(12-31-2009 08:51 AM)emu steve Wrote:  CMU may have to get the bowl losing streak monkey off the MAC's back.

My hope is that NIU takes care of it.

I was in a bar/restaurant in Buffalo watching the second half. Many of the patrons started paying attention. People were really into the game and when BG took that late lead, everyone assumed it was over. I think most of the people were pulling for BG, but when Idaho pulled it out the place erupted...not necessarily for Idaho but because it was such a great football game....so unusual.
The BG defense just laid down at the end, seriously....they did not play all out to win....way too relaxed. I'm glad it was such a fun game but the MAC team has to pull one of these out!!

South Florida has a really good team, and so does Troy...CMU fell to FAU last year, so these last 2 games don't bode well for the MAC.

(12-31-2009 10:09 AM)zrb2 Wrote:  I was in a bar/restaurant in Buffalo watching the second half. Many of the patrons started paying attention. People were really into the game and when BG took that late lead, everyone assumed it was over. I think most of the people were pulling for BG, but when Idaho pulled it out the place erupted...not necessarily for Idaho but because it was such a great football game....so unusual.
The BG defense just laid down at the end, seriously....they did not play all out to win....way too relaxed. I'm glad it was such a fun game but the MAC team has to pull one of these out!!

Nice post.

This is how conferences like the MAC get their good PR, when an otherwise non marque game actually turns out to be a thriller.

Best game of bowl season to date.

And Freddie Barnes gets his NATIONAL exposure and kudos.

On the upside for CMU...

They seem to have more swagger and dominance this year; The seniors will take last year's loss as a learning lesson; They finally get to go somewhere warm as opposed to Detroit.

On the downside for CMU...

Troy is Sun Belt's champ and is better than last year's FAU team; It's a home game for Troy; Coaching changes; It's still the MAC, and our recent record in bowls speaks for itself.

I so hope I'm wrong, but I think the NIU game is over (and not in a good way) by the third quarter.

(12-31-2009 10:44 AM)wleakr Wrote:  South Florida has a really good team, and so does Troy...CMU fell to FAU last year, so these last 2 games don't bode well for the MAC.

I fear the USF game but feel that CMU WILL bring its "A" game to GMAC.

Dan Lefevour is a senior and this is his last chance as a collegiate player.

On paper, GMAC could be as exciting as the Hum Bowl.

Quote:This is how conferences like the MAC get their good PR, when an otherwise non marque game actually turns out to be a thriller.

I half-agree with this. It's true that BG being in what may be the most thrilling game of the season is a good thing (for BG and the MAC). At the same time, those last 30 seconds were cringe-worthy and was probably something BG's defense doesn't want replayed over and over on ESPN highlights.

(12-31-2009 11:13 AM)emu steve Wrote:  I fear the USF game but feel that CMU WILL bring its "A" game to GMAC.

Dan Lefevour is a senior and this is his last chance as a collegiate player.

On paper, GMAC could be as exciting as the Hum Bowl.

Hey, there, and Happy Holidays to all you MAC and CMU folks ...

Thought I would swoop in and check out the vibe on the GMAC Bowl from the northern perspective. It ought to be a real wide-open affair with lotsa scoring. Of course, given my power for prediction, it will turn out to be a 3-0 game.

I want to see what the Chip offense can do against our front seven. That may be the key to the game for me ... we have had trouble with smart, elusive QB's and one with your guy's credentials will present a BIG challenge.

Hope a lot of you make the trip to Mobile, it will be a great time, and it is bound to be warmer than in the Mitten. Wish I was going, but I gotta stick to Texas for job reasons.

Gotta say of course I predict a Troy win, of course. But I also have to tip my hat to you all for team support that is positive and (so far) precious few trolls posting. Good luck ... but not too much luck.

Go Trojans!

It will be interesting to see how many Troy fans show up. It's a three hour to four hour drive for most of their fan base after school starts back. Ought to be a big Trojan crowd.

BG-Idaho game was certainly entertaining, but in the end just another disappointing "L" for the MAC.....and the beat goes on....

And I really thought we'd be 2-1 in bowl games at this point.

(12-31-2009 12:09 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  It will be interesting to see how many Troy fans show up. It's a three hour to four hour drive for most of their fan base after school starts back. Ought to be a big Trojan crowd.

In a somewhat related topic, I saw on Headline News yesterday that the U.S. government is handing an additional 3.5 billion dollars to GMAC to help bail them out further. How does this make for the future of that bowl game in Mobile? Why on earth is this company allowed to sponsor a college football bowl game when they can't even pay their own debts.

I have a feeling Mobile will be seeking a new sponsor really soon. Either that or the GMAC will fold. Surely, taxpayers won't pay GMAC forever to keep them afloat.

(12-31-2009 10:09 AM)zrb2 Wrote:  The BG defense just laid down at the end, seriously....they did not play all out to win

That's the most ridiculous thing I have heard. To think that these kids battled their hearts out for 3-1/2 hours and then "laid down" and "did not play all out to win" is just plain stupid and needless to say, very disrespectful.

Missing an assignment or a tackle is one thing but to accuse them of basically not caring is pretty pathetic and deserves an apology.

BTW:

Not conclusive evidence to overturn the call, whether it had been judged complete or incomplete. Idaho would have had another shot, anyway.

The worst call was made two plays earlier when the BG coaches rushed only three, which virtually guaranteed the Vandal QB an unimpeded chance to throw a Hail Mary which evaded the eight dazed and confused Falcon secondary. Adding to that debacle was the failure of #21 to realize he needed to break up the pass even at the cost of pass interference. In college, it's a 15-yard penalty rather than the spot of the foul. That would have put the ball at the 50 rather than the 22(?) yard line with about 15-20 seconds left in the game.

(01-01-2010 12:48 PM)Okie Chippewa Wrote:  Not conclusive evidence to overturn the call, whether it had been judged complete or incomplete. Idaho would have had another shot, anyway.

The worst call was made two plays earlier when the BG coaches rushed only three, which virtually guaranteed the Vandal QB an unimpeded chance to throw a Hail Mary which evaded the eight dazed and confused Falcon secondary. Adding to that debacle was the failure of #21 to realize he needed to break up the pass even at the cost of pass interference. In college, it's a 15-yard penalty rather than the spot of the foul. That would have put the ball at the 50 rather than the 22(?) yard line with about 15-20 seconds left in the game.

Good points, all. Looked like the receiver had possesion then rolled a little but impossible to tell if the ball hit the ground. Not sure it mattered since he made the catch and was in the end zone before the ball came down near the ground. Had it been Toledo instead of BG I'd probably yelp too but as far as convincing evidence on the replay-I don't see it either.

I love the anger directed at teams that do not win. Nobody is winning. Most aren't qualifying. Maybe people should reconsider their reactions.

(01-01-2010 12:48 PM)Okie Chippewa Wrote:  The worst call was made two plays earlier when the BG coaches rushed only three

I'm sorry, but this is Coaching 101. Everybody does it from HS to the Pros.

...and I hate it. If you have a lot of field to cover, it would seem an all out blitz would force the QB to unload quickly underneath.

(01-04-2010 12:10 PM)exCincy Kid Wrote:  ...and I hate it. If you have a lot of field to cover, it would seem an all out blitz would force the QB to unload quickly underneath.

I've seen that tried too and it doesn't always work either. In the end, you have to make the tackles.