Miami Preview

 And on we go.  We are one-third of the way through the year, and winless.  Yet every year brings this kind of reset...we start MAC play.  If things turn around, we can forget about the slow start.  And the MAC is where we are supposed to be able to compete.  It has been 11 years since we hoisted the trophy or played for it.

Miami is first up.  The MAC seems to be lining up into haves and have-nots, and I fear Miami is in the first group and we are in the second.  They supposedly pay their players competitive rates, and they have played in the last 3 MAC title games, winning one of them.

We did not play them last year.  After the Big Ben season, they were pretty average for a few years, but things have changed since Chuck Martin arrived.  Miami has won 6 of 8 vs. BG in that time, and BG's last win in Oxford was a shocking 37-29 win in 2017.  Miami won the last meeting, 28-12 at the Doyt...a division title was at stake, but Loeffler's Falcons could not hold serve, and Miami moved to the final.

Defense has been Miami's calling card.  Over the last 5 years, they have been in the top 3 in the MAC in scoring defense, while ranking in the top 5 in offense only once in that period.

Things have been a little different this year, but they could still change in MAC play.  They are 2-2. They have an easy win over Holy Cross, and a thrilling homecoming win over UConn, led by a backup QB and a FR kicker cashiering the winning FG. They lost big to Pitt (59-14) and lost a shootout, 35-31, to UC.

They are #88 in SP+.  BG, the MAC's only winless team, is #136, ahead of only ULM and Charlotte. They are 13.5-point favorites.

That's with David McComb, their Kansas transfer star QB, #2 passer in the MAC, is out for the season.  So, down your starting QB, still a 14-point favorite.

Their backup is Caleb Havener, a JUCO transfer.  He had big numbers there and was 3-3 leading Miami's winning drive against UConn.

They rank #4 in scoring in the MAC this year and #2 in yards per play at 6.8. Here's where the QB injury could be trouble...they are #11 in running the ball to date and #2 in passing efficiency.  They are relying on passing, and if they struggle to do that, they present a different team.  

They are #3 on 3rd down, which is a force multiplier.  They have 8 TDs and 3 FGs on 12 red-zone attempts.

On paper, everything is a mismatch with the BG defense after Nebraska and Iowa State.  That said, BG showed strong defense last week, and if it continues, this becomes a more winnable proposition.  Assuming BG's offense doesn't do a 180, its defense will need to compete in any game this year.  BG will be without Myles Bradley, who had four sacks against USF.

Speaking of sacks, Miami has allowed six sacks on 112 attempts.

Miami is -1 on turnovers.

Defensively, Miami is #7 in scoring defense, #7 in yards per rush allowed, and #9 in passing efficiency defense.  Ordinarily, this might be viewed as an opportunity for BG, but it's going to take a surprising performance for BG to capitalize on this.  MU allows 66% completions, has only 1 INT, and allows 12.1 yards per completion.

They rank #7 in defending 3rd down and have allowed 10 TDs on 11 red-zone attempts.

Special teams-wise, their kicking has struggled. (Highly unusual for Miami). Their original kicker was 2-6 with a long of 24, so they brought in Brady Stidham to nail the winner (from 33) against UConn.  The original kicker (McLaughlin) is still listed at the top of their depth chart.  BG is the only team that hasn't missed a FG this year.

Miami would have to have a punter named Pierse, yes spelled with the "S." Miami is #9 in net punting, while BG is last.

In the return game, Scoop Smith is #2 in the nation in Kickoff returns, averaging 44 with one TD. Their punt return is negligible.

We would be remiss not to mention the insane history between these two schools.  Miami has dominated the series, amid crazy games like the last one on Doytgrass, the Fog Bowl, the 4th down call, it goes on.  There was one year when Miami's long snapper put three of them out of the end zone.

You get the idea.

George Presser

 Coach George had his presser today.  A couple of interesting points.

First, Myles Bradley is doubtful for next week.

Second, Clint Corpe did his best to ask the question that I think most fans have.  In fact, it's as close as any member of the media has come in years to asking a hard question to a BG Coach.  Questions usually are like, "how did this feel?" and "how tough was that?"

He asked Coach about why we didn't take to the pass game sooner, given that it was clear we weren't going to be able to run....a question that has been on the lips of many fans.  And Coach said that it was because we didn't think we could protect the QB and that kept us from looking downfield more.  He also noted that we tried a few downfield shots, but didn't execute them, including on the last drive.

He was also asked about Kastantin's play.  He said "he has to get better."  The question left open that there might be a change, but he didn't take that bait.  Coach said that the Jay missed some throws that were open and he has to learn to execute under pressure.

Past and Future Opponent Land

 Sep. 5 Tarleton State Texans (3-0)  Bye

Sep. 12 Nebraska (4-0) Won easily @MSU.

Sep. 19 Iowa State (2-2) Lost to Utah

Sep. 26 USF Bulls (4-0) Beat us

Oct. 3 Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (2-3) Beat UConn (HA HA Candle)

Oct. 10 Sacramento State Hornets (1-3) Lost 35-6 to UMass

Oct. 17 Ball State Cardinals (1-3) Lost to Kent

Oct. 24 Buffalo Bulls (2-2) Beat Robert Morris 31-28

Oct. 31 Western Michigan Broncos (2-2*) As nation watched, loss to Boise 32-7 in Kzoo

Nov. 10 Kent State Golden Flashes (2-2) Beat BSU

Nov. 20 Toledo Rockets (3-1) Cruised past SD State

Nov. 28 UMass Minutemen (4-0).  Beat Sac State

MAC vs. FCS: 12-1

MAC vs: P4:  1-16

MAC vs G?: 6-10

Homecoming Sadness

 Oof.  It was almost the perfect homecoming.  Great weather.  Huge crowd.  HUGE.  And a team putting a much improved performance over its first three games.

The only thing that would have made it perfect, said Coach George afterward, would be to have won.

Instead, the Falcons fall to 0-4.

It was a day marked by a putrid offensive performance.  Look, a lot of people are focusing on the playcalling or the run-oriented offense that BG is using this year.  I don't object to that...teams have won the MAC playing that way.  I'm not sure it's the best fit for our personnel.  We are inexperienced (not even young) on the line and offer virtually nothing at WR that can take the top off and relieve pressure.  These are weaknesses that were apparent last year when the season ended and very much turned out to be.

You can't blame the defense.  More on that later.

The turning point came on the first play of the 4th quarter.  BG up 6-0 and 4th and 1 on their own 45.  They had the whole break to think about it.  Coach said he was contemplating punting.  He said the team stuck together, the defense was all over him saying they had the offense's back, and he decided to go for it. (I'd feel better if the offense was all over him saying we could make it, but....) .  We went for it.

Dendy got the ball and was blown up behind the LOS. Coach said one of the linemen went the wrong way and left the gap open and the play had no chance.  

FWIW, I was in favor of going for it.  You have to be able to make 1 yard.

Six plays later, the Bulls were in the end zone and instead of defending a lead, but was playing from behind.

Time for the offense to rally.  One first down and a 35 yard punt later, USF started on their own 28.  Six plays later, aided by a personal foul against BG (and a really sketchy DPI), USF was up 14-6.  There's 5:34 left to play, with 9:30 turning the tide.

At least the offense came alive.  Starting at their own 18, they made 4 first downs, converting a 3rd and 10 and a 3rd and 4.  It was third and 7 from the 21 with :53 to play. And the wheels came off.  Kastantin was sacked for a 9-yard loss. On 4th down, USF brought the house, Kastantin ran for his life and just before going down flung the ball to the middle of the field.  Winn Sharp caught it one yard short of the first down and that was that.

Category	Bowling Green	South Florida
Yards per rush	2.6	3.9
Yards per completion	7.6	7.4
Completion %	57.1% (16/28)	63.6% (7/11)
Yards per play	3.4	4.0
3rd down	5/15 (33.3%)	3/10 (30.0%)
Red zone	1/1 (100%)	2/2 (100%)
Turnovers	0	2
Special Teams Index	+2	+5
Explosive plays	3 — 38 yards	7 — 131 yards

These are not great numbers.  USF came in at 5.2 yards per play and BG held them to 4.  Some of this is a little misleading.  USF has 52 yards passing and 49 yards in sacks.  However, those get added to rushing in college ball.  Crowder averaged 6.2 yards per carry, which is good.  But, 4 yards per play is a solid day.

Meanwhile, BG's offense was just dreadful, even after being +2 on turnovers.  BG's line can't block the run or the drop back pass.  I don't see that there's much to be done with playcalling.  In fact, BG called two perfect pass plays, but Kastantin overthrew the receivers on both (these were on the final drive.)

Which is not to blame our QB.  Because he has to run for his life so often, he's the right guy for this assignment.

Obviously, you don't get new players.  If the defense can continue to be effective, the offense doesn't have to score 30 to win.  But 3.4 yards per play will lose every game.

Quick word about Myles Frazier, a LB/S who entered the portal last year and then returned.  He had a record day for BG.  He had 4.5 sacks and forced fumbles on two of them, one of which he recovered.  BG believes it's a record for sacks in a game, though there aren't complete records for that stat.

He had a hell of a day.  BG just abused the RT on pass pro.

So on we go.  Down to Miami, the defending champions and 2-2 on this year.  The issues with the offense are plain to see.  BG needs to figure out how to move the ball to have any shot in Oxford.

USF Preview

 All right, folks, here we go.  South Florida is in town... and BG will be going for their first win of the year against the 3-0 Bulls.  Here are some things to know.

The Bulls beat FIU 19-9, Army 28-24 and Delaware State 59-17.

They were picked #4 in the American Conference. 

We have played them once, in an Urban Meyer game.  We played in Tampa in 2002 and they beat us 29-7.

Right now, in SP+, they are #67.  BG is #156 (we are the #2 ranked DII team) and USF is a 17.5 point favorite tomorrow.

BG is going to have to show something we haven't seen in order to get this win.  Back at home, nice day, who knows?

Despite their two wins, there are signs that the Bulls are not necessarily as good as their record. Removing their FCS game, they are 2-0 in their FBS games but have been outgained by 80 yards per game, which is not normal.  That's probably at least partly because they are deadly good on 3rd down (46%) and are +4 in turnovers, and that's 4 takeaways and zero losses.

They are #37 in the nation in scoring defense and they are allowing 5.3 yards per play, which is not bad.  They are stronger against the rush (3.9 per carry) but #109 in passing defense.  They have given up 137 plays to their own 111, which I assume is from playing Army.

On the offensive side, they are pretty average...#87 in scoring, 5.2 yards per play--basically even with their defensive side, despite being 2-0.  They are rushing 3.8 yards per game, which is not good at all. They have passed effectively, with 63% of their passes completed and 11 yards per catch, which is a pretty good combination. They have also allowed only 1 sack in 48 attempts, #10 in the country.

Their coach, of course, is former Buckeye WR Brian Hartline.

As mentioned, they are making 46% on 3rd down and they are 100% in the red zone with 3 TDs and 3 FGS in 6 attempts.

They are very strong on special teams.  Nico Gramatica, son of Martin, is 4-4 this year with a long of 53.  They are #24 in net punting and #15 in kickoff return defense. 

Their QB, Michael Van Buren, JR., is a transfer from LSU who started the last four games of the '25 season for the Tigers.  Before that, he started 8 games at Mississippi State. He is a dual-threat QB.

None of the players were all-American conference in the pre-season.  That's not a surprise since they returned only 4 starters, with a new coach and all.

In summary, this is a 3-0 that is not as strong as most 3-0 teams are. They are rightfully heavily favored tomorrow, and there's every reason to think that's how it goes.  If BG is better than we think, this would be a good time to unveil it.

Past and Future Opponents

Sep. 5 Tarleton State Texans (3-0)  Beat Merrimack

Sep. 12 Nebraska (3-0) Beat North Dakota

Sep. 19 Iowa State (2-1) Beat us

Sep. 26 USF Bulls (3-0) Beat Delaware State

Oct. 3 Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (1-3) Lost to UC

Oct. 10 Sacramento State Hornets (1-2) Lost to NoDak State.

Oct. 17 Ball State Cardinals (1-1) Beat Stony Brook

Oct. 24 Buffalo Bulls (1-2) Smoked by Liberty

Oct. 31 Western Michigan Broncos (2-1*) Beat Rice

Nov. 10 Kent State Golden Flashes (1-2) Lost to OSU

Nov. 20 Toledo Rockets (2-1) Miracle comeback to beat Temple

Nov. 28 UMass Minutemen (3-0).  Beat Stonehill

MAC vs. FCS: 11-1

MAC vs: P4:  1-15

MAC vs G?: 4-6

Football Hates Me

 Bowling Green was wiped out again yesterday, this time against a P4 team, but far from a high-quality one...the Iowa State Cyclones, in the bottom part of the Big XII.

I'm not talking about not winning. I'm talking about representative games played last year against UC and Louisville, and wins over Georgia Tech and Minnesota under similar circumstances.  BG was a 23-point underdog and lost this one by 48.

Since beating Toledo, BG has lost 8 of 9.  The only win was putting a nail in UMASS' 0-12 season. 

There are 138 teams in the FBS.

BG is 135 in rushing defense and 125th in rushing offense.

BG is 132 in scoring defense and 136 in scoring offense.

BG is #135 in passing efficiency defense, #131 in TFL.

BG is the only team in the FBS that does not have at least one touchback on a kickoff.

Next up is USF, at 3-0 and the #63 FPI, according to ESPN.  BG is third from the bottom...8 of the bottom 12 are in the MAC.

The Iowa State game was close for one play.  BG scored on a nice pass to Winn Sharp, and then on the ensuing kickoff a guy named Cameron Pettaway housed it...did we know he could do that?

In the post-game, the worrisome thing is that Coach George talked about us failing on our fundamentals.  That's not actually that comforting.  Many of the guys who are playing were here for the Spring.  Between that and fall camp, we should have the fundamentals in place.  And apparently we don't.  Seems like it's the kind of thing that's tough to put together when you are 0-3.  

Here is the story of the numbers:

Statistic	Bowling Green	Iowa State
Yards per rush	3.0	7.9
Yards per completion	10.7	11.8
Completion %	40.9% (9/22)	66.7% (12/18)
Yards per play	3.6	7.9
3rd-down conversions	16.7% (2/12)	40.0% (4/10)
Red-zone efficiency	N/A (0 opportunities)	100% (3/3)
Turnovers	2	1
Special Teams Index	-9	+13
Explosive plays	4	11
Explosive-play yards	110	296

It's more one-sided than the Nebraska game.  Special teams were awful.  I wouldn't be surprised to see a new punter...Bowling Green is #113 in net punting and the punter has been mentioned in the last 2 post-game pressers, which can't be good.

Our top Dback, JoJo Johnson, is out for the year.

Novosad did play the 2nd half at QB,  Coach said that Kastantin was on an IV at half time, and they decided to see if Novosad would catch fire.  He did nothing to create a QB controversy.

I don't think the issue is at QB.  It starts up front and includes the entire defense.  Way too often there is no one in a spot someone should in...I have no idea whether they are underprepared or just not disciplined, but they are done with P4 play and will find the same problems haunting them when we get to the MAC.

It is a very difficult place for us to be.  There's nothing encouraging out there.  Coach says it's always darkest before dawn, but it keeps getting darker.

Past and Future Opponent Land

Sep. 5 Tarleton State Texans (2-0)  Beat McNeese State

Sep. 12 Nebraska (2-0) Beat us

Sep. 19 Iowa State (1-1) Lost to Iowa

Sep. 26 USF Bulls (2-0) Rallied to beat Army

Oct. 3 Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (1-1) Smoked Holy Cross

Oct. 10 Sacramento State Hornets (1-2) Lost big to Fresno State

Oct. 17 Ball State Cardinals (1-1) Beat Stony Brook

Oct. 24 Buffalo Bulls (1-1) Lost to FIU

Oct. 31 Western Michigan Broncos (1-1)  Beat Monmouth

Nov. 10 Kent State Golden Flashes (1-1) Beat Woffrd

Nov. 20 Toledo Rockets (1-1) Beat Central Connecticut State

Nov. 28 UMass Minutemen (2-0).  Beat Sacred Heart

MAC vs. FCS: 10-1

MAC vs: P4:  1-9

MAC vs G?: 1-4

Nebraska Threshes Bowling Green

Well, that's not good at all.  I know, Nebraska is in the Big 10.  And I know this game is set up to lose. Still, Nebraska is not a powerhouse Big Ten team and we were thought to be 25 point underdogs.  We have 4 times (I think) post-Jinks won against teams when we were that kind of dog.  Further, we have had some tough battles in P4-5 games that later made us wonder why we couldn't beat Kent.

This was not that.  We doubled the point spread, and were beaten as badly as you can be in the first half of the game.  We did put together a nice drive in the 3rd quarter, but the 4th picked back up again for Big Red and the final was 56-7.  We were thumped.  For the first half, it felt like the Memphis game in Jinks' 1st season, when we gave up 70 two games in a row.  At the time, Jinks told his staff "they were lucky to still be working."

No point in going through the game narrative that we usually do.  Or even the stats, which I will anyway.   The special teams matrix is based on my system I used a few years ago, but got tired of calculating each week.  Now, AI can do it for me.  (It's a zero-based system with points for positive plays and negative points for negative plays, but average plays (like a 30-yard FG) are 0.  Full rubric here.)  The most significant special teams play was the blocked punt, where Coach said Kingston was just too slow getting the ball out of there.

Statistic	Bowling Green	Nebraska
Yards per rush	2.7	7.8
Yards per completion	8.4	10.8
Completion %	62.5%	81.3%
Yards per play	3.5	8.3
Third-down conversions	2/12 (16.7%)	5/8 (62.5%)
Red-zone efficiency	1/1 (100%)	4/4 (100%)
Turnovers	2	1
Special Teams Index	-3	+4
Explosive plays	4	12
Yards on explosive plays	60	289

No surprises here.  BG had a good completion percentage but were forced to work close to the line of scrimmage.

Coach George looked a little shell-shocked in the post-game presser.  He did not have his usual swagger, that is for sure.  He said the usual things...we will get it together, etc.  I swear he said "it's always darkest before the dawn," which is never something you want to hear.  Also, Nebraska pressured us up the middle, and he mentioned specifically that we had trouble at center and at guard.  That will need to be fixed, because every team will pressure us right up the middle.

So on we go.  It's dark, Coach was right about that.  It's Iowa State, South Florida and the Miami...an 0-5 start is certainly very possible.  Which makes 6-6, you know, hard to see.

Nebraska Preview

Picked #11 in the Big Ten. 

Nebraska, 14-13 at half with OU.  35-8 in the second half for 49-21 final.

Here's a quick run down on key sacks.  Explosion plays are 10+ running and 20+ passing.

Mostly, you see the kind of thing you'd expect in a 49-21 game.  OU did not run effectively.  Their passing netted some yards on completed passes, but their overall completion percentage was poor.  They had 4.7 yards per play which is not great.

Meanwhile, the Huskers had big numbers.  Almost 6 per rush, 15 per completion, which is a lot and consistent with 56% completion. Overall, 7.1 is a good day's work.  They were 9/15 on 3rd/4th down and didn't turn the ball over.

The scary thing is the explosive plays.  Tarleton had 7.  Nebraska had 15 against OU for 325 yards, likely more than we will get in the entire game.  This is the advantage of the second--BG absolutely has to keep the lid on these big plays.  Handling the everyday plays will be tough enough.

Statistic	Ohio	Nebraska
Yards per rush	4.2	5.9
Yards per completion	11.7	15.3
Completion %	43.8%	56.3%
Yards per play	4.7	7.1
Third-down conversions	6/15 (40.0%)	9/15 (60.0%)
Red-zone efficiency	2/2 (100%)	4/4 (100%)
Turnovers	1	0
Explosive plays	6	15
Yards on explosive plays	144	325

NU's QB is a UNLV transfer.  As noted, a good day.  He threw 3 TDs and was sacked twice.  He is a solid run threat as well.

Of their 74 plays, 42 were runs, which is a lot more passing than NU would have had before Rhule arrived, particularly with a lead.

Their punting was decent, with no return game to speak of.  Did not attempt any field goals.

Owen Chambliss, the all-MWC LB who transferred from SD State, will be back after missing the OU game.

The only time Nebraska lost to a MAC team was in 2017, when they lost to NIU, who is no longer a MAC team.

BG has never played them before.

The Huskers are 28.5 point favorites.

Past and Future Opponent Land

 Sep. 5 Tarleton State Texans (1-0)  We played them

Sep. 12 Nebraska (1-0) Beat OU 49-21

Sep. 19 Iowa State (1-0) Beat SE Mo 38-10

Sep. 26 USF Bulls (1-0) Beat FIU 19-9

Oct. 3 Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (0-1) Lost to Pitt 59-14

Oct. 10 Sacramento State Hornets (1-1) Lost to EMU, beat Mississippi Valley

Oct. 17 Ball State Cardinals (0-1) Lost to the Bucks

Oct. 24 Buffalo Bulls (1-0) Beat Albany

Oct. 31 Western Michigan Broncos (0-1)  WOW.

Nov. 10 Kent State Golden Flashes (0-1) Lost 57-0 to South Carolina

Nov. 20 Toledo Rockets (0-1) Lost 30-20 to MSU

Nov. 28 UMass Minutemen (1-0).  No shit.  Beat Rutgers

MAC vs. FCS: 2-1

MAC vs: P4:  1-7

MAC vs G?: 0-2

BG Finds Defeat in Opener

It was a beautiful day with a nice crowd for the BG opener.  BG had opted to bring in a top FCS team for the opener.  More on that later.  BG's young team paid the price for that decision, falling behind 17-0 and ending up misexecuting a couple of comeback chances and then taking the defeat.

Everyone here knew what we were facing.  The world did not, and we are unfortunately featured on the "can you believe this" part of the highlight shows.  Which hurts the pride, to be sure.  And it might not have been surprising that this Falcon team lost yesterday, but there is also the question of how we got this Falcon team.

BG came out flat.  They got the ball to start the year and did not score a touchdown on the return.  Four plays into the drive, they did what they could not do, which is turn it over.  Dendy fumbled, Tarleton took the ball, and nine plays later the Texans were up 7-0.

BG went 3 and out, and Tarleton--who punted only once--turned it over on downs at the BG 42.  BG took it to the TS 37 (and into the 2nd quarter) before punting a touchback.

Coach mentioned the defense giving up explosive plays as a problem, and we saw it here.  TSU completed a 38-yard pass (net 28 due to a holding penalty), ran for 13 on the next play, passed for 20 a couple plays later to the BG 2.  BG bowed up and made the stop and TS made it 10-0.

BG took the next kickoff and drove to the 50 before punting TSU down to the 1.  Here is one of the key plays of the game.  Situationally, when you have a team on their own 1, you are looking to score, either on defense or when you get the ball back. Down 10-0, this is a shot.

What happened was BG gave up a 72-yard run that led to a TD five plays later, and from, say, 10-3, it was now 17-0. 

There was 3:43 left in the half.  BG hooked up a 23-yard pass followed by a 29-yard pass, a 15-yard penalty, and then a couple of plays later a badly needed TD to at least keep the conversation open at 17-7, with TSU getting the ball.

BG's defense did what they needed...they took the Texans 3 and out to start the 3rd.  BG then went on a drive that I think illustrates how they want to play, with one exception.  Starting on their own 15, BG drove methodically upfield.  They converted third downs in the first 3 series (one on DPI). From the TSU 24, however, they ran into a familiar problem, which is converting drives into the end zone.  We lost a yard on a run, made two on a pass and threw incomplete on 3-9 and the FG made it 17-10.

13 plays, 68 yards, 8:09 elapsed.  3 points.

It illustrates why explosive plays are so important. Driving the ball that far in that fashion is hard.  You're more likely to not be able to continue to execute.

TSU started on their 20 off the kickoff and went 42 yards on first down.  From the BG 38, the Falcons tightened up, with a sack on 4th and 3 to get the ball back.

There is 2:16 left in the 3rd and a chance to tie it up. BG fumbled it on the first play and TSU had the ball right back. They got to the 9 before BG forced a FG and made it 20-10.

BG's offense was clicking now.  A nice pass to Scoby and then a game-high 17-yard run for Dendy, and BG was at the 22.  Again, though, BG could not take it farther and ended up with a FG to make it 20-13.

TSU took the ball back with 10:45 left.  They drove to the BG 43 and had 4th and 2.  They made an idiotic decision in my opinion.  That's a clear punting situation. They went for it and BG got the stop.

The next 7:49 is crazy.

Kastantin hit Sharp for 15 and Scoby for 20, and then there were two nice runs and BG was 3rd and 1 on the 8.  So, when you ask why do we have this team,  you have to realize we had two shots to make 1 yard inside the 10 and we didn't do it.  As Coach said after the game, you have to be able to make it.

Still, field position, right?  We could get another shot. There's 2:08 to play.

Except TSU went 83 yards on first down.  Credit to the defense, they kept working and BG used their timeouts. On 3rd and goal on the 7---even a made FG is game over--Cade Kostus forced a fumble that BG recovered in this end zone.

We actually did get another shot.

There was 1:40 left.  I know BG wanted to move controllably up the field, but I think this drive was poorly executed.  There was:38 left when we finally got to midfield. With :24 left BG was on the 42 and no timeouts.  A nice hook-and-ladder took it to the 23.

Kastantin threw a jump ball to the corner that was broken up.  Then with :09 left a short pass was luckily broken up.  And then on the last play BG threw it short of the end zone entirely (to the 8), which the Texans made the stop and won the game.

Even if BG scores either of those two drives, there's work to do, either a 2-pt conversion or OT.

And clearly not one play away from winning.

Every year, it seems, we have a vow that we are going to run the ball.  And every year, it seems not to happen.  BG ran 67 offensive plays, and 37 were runs. And on those plays, BG averaged 2.8 yards per carry. Bad math there. Dendy ran for 4 yards per carry (15 for 60), but the other 22 plays were 2.5 per carry.

On the 30 passes, Kastantin was effective. He was 24 of 30, no INT and no sacks. That's 10.9 yards per completion, not too bad. On the last drive, I'm not sure who was behind the short passes, but we should have been trying to score from the 10, not the 23, and probably should have thrown the last one in the end zone.  Overall, he kept the offense afloat when we couldn't run.

He clearly has chemistry with Jeremiah Scoby, who caught 10 on 11 targets, 102 yards and 89 after the catch.

The defense was victimized on big plays.  Defining an explosive play as 10+ on a run and 20+ on a pass, both teams had 7 explosive plays.  But BG's were for 144 yards (39% of total offense), and TSU's were for 290 yards, or 63% of their offense.  Coach promised to address what he called a "disappointing" part of the game.  The defense won its share of the battles, held the opponent to 20 points, but did not play complementary football when TSU was pinned deep.

The Texans had 7.8 yards per rush. 

Special teams seemed decent.  TS was pooching the kickoffs, so not much there. BG's 3 punts were solid, with one to the 1yard line.  We nailed 35 and 40 yard FGs.

Last thing.  To read an interesting critique of why we were playing Tarleton State at all, read @JamesNahikian on twitter last night.  According to him, last year (as in, when you knew they had a good program) we put them on the roster and paid them $360,000 to make the trip.  His question--why did we play these guys at all?  

To illustrate, Miami is playing Holy Cross, 3-9 last year and 0-2 this year, aggregate score of 70-20.

Vibes are not good right now.  The honeymoon with George ended with last year's losing streak and picked up where it left off this year.  We could be 0-5 before Sacramento State comes to town.

Tarleton Preview

Here we go!  Here are some quick points to help prepare for the Texans.  

This is a good FCS team.

They are ranked #5 in the nation right now.

Last year, they were 12-2, 7-1 in conference play, won one game in the NCAA (beating North Dakota) before losing to Villanova by 5.  Also, they beat Army.  But, that was with a different set of guys.

Of the 63 players in the NSD class (that's correct) were, 37 are on defense, 23 on offense, and three for special teams. 

Of the 63, 54 are transfers and nine are high school signings. Of the transfers, 17 are joining Tarleton State from the FBS level, 10 are staying in the FCS, nine are from NCAA Division II and 16 are from the JUCO ranks.

Starting RG Terrence Saunders transferred from EMU.  They also have a transfer from Findlay (Desmond Brown). 

They are co-favorites in the UAC.

They have five players on the pre-season All-UAC team.

RB Tylan Hines, 184 yards and 2 TD on 25 carries in openers

DB Omar Emmons, DNP in opener and is not listed on the depth chart

OL Aidan Moe.  Starts at LT

P  Charlie Mullen--one punt for 40 yards in opener.  Averaged 39 YPP last year.

KR  DeAndre Buchannon.  Returned 2 for 76 last week, long of 45.  Transferred from West Georgia.

The QB is Kaden Anderson, a four year starter at Wyoming. Had a big game against Prairie View but was #118 in passing efficiency last year in FBS.

Marquis Willis had 6 catches for 109 yards and 2 TDS. He's a JUCO transfer.

They led the nation in FCS last year, with a turnover margin of +2 per game.  Whether that carries over remains to be seen.

Important:  they gave up 6.7 yards per carry in the opener.  The top back for PV had over 9 yards per carry. BG's offense needs to show up tomorrow and I like the BG's chances.

Getting to know the opponent: Tarleton State.

Tarleton State is in the Texas A&M system in Texas.  We don't have this in Ohio....in Texas they have six.  That includes the University of Texas system (Austin, Arlington, UTEP, Rio Grande...nine in all), the Texas State system, (seven schools, Texas State, Sam Houston State, Lamar), the Texas A&M system (including East Texas, Prairie View, Tarleton, Texas A&M Corpus-Christi, and seven others).

It was founded in 1877 by John Tarleton, a prominent local settler.  As seen below.

He also had a pet duck named Oscar P., who is buried next to him.

It became a university in 1973 and is located in Stephenville.  Die-hard football fans will be familiar with Stephenville, because it is the school where Art Briles won four state championships.   Other notable people include Jewel, Brock Holt, Kevin Kolb, three world champions in rodeo, and Jarrett Stidham.

Tarleton has been D1 since 2020, after 26 years in DII.  They are the Texas, but were once known as the Plowboys.  (Until 2019, their women's teams were the TexAnns.)  They have a 24,000 seat stadium and put 20+ in it three times a couple years ago.

They play in the UAC which is a football only partnership between ASUN and WAC.  Tthey won the UAC last year and beat North Dakota in the 2nd roiund of the NCAA tourney before losing in the quarters to Villanova. 

They were 12-2 last year and finished #6 in the FCS polls.

They are coached by Todd Whitten.  He has coached there for 16 years with a 151-87 record.  He went to SFA where he was a QB and was drafted in baseball and signed a UDFA with New England.  He played one game during the strike.

He is in the SFA hall-of-fame.  He has been coach of the year 7 times.

George Sick of Watching Baseball

Eddie talked first about QB. He said it was a tough decision.

Austin took it hard but has embraced the role.  My aside is that this is what you want.  You don't need a player who is happy to not win the job. One other thing...you OSU people are your starts.  OMG.  You're taking his ranking at a HS senior, have not seen him once since then and yet still carries "4-star" around his neck).

Jay got the job because of his stats, his big plays his command of the huddle and being a dual-threat QB.  And actually playing for two years.  Someone tried to say we might need Austin because he had played in some big venues, but Coach said he had played "a few snaps" and Jay had started for two years.

Tarleton is explosive.  They have great talent and great coaching.  Their WRs will challenge our backfield...will be critical to keep them in front of us.  Also, the old saw that your biggest improvement is between week 1 and week 2 works in their favor this week.

There were ominous words about the OL.  He said he expects them get better each week. They will be tested Saturday, and they are young and inexperienced.  "Growing pains."  

We haven't seen our OL play against someone else.  we will see how we match up front in first quarter or so.

Team is healthy-ish.  Nobody out for the year. 

The team also released the depth chart, which is below.  Of course, to your normal fans, they are mostly all strangers.

The big question mark is the o-line, which lost a lot.  At the end of last year, we had the following players with the following career snap counts returning

Sanchez moved to C, leaving Bolyn at G.  I think we expected Bolyn to go to C.  Alex Harris moved to the other G.  Thomas stayed at RT, and the LT is either Gabe Funk or Kraatz, meaning we got five of those six guys in one way or the other.   Funk is an App State transfer who played in one game there.  He was here in January.  Most of all, I think we expected Travis Robertson to start at T for BG...he's a FR who we stole back from UCLA and he is in third-spot at LT.  Note also that Theo Andall is on the depth chart after coming from the London version of the NFL Academy. 

QB we have talked about.  WR is guys who have yet to really excel at their position. TE is mostly for blocking....I expect us in 12 and 22 a lot.  The one proven position is RB.  Dendy was a stud last year and Amarchee has played himself onto "or" level with him.  Amarchee was highly recruited out of Michigan and having two backs will really help if the line can get them into space.

Defensively, I don't think there were many surprises and I think we will be decent.  Kostus was all-MAC at CMU.  Selah Brown is a Louisville transfer.   We are familiar with Myles Bradley and Dorian Pringle.  Sanders Ellis was highly productive for George at TN State, went to Purdue, wasn't used and now is at BG.  Was FCS all-american.  JoJo Johnson is returning All-MAC.  Andrews came to BG through HS (Erasmus in Brooklyn). EstoEsta also came to BG after HS as did Pascal.  Drey Braxton was highly productive at NC-Central. 

Special teams are also all new.  Kingston is the punter.  Coach says he needs to be consistent. Kenner was the holder last year. Return game has, well, returning players.

Well, that's that today.  Great to be back in the rhythm.  Looking forward to being at the Doyt on Saturday.  Based on predictions, nowhere for us to go but up.

White smoke, a QB emerges, and other news

 Here we go.  T minus 6 games to the start of the season.  Let's catch a few things up before game prep begins.

1. Pete Thamel has just reported that Jay Kastantin will be BG's starting QB Saturday against Tarleton State.  The battle was between Kastantin and Austin Novosad, who transferred over from Oregon and was a 4-star recruit out of HS in Texas.  I think the assumption was that Novosad would win the job, but you heard some not so good things and then the matchup continued and then today Kastantin won the job.

(Remember the time Shilz and Matt Johnson battled in camp, Schilz got the lost and last about two series?)

He represents a different model of QB than BG has traditionally gotten in the portal era, where the Falcons have taken P4 QBs who lost their jobs or never had one.  Kastantin was highly productive in DII at Assumption, and is moving up.

There is a lot to like here:

• Appeared in 22 career games over three seasons (2023-25) at NCAA DII Assumption
• Accumulated 3,658 career passing yards on 299-of-515 passing during his Assumption career
• Threw for 28 career touchdowns
• Also has rushed for 710 career yards and nine touchdowns
• In 2025 was named Most Valuable Player in the Northeast-10 Conference and first-team All NE10
• Completed 138 of 223 passes (61.9%) during the MVP season
• Led the conference in: Passing yards: 1,974; Passing touchdowns: 19; Passing yards per game: 219.3
• Added significant production on the ground:100 carries for 530 yards (5.3 yards per rush); 5 rushing touchdowns
• Recorded a 159.9 passing efficiency rating, ranking 18th in all of NCAA Division II

That rushing part is probably important and @thetalontribune feels might have been decisive. 

BG is looking to be run focused on offense.  I talked to one FB at the season ticket event who said he was ready to hit someone else's players in the A-gap.  If so, having a QB who can tuck it and run can be very effective.  In fact, it starts to look like the offense OU ran the last few years.

BG has 6 QBs in the QB room, so hopefully won't have the issues we had last year.

2.  Eddie George is selling bourbon. (Other versions has the NY removed from the hat).  He is working for the Ohio Liquor Authority.

3.  Scotty Miller was released by the Bears.  We'll see if he gets picked up, but either way he's a big success story for us.  Emerging from wreckage of the program's worst years, he caught 99 NFL passes and wears a Super Bowl Ring.

4.  So we all watched Tarleton State last night, where they were -21 over Prairie View A&M and won by 19.  They had some big horses on offense and scored 49 points.  They are #5 in the nation in FCS--that was the pre-season ranking.  As of today, FanDuel has BG at a 2.5 favorite.  ESPN makes it a 55% chance to win.

Not quite what you expect from your FCS game.  If BG does win, though, it's a decent W.  And important.  A loss and BG could easily open 0-5.

5.  Preview coming later.  I can just say this...being back at the Doyt makes me happy.  One way or the other.

MBB Schedule is Out

 

Well, here it is!  The men's basketball schedule is out.  On the surface, I think it is an improvement. As you know, my primary source of heartburn is the non-D1 games.  This year has only two, which is a reasonable number.  One is Cornerstone, which is Grand Rapids.  We beat Aquinas by 81 last year.

That was made possible by a critical scheduling change by the MAC--moving from 18 MAC games to 22.  Given the difficulty of scheduling non-conference games, this makes total sense and ensures competitive basketball inside MAC gyms.  Adding two MAC games to replace Bethany and Siena Heights is a win from my view.

This will create a new wrinkle in scheduling timing.  The Falcons will now play four MAC games before the new year, meaning that teams who are sorting it out (and that's most everyone in the NIL era) will have less time to do so.  But the same should be true for everyone. 

It's pretty impossible to tell how good anyone is going to be, including us, so it's hard to know if, for example, Niagara or Cleveland State are good pulls for home games or not.  But they are D1.

And putting the Falcons in Assembly Hall first time in 28 years will be a big day.

As in football, we seem to be moving into haves and have-nots in MBB.  Having said that, I'm 100% behind Todd Simon and his team. He's what we would want in a coach for this bizarre and dysfunctional era...we may never routinely be in the top 3 of the MAC again (unless the top teams in the MAC leave), but we can still put together a team and make a run and make the Big Dance.  Any year.  Every year.

Here Comes Football...

Football season is on the way....

It's a great time of year.

It's really difficult to tell anymore how good you are going to be.  We have so many new players on this year's roster.  

I will say this...any success this team has will be a pleasant surprise.  Bowl eligibility would be a miracle.  Much more likely, it's another season of people comparing Eddie George to Mike Jinks and a lot of bad vibes.

Consensus seems to have BG 9th or 10th in the conference.  We have an FCS team on our schedule, like everyone, but we have chosen to play the #4 team in FCS, and we open as home dogs in our FCS game.  The very possible scenario is that we lose our first five games before we play Sacramento State.  Being 1-4 would be a success.

What's going on?  First of all, we are investing in high school players, and that leaves this year's team very, very young.  CBS sports ranks BG as #135 out of #138 in terms of experience.  In the old world, this would be a re-building year.  Your hope is that you can retain these high school players long enough for them to contribute before they transfer,

So, could we be better next year or the year after.  It's possible.

The way I see it, I think our offense will be the problem.  I think the defense will be competitive.  The reports are that we are going to go to a very heavy run attack.  I have no problem with that.  (My favorite style of offensive football is the one where we win).  However, our offensive line is really young and unproven.  Even in 12 personnel, I worry about us being able to open up holes for a heavy run attack.

I'm worried about QB as well.  Austin Novosad was once thought to be a rising star.  And he might still be.  But Coach is saying right now that it's an open competition between Austin and DII standout Jay Kastantin.  Coach says one of them will step up and take the job, but to me, the fact that no one has is worrying.  Especially Novosad, who went from Oregon to battling at BG with a DII guy for a starting job.

With question marks on the line and at QB, it's hard to see the offense being consistently effective.  Austin Dendy is back at RB, so that's a strength.  At WR Isaiah Dawson was highly productive at Richmond, but the depth is unproven.

I don't think the defense will be bad.  We will be solid on the front 7 and the back end looks pretty decent.  I don't think it's carry the team good, but I do think we will compete on defense.

Season ticket event coming up on Monday.   

Odds and Ends

 So, a few little updates here and there for Falcon sports.

BG MBB will play Georgia State in the Sun Belt-MAC Challenge, which has been extended through 28-29.  This is a good thing for us...some of the coaches don't like the game being in the middle of the conference season, but if you look back, BG used to play non-conference games all the time during MAC play.  Georgia State will be tough to get a line on that early in the year...they fired their coach last year after going 10-22.  He has been replaced by Jon Cremins, former Vanderbilt assistant and nephew of Bobby Cremins.

There's an addition to the football roster.  His name is JayT Jackson, and he plays DB, a position always in need of numbers. He's from Columbus, Georgia.  He went to Garden City CC, where he played all 10 games in his one year there.  He had 22 tackles, including some impactful plays.  He went to Georgia State where he played in six games over two years, then to La. Tech where he played in 11 with 4 tackles total.

Welcome to the Falcons, JayT.

In the meantime, July first came and went, making it Sacramento State day for those who celebrate.

Here's a trivia question.  Obviously, Sacramento is in the state capital.  What founding member of the MAC was also located in a state capital?

So what do we know about them?

They are the Hornets. 

Their mascot is "Herky the Hornet" and has been for 70 years.  There's a lot of folklore about where the name came from.  The Hornet was selected over the elk, which was not considered aggressive enough.

They say "Stingers Up!!" giving us a 1:1 battle with the dumbest sayings in college sports.

They have 30,000+ students with a 94% acceptance rate.

Former students include:

• Tom Hanks (did not actually graduate).
• Lester Holt
• Joan Lunden
• This guy:

• Joseph DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer.
• Buck Martinez
• About 22 NFL players, plus Ricky Ray, CFL Hall-of-Famer.
• Ryan Coogler
• David Hodo, the construction worker in the Village People
• Bobby McFerrin (attended five universities)
• An adult film star, a Playmate of the month, and a girlfriend of H. Hefner.

Welcome to the MAC. Herky.

Football Closes Recruiting Strong

Holy Falcon Saturday...I have to be more careful not to fall behind on these verbals, because Eddie and the team are landing commits like crazy.  Recruiting at BG is a real test of scouting, and time will tell our ability to identify and develop talent and character.  Much credit to @thetalontribune for his dogged work keeping track of not only commits but also offers and OVs. 

Let's look at the players.

Theo Andall, OG

The first guy to note is Theo Andall.  He is going to be immediately eligible (as in for '26) and is from London, England. He's 6'3" and 290 pounds and came to football through the NFL Academy.  He is credited on line for a "meteoric" rise last season. 

FWIW, we had offers to a couple of other foreign players as well.

Gunnar Gillentine, P

I'm calling it now, the most accurately named recruit we have ever had.  He is either the #1 or #2 punter in the country.  He's from Petal, MS.  He committed to Mississippi State at one point, but then de-committed.

You don't always get as much data on punters, certainly from games.  There is some info from Kohl's, the kicking school.

With an impressive performance at the 2026 Kohl's National Underclassman Challenge, Gunnar Gillentine continues to be one of the top punters in the country for the 2027 class. He won the punt competition day 2 and scored 114.12 points in the overall combined punt charts. He is technically sound and has excellent quickness with his operation. Gillentine punted at Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp in July of 2025. He scored 112.92 points in punting over three sessions. He also won the punt competition held at the end of camp in front of 1,000 people. He is one of the best punters we have seen in the last five years! Gillentine had a dominant performance at the 2025 Texas Spring Showcase. His hand to toes were in the 1.2-1.3 second range. He is compact with his steps and creates excellent consistency with his contact. He moves well in the roll-out portion of punting and scored 18 points. His overall score for punts at camp was 117.96 points. He loves to punt and is Power 4 punter right now. 

Ben Hale, OT

Ben Hale committed last week.  He's an OT from Nashville, weighing in at 6'5" and 300 pounds. He had D1 offers from UB, Middle TN, Army, Air Force, Troy, Georgia State, Arkansas State, Navy and UNLV...and 9 FBS offers. His school won a state-title. 

Tyler Carpenter. LB

6'2" and 212 pounds, he's a flip after decommitting from Ohio.  He also had offers from Toledo and Kent. He's from Trotwood-Madison, and 

Christian Mollino, CB

is another highly-recruited player.  One of three players who have committed from Sumner HS in Riverview, FL, he had P4 offers from Pittsburgh, Louisville, and USF and G6 offers from Army, UB, FIU, FAU, Georgia Southern, along with 4 FCS offers.

Terrell Karim, Jr., ATH

Coming from Akron East, Karim had only one offer--from KSU.  He's 6'3", 195 lbs and played WR, TE, DE and LB.  He was all-Ohio HM, and has 31 catches for 503 on one side of the ball and 42 tackles and 10 sacks on the other.

Dai'saun Blanchard, EDGE

He's from Westinghouse HS in Pittsburgh, and lists himself as a top pass rusher in WPIAL.  He also had offers from Akron, Ohio,Youngstown State, Monmouth, Richmond, UIW,   He's fast, offering a 4.4/40 and had 19 sacks in his junior season, but 38 TFLs.  He was first-team all-city.

Ace Luther, TE

He's from Palmetto, FL, 6'4" and 215 pounds. Also highly recruited, with offers from Memphis, Sac State, EMU, Kent, Toledo and six FCS schools.  He has a strong, muscular frame and there is a lot of talk online bout his contested catch ability.

Knud Davis, DL  

From Longwood, FL, He's 6'3" and 260 lbs. He had offers from Marshall, Coastal Carolina, FAU, Georgia Southern, UMass, Liberty, and 4 non-FBS programs.

Jace Boyd, EDGE

He is a 6'4", 240-pound EDGE from Alcoa, TN.   BG was his only FBS offer, along with 2 FCS offers.  He is listed as a rising star in his part of Tennessee.

Wesley Summersett, LB/S

He's from South Adams HS, in Bane IN.  He's 6'2" and 200.  He played TE/WR and defense in his junior year, but apparently BG projects him to be a defender. Offensively last fall Summersett tallied 80 receptions for 1,562 yards and 16 touchdowns. Defensively, Summersett had 65 tackles as a junior with 1 pick six and 3 forced fumbles. He had offers from the real Miami, Colgate and Dartmouth.

Jean Pierre Furtado, DL

Quite possibly the top recruit of the class right now.  He's 6'2" and 290 and rated a 3-star on 247 with one more year in HS. He's from Lake Minneola, FL. He had offers from Duke, Iowa State, Louisville, Ole Miss, Wake Forest, WVU, UB, Charlotte, EMU, FAU, Georgia Southern, Liberty, MT State, UConn, UMass and 2 FCS schools.

Drew Kryscynski, IOL

He's 6'4 and 285 from Marysville, MI.  His other offers were from SEMO and Army.  There are also D2 offers. He was first-team all-region and all-conference. 

And for now, that is it.  We enter a dead period now that more or less lasts until Fall camp starts.  That's 22 commits already...I'll have a little more analysis and observations soon.  In the meantime, I think we're on the right track.