Or is Miami THAT GOOD? That is the question.
I think Miami is that good. Just a machine, like a mini-Oklahoma right now in terms of dominance. I think BG could have hung close on the scoreboard minus the turnovers, but you NEVER got a sense that they could stop the Hawks from scoring.
BUT my fear--and I will be going to the Motor City Bowl to find out--
is that the two Miami games have shown weaknesses in the BG secondary that even a Northwestern QB could capitalize on. Of course that might have all stemmed from the power of those MU offensive line juggernauts.
The other thing is that Brandon does not always seem to capitalize on things that are working. And I saw this in the Ohio State and UT games as well. BG sliced down the field with those sideline routes, then that ugly timing play that was picked off and the receiver was nowhere near it. "Finesse Team" isn't a complement, and I am wary of coaches who get a little too clever.
Thoughts from football minds?
MacLord Wrote:The other thing is that Brandon does not always seem to capitalize on things that are working. And I saw this in the Ohio State and UT games as well.
I haven't watched last nite's game yet. But, I agree w/ this statement. I saw it in the UT game as well.
A good coach doesn't always change things to stay ahead of a defense. A good coach just has plans for changes and execustes when he sees what the defense has done to stop his offense.
If they stop the offense.
Man, BG's D started well against Miami (OH)'s offense last time. This time they were shredded. But, BG's secondary has been its strength, and I'm not sure many players can pick it apart. If it's Smoker, then it will be interesting. Their young DL was starting to show, as they didn't pressure Ben at all. But, Miami (OH)'s OL gets some credit there too.
That offensive system, and the variations that exist in BG, UT, Marshall, are difficult to defend - they put a lot of pressure on EVERY defense.
Miami "held" BG to 27 points, despite 3 BG turnovers. But you can't let guys run free behind your secondary - that was NIU's early failing at BG, and we couldn't recover. Too often Miami WRs were running behind BG's secondary, also.
Yes. Corso made a good point when he said that no secondary could hang with receivers for an extra 5-6 seconds. However, there were a few times when the BG guys were nowhere near the receivers, confused or out of place.
And offensively, BG had nothing less than stellar field position to start off almost every drive.
MacLord Wrote:Yes. Corso made a good point when he said that no secondary could hang with receivers for an extra 5-6 seconds. However, there were a few times when the BG guys were nowhere near the receivers, confused or out of place.
And offensively, BG had nothing less than stellar field position to start off almost every drive.
BG's pass defense did not look that strong against Toledo either. Gradkowski had a bad game, but he still found Moore open on a deep ball late in the game. BG should have been playing a prevent defense to defend the long pass, yet that still happened. There was also another deep ball thrown in the 4th Qtr by Gradkowski that was completed to a wide open receiver.
Now UT on the other hand.......We give the receiver 10-15 yards at the line of scrimmage no matter what so that the offense can pick us apart with the short game and tire out our whole defense!
MacLord Wrote:Yes. Corso made a good point when he said that no secondary could hang with receivers for an extra 5-6 seconds. However, there were a few times when the BG guys were nowhere near the receivers, confused or out of place.
And offensively, BG had nothing less than stellar field position to start off almost every drive.
Corso's comment summed up the Oxford game perfectly. It applied a great deal Thursday, too -- but the Falcons definitely got burned deep more often this time.
I believe three week's rest from competition will do wonders for BGSU. Not to mention playing in 72-degree, dry conditions at Ford Field.
I look for the Falcons to explode on offense. On defense? It depends whether they wind up playing Northwestern, Michigan State, or Minnesota.
My opinion is what I like to call the Turnover-Panic Theory. BG looked good until they started turning the ball over. One turnover and Miami scoring on every drive made BG "panic". So much that they weren't getting the job done. And the reason why the defense sucked last night. It's Ben! He makes plays, and the fact that the D was on the field so much wore them out! Plain and simple.
josh_5761 Wrote:My opinion is what I like to call the Turnover-Panic Theory. BG looked good until they started turning the ball over. One turnover and Miami scoring on every drive made BG "panic". So much that they weren't getting the job done. And the reason why the defense sucked last night. It's Ben! He makes plays, and the fact that the D was on the field so much wore them out! Plain and simple.
I totally agree. Miami is really that good but in Oxford we trailed 10-7 at the half and the turnovers killed us in the 3rd quarter.
FF to Thur night...BG trails 21-17 and is driving...boom, a fumble. "Here we go again" came to my mind immediately. You cannot make mistakes against a top 10 team like Miami and expect to win. They make you pay every time.
BG is still a great team with a lot of young talent...we'll be back.
Miami deserves a BCS bowl and outside of Oklahoma, I feel Miami can beat anyone in the nation. They are the best team in Ohio.
I started thinking more about this and remembered the obvious: BG had only 5 days rest. The UT game was emotional and physically draining (UT's offense had the ball alot)*. I think the rest will do wonders for BG.
Likewise, rest will help Mich St. This would be a very, very good match up.
*Yeah, someone posted this as a pre-game prediction. You were right!
