that, there are a number of stories about his wreaking havoc with sacks, TFL and forced fumbles.

The Falcons have their first player in the portal...Justin Ecklund.  He is a LB transfer from San Jose State, who made one start but played sparingly, making 7 total tackles on the year.

Samuel, welcome to the Falcons.  Justin, best of luck to you.

Tomorrow is signing day. The BG football feed does a pretty good job of posting every time a document comes in.  Feel free to check it out, and then tomorrow night, we'll look at what happened.  Presumably, there will be guys who committed and de-committed at the last minute.

This is an important class.  The portal signees will have a more immediate impact, but BG's model requires them to recruit HS players effectively and then develop them.

Falcon MBB Gets First P4 win in 20 years

Well, now.  How about that?  It was a great night to be a Falcon...as BG went on the road to a P4 opponent, double-digit underdog, and led wire-to-wire to beat the Wildcats by 16 on the road.  It was a great performance by our boys that is turning some heads.

The last P4 win was much different.  BG beat Virginia Tech when a Hokie tipped the ball into his own basket in a last second melee at the rim.  Pre-replay, Coach Dakich debuted his strategy of dealing with the close call by getting his team off the floor quickly...which came back to haunt in the even more famous overtime loss in Buffalo years later.  Note:  That team finished 9-21

It was one of those nights.  We showed what we can do.  BG scored the first 5 points and led the entire way. With 8 minutes left, they were up 7. With 5 minutes left, K-State cut the lead to 2, but the Falcons closed on a 16-4 run to lead by 14 heading into the locker room.

That's 49-35, I might add.  The Falcons had 49 first-half points.  

The game was stable early in the second.  BG had the lead to 17 before the first media timeout. K-State hung tough, chipped it to 11, and it stayed in that neighborhood, and then the Wildcats got it to 8 with 8 minutes left, and you figure they are ready to make their run.

But that's not what happened.  BG turned them back.  It never got that close again, and heading into the last media timeout BG was up 11.  And they did what good teams do...they kept extending the lead until it was 17 points with about a minute left and the game was dribbled out.  K-State quit fouling and it was over.  82-66.

It was amazing, if not for nothing else, it was so easy.  Even when K-State pressed, BG handled it with poise every time.  How many times has BG wilted in the last 10 years under pressure?

So how did the game get won?  BG had 1.28 points per possession, their best offensive game of the year.  Since the horrible shooting game against W&M, BG's EFG has been right in the .55 range...solid and effective.  BG made .44 on 2FG and 46% on 3FG, with 41% of their shots from 3FG. This time, BG got the turnovers back under control and continued to have outstanding offensive rebounding.  And BG made 74% of their free throws.

Meanwhile, Kansas State came in #3 in the nation in 3FG%...and made 26% against the Falcons.  Their 2FG shooting was 48%, also not great.  They had a slight lead in turnovers, got a lot of offensive rebounds, and got to the line, though they were 12-22 for 55%.

This is the first game BG has won without forcing over 20% turnovers. 

Coach said they focused hard on guarding the 3FG line, and it certainly showed.  

Individually.....hey Sam Towns!!  Take a bow. Career night, 27 points, 6 of 9 2FG shooting, 3 of 5 3FG shooting, 6-6 at the line, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 0 turnovers...if that might work for you.  In fact, he was "line o' the night" on kempom.

Javon Ruffin is really looking solid...17 on 0 of 3 and 5 of 8 shooting, 2-2 at the line, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.  Javonte Campbell had 17 on 5 of 9 and 1 of 2, 4 of 7 at the line, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 turnovers.  He's adapting well to an offense where he isn't the only guy to shoot.  Troy Glover had 8 boards...and man if he converted a zero-footer here and there?

Marcus Johnson played 2 minutes against his old team, as a kind of gift it appears.

Excitement is gathering.  We ran a very tight 7-man rotation last night and this team just seems to gel.  We don't even mention Justin Thomas, who doesn't generate numbers but might be the best player on the team.

Last night was very exciting and a great accomplishment for our team.  Our Kenpom jumped 30 sports to 108.  Our game with Utah Valley--kenpom of 90--will be very interesting Saturday and a good opportunity to see the team play.

BG MBB in the Little Apple

The Falcons MBB team is on the road again, this time playing the only P4 game on the schedule--at Kansas State in Manhattan KS.

The first note is that this was expected to be a reunion with Marcus Johnson, the Falcon's leading scorer last year.  Johnson went into the portal and ended up at K-State...which has not appeared to be a very good move for him.  He appears to be healthy, but has not appeared in any of the games this year, including both exhibitions.  According to this, Coach Tang told him that there would not be any minutes this year for him.

Certainly, we all saw that there were holes in his game... especially on defense.  I'd think that K-State would have watched enough film to know about that.  Apparently not.

Anyway, he hasn't played 1 minute and there's no indication he will.  They have had 3 wins over of 20 and he didn't appear.

This is a high-level program over-shadowed by the big brother in Lawrence where Dr. Naismith used to coach. They have made the NCAA tourney 10 out of the last 20 years. In total, they have been in the tournament 32 times.  They were quite the powerhouse in the 1950s and 60s.  They finished #2 in the NCAA Tournament in 1951 under legendary Coach Jack Gardner.

Today, they are coached by Jerome Tang, who was an assistant at Baylor.  In his first year, he took the Wildcats to a #3 seed and was Big XII coach of the year.  The next two years they did not make the tourney and he is in his 4th.  His record is 66-44.

It is our first game vs. Kansas State. Their last MAC opponent was NIU in 2004 and 2005, when they split a home-and-home.

They were picked #10 in the 16-team Big XII by Blue Ribbon. They were #9 in their league poll. 

The Wildcats are 5-2, all D1 games. They started at 61 on kenpom and now they are a 54. A neutral floor win over Mississippi State by 21 is helping them the most...other wins are UNC-Greensboro, Bellarmine (see they can be beaten), Cal, Tulsa and Mississippi State.  After a 5-0 start, they have lost to Nebraska (n) and @Indiana by 17 in their only road game to date.

Offensively, they score.  They have 1.18 points per possession, which is #60 in the country. They are a great 3FG shooting.  They take an average amount, but they make 42.9%, #3 in the country.  Add in 56% on 2FG and you have the #19 shooting team overall in the country.

Not that it matters too much when you shoot that well, but they are worse than average in turnovers, a little better than average on the boards, and they do not get to the line. When get there, they make 78%.

Defensively, they are averaging 1.06 points per possession, which is essentially average. That's against a pretty good schedule though. They defend the 3FG well, but are weak against the 2FG. They are a little better than average on turnovers, on offensive rebounds, and keeping their opponents off the line.

Individually, the name you need to know is PJ Haggerty.  He's a 6'4" JR, who has played at TCU, Tulsa and Memphis. He is scoring 27 PPG, the top in the nation right now.  He makes 57% from 2FG and 39% on 3FG, both outstanding. Also 83% at the line. And #35 with 5.7 assists per game.  He's #7 on the kenpom player of the year list to date.

Nate Johnson is the next leading scorer at 13.7 PPG.  You remember him, to be sure.  He played at Akron, where he was the Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year for the Zips. He's making 59% from 2FG and 47% from 3FG, a top-100 overall shooter. He leads the team with 6 rebounds a game and 11 steals.

They have 3 other double figure scorers: Abdi Bashir (50% from 3FG), David Castillo and Kahmari McGriff.

K-State is -13.5.

Record-Setting Performance over VMI

This was one for the books.

BG played VMI, a game they were certainly favored to win. 

It was one-sided from the front.  BG led wire-to-wire.  The Falcons were up 7 into the first media timeout, and went up 11 (16-5!!) with 13 left in the half.  The lead would never be closer than 10 again.  With 2 minutes left in the half, BG went up 21.  BG led by 25 at the break. Four minutes into the second half, BG was up 30.  It got as high as 36, and ended at 81-48.

Wow.

According to kenpom, it was the 4th most dominant victory in D1 so far this year.  It is not close to BG's biggest margin of victory.  Even eliminating military bases and non-D1 schools, BG beat Miami (1962) by 50.

VMI simply could not make a basket.  They shot 20% OVERALL for the game.  That's 32% on 2FG and 11% on 3FG.  Overall, the EFG is 23%, which is the lowest against BG in the kenpom era, which would take you back to 1997.  VMI made only 10 baskets.  They made 25 free throws.

Just as remarkably, BG got 56% of the available offensive rebounds, which is #2 all time.  One sneaky little thing...BG had over 20% turnovers for their 3rd straight game.  That's something that will need to get corrected. as MAC play begins.

Mayar Wol was the leading scorer with 21 points off the bench. He was 3 of 4 and 5 of 7 shooting.  He's a real addition to this team.

Towns had 18 rebounds, which is amazing.  He also had 12 points, but 3 of 10 on 2FGs. Shackleford had 12 on 2 of 3 and 2 of 4 shooting. Troy Glover had 11 on 5 of 7 2FG shooting. 

Jason Kimbrough, seeing his first real minutes, had 5 assists in 13 minutes. 

Wol and Ruffin were +27.

So the team has the holiday off.  Monday, they head to Manhattan, KS to play Kansas State in their most challenging pre-MAC game.

Happy Thanksgiving to the Falcon Nation

 

Football Closes with a Dub

 Well, it's over.

What a year.  There will be more chances to talk about that....signing day is coming up.  This off-season is critical.  We will not know for sure until the portal closes, but I suspect that we will have real holes to fill.  Even the ones we know about are significant.

UMass is just terrible. This is how the result should have been, and BG made it happen.  I'm glad our guys got to enjoy a win, especially for those whose football career has finished.

BG burst out to a 28-0 lead over the first 20 minutes of the game, and it appeared like the rout was on.  It was, however, not.  Yet.

The Minutemen had 2 first downs at this point.  They went on a 73 yard TD drive followed by an 80 yard TD drive to make it 28-14, and ghosts seemed to be coming out of the closets. 

UMass got the ball coming out of the half.  The Falcons got them 3 and out.  BG drove to the 39.  It was 4th and 2.  Everyone expected BG to go for it, but instead they punted UMass to their 4.  UMass ran 10 plays...to get to their 35...before BG turned them over on downs.

From the UMass 35, BG scored to make it 35-14 and everything eased up a little.  The first drive in the 4th led to a FG (38-14) and then in the waning minutes, BG went on a scoring drive in which long-time Falcon hero Pa'Sean Wimberly capped his career with a touchdown.

Classy touch by Coach George, who also got Blane Cleaver into the end zone for his last game and an XP to Travis Kenner.

At 45-14, BG had its biggest win over an FBS team since 2019.  Yes, we all know, that UMass might well be one of the 10 worst teams of all time...you're supposed to beat them and we did.  BG ran the offensive attack that many have been calling for...only 9 passes...mostly very short, to the extent that BG had 128 yards passing and most of that on runs after the catch. 

In fact, BG's average depth of throw was -.1 yards.  They ran 48 times for 5.8 yards per carry.  I'm not sure this approach would have succeeded against better competition, but it got the team the win today.

So, signing day is next week.  And then there's the portal work....the portal opens in January and after that we will have a better idea what we have.  More on this...but on day 1 we know we need serious help at QB, OL and WR.  Even if no one transfers.

Meanwhile...I will miss it.  See everyone in Lincoln.

MBB to Face VMI

BG MBB's next opponent is Virginia Military Institute, a team the Falcons have never faced.

They are the Keydets.  They have not made the NCAA Tournament since 1977.  They had a really good team for two years in that span, making the Sweet Sixteen in 1976 and the Elite Eight in 1977.

Their current coach, Andrew Wilson, was named to start the 2022 season.  His first two years, they went 11-53.  Last year, they improved to 15-19.

They were picked #6 in the Southern League by Blue Ribbon and the pre-season poll.  This is a really tough place to win.  While everyone else is paying NIL and transferring willy-nilly, you can only transfer INTO VMI with 3 years remaining and when you do you are subjected to "hell week" that doesn't match the experience of most athletes.  To say the least.

They returned the second most production in the country.  On paper.  The problem is that returning first-team SoCON player Rickey Bradley has yet to appear in a game this year, and comments from VMI indicate that the loss is hurting them.  There's been nothing announced about what might be up, but I'm assuming he won't play today.

They are 3-5, 1-5 in D1 games--win over Southern Indiana.  They started the year with a kenpom of 258 and now it is 331.  A 19-point loss to Stetson has a big role to play in that.  

They have lost four straight.

In the first game of this event, they lost to Buffalo by 8 in a tougher game than expected.

Their numbers are not good.  They are averaging 1 point per possession, with the national average at 1.076.  That's #262 in the country. They are #5 in the countries at the frequency of shooting 3FGs, but #261 at making them.  They are only #223 on 2FG. They are a little above average at protecting the ball, but poor rebounds and poor at getting to the line.

Defense is even a bigger problem.  They allow 1.23 points per possession, which is #339 in the country. They don't defend the 2FG (#324) and 3FG (#342). They are average at forcing turnovers, but terrible on the defensive boards and they are bad if not terrible at fouling.

They are getting scoring out of TJ Johnson, a 6'7" F who transferred from Lipscomb.  He's scoring 21.7 PPG.  Two-thirds of his shots are from 3FG and he's 26%, but he makes 66% on 2FG.  He also averages 7.9 RPG.

Walker Andrews is scoring 12.5 PPG in 19 minutes. He's 6'1" and makes 71% of his 2FG and 25% from 3FG. 

Mario Tatum is scoring 12.3 PPG and he can make a 3FG...35%.

AJ Clark (all-SoCon defense last season) leads the team with 8.3 RPG.  And Tan Yildizoglu (Turkey) leads the team with 34 assists.

BG is an 11.5 point favorite.

MBB Beats Bucknell

The Falcons MBB team picked up a nice win in Ft. Myers over Bucknell.  They move to 4-2 on the year and had a nice bounce back after a down game against William & Mary. 

In particular, Ken Piel said that Coach Simon had cooked up some different shooting drills to get the Falcons dialed in from 3FG...which worked, BG was 11-23 from distance.

BG was up 1 with 10 minutes left in the first.  Over the next 9 minutes, they went on an 18-3 run to lead 16 and then UMass cleaned up a little in the last minute and BG lead by 11 at the half.

The second half was one of those halves....BG held the lead the whole way, but never put final distance between them and the Bison.  Bucknell nver got the score within one possession (with the ball).  They did get it to 3 with :13 left.  They fouled Towns who hit both FTs (he made 6 in closing time total) and then with the lead 3 again a few seconds later dunked it home to close the victory, 71-68.

As you can see, it was pretty close.  BG did shoot better from 3FG, made only 42% from 2FG and defended the shot worse than they did against W&M.  If there are any special drills for turnovers, BG might want to look at them, because they had a poor game for the second time in a row.  Rebounding was poor on both sides and BG was +3 at the line.

Javon Ruffin had his best game as a Falcon, scoring 15 on 5 of 9 3FG shooting.  Towns also had 15, 8-8 from the line and 4 rebounds.  Campbell scored 14, but a rough night, 3-9 from 2FG, 2-3 from 3FG, 2-4 at the line...but 6 steals.

Thomas had 7 rebounds and 4 assists over 5 turnovers.

BG now plays VMI, who are ranked low, but with 7 minutes left were only down 1 to what appears to be an improved Buffalo team.

Umass Preview

Woof.  All those times I watched as Akron and Kent finished the season, each with one win or less, and thought "how awful," now it is us.  UMass is 0-7 and 0-11, and BG is 1-6 and 3-8.  We're playing at 4:30 in Amherst, MA, on a workday...strictly to get onto ESPNU.  

#maction.

Despite Coach saying UMass had been in some close games, their aggregate score in 7 MAC games is -190.  Kent's winless season last year was -198.  BG is -68 this year.

To take it a little further, BG is starting the guy who at the beginning of the year was #4.  Now, that's a little bit different, because the #2 guy is actually available.  Anyway.  UMass is starting their 3rd QB...Grant Jordan. He's played in 6 games this year and 11 games in 4 years at Yale.

I'm not going to break the whole thing out as I normally do.  The two teams have the stats you'd expect from teams that are collectively 1-13 in conference play.

Primarily, this win would give someone a boost into the off-season.  Of course, there's no way of knowing how many of the guys on the field for the two teams will be around to take advantage of those sweet vibes over the winter.

BG is -14.5.  I want us to win because they are my team.  We'll see what happens.

But it's ending with a whimper.

Unlike that poem, though, the world isn't ending.  It's just one season, which is now essentially a lost season, for reasons I will cover when this is all over.  For now, it's reboot time for Coach George.  The good thing is that you can rebuild faster, but this team will have urgent needs.  Without O-line help, we might be as bad or worse next year.  This season can be an anomaly, and reasonably explainable.  But only if things improve.

I'm not bailing on this staff.  It won't be easy. Nowhere to go but up.

Looking Live, Ft. Myers, FL

The MBB now moves to a Thanksgiving MTE, this time with the Bucknell Bison of the Patriot League.  First things first, both of the games are during the workday AND not on the Family of Networks.  Video is passtheballlive.com.  They will charge you $25 for both games.  Also, on the radio or Varsity app, Ken Piel will be bringing live play-by-play.

So, about Bucknell.  

We have never played Bucknell. BG is 4-3 against the Patriot League and Bucknell is 4-9 against the MAC.

Between 2004 and 2018, they played in 6 NCAA Tournaments.  In 2005, they were a 14-seed and beat #3 Kansas in the opening round in one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.  The next year, they were a #9 seed and beat Arkansas in the first round.  That team was 25-7, and John Griffen III, their current coach, was a reserve on that team.

Blue Ribbon picked them to be #3 in the Patriot League. They were #5 in the Patriot League pre-season poll.  Last year, they were 18-15 and 13-5, co-champs for the regular season.

The Bison are 2-4 this year, all against D1 opponents. They beat Delaware and @Mt. St. Mary's to open the season and then lost to @Princeton, Hofstra, @Pittsburgh, and @St. John's. They started with a kenpom of 299 and today are 287.

They play slightly slower than average in terms of tempo.  They are struggling to score. with .93 points per possession, #322 in the country. They are #309 in shooting, #299 in turnovers and #307 in offensive rebounding.  They make 44% from 2FG, which is terrible.  They do get to the line and make 75% which is good.  

Defense is better but still not great, allowing 1.11 points per possession, which is #236 in the country. They are well below average in defending the shot and defensive rebounding. They do force some turnovers, but give up a lot of FTs.

Like most teams, they lost their key player to transfer, as 7'0" Noah Williamson transferred to Alabama. Josh Bascoe graduated, both were all-Patriot.

They have brought in a significant addition. Amon Dorries is a FR who turns 20 in January.  He has played high level basketball there, including 11 games in Germany's top league and five in the Euroleague.  He also played in every game of Germany's run to the silver medal in the U19 tournament last year.  He's 6'11" and scoring 13.8 PPG to go with 4.7 RPG. He's making 53% of his 2FGS.

Their other double-figurer scorer is Ruot Bijiek, who was born and grew up in Iowa.  He is scoring 12.5 PPG on 42% and 32% shooting, plus 4.8 RPG.  

Jayden Williams leads them with 4 assists and 2 steals a game.  He was born on the day Bucknell beat Kansas.

BG is -6.5. 

Past and Future Opponent Land

 Lafayette (8-4)  Lost to Lehigh, season over.

Cincinnati (7-4) Lost to BYU

Liberty (4-7) Lost to LA Tech.  NO BOWL.

Louisville (7-4) Smoked by SMU.  Both of BG's P4 opponents on losing skid.

OU: (7-4)  Beat UMass

UT: (7-4)  Beats BSU

CMU (7-4) Beat Kent

Kent (4-7)  Lost to CMU

UB (5-6)  Lost to Miami

EMU (4-7) Idle

UA (5-7) They beat us

UMass:  (0-11) Lost to OU

MBB Loses at home to Tribe

Rough couple of nights in the Falcon Nation.  The Falcon MBB team by far their worst game so far--and hopefully for quite a while--in losing to the W&M Tribe at the Stroh in a game that was mostly not close.

The game was close for the first 8 minutes, with WM leading 14-13.  They scored the next 13 points, leading 27-13 heading into the 8 timeout.  They lead by as many as 17 in the first half and by 15 at the break.  In total, the lead was double digits for 18 straight minutes.

Then, BG started a comeback ala Davidson. The Falcons went on an 8-2 to get the lead to 5 with 10:28 left. The game was frozen into the 8 timeout as BG missed chances to cut the lead further.  Coming out of the timeout, the Tribe went on a 10-2 as BG continued to struggle to score and with the lead at 16 with 4.  BG had one more rally, getting the lead as close as 6 before losing by 9.

From 10:28 to 2:20, BG had 8 points. They went about 7 minutes without a FG.

It was not our night for sure. WM plays full-court pressure and BG handled that well...only to turn the ball over 18 times in the half-court offense.  Coach said the Tribe was packing it in on defense, which teams often do to us, and BG took risks in trying to dribble or pass against it.  Add that to 3-19 from 3FG, with 2 of those coming in the last couple of minutes, and you have a losing effort.

That's the worst 3FG shooting for BG since a game in Mt. Pleasant in February of Simon's first year.  The 23% turnover rate has only happened 4 times in the Simon tenure.  

We knew they would shoot a lot of 3FGS, and they did...54% of their total shots. And we knew they wouldn't be especially effective...and they weren't, making only 30%.  The problem was that they made 65% on their 2FGs, including a stupifying number of open back cuts, and it was enough for them to get the win.  They also turned the ball over 18 times.

Oh, and there were a ridiculous number of fouls.  The two teams shot 51 FTs.

Campbell led BG with 17 points. It was rough, though.  He was 5 of 12 on 2FGs and 0-1 from 3FG. Add 7 of 9 at the line, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers, and 3 steals, he helps in a lot of ways. Shackleford had 11 on 3 of 6 and 0 of 4 and 5 rebounds. Sam Towns had 10 on 4 of 7 and 0 of 2 and 8 rebounds. Thomas played 1 most of the night, as Campbell played more off the ball.  He had 10 on 3 of 5 and 0-3 with 4-4 at the line.  Mayar Wol was +2 in ten minutes.

BG falls to 2-2 in D1 play.  They head now to Ft. Myers to play Bucknell and VMI, both very winnable games.

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. 

Football Roster Updates

Some roster updates...I find most of them from @talontribune.

Chris Edmonds is no longer listed on the roster.  A Toledo Central Catholic graduate, he also went into the portal last year and then returned to BG. He carried 7 times this year in gargage time and ten for his career.  He was highly successful at Central, where he was Region Player of the Year and first-team All-State for a team that won the state title.

Two additional de-commits have occurred.

Kendall Griffin is a DB from Chicago with a lot of MAC offers.  He committed to Wyoming.

DeShon Jenkins, a RB from Florida, also de-committed.  This one was disappointing, as it is my understanding that we thought he could help us.  247 upped him to a 3-star.  He has not committed, to my knowledge.

I don't see any real cause for concern with these.  Things happen and I can't believe the current chaos in college football makes it better.  Signing date is December 3.  Portal is January 2 to January 16, but players can declare themselves to be entering the portal whenever they are inclined.

Tribe Preview

BG has a nice stretch here until MAC play...they could easily hit the Ohio game at 9-2.  I get it, the schedule, but if you are going to play these teams you should beat them.

William & Mary is interesting.  Almost every team we play, I detail when they were in the NCAA Dance, with our own absence from the tourney stretching back to a date which you are well aware of.

Here's the deal.  The Tribe has never been in.  They are an original D1 team, and they have never, ever made the dance.  They have lost 9 times in a conference championship game, the last time in 2014. 

Located in Williamsburg, VA, W&M is the second oldest college on the continent and the 9th oldest English language institution in the world.

Alumni include three U.S. Presidents (Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Tyler), numerous Founding Fathers, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, Speaker of the House Henry Clay, and early national leaders such as Edmund Randolph and Peyton Randolph.

They started the year with a kenpom of 231 and now it is 211.  They are 1-2 in D1 games....all road games...beating Norfolk State on the road and losing to Richmond by 3 and St. John by 33. 

Blue Ribbon picked them #9 in the CAA and #4 in their conference poll, which is interesting.  The CAA is the #15 ranked conference right now, and the MAC is #12.

This is our second meeting with them.  We played in 1949 and BG beat them by 16 in BG.  Was actually a big game, BG was top 20 most of the year and W&M finished 23-9.

So, this year.

The Tribe plays a little bit like Akron did last year, in that 10 players average between 13-26 minutes a game, so no one racks up big numbers. They are #70 in bench minutes to date.

Stylistically, they play fast.  Almost 76 possessions a game, which is #3 in the country.  Their points per possession is .97, which is really low. They try a large amount of 3FGs...nearly 53% of their total shots.  Unlike Davidson, they don't actually make very many...31.2%, which is below average.  Their shooting, turnovers and offensive rebounds are all below average. They do get to the line a lot but are only average FT shooters.

For the BG defense, this is a good set up.  BG needs to defend without fouling--typically a stength.  We love to play at pace and it looks like when can turn them over.

The Tribe allows 1.11 points per possession, which is also below average. They defend the shot well (53% and 30%) and also turn the ball over, but they are terrible on the defensive boards and foul even more than they get to the line themselves.

The only Tribe player on the pre-season All-CAA was Chase Lowe, who was on the 2nd team.  He's not scoring much, but leads the team with 4 assists per game.

Their leading scorer is Reese Miller, scoring 12.5 PPG in 24 minutes.  He shoots 44% and 40%. He's a JUCO transfer, 6'4" G.

Next is Kyle Pulliam at 12.3 PPG, shooting 42% and 33%.  Also a 6'4" G, he transferred before last season from DII St. Thomas Aquinas. 

Killian Brockhoff leads them with 6.3 RPG. A native German, he has played at UCSB and St. Louis. He's 6'9."

Should be an interesting game.  Kenpom gives BG a 78% chance of winning. 

Football Pre-Roo

So, BG is facing the Akron Zips at the Doyt.  A few notes.

First, it is Akron's last game.

They are improving.  They are 3-4/4-7, on a team that was never bowl eligible due to some sanction.

The Falcons have won 3 straight over the Zips.  Before that, they lost 2 straight, as Loeffler provided Tom Arth with both his FBS wins.  One of those was a 31-3 drubbing in 2020 that resulted in the most amazing Zoom presser from Loeffler, as he came unglued in real time, scaring small children along the way.

Let's start at QB for BG.  Najm not only appears to be the QB for the rest of this year, but also the future.  Coach says Najm is "wise beyond his years."  There are also great stories about May and Pyne helping Najm out...including May coming in the day after his surgery. 

What's interesting is that he explicitly mentioned that Lucian Anderson is available and will have some packages. But, the natural thing would have been for Anderson to start when he was ready, which tells you pretty much what you need to know.

BG is playing really poorly.  It's bad enough on a play-play basis,  but in the losing streak BG has taken 13 sacks and gotten one, and they are -4 in turnovers (5-1).

BG is a 4.5 point favorite.  A win saves them from a year losing to Kent, Akron and EMU.  It was be a cold night with a sparse turnout.  If BG can get the running game going and give Najm a little more to work with, maybe they can get a badly needed win...for no other reason than just because.

Past and Future Opponent Land

Lafayette (8-3)  Beat Richmond.  Oldest rivalry game with Lehigh will decide Patriot title.

Cincinnati (7-3) Lost to Arizona

Liberty (4-6) Lost to FIU

Louisville (7-3) Lost to Clemson

OU: (6-4) Lost to WMU

UT: (6-4)  Beats Miami

CMU (6-4) Beat UB

Kent (4-6)  Beat Akron

UB (5-5)  Lost to CMU

EMU (4-7) Beat Ball State

UA (4-7) Lost to Kent

UMass:  (0-10) Lost to NIU

Wild One in the Tar Heel State

 That was crazy.  Still a loss, but crazy.

With 9 minutes left, it certainly appeared that BG was on the receiving end of a butt-kicking. DC was up 21, their biggest lead of the game.  The next 7 minutes didn't change much.  With 2:14 left, BG was still down 19.  Play it out....on to William & Mary.  Right?

Uhhh.  No.  In one of the greatest almost-comebacks I can remember us pulling, BG put full-court pressure on and absolutely flipped the Wildcats.  I noted in the preview they were susceptible to the turnover.  From 2:14 to :31, BG outscored Davidson 19-1 to make it a 1-point game.

Unfortunately, on the next possession, DC broke the press for an easy basket.  Up 3, DC left the door open at the line, but never let BG get a 3FG off and won the game 91-87.  BG has a team that doesn't quit, which should be noted.

During the run, DC made 5 turnovers and missed 3 FTs.  BG made the run without making a 3FG.  Which is pretty remarkable.

I think it's worth noting that BG has shown itself to be a special team when they are pressuring on defense.  Small sample size, but the second half of the Texas State game featured not a press but strong half-court pressure as well. 

The lineup was Shakleford, Campbell, Wol, Ruffin, and Thomas.

One of the things I like about Simon is that he seems relatively system-agnostic. We can switch to what we need.  We dragged the team over the line last year in a zone.  Sometimes doesn't work, as when DC hit 4 straight 3s to end the first half.

A couple of things you can see below.  

DC shot the ball really well.  They split their shots almost evenly, but they made 62% from 2FG and 48% from 3FG...winning numbers on most days and this one.

BG made it close with a huge turnover differential and better rebounding. BG made 51% on 2FG, which is a little above average, but was only 3-14 from 3FG (Also a key statistic).

The other thing you can surely see is FTs.  The game featured 73 FTs. The chart is a little misleading...DC was 28-38 at the line and BG was 24-35.  (Free throw rate is FTA/FGA attempts.  Because of all the turnovers, BG tried 67 FGs and DC tried 48.)

Josiah Shackelford had a really nice night, scoring 23 in 25 minutes. He was 6 of 10 and 2 of 3, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Campbell scored 21 on 7 of 16 and 0 of 2 shooting, 7-10 at the line, and 2 turnovers over 2 steals.

Sam Towns had 15 on 5 of 10 and 1 of 4 shooting.  He added 6 rebounds and fouled out.

Mayar Wol scored 16 on 5 of 8 shooting....and 0-3.  Also 6 of 8 at the line.  This guy makes a difference.  Was on the court for the big run, too.

Justin Thomas had 6 assists, 4 steals, and 4 turnovers.

BG played a really tight seven-man rotation.

Next up is the Tribe of William & Mary.

BG MBB travels to Davidson.

This game will be interesting.

BG is heading to Davidson, NC to play Davidson.  The Wildcats are right in the heart of college basketball power and have been a high-performing mid-major for many years.  I remember watching them playing at UM once.  The crowd was small because there was a Michigan football game on. Anyway, I also remember telling someone who was with me that the little guy with a funny shot was someone whose Dad played in the NBA.

Bob McKillop coached their for 32 years, winning 634 games and 63%.  Believe it or not, that's not in the Top 100 of coaches.  Coaches before him included Lefty Driesell and Terry Holland.

Overall, they have played in 15 NCAA Tournaments and made the Elite Eight three times.  The last time was 2008 when Curry was there.

They have won 13 conference tournaments and 25 regular season titles.

Today, they play in the A-10, the #7 conference.

Bob McKillop retired in 2022 and was replaced by his son, Matt.  Matt is 48-49 coming into this year, but is off to a 3-0 start with 2 D1 wins.

Blue Ribbon had them 12th in the A-10, and in the conference poll.

Kenpom-wise, they are #127 and BG #129.

They played BG last year at the Stroh.  The Wildcats blew out to a big lead, BG dragged it back with a late second-half run, but the Wildcats kind of held the Falcons at arm's length the rest of the way, winning 91-85.

It was notable as a game where we saw BG play at full health. Campbell scored 30 on 10-13 shooting. Towns with 11 boards. Johnson made 5 3FGs.

Davidson leads the overall series 2-1.  There was another home and home in the 1980s.

Davidson is no different than any other mid-major...85% of their scoring walked out the door.

As mentioned, they are 2-0 in D1 games. They beat #159 Washington State by 16 at home, and won @Charlotte by 7 in a rivalry game.

The key thing to note is that they can shoot.  The average D1 tries 40% of their shots from 3FG.  Davidson tries 49% and makes 40%, #10 in the nation. They also make 57% from 2FG and 76% of their free throws. Overall, they are the #12 shooting team in the country. They make 45% of their points on 3FG and only 11 other teams have a higher percentage.

Their offense is 1.14 points per possession, or that should read only 1.14 points per possession, #103 in the country.  With that kind of shooting, you'd expect to be better, but they are well below average at turnovers and getting to the line and among the worst offensive rebounding teams in the nation.

They are good on defense. They hold their opponents to 43% shooting on 2FGs and 29% on 3FGs. They are top-100 forcing turnovers but bad on the defensive boards as well.

Their leading scorer is Hunter Adam, a Kiwi who has been at Davidson 2.5 years.  He scored only 3.2 last year, but this year is scoring 16.  He is making 70% from 3FG in 20 minutes a game. 

Parker Friedrichsen is scoring 10 PPG and making 56% of his 3FGs in 22 minutes.  Nick Coval, a R-Fr, is also scoring 10 PPG on 83% of his 2FGs and 100% at the line in 25 minutes.

Manie Jones, a r-So who is from England, leads the team with 3.7 rebounds per game. Sam Brown, a Penn transfer, leads them with 4.5 assists per game.

They play a big rotation.  No player has played more than 25 minutes a game, and 10 of them are between 25 and 14.  This is new for them...last year, they ran a much tighter rotation.

This is a good test for BG.  After watching UA literally 3-bomb BG out of the Stroh Center, this will be a chance to guard a team that can really shoot.  Forcing turnovers (which leaves them not shooting) would certainly help.

Kenpom gives DC a 63% chance of winning. ESPN is over 40.  Vegas makes them a 4.5 point favorite.

Football Lands Commit

BG Football landed a WR commit from East Robertson, TN.  His name is Cade Brooks.  His HS team is undefeated and making a run in the TN state championships.  He's highly productive...

His dad is the coach. Even more interesting, his OC is Hayden Alexander, who is the son of Dewayne Alexander, one of the assistants on the current BG staff.  There's not a lot of other info on Cade and I don't see any other FBS offers...but it's also possible we had a closer look at him and we're stealing one.

Welcome to the Falcons, Cade.

Falcon MBB Moves to 3-0.

The Falcons MBB moved to 3-0 for the first time in 11 years and only the second time since 1999.  That's something we are glad to see.  Good tests and coming up as we continue to learn about our team.

As noted, LeMoyne had played Xavier tough and they battled the Falcons for a good part of the game before BG pulled away.  The first half had 13 lead changes and BG trailed by 3 with 2 minutes left.  The Falcons closed with a +4 run to lead by 1 at the half.

BG came out much like they did against Texas State.  They had the lead to 9 with 17:00 to play, 11 with 15:41 to play and 14 with 12:46 to play.  I looked at the clock and thought, a good team never lets it get close from here.  The Dolphins cut it to 9 briefly, but Campbell scored to make the lead 11 and the game was never inside 10 again, with BG winning 83-60.

BG had 1.18 points per possession, which was the same as the TXST game. They held the Dolphins to .85, a little higher than an opener but a 95% winnable number.

You don't have to be a basketball savant to see the difference in this one.

BG forced 24 turnovers and made only 6.  Those are both, on their own, numbers that usually determine a result.  At the same time?  I can't imagine a team with that kind of turnover disparity has ever lost.  

Other than that, BG had a slight edge in shooting and free throws.  One warning sign is rebounding. We are excellent on the defensive boards but not on the offensive boards.

BG is #3 in the nation in steals per game and #4 in forcing turnovers.  Tempo-free, BG is #5 in turnover% and #7 in steal%.  Javonte Campbell is #1 in steals per game in the nation and #4 in steal%.  He tied the school record with 8 steals last night.  That was the highest in NCAA so far this season.

Campbell is having an extremely good start.  He had 23 points, 7 of 15 from 2 FG, 1 of 3 from 3FG, 6-6 at the line, six rebounds, 4 assists, 8 steals and 4 turnovers.  Every possession runs through him.  He brings the ball up, there's some screening, and it goes from there.  He is a stud.

Josiah Shackelford had 18.  That's 4 of 7 and 2 of 5, and 4-4 at the line.

Ruffin had 11 off the bench, with 1 of 1 and 2 of 3 shooting and 3 of 3 at the line.

BG was 16 of 17 at the line overall.

Sam Towns had 10 points and led the team with 7 rebounds.  Missed some shots, but we really gotta have him.  He is a tough rebounder.

BG went with a pretty tight 7-man rotation, with Wol and Ruffin off the bench.  Aidan Goins played about 5 minutes.

The next one will be a really good test.  Davidson is ranked about where we are, they are good on the road and they can shoot the lights out.  Look forward to seeing our guys take that on.

Past and Future Opponent Land

 Lafayette (7-3) Beat Colgate.  Oldest rivalry game with Lehigh will decide Patriot title.

Cincinnati (7-2) Idle

Liberty (4-5) Lost to Missouri State

Louisville (7-2) Lost to Cal

OU: (6-3) Beats Miami

UT: (5-4)  Beats NIU

CMU (5-4) Idle

Kent (3-6)  Lost to Ball State

UB (5-4)  Idle

EMU (3-7) We played them

UA (4-6) Destroyed UMass

UMass:  (0-9) Lost to Akron

MAC vs FCS: 11-2

MAC vs P4: 1-23

MAC vs.G5 4-11

Big games this week;

OU @WMU

UT @ MU

UB @ CMU

EMU @ Ball State

BG Football loses to EMU at Factory

 Well, the misery continues at Bowling Green football.  As the team loses its 4th straight after the Toledo win, BG will not be in a bowl for the first time in 4 years.

Certainly disappointing, but the signs were there.  Liberty is not the team they had in the past few years, and we beat Toledo on a few big plays.  As Coach himself said, winning was perfume to cover up some stink.

So we probably were a little over our skis.  Because we are not very good right now.

First, despite Pyne and Anderson being listed as officially available, Coach decided to start Najm.  Here's a walk-on, right?  But Coach seems to think they can build on him...even beyond this year, based on his post-game comments.

Note:  the three players who were arrested were not dressed.  No further info available.

BG took the kick and went three-and-out.  EMU went 59 yards in 9 plays to score and take a 7-0 lead.

For as much trouble as BG has had scoring, one advantage they have had is kickoff returns.  Kaderris Roberts took the kickoff and went 65-yards to the EMU 35.  BG is #6 in the nation in kickoff returns.  On the third play, Najm hit Jymir Johnson for a 32-yard TD.  There was holding, so BG handed it to Dendy who scored from the 19 and it was 7-7.

EMU went on a 13-play drive, highlighted by a terrible DPI call against the Falcons.  The Eagles had a TD called back and ended up with a FG to make it 10-7.

BG took the ball and punted early in the 2nd.

EMU then went on another drive.  This one was a 14-play, 57-yard drive, converting two third downs along the way.  BG had them off the field from our 41, but there was a roughing the passer call.  EMU ended up missing a FG to end the drive.

BG started on their own 24 with 6:43 left.  The Falcons got a DPI, and then Dendy went for 19 and 16 on back-to-back plays to score, making it 14-10.

After some punt-trading, Najm threw a pick with :30 left, but EMU didnt capitalize and BG went nto the locker room ahead.

EMU got the ball to start the second half and BG forced a punt. However, BG was called for holding and started on their own 10 off the punt.  They went three and out and punted EMU to their own 40.

Riding two dubious DPI calls against the Falcons, EMU used the short field to score and make it 17-14.

There was more punting trading until McMillan made a huge play for EMU.  Now in the 4th, he went 33 yards to the BG 10 and then he scored a couple plays later.  The score put EMU up 24-14, a two-score lead with 10 left.

BG did not fold.  In fact, they went on 70-yard TD drive that took 5:35.  Score was Najm to Johnson.  Now it's 24-21 EMU.

EMU went on a classic 4-minute drive, converting 3rd and 7 and 3rd and 12 on a 10-play drive to the BG 26, and with :58 left, EMU kicked a FG that made it 27-21.

BG got a KOR to their own 41. They moved the ball to the EMU 36 when the game ended.

Coach said we just ran out of time.  I guess.  He also said that there needs to be some kind of common agreement about what DPI is...given the three calls against the Falcons.

Coach said that we had a thin playbook for Najm.  They asked him to manage the game.  He did OK.  He was 11 of 15 for 129, 1 TD and 1 INT.  That's as good a day as our QBs have had.  With the bye, I'd expected an expanded playbook for Akron.

Dendy also had a nice day. He was 21 for 113 and scored twice. He also caught 2 passes.

In fact, BG's offense was respectable at 5.1 yards per play. That's exactly what EMU ended up with...they did it over 75 plays against 51 for BG.  BG's biggest problem on defense came on 3rd down, with EMU going 8 of 17.  Cut a couple of those drives short, and maybe BG has a shot.

BG is not playing wining fototball right now.  We are in 12th place in the MAC and will finish the year in Amherst.

LeMoyne Preview

So, first thing is that I don't think I have ever heard of LeMoyne before.  Probably some of them never heard of Bowling Green before.

They are in the Northeast Conference (lowest ranked conference) and are from Syracuse. They were the first Jesuit co-ed school and have 3,409 students. They are the Dolphins. Prominent alumni include MLB Pitchers Tom Browning and Jim Deshaies, actor Tim DeFalcon (Bizzarro Jerry), and Rob Manfred.

John Beilein coached here, as did his son Patrick.

They are in year three of the NCAA onboarding process, so they are not eligible for post-season play.  They were picked 9th in the coach's poll and 7th by Blue Ribbon.  Their starting kenpom was 340 out of 356.

Which would all be well and good, if they hadn't just lost by 5 to Xavier.  Now, this isn't the Xavier we are used to (kenpom 91), but still.  They had 1 point per possesson, shot the ball really well but turned it over. In fact, they outshot Xavier, but turnovers and offensive rebounding were decisive for the Musketeers.

They also beat SUNY-Shuykill.

They returned 8 players from last year, and added five D1 transfers and 2 FR players.

Their leading scorer is Deng Garang, who had 15.5 PPG on 75% 2FG shooting.  He's a 6'6" R-So.

Trent Mosquera is a 6'5" G who averages 13 PPG. He's their top 3FG shooter at 40%. 

Two other players (Eli Greenberg and Josiah Lee) scored in doubles in the opener but DNP in Cincy.

Ametri Ross, a North Florida transfer, leads the team in assists and rebounds.

They shoot 36% from 3FG, which is a little above the D1 average.

We have never played LeMoyne.  Kenpom gives BG an 87% chance to win.

MBB Beats DIII Bethany

The Falcons scorched the DIII Bethany College Bison last night.  A bunch of "records" were set, including most steals ever in a MAC game...a record that had stood for over 40 years. The final was 120-65. 

It was the 5th time that BG has eclipsed 120 points in a game.

I'm glad we won...and got a chance to test our pressure defense.  I just don't know what you learn from a game that is this mis-matched.

LeMoyne in town Sunday.  This is a DI program...

BG and EMU Preview

As Coach Clawson used to say, this one is a "who loves football" game.  Both BG and EMU are out of the MAC race.  Accordingly, we can't even play spoiler.  BG would need to win out to get a bowl eligible and EMU will not be bowl eligible.

All in the industrial grey of The Factory and likely a small crowd.  You will have to generate your own momentum.

BG will have a new playcaller, presumably in line with Coach George's philosophy.  BG's offense has been weak and the defense better in spots and not in others.  

EMU has been respectable most seasons under Chris Creighton, who embraced one of the toughest challenges in college football.  The last two seasons have been rougher...they are 3-10 in the MAC over those years.

We haven't played EMU since 2021.  EMU has won the last 3 meetings.  Two under Jinks and then a blowout to Loeffler.

It will be interesting to see what happens at QB.  I almost got the impression BG would go with Najm this week, but we will have to see.  It didn't sound like Pyne would get healthier.  No word on Anderson.

And it would be huge to get Padgett and Burns back.

EMU is favored by 2.5

DIII Bethany College is next for MBB.

Thursday, BG plays Bethany College, the Bison from Bethany.  West Virginia.

It's an old university--founded in 1840. In fact, it's older than West Virginia. They have 623 students.

Faith Daniels, Frances McDormand, William H. Macy (attended) and Tom Poston (attended) are among their famous alums.

They are a DIII team, going 7-18 last year, 9-17 the year before that...9-17 and 3-22 before that. There are other single-digit win seasons in there and their last .500 season was 17-18.

This is their opener.  They lost last year by 42 to Miami U. They are picked to finish 6th in their division of the Preisdent's Athletic Conference.

Among the Bison named to the PAC Preseason Players to Watch list are graduate Academic All-PAC guard Troy Hixson (Grove City, Ohio/Bishop Ready), senior guard Ryan Reasbeck (Washington, Pa./Wheeling Central Catholic), and senior guard Co Rose (Odessa, Texas).

Their coach is Brandon Thorsen, who is in his first year.

BG MBB Romps over TXST

 Hey now.

That was a very interesting performance by the BG MBB last night.

This was a D1 game against a team that is ranked roughly where we are.  Yes, at home.  But a game viewed as relatively even.  

And we finally saw a team fly around.

We're had the motto for a couple years, but either didn't have the personnel or didn't have the health to "fly around."

Last night, especially in the second half, we saw a team flying around.  On offense, we saw a high-energy attack, sometimes getting transition baskets off made baskets, even the defense was back.  The offense made shots from all ranges.  BG finished at 1.18 points per possession.

And the defense?  BG executed a stifling defense, just claustrophobic.  We haven't seen defensive energy like that in years.  For the game, TXST had .62 points per possession. 

In the second half, it was .54 points per possession. They were 8 of 20 on 2FG and 0 of 9 on 3FG.  8 turnovers.  (BG had 0). They rebounded only 4 of their 20 missed shots. And shot 5 FTs.

Immediately, things seem to be looking up.  Long way to go and all that...but if this was an example of the brand of basketball Coach Simon has been talking about, it is going to be fun to watch.

For the game.  BG shot 58% and 46% for the game. TXST was 48% and 18%.  Obviously, you win by 35, you are going win the statistical categories.

Individually:

Javonte Campbell had 15 on 5 of 10 and 1 of 3 shooting, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 1 turnover.  If that is the kind of thing that works for you.

Leader scorer though?  Mayar Wol, off the bench.  Guy we got late after Khayat went pro. Comes off the bench, scores 19 on perfect shooting, 2 of 2 from 2FG and all 4 of his 3FGs.  In 28 minutes.

Troy Glover II looked to be a force.  First, he had 12 of 5 of 7 shooting.  Added 4 rebounds.  But blocked 2 shots and impacted way more.  Huge advantage to an aggressive defense to have a shot blocker.

Ruffin had 13 on 2-2 and 2-4 shooting in 19 minutes. Shackelford had 10 on 2-3 and 2-8 shooting and 5 rebounds.

BG played 15 total, including Alijah Adem and Christian Dedivanaj making their debuts.  BG had 8 players play more than 10 minutes, and Kimbrough played 9.

The Falcons never trailed.

Fantastic start. A peek into what could be.  BG's next test is at Davidson on 11/15, picked #12 in the A-10.

Breaking: George Fires Co-OC

So here's a wow.  Coach George announced at his presser today that he has fired his co-OC and QB Coach Travis Partridge.

I'm very surprised.  Partridge came with George, and I just figured he was a little more of a known quantity.  Apparently, that was not the case.

Greg Nosal will call plays. He was a Loeffler holdover, co-OC and OL coach.

No word on what they will do for QB position coach. Maybe find an orthopedic surgeon who played QB.

Here's a telling quote.  Read the whole thing:

“There were just some things, philosophically speaking, that are no longer aligned with what I’m trying to do…I think coach Partridge is a phenomenal coach, great person, but just didn’t align with where we’re trying to go,” George said. “I think the feelings were mutual on that.”

Reading between the lines, it sounds like there were some differences of opinion on how the offense should be run...if feelings were mutual.  

It is a decisive act.  It will be very interesting to watch on Saturday.  Certainly only one direction to go.

Again, I don't know if Eddie is going to win a MAC Title for us or not.  But he's not Mike Jinks, as some suggest.

Past and Future Opponent Land

 Lafayette (6-3) Beat Holy Cross

Cincinnati (7-2) Smoked by Utah

Liberty (4-4) Beat Delaware

Louisville (7-1) Beat Va Tech

OU: (5-3) Readying for MACTION

UT: (4-4)  Readying for MACTION

CMU (5-4) Lost to CMU

Kent (3-5)  Readying for MACTION

UB (5-4)  We played them

EMU (2-7) Readying for MACTION

UA (3-6) Readying for MACTION

UMass:  (0-8) Readying for MACTION

MAC vs FCS: 11-2

MAC vs P4: 1-23

MAC vs.G5 4-11

Texas State, News and Notes

Men's Basketball, here we go.

Our first opponent is Texas State.  They would prefer not to be called TSU.  It is TXST.  OK.

Let's see.  This was Southwest Teacher's College, in San Marcos for a long time.  Interestingly, one of the few teams that we will play that counts a President among its alumni...that would be LBJ.

Interestingly, this is their last season in the Sun Belt.  They will (believe it or not) be in the PAC-12 next year.

Basketball wise, they have made the NCAA tournament two times, in the '94 and '97 tournaments.  They were high seeds and went straight out. 

They had a pretty successful coach in Danny Kaspar, who was fired before the 2020 season for allegedly making racist remarks.  His replacement, Terrance Johnson, kept the momentum for two years, but has been 49-53 over the last three years.

Blue Ribbon has them #7 in the Sun Belt.  They were #8 in their media poll.

BG and TXST have never played. TXST is 3-1 in the Sun Belt challenge. They are 5-4 all-time against current MAC teams.

Last year, they were picked 161 and ended 194.  They split their SBC games, but beat OU on a neutral floor.

Their story has been injuries...Blue Ribbon notes that their last 3 seasons have been significantly disrupted.

This year, they return only 3 players, one of whom did not play last year.

Among the 12 newcomers, seven are transfers from other Division I programs, three are true freshmen and two are junior college transfers. Three of the D1 transfers come from other Sun Belt programs in Jalen Bolden (ULM), Kyndall Davis (Louisiana) and Makai Willis (ULM).

Mark Drone, a SR G, is picked as 2nd team All-SBC. He averaged 11.5 PPG last year, but played only 10 games. Inefficent shooter.

Kaden Gumbs, a JR G, was 3rd team All-SBC.  He scored 11 PPG last year, 4 assists per game, and 37% on limited 3FG attempts. 

They played one exhibition, beating Huston-Tillotson 102-52.  That's an NAIA school.

Franck Emmou is a guy to watch for.  He missed all of last year with an injury. He came off the bench for 22 minutes in the exhibition, for 15 points.

BG is -3, though ESPN gives TXST a 62% chance to win.

Long Day at the Doyt

November opened the way October closed, with the Falcon football team drubbed once again and looking for their first post-Toledo win.  Or even solid performance. 

It was bad from the start.  UB started on their 26 and scored three plays later. BG returned the ball to the UB 48 (looking to hear from you "fair catch or die" guys).  From there, BG did not make a first down.  On 4th and 1 they went for it and made next to nothing and gave the ball up.

The defense rallied and got a stop and BG started on their own 15.  BG actually put together their best drive of the game, but starting so deep makes it hard.  We got to the 39, 4th and 8 have turned the ball over on downs again.

UB meanwhile moved 64 yards on 6 plays to go up 14-0.

BG took the kickoff at the 25, made one first down to the 50 and then turned the ball over on downs again.

BG would not make another first down until the second half.

Even so, we knew we were getting the ball to start the 3rd and it was only 14-0. BG got the ball back with 1:18 left in the half, planning to run the clock out.  Instead, BG fumbled, UB got it to the 6 and scored three plays later to make it 21-0.

BG ran 56 plays for 97 yards in the first half.  That's 1.7 yards per play.  And that's after a decent start.  There is no way to look at it other than we just don't have enough.

BG DID get the ball to open the half, went three and out (-7 net) and punted, only to have UB return it for a score and it was 28-0 and the game was truly over.

BG lost 28-3.

The sad fact is that we aren't a very good football team right now.  The defense is servicable.  They held UB to 2 TDS--though in fairness, Lembo was in major clock melting mode for most of the second half.  And why not?  Get to midfield, punt BG back and watch them try to drive to drive 75 yards. (It reminded me, in reverse, of the BG-UB game at Crew Stadium).  UB ended up with 5.5 yards per play, which is pretty average.  (MAC average is 5.3 YPP).

But the offense is just terrible.  BG had 3 yards per play and that's after making some yards during garbage time.

Our offense was struggling before.  You put a hobbled Pyne back there, take Pabst and Padgett out, and we aren't going to get better.  But we weren't great before.

UB loaded the box.  Even removing the sacks, BG ran for 3.7 yards per carry.

And there were five sacks.

I found myself agreeing with Todd and Gibby...the offense actually looked energized with Najm in there compared with Pyne.  And the same was true of May. Pyne is immobile, and doesn't have any confidence so he holds onto the ball and down he goes.

After the game, Coach did say they would re-evaluate the QB position.  It would not shock me to see Najm start.  According to the Coach, Pyne is able to play but unlikely to improve from week to week.

We're just not a functional football team right now, and its mostly on the offense. 

I am still behind our coaches, though.  Given the transition this year and the timing, it has not been a fair test.  As with any endeavor, success has to be proven.  But I'm still excited about the future.

MBB Preview

When last we left our Falcon hoopsters, the scene was not good.  Having dragged an injury-ridden team into the MAC tournament, BG faced the #1 seed Akron Zips.  BG had ridden a zone defense to get that far, but Akron shredded it with 3FGs and the game was never competitive. They won 96-67 after leading 85-49.

The Falcons experienced just ridiculous injuries.  BG finished with a kenpom of 286, 

In the off-season...well, it was your normal off-season.  Most of the team transferred and a new one was recruited.  Also, Anthony Stacey returned home as an assistant coach, which was good news to the Falcon Nation, both because he's beloved and he's a good coach.

We thought we had lost Campbell, but we got him back.  We thought we had retained Khayat, but he went back to Lebanon to play in the pros. Towns is back, among contributors.

It is extremely tough to predict where this is all going.  Coach did an interview right around media day, and here are three things he said that I thought were interesting.

"We kind of doubled down on maybe a little bit more depth ... but all in all, we're pretty firm believers in what we're doing."  

He did do that.  BG has 17 players on the roster as the season starts.  Can't remember having that many guys.  Not sure how many are game-ready, but we should at least be able to practice.

"Our two junior college guys, they've exceeded expectations. They're going to be ready."

That would be Kimbrough and Goins.  

"I think we really went in on basketball IQ and guys that play the right way and not just one-trick ponies."

This is interesting.  And pretty smart.  You might not get the top stars, but when you get basketball players who can play with each other, adapt to different situations and execute the plan, you give yourself a shot.  On the other hand, you might not have the lodestar guy you need when you need a big play.

Here are some other random thoughts;

• Kenpom has BG 6th, going 17-13, 9-9. 
• Blue Ribbon and the MAC had us #7.
• Goins is a true 5 who can shoot the 3FG.  And let's not forget Squire when he is healthy.  He can do the same thing.
• Javontae Campbell now has two unbroken hands.  Be great to see him perform healthy.
• Coach Simon told Blue Ribbon that the zone we used because of the injuries is called the "web."
• My memory was that we badly lacked 3FG shooters, but finished #8 in the MAC in 3FG% and right at the national average for points coming from 3FGs.
• The biggest reasons to think we'll be better is Campbell being healthy, and what appears to be more offensive talent.  Whether we have enough to get into, say, the top 4, remains to be seen.

Happy Halloween to the Falcon Nation!

 

Buffalo Preview

 OK, back at it.

UB comes to town.  They are 4-4 and 3-1 this year.  

They scored a TD in the last minute to beat Kent by 3, beat EMU in OT, scored a TD with :19 left to beat UMass by 7 and lost by 8 to Akron.

So on one hand, they are 3-1.  Or, they are a sliver away from being 0-4 with a schedule that was Kent, EMU, UMass and Akron.

At home and with the QB uncertainty, BG is a 1.5 point favorite. If we can play with some consistency and get back to avoiding penalties and turnovers, this is a team we can beat. BG is last in the MAC in penalties--yes, we have sunk below UT.

A few notes.  I think we've worn out the batteries on the big crowds. That won't help.

QB is a serious issue.  We don't know who will start, but none of them have been very good.  BG needs to run the ball efficiently in high volumes to have a shot.

We need special teams to come back.

BG has won 2-3 against UB, after losing four straight.

This is a chance to see who we are.  Did we feel the sting last week?

 

Football De-Commit

The Falcons have a second de-commit.  We've seen this young man continuing to take visits, so that is not a huge surprise.  This one is Joshua Smith, from Africentric in Columbus. He is a HS QB and 3rd-team All-State in D4.  He tracks to a WR at our level, and is 6'5".  He had offers from WMU, UB, CMU, KSU, Miami, UT and YSU.

(Thanks to the alert commenter, who reminds me to say that he is heading to UC).

Best of luck, Joshua.

George Presser

The big news was that Pyne and Anderson are questionable for Saturday and May is out longer-term.  Which leaves Hunter Najm taking the first team reps this week.  Coach George, displaying dark humor, did note that he is "healthy."  It did sound like Pyne in particular might be ready to go Saturday, so we will have to see.  We have played teams on their 4th QB--including the 2015 Championship game against NIU--but I don't remember being this low on the depth chart before.

True FR Carsen Melvin is the only other healthy QB on the roster.

Other thing.  I know a lot of people wondered about where Austyn Dendy has been hiding.  Coach was asked that and he said that he was raw when he got to BG, but our RB Coaches worked hard with him to get him ready.  

He can clearly help us. Pettaway and Jake Burns are also questionable.

On we go.

MBB Exhibitionism, Part ii

BG wrapped up the exhibition season at the UD Flyers last night.  Not much to say...BG led by 3 at the half and then Dayton outscored them 63-29 in the second half to end the game with a 90-59 victory.

Dayton made 13 of 16 on 2FGs and 9 of 16 on 3FGs.  BG had 20 turnovers for the game.

Coach made one change in the starting lineup...Ruffin started in place of Shackleford.  The starting lineup was +5 over 9 minutes of play.  Most of BG's other combinations were outscored, which is not surprising, given that we lost by 31.  Also, no player had a positive plus/minus.

Mayar Wol played 18 minutes after playing 5 in Lansing.

Leach played 11 after playing 7 in Lansing.

Pardon, Dedivanaj, and Maxamud got time at the end.

Squire and Adem DNP.  I understand Squire is injured.

The next one counts.  Preview coming up over the weekend...Texas State Monday at the Stroh.

Past and Future Opponent Land

Lafayette (5-3) Idle

Cincinnati (7-1) Beat Baylor.  Tied for first in Big XII.

Liberty (3-4) Off

Louisville (6-1) Beat BC

OU: (5-3) Beat EMU

UT: (4-4)  Lost to Washington State

CMU (5-3) Beat UMass

Kent (3-5)  We played them

UB (4-4)  Lost to Akron

EMU (2-7) Lost to OU

UA (3-6) Beat UB

UMass:  (0-8) Lost to CMU

MAC vs FCS: 11-2

MAC vs P4: 1-23

MAC vs.G5 4-11

Standings wise, only Miami is undefeated in MAC. @Ohio next week in a big one, and then UT after that.

CMU, OU, WMU and UB all have one loss.  CMU and WMU play Saturday in a big one. UB plays BG.

Three teams have 2 losses...UT, BS, and KS.  

BG loses to Kent. Sun Rises Next Day.

Hey everybody, look.  The sun came up.

No doubt, it was a tough day on the football field.  But we've had way worse days in the last few years.  I'm surprised at the cataclysmic vibes from the Falcon Nation.  I know you will never admit this, but this is not the Kent team from the last two years. I'm not claiming they are great or that we should have lost, but it's not as humiliating as people (including Todd Walker) seem to think it is.  Strip away the 3 P4 losses, and they are competing.

As for Coach George...last year we were 7-6.  We lost the core of that team. Our Coach left in the middle of Spring practice, and we found a guy who has brought energy to the program.  Will he succeed?  That's an open question. Of course it is. But I'm surprised at the lack of patience, especially from those of you who defended Loeffler.

I do detect an undercurrent of Loeffler supporters who are jealous of how quickly George was accepted...as opposed to Loeffler, who never really won the hearts of the Falcon fans. It reminds me of when Lloyd Carr left Michigan and his supporters sniped away at the new regime.

As for those of you who are "done," Maybe there is a fan portal. I say best wishes. I'm here for the long haul.  This is my team.

All that is not to deny that it was a very disappointing loss.  Yes, we were a touchdown favorite.  If it was known that we were down to our third-string QB with zero FBS snaps, I doubt it would have been that high, especially on the road.  Seriously...how many games do you win under that scenario?

Even so, it started pretty well.  The defense got a 3-and-out.  People have been screaming that BG needed to throw upfield to open up the run game, and they were working that plan.  Jyrin Johnson bailed May out when he out-fought double coverage for a 20-yard gain.  May threw a great 13-yard pass to Jacob Harris for the TD, capping off a nine-play drive.  BG up 7-0.

Kent drove the ball to midfield and punted.  BG misplayed the punt, but drove the ball from their own 3 to midfield to flip the field. The teams traded punts and then Kent put together a nice drive before a false start and a negative play set them back, and they kicked a field goal to make it 7-3.

I neglected to mention that Cam Pettaway was also out.  RB has been a position where we are just average.  Austyn Dendy played in this one, and on this drive he was highly productive.  He was at Missouri for one year, 3-star recruit.  BG drove 11 plays, 75 yards, aided by 2 Kent 15-yard penalties, and Dendy scored to make it 14-3 with :33 left in the 2nd and BG getting the ball to start the 3rd.

Which BG scored on.  It was as good a drive as BG has had all year.  May scrambles for a first down.  Hits Garcia for 18 and Johnson for 29. McMillian and Dendy chipped away with the running, and then May scored, and it was 21-3.

And here, the laughter turned to sadness.

Kent had the ball and drove into BG territory.  As noted in my preview, Kent relies on getting Wolford over the top for their offense.  And they did, for a 30-yard TD where he just beat our guy.  Not a blown assignment.  21-10 BG.

BG got a holding penalty on the kickoff return, started on their own, and went three and out.  Henderson shanked the punt, Kent started on the 45 of BG, and scored again on the next play on a run.  21-17.

BG gets another penalty on KOR and starts on their own 10.  The offense rallies (contrary to what you might be reading), Dendy for 16, May for 28. They drive 65 yards to the Kent 25.  It's 4-2, first play of the 4th.  A lot of people point to this play.  I agreed at the time...they sent Kleather out...he's been great...and this time he missed.  It happens.  Without the penalty, that drive ends at the 10.  Of course, you go for it, you might put the game away.

Kent has the ball. BG's defense is still competing.  Branch-Haynes nailed a big sack and the Flashes had to punt. 

Still 10:18 to play.  BG made one first down and then sent May out on his own for a pass play...he was hit and fumbled.  BG recovered but it was an 11-yard loss and then Henderson shanked another punt.

Kent had the ball, 6:49 to play.  Wolford gets over the top against for 37 and two plays later Kent has the lead, 24-21.

With 3:15 left to play, BG drives to the Kent 48.  The Flashes are pressuring everything, and they sack May, and BG turns it over on downs and BG was finished.

Later in the half, to finish with a tragic twist, May suffered a non-contact injury that had him leave in an air cast, probably ending his football career.

Honestly, though, he did as well or better than our other QBs did.  As we noted in the preview, Kent can be passed on, and he did OK. 

If anything, BG lost this game on special teams (two shanked punts, two KO penalties and one missed FG) and the defense allowing three big plays--the two Wolford catches and Garcia's big TD run.  A third factor was Kent pressuring May with blitzes--tough for a new QB to handle, and we didn't always protect him.

But we needed to go downfield.  Everybody said so.

BG ran the ball effectively.  The backs had 36 carries for 171 yards.  That's 4.8 per carry.  Not overwhelming, but solid.

The defense?  Take the Garcia run out and Kent had 77 rushing yards. Take the passes to Wolford out, and it was under 100 yards passing. 

The problem is that all of the 8 plays I cited above happened in 21 minutes of play.

It was a very disappointing loss and clearly a game we should have won.  It's not the armageddon some think.  We are way too early to decide whether this coaching staff can get it done.