Falcon Fodder

BG football -- Injury report and depth chart, 10/31

With the extra days between now and the Falcons' next game, which is Tuesday at the Doyt against Northern Illinois, here is this week's update on injuries and the Bowling Green two-deep.

There won't be an update on the depth chart until Wednesday at the earliest, although the Falcons seem to have come through the Kent State game relatively injury free.

First, the good news (which comes with an asterisk): coach Dave Clawson said that he expects running back Anthon Samuel to be available for the NIU game. The asterisk? Clawson expected Samuel to play against Kent State, too, and he did not.

Samuel is suffering from post-concussive symptoms.

“His symptoms had pretty much cleared up,” Clawson said of Samuel on Monday's Mid-American Conference coach's teleconference. “We were optimistic last week at this point, but we still have over a week. Right now we plan on having him. We’re hoping he’ll be able to have a full practice with us on Wednesday.”

As for the Falcons' schedule ... the coaching staff is on the road recruiting today. The team watched film Sunday, did nothing but lift (!) Monday, and will have Tuesday off. BG then will return to its typical schedule on Wednesday through Friday mornings.

At last word the Falcons will practice Saturday, but the time is uncertain. The team will practice Sunday afternoon, then have a walk-through on Monday in preparation for Tuesday's game.

Clawson said that Wednesday's practice will focus on general corrections and emphasis on fundamentals. "On our first practice day each week, we have a period we call "individual correction" where we focus on things that fundamentally we did not do well," Clawson said. "Certainly we had things on both sides of the ball [Saturday] that we did not do well."

Clawson continued to echo the frustrations he originally sounded following the 27-15 loss the Golden Flashes on Saturday.

"We made way too many mistakes," he said. "On offense, we were on their side of the field six times and got no touchdowns, we had three turnovers and we missed two field goals.

"I thought our defense just didn't play with the same edge that it had the past two weeks. And I thought this was our worst special teams game of the season."

Your questions, my answers – Oct. 31

Several people have written to me with something along these lines: Why do the Falcons continue to use the “wildcat” offense, especially when it doesn’t work?

Before I answer this question, a quick word about what the “wildcat” is so we’re all on the same page. The wildcat is a formation, not an offense; in the wildcat package the running back takes a direct snap (just like the Single Wing offense of yore), and there often is an unbalanced line.

Dear Wildcat Haters: Several of you have asked for the numbers on the wildcat, and I don’t have the number of plays or the yardage the wildcat has collected this season. I think we can all agree: it hasn’t been very successful.

But I’m going to defend the wildcat, at least to a point. There is a value to the formation, especially if it is run well.

“The reason you use the wildcat is that it allows you to block one extra defender,” BG coach Dave Clawson said. “When you have someone besides a quarterback taking a snap, you can have an extra blocker to create an extra gap.”

Another reason teams include it in their arsenal is that it gives opponents something to prepare for, forcing them to spend valuable practice time on something the defense will see, at most, probably four or five snaps out of 70.

I asked Clawson about the struggles of the wildcat this season, and he acknowledged that there have been problems.

“When you look at those plays, you ask, ‘Why didn’t they work? Is it because of the play? Is it because you are outnumbered? Is it because the person running the wildcat didn’t do it right? Or did we miss a block?” Clawson said.

“A couple of weeks ago when we ran it, our tight end got blown up. In that instance, it didn’t matter what we ran or how we ran it; if you can’t block the end, the play is going to get blown up. A couple of other times the guard didn’t pull correctly and get the back-side linebacker. I don’t care what you’re running: if you don’t block the right guys [it isn’t going to work].”

Clawson did NOT say this, but I will: I think some of the problems have to do with personnel, especially at running back. Jordan Hopgood hasn’t been on the field as much this season because of injury, and last year he ran the wildcat very effectively –- even when he was running behind a ragtag line. Jamel Martin wasn’t very effective in the wildcat at Kent State, and I think the coaching staff is trying to keep Anthon Samuel from getting burned out by not putting too much "extra" stuff, such as the wildcat, on his plate.

One thing Clawson did say: the struggles of the wildcat are a symptom of a larger problem … the team’s inability to gain yardage in any short-yardage situation.

“We haven’t executed short-yardage and goal line well at all this year, whether we’ve been in wildcat or [with a quarterback] under center,” Clawson said. “As much as I think we’ve made great progress with our offensive line, and we’re blocking the right guys, when we’ve played some of the better defensive lines in the league we haven’t executed it well.”

In short, I think the formation isn’t the problem. I think a combination of poor execution on wildcat plays and some health issues have hindered the wildcat this season.

Thanks for writing, John.

Have a question you would like me to answer? Post it as a comment (click on the "comments" link below) or send me an e-mail to jwagner@theblade.com. I will edit for clarity, length and style, but I promise you will recognize your question when you read it. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Sunday morning QB -- BG football loss at Kent State

The Falcons took a step backwards in a 27-15 loss at Kent State Saturday. The BG offense had some big numbers, including 400 yards passing, but struggled to turn the yards into touchdowns. The defensive numbers weren't bad, but the numbers were awful when you consider the Golden Flashes came into the game with the worst numbers in D-I football (wouldn't be surprised if they STILL were the worst, BTW). And special teams ... well, they were anything but special. Here is a day-after look at the loss ...

First, click here to read The Blade game story, and click here to read The Blade notebook. Click here to read the in-game blog from the contest, and click here to read the BiG Look at the contest.

OFFENSE –- While the 400 passing yards looks nice, the 45 net yards rushing does not. And getting just one touchdown from 400 passing yards? That isn't going to work, either. The Falcons were just 4-for-14 on third down (28.5 percent conversions) and 0-for-2 on fourth down to drop that conversion rate to 25 percent. What's worse, BG had five third- or fourth-down plays of four yards or less and converted just two -- and one of those isn't really a "conversion" because the Falcons got the first down on a penalty. I also looked at the "red zone" failings of the Falcons and was surprised ... BG had fewer "red zone" chances than you might expect. The Falcons had exactly ONE play in the red zone in the first half, which was Stephen Stein's missed 38-yard field goal. In the third quarter BG had seven plays there, one of which was a made field goal ... the other six plays netted a total of SIX yards, and that's because of a 14-yard pass from Matt Schilz to Kamar Jorden following a nine-yard loss on a sack. There were four red zone plays in the fourth period ... three incompletions and a field goal on fourth-and-seven. That means nine red zone "plays" (no field goals attempts included), six net yards (and an interception, by the way). When you add the three turnovers, including a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, you have to grade the day as a failure for the offense.

DEFENSE –- Kent State came into the game averaging 75.29 yards per game rushing, and had 140 yards against the Falcons. Ugh. The Golden Flashes came into the game averaging 105.29 yards passing, and had 179 yards against BG. Double Ugh. The Flashes came into the game averaging 180.57 yards of total offense, and rolled up 319 yards against the Falcons. Triple Ugh. Worst of all, KSU averaged just 10.71 points per game before putting up 27 against BG. Now I know some of those points aren't on the defense, and this unit was put into some tough situations ... but still. There were times when the tackling was sub-standard, something that is turning into an "on-again, off-again" thing. Tackling needs to be an "always at your best" thing. Here's a number that should blow your mind: playing against a patchwork Kent State line, the Falcons had ZERO sacks. None. And finally, the Flashes had 13 plays for 10 yards or more, including eight pass plays. Early in the game, when BG had stacked the box to stop the run, I can forgive that ... only three "plus" rush plays, with two coming on third-and-23 and third-and-17. In the fourth quarter, though, there was the 14-yard TD pass and TWO rush plays for "plus" yardage. In short, you have to grade the day as a failure for the defense.

SPECIAL TEAMS –- Bowling Green had the better athletes on the field in this area, but the "better" athletes made some terrible plays. Eugene Cooper fumbled a punt to set Kent State up for a touchdown, which negates the rest of his good work on punt returns. BooBoo Gates mishandled a kickoff that forced the Falcons to start a drive on their 5-yard line, negating the rest of his good work on kickoff returns. Two kickoffs out of bounds by Kyle Burkhardt are just unacceptable. And while Stephen Stein made three field goals, including a career-long 39-yard kick, he also missed from 41 and 38 yards. Brian Schmiedebusch had one punt for 49 yards -- by the way, if I told you before the game that BG only punted once, wouldn't you guess that they rolled up 50 points? Me, too -- but the net was just 29 yards because it rolled into the end zone. About the only positive was the kickoff coverage unit allowed just 59 yards on three returns (19.67 yards per return) to a team that ranked 100th in kickoff returns with 19.74 per game. So big deal. There's no other thing to say except you have to grade the day as a failure for the special teams.

THE LAST WORD –- I'd like to start by repeating what I said in this space last week ...

"Beating Temple was an impressive accomplishment. The next goal? Making it two wins in a row. And for those of you who think beating Kent State should be easy, here's a reminder: The Golden Flashes beat the Falcons 30-6 at the Doyt last season in a game that wasn't even that close. ... Don't misunderstand: for the first time in more than a month the Falcons probably will enter this game as the favorite. Just don't believe for a moment that this win is automatic."

I think 60-some people wearing orange helmets at Dix Stadium yesterday believed it was automatic. That may be the only positive to come from this negative day: The next time the players hear those words, they are going to ring true. Now let's see how this team reacts to this challenge, as well as the challenge of facing a talented Northern Illinois team at the Doyt on Nov. 8.

BiG look at Kent State game

Man, what a long, painful day ... problems connecting my computer in the press box; long drive home; then lost the key to my van and spent 90 minutes trying to find it while searching in a dark, rainy parking lot! And as bad as my day was, things for the Falcons on Saturday were worse. Bowling Green struggled in all three phases of the game and lost to an inferior team, suffering a 27-15 setback at Kent State. Here is a BiG Look at the contest ...

BiG TWITTER POST: Falcons give up 319 yards to worst offense in FBS, turn ball over 4X & get just 2 FG in 4 red-zone trips in 27-15 loss at Kent State Sat

BiG OVERVIEW: The Falcons had a misleading 445 yards of total offense, because only 45 yards came on the ground. What's more, the offense struggled when it got close to the end zone, collecting just two field goals on four drives into the red zone. The BG defense allowed Kent State to gain 140 yards rushing, a season-high 179 yards passing for 319 yards of total offense, also a season high. And Bowling Green's special teams missed two field goals, twice booted kickoffs out of bounds (giving KSU the ball on its 40), fumbled a punt that led directly to a Kent State score, and misplayed a kickoff to force the offense to start a drive on the five. Did I miss anything?

BiG PLAY: I thought there were two, with the first coming as Bowling Green was driving late in the third quarter, with Kent State leading 10-6. The Falcons had a third-and-3 on the KSU 5 when Matt Schilz threw a pass that was intercepted by Luke Wollet in the end zone. Still, BG trailed just 10-6 when, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Eugene Cooper allowed a punt to bounce off his shoe directly to the Golden Flashes' Andre Parker at the BG 15. Kent State scored two plays later to make it 17-6, and the Falcons came no closer than five points the rest of the way.

OFFENSIVE BiG MAN: Senior wide receiver Kamar Jorden had a fruitful day, catching a season-high 12 passes for a career-high 203 yards and one touchdown, which came on a 52-yard strike from junior quarterback Matt Schilz. Jorden had eight catches for 14 yards or more and four that gained at least 21 yards. Honorable mention goes to Schilz, who finished with 400 yards passing, and senior wide receiver Eugene Cooper, who finished with nine catches for 82 yards.

DEFENSIVE BiG MAN: Let's give the honor to redshirt freshman defensive lineman Charlie Walker, who was tied for the team lead in tackles with six. He also had one tackle for loss and recovered the Kent State fumble that led to the first BG field goal. Honorable mention goes to junior Dwayne Woods, who finished with six tackles, including two that were for negative yardage; freshman safety Ryland Ward, who had six tackles; sophomore BooBoo Gates, who had six tackles and also broke up one pass; and senior safety Jovan Leacock, who had six tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS BiG MAN: I am loathe to hand out this award because there were plenty of negative plays to go around. For example, senior punt returner Eugene Cooper finished with 31 yards on three returns, including a 27 yarder, which is pretty good. But he also fumbled a punt at a critical time that set up a KSU score. Another example is sophomore BooBoo Gates, who had 87 yards on four kickoff returns, including a 39 yarder, but fumbled one kickoff into the end zone and forced the Falcons to begin a drive on their own five. A third example is sophomore placekicker Stephen Stein, who connected on field goals of 39, 23 and 25 yards but missed from 41 and 38 yards. Even sophomore punter Brian Schmiedebusch has an asterisk attached to his 49-yard punt, because it went into the end zone for a touchback, giving him a net punt of just 29 yards.

BiG NUMBERS: The number that made the biggest contribution to the Bowling Green loss Saturday was four. The Falcons turned the ball over four times, and three played a big role in the setback. Eugene Cooper fumbled a punt that led directly to a Kent State touchdown; Matt Schilz was sacked and fumbled on the game's final play from scrimmage, and KSU picked up that ball and scored; and one of the two interceptions Schilz threw was caught in the end zone, denying the Falcons a scoring opportunity when they trailed by just four points.

BiG QUESTION: Where do the Falcons go from here? After seizing some momentum with a big home win over Temple, Bowling Green gave it all away with a poor performance at Kent State. Can BG turn things around at home against a tough Northern Illinois squad? An inexperienced team will have to play well for more than one game to get another chance at developing some positive mojo for this season.

Following the Falcons from Kent State -- Oct. 29

Welcome to Falcon Fodder, coming to you live from Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio, as we get ready for BG's contest against the Golden Flashes. I'll share thoughts, stats, and anything of interest from the game (newest posts are at the bottom). REFRESH OFTEN TO GET THE LATEST POSTS! Here we go ...

11:32 a.m. -- Welcome to this afternoon's contest, everyone! Having a flashback day, since -- as many of you know -- I worked at Kent State full-time for seven years. I've spent more than my share of time at Dix Stadium. And it's very, very different than it was 20 years ago. Anywho ...

11:41 a.m. -- Before we get rolling, here are links to a few stories ... First, click here to read today's game preview, which takes a look at Kent State having a bye before today's game. Second, click here to read the Falcon Fodder scouting report. Third, click here to read the story from Thursday focused on the changes Kent State is expected to make following their bye week. Finally, click here to read the notes from Wednesday's press conference. Enjoy the reading!

11:54 a.m. -- Going to sneak in some lunch for a moment ... Weather at this point is chilly -- the temperature is in the low 40s -- and there is extensive cloud cover, but no rain to this point. As the Falcons start to take the field, I'll start looking for changes and players not dressed. Talk to you in a little bit!

12:08 p.m. -- A bit of bad news as I watch the Falcons warm up ... I don't see Anthon Samuel out there. I do see Jordan Hopgood, and I see the rest of the running backs -- Jamel Martin, Erique Geiger and John Pettigrew. But no Samuel to this point.

12:21 p.m. -- Going to warn everyone in advance ... the Kent State internet system doesn't like me. This may be push-back from some unpaid parking tickets, but still ... at any rate, I'll do my best to keep this rolling. Thanks for your patience!

12:45 p.m. -- The sunny is moving in and out today ... but I would say the threat of rain/snow at this point is minimal. It looks as if it will stay clear for this contest.

12:58 p.m. -- Bowling Green won the toss and elected to defer ... BG will kick off and defend the south end zone.

1:12 p.m. -- A couple of notes for the BG offense ... Anthon Samuel did not start, with Jamel Martin taking his place. The Falcons also have used a hurry-up offense.

1:37 p.m. -- I'm having major connectivity problems here, so my apologies for the gaps. I'll talk to you at halftime.

1:43 p.m. -- This is exactly the start the Falcons couldn't afford ... giving the Golden Flashes hope. Kent State 10, BG 3 with 10 minutes left in first half.

1:55 p.m. -- Offering a sliver of hope ... for as badly as Bowling Green has played this half, they trail by just a touchdown. Falcons begin this drive at their 47 with 4:12 left in the half. If they score a TD, this is all even.

1:59 p.m. -- Ouch ... Falcons turn second-and-2 into third-and-6 and are forced to punt. Now Golden Flashes have a chance to turn this into a two-touchdown game before the half. BG needs to make a big defensive stop before the half.

2:04 p.m. -- Thanks to a penalty, the Falcons are closing in on a stop ... It's fourth down for Kent State at midfield with 50 seconds left in the half. Can the offense make something happen before the half ends?

2:07 p.m. -- Halftime at Dix Stadium ... Kent State 10, Bowling Green 3. A few thoughts first, then a few stats ...

2:11 p.m. -- The Bowling Green defense reverted back to the poor-tackling defense of the West Virginia/Western Michigan game. The Kent State offense made a few holes here and there, but most of their yardage came AFTER the first hit ... and that's a function of poor tackling. The Flashes have made a few big pass plays here and there, but BG's problems tackling are the biggest problem. On to the offense ...

2:17 p.m. -- The Bowling Green offense has struggled mightily in the first half. The rushing game is only slightly better than it was last season against the Flashes, when BG had minus-10 yards because of all the sacks. But the "wildcat" offense has continued to struggle for a variety of reasons, and the passing game hasn't done enough to overcome it. Short yardage continues to be a big problem as well. Stats in a moment. ...

2:22 p.m. -- First-half stats for the Falcons, who had 187 yards of total offense in the first half. BG had 39 net yards rushing, led by 44 yards by Jamel Martin (who had eight negative yards). Quarterback Matt Schilz completed 13-of-17 passes for 148 yards. His favorite receivers were Kamar Jorden with six catches for 52 yards and Eugene Cooper with three catches for 29 yards. Alex Bayer had just two catches but 33 yards. Leading tackler is Jovan Leacock with five and both Aaron Foster and Dwayne Woods with four each.

2:26 p.m. -- First-half stats for the Golden Flashes, who had 175 yards of toal offense in the first half. KSU ran for 80 yards, led by Trayion Durham with 44 yards and Jacquise Terry with 31. Quarterback Spencer Keith completed 7-of-13 passes for 95 yards, with Tyshon Goode catching three passes for 27 yards. The leading tackler for the Flashes is Calvin Tiggle with eight tackles and both C.J. Malauulu and Luke Batton with five apiece. Second half in three minutes.

2:39 p.m. -- Crazy play leads to more points for the Falcons. Matt Schilz throws an interception, but the Kent State defensive back fumbled and Ben Bojicic recovered the ball at the Kent State 10. A sack got the Falcons off-schedule and the Falcons were forced to kick a field goal by Stephen Stein. With 10:09 left in the third quarter it's Kent State 10, BG 6.

2:48 p.m. -- A change at running back for the Falcons ... Erique Geiger replaces Jamel Martin at running back. So far, so good as Geiger is running more north-south than Martin. The final straw seems to be a trip by Martin that turned a potential big gain into a small gain. As I write this, BG has taken a timeout with 7:01 left in the third quarter, ball on BG's 44 and the score KSU 10, BG 6.

2:54 p.m. -- A painfully bad throw in the red zone by Matt Schilz kills a prime scoring opportity for the Falcons. He was trying to throw a ball low into the end zone, but Luke Wollet found a way to drop to his knees and catch the ball. If Schilz throws it high and deep, it's either an incompletion or a touchdown.

3:05 p.m. -- HUGE mistake by the Falcons leads to a Kent State touchdown. Falcons were about to get the ball, and Eugene Cooper called for a fair catch. But he didn't catch the ball, and it bounced off his foot -- straight to a Kent State defender. Two plays later, the Golden Flashes scored a touchdown to make it 17-6 with 14:03 left in the fourth quarter. The BG offense has moved the ball in the second half, but they have struggled in the red zone. It's on the offense to get those points back ... quickly.

3:22 p.m. -- Flashes drive 61 yards down to the BG 2, but Dwayne Woods makes another big third-down tackle. Kent State gets a 21-yard field goal to make the score 20-12 with 8:17 left in the fourth quarter. Bowling Green needs a touchdown -- and needs to start working on a two-point play to tie the game.

3:31 p.m. -- The Falcons get some points ... but it's just a field goal, not a touchdown. BG travels down to the Kent State 7 but can't punch the ball into the end zone. Now the defense MUST make a stop, and the offense has to score again ... and time is running out.

3:40 p.m. -- Final shot for the Falcons ... first and 10 from their own 18 with 1:51 left in the game.

3:45 p.m. -- Bowling Green gets one first down thanks to an interference call, but then four consecutive incompletions turn the ball over on downs. Kent State needs to snap the ball cleanly a few times to seal the victory.

4:15 p.m. -- A few quick post-game stats ... Falcons finish with 445 yards of total offense, including 400 yards passing (which means just 45 net rushing -- on 28 attempts, or 1.6 yards per play). Matt Schilz completed 29-of-49 passes for 400 yards and one TD but had two interceptions. Kamar Jorden caught 12 passes for 203 yards and the touchdown, while Eugene Cooper had nine catches for 82 yards. Big problem: The Falcons also had four turnovers. Kent State in a moment ...

4:25 p.m. -- A few stats for Kent State ... Golden Flashes had 319 yards of total offense, split between 140 yards rushing and 179 yards passing. The total offense and passing yards are both season highs for KSU. Kent State's rushing leader was Jacquise Terry with 65 yards on eight carries, while Trayion Durham had 62 yards on 19 attempts. Quarterback Spencer Keith completed 16-of-23 passes for 179 yards and a TD. The leading receiver was Tyshon Goode and Matt Hurdle with four catches each; Good had 43 yards, Hurdle had 41. Kent State had two turnovers.

4:30 p.m. -- Quick thought ... truly poor effort by the Falcons today. No credit for the offense getting 445 yards because they were just 2-for-4 in the red zone -- and both scores were field goals. The defense struggled to get the Flashes stopped. And the special teams were probably the worst unit of the three ... two kickoffs out of bounds, two missed field goals, fumbled punt, bad kickoff return by BooBoo Gates to start a drive on the five.

4:38 p.m. -- Tired of losing my internet connection, so I'm going to shut this down. Going to write two stories, then drive home. I promise to take a BiG look at the contest late tonight ... 'Til then, thanks for following along!

BG football -- Scouting report on Kent State

Here's a more in-depth look at Kent State, the Falcons' opponent Saturday, Oct. 29 at Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio.

OFFENSE: Saying that the Golden Flashes have struggled on offense would be kind. KSU ranks 120th among FBS schools (in other words, last) in scoring offense (10.71 points per game) and total offense (180.57 yards per game). The Flashes rank 119th in both rushing offense (75.29 ypg) and passing offense (105.29 ypg). With a bye week last week, don’t be surprised if some of these positions have change. At quarterback the starter has been junior Spencer Keith, who has completed 87-of-190 passes (45.8 percent) for 674 yards and three TDs with eight interceptions. Kent State’s leading receivers are senior Sam Kirkland, who has caught 24 passes for 211 yards, and tight end Justin Thompson, who has 17 catches for 108 yards and a score. The Golden Flashes ground game is led by freshman Trayion Durham, who has 259 yards on 91 carries, and freshman Anthony Meray, who has 206 yards on 58 attempts. Kent State’s offensive line is subject to changes, but the anchor is senior Chris Anzevino, a three-year starter at the position.

DEFENSE: While the Flashes have struggled on offense, the defense has been strong. KSU ranks 22nd nationally in scoring defense, allowing 28.00 points per game – and that’s a pretty good number when you consider how much the offense has struggled. One key player to watch is sophomore tackle Roosevelt Nix, the MAC’s defensive player of the year last season who has 10 tackles for loss among his 15 stops this year. Other players to watch are “Leo” Jake Dooley, a junior who has 29 tackles, and nose guard Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, a fifth-year senior who has missed the last three games with a dislocated elbow. The linebackers are a veteran bunch led by junior Luke Batton, the Golden Flashes’ top tackler with 61 stops, and junior C.J. Malauulu, who ranks second with 54 tackles, including nine for loss. The secondary is led by sophomore strong safety Luke Wollet, who is third on the team with 39 tackles, and redshirt freshman free safety Calvin Tiggle, who is fourth with 38. Senior cornerback Josh Pleasant is tied with Wollet for the team lead in interceptions as each have two.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The Golden Flashes have junior Freddy Cortez doing the placekicking. Cortez has made 7-of-8 PAT kicks this season and has connected on 6-of-8 field goals, with a long of 44. His misses this season have been from 43 and 45 yards. … Senior Matt Rinehart is one of the MAC’s better punters, averaging 43.0 yards per punt with a long of 68. He has landed 10-of-54 punts inside the opponent’s 20, but has had one blocked. The Flashes’ net punting average of 33.95 yards ranks 105th in the country. … KSU also struggles on kickoff returns, ranking 100th nationally with 19.74 yards per return. Junior Eric Adeyemi has done the bulk of the work in that area and averages 19.3 yards per return. … Adeyemi also returns punts and averages 6.2 yards per return.

BG KEYS TO VICTORY: 1. Adjust to whatever their offense does. With the KSU offense having such dreadful numbers, changes are expected. Adjusting to those changes, and getting their offense stopped as quickly as possible, is essential. 2. Hang onto the ball. A sure way to get their offense started is to give them a short field to score – and gain confidence. No turnovers (or at least limited turnovers) has been an important part of all BG wins this season. 3. Special teams have a chance to shine. Kent State hasn’t been very good on special teams to this point. There will be opportunities for the special teams units to bury the Flashes.

BG hockey hosts Notre Dame in important home series

The BG hockey team hosts Notre Dame at the Ice Arena Friday and Saturday, with both games starting at 7:05 p.m. I attended the Tuesday press conference of coach Chris Bergeron, and I was struck by a comment he made about Notre Dame ...

Chris Bergeron was talking about Notre Dame, which is ranked fifth in the country in the latest USCHO poll. And this is what he said about the Fighting Irish ...

"They have size, depth and talent, and they compete," Bergeron said. "But they also believe they are one of the top teams in the country, if not the top team in the country. That's not something you can teach. ... The young team they had last year is now a veteran team. They are not veteran in terms of years [in school], but when you go to a Frozen Four you learn a lot about yourselves. They didn't lose a lot -- not to say the seniors they lost weren't a big part of that team. I'm saying that they return a lot.

"But I believe their belief is one of their majors strengths. They believe they are going to win every game, and with their lineup they should believe that. That's something we're fighting to teach. ... It's easy to see [how good] they are on paper. But that belief, that focus, is something that is very difficult to distill."

That's when I followed up with this question: "Isn't that belief a 'Chicken or the Egg' situation ... You have to have success to believe, and you have to believe to have success?"

"Absolutely," Bergeron said. "We want our people to believe that, when they put on that Bowling Green jersey, they are putting it on to win that night. When the Red Wings put their jerseys on, they assume they are going to win. Assume may be a bad word, but that's [the feeling]: we're going to win because we're the Detroit Red Wings. That's the belief we want to have here.

"I've had some personal experience with that, with watching that belief grow. People ask me, 'At what point did you know you had [that belief], but I'm sure I still don't know. Ten years later, we had it; when we put our jerseys on, we felt we were going to win. It's a constant, every-day focus.

"What are we doing that other guys aren't doing? Nothing. These are guys from the same leagues, who grew up together in the same areas of the world. So why, when we put our jerseys on, don't we believe that we're going to win? I'm not saying we don't, but we're a work in progress in that way. They are more established at that.

"We're trying to establish our belief through winning games and positive things happening. It was very difficult to establish that when we won three league games and 10 overall, and most of the feedback was negative. We hope that our start has developed some belief and some expectations. But we still have a ways to go with that, there's no doubt about it."

That is something to watch for this weekend ... both from Bowling Green and from Notre Dame.

A look at BG Olympic sports -- Oct. 27

Here’s a look at the upcoming schedules for BG’s Olympic sports, which includes teams fighting for bids into the MAC Tournament as well as recognition for long-time Falcon volleyball coach Denise Van De Walle ...

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY: The men will run next at the Mid-American Conference Championships hosted by Ball State on Saturday, Oct. 29.

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY: The next race for the Falcons will be at the Mid-American Conference Championships hosted by Ball State on Saturday, Oct. 29.

MEN'S SOCCER: The next match for the Falcons, now 7-5-3 overall and 1-2-1 in MAC play, is a home contest against Northern Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 29 starting at 7 p.m. at Cochrane Field. Then on Tuesday, Nov. 1, the Falcons will travel to Wright State for a contest starting at 7 p.m. On Oct. 22 the Falcons played to a 1-1 draw with Hartwick in the first-ever night game at Cochrane Field. BG then suffered a 3-0 loss at Akron on Oct. 26. Freshmen Danny Baraldi leads the Falcons in points with 14 thanks to a team-best eight assists, while freshman Rodcliff Hall and senior Colin Armstrong have four goals. Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Michael Wiest has a 0.84 goals-against average, while senior Miguel Rosales has a 1.24 mark.

WOMENS SOCCER: The Falcons play their final regular-season game of the season at Miami on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 3 p.m. The Falcons need a victory, as well as losses by Eastern Michigan and Akron, to earn a berth in the MAC Tournament. BG is 6-13-0 overall this season and 3-8-0 in MAC play. UPDATE: BG women tied Miami 1-1 in double-overtime; that result, along with Akron's OT win over Ohio, knocks the Falcons out of the MAC Tournament. Last weekend the Falcons split a pair of home MAC matches, losing to Western Michigan 2-0 on Oct. 21, then beating Northern Illinois 2-0 on Oct. 23. Senior Alyssa Zuccaro and leads the team in scoring with five goals and 10 points, while junior Sarah VonderBrink is second with six points and a team-high four assists. Junior goalkeeper Becca Ison has three "clean sheets" and a 1.66 goals-against average.

SWIMMING: The Falcons meet a pair of Mid-American Conference foes this weekend, hosting Ohio at Cooper Pool on Friday, Oct. 28 starting at 3 p.m., then swimming at Ball State on Saturday, Oct. 29 beginning at 1 p.m. Last weekend BG won a triangular meet with Oakland University and John Carroll held at Fremont Ross High School on Saturday, Oct. 22. In that meet junior Alexis Cain was a double-winner, taking first in the 100 breast (1:05.89) and 200 breast (2:24.60). Other winners for the Falcons were senior Sarah Reinink in the 50 free (24.47), juniors Emily Bennet in the 100 back (58.95) and Alexa Harris in the 200 back (2:08.88) and senior Vicky Yu in the 200 fly (2:04.74).

TENNIS: The final match of the fall for the Falcons will be the Green & White Invite at Michigan State on Nov. 4-6. Last weekend four BG players qualified for the ITA Regional held at Ohio State: juniors Maddy Eccleston and Mary Hill along with sophomores Nikki Chiricosta and Emily Reuland.

VOLLEYBALL: The Falcons are at the Stroh Center for a pair of Mid-American Conference matches this weekend. BG hosts Kent State on Friday, Oct. 28, starting at 7 p.m., then hosts Ohio on Denise Van De Walle Day on Saturday, Oct. 29, beginning at 3 p.m. BG is 17-7 overall record and 4-6 in the MAC after posting a 3-1 win over Toledo on Oct. 21, then losing in three sets at Ball State Oct. 22.

The End Zone: 10-27

Sportswriters often talk about "trap" games, the games where a football team may overlook their current opponent because of a big win the week before or a big game in the weeks to come.

After playing some of the MAC's heavyweights the past three weeks -- and with two tough league teams in Northern Illinois and Ohio still on the horizon -- many would view Bowling Green's game Saturday at Kent State as a "trap" game.

They shouldn't.

One reason the Falcons shouldn't view this game in that light is because, well, last season's game sure wasn't easy. In fact, BG got manhandled 30-6 at the Doyt a year ago in a game where the Falcons' only points came on a kickoff return -- and a fluky one at that -- and the offense finished with minus-10 yards rushing and just 135 yards of total offense.

A second reason Bowling Green should not take the 1-6 Golden Flashes lightly is that one win alone doesn't give the Falcons the right to do it.

A week ago it seemed BG was headed towards a four-game losing streak as Temple came to town.

The Falcons showed they could maintain a positive attitude in a negative circumstance and upset the Owls, keeping alive BG's dreams for a MAC title and bowl bid.

Now comes the next challenge: Bowling Green needs to avoid any traps by showing it can bring that same focus and energy into a contest where it is expected to win.

BG football -- Wednesday, Oct. 26 press conference

Here are a few notes and quotes from the press conference of Wednesday, Oct. 26, featuring head coach Dave Clawson, defensive tackle Chris Jones and rover BooBoo Gates.

Before we hit the highlights of the press conference, click here to read Monday's injury report and depth chart scan. Click here to read the Monday's Blade story about the enthusiasm on the BG sidelines in the Temple game, which also includes notes about awards and honors.

NOTE: Per usual, I'm only including notes and quotes that I won't be using in stories the rest of the week. Thanks for your understanding.

A FINAL WORD ON THE TEMPLE GAME: "Up to that point we had had a very tough October," coach Dave Clawson said. "But our guys continued to work, continued to prepare and continued to fight. And I was just very happy to be rewarded. Some times you put in that work and that time and you come up short. It's OK to be disappointed but not discouraged, and our guys were not discouraged. I think that showed just week."

ON THE CHALLENGE OF PREPARING FOR KENT STATE: "Our guys have done a good job of overcoming some losses, but now they have to deal with a big win," Clawson said. "It was important that we get right back to the routine. We made the corrections and got right back to preparing for Kent."

DID THE TEMPLE WIN PRODUCE A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE? "No, because I don't feel we're over the hump," Clawson said. "The loss the week before didn't ruin our season, and this win doesn't make our season. It does keep our goals alive, but in no way do we feel we've turned the corner. We're still a growing team and a growing program, and we need to make sure we keep getting better. The reason I don't feel our focus changing is because we had good focus even when we were losing. If we didn't have good focus, there's no way we play the way we did last Saturday. We keep reminding [our players] that we weren't that bad when we were losing and we're not that good when we won. We have to relentlessly pursue improvement."

HOW WILL TEAM RESPOND SATURDAY? "I judge it by practice," Clawson said. "Our tempo and our pace at practice are good. We have a goal of getting a certain number of plays done in a certain time frame, and one of the ways I judge practice is by [determining] did we get those plays in? Are the guys getting back, getting lined up and getting the play called? This week in practice we've finished most of our team periods early, which tells me we're working at a good tempo. Where is our focus? How locked in are we? I get a better feel for that the next two days."

IS THIS A 'TRAP' GAME? "We're not good enough [to have trap games]," Clawson said. "It's a good win, but it's over. This is a very dangerous [Kent State] team, and I don't feel we're at a point where we can say we're better across the board. We're not there. If our guys think they are, we're going to be in for a huge disappointment."

WITH THE STRUGGLES OF KENT STATE'S OFFENSIVE LINE, IS THE ONUS ON THE BG D-LINE SATURDAY? "It's funny that you use the word 'onus,' because for the past four weeks we've used the work 'onus' as part of our preparation," Chris Jones said. "We put a lot on our backs. We feel that, if we play well, the rest of the [defensive] team plays well -- it works from front to back. So you can say the 'onus' is on us." 

ON THE OPPORTUNITY TO WIN THE EAST: "We've just have to finish strong," Jones said. "We have four big games coming up, so we need to focus and prepare well for them. When you know you have a chance to win a MAC championship, you come in every day ready to work and excited."

HARD TO FOCUS ON KENT STATE AFTER PLAYING TEAMS LIKE TOLEDO AND TEMPLE? "A lot of teams think it would be, but we're really motivated to win a MAC championship," Jones said. "We know that this is a team that's in our way, so we have to work really hard this week to prepare to beat that team. In this league, every team has the ability to beat you if you sleep on them, so you can't do that."

DO FALCONS REMEMBER LAST YEAR'S 30-6 LOSS TO THE GOLDEN FLASHES? "Last year's game, we really didn't put up much of a fight," Jones admitted. "To beat us by 24 points, especially when they weren't playing that well ... I just think we're ready this year to show them that we're much improved and that we're ready to play."

HAS DEFENSIVE LINE COACH LARRY McDANIEL TALKED ABOUT PLAYING KENT STATE? "Coach knows some of the players personally, and he has said some [interesting]  things about them in meetings," Jones said of McDaniel, who came to BG after coaching at Kent State last season. "It's been interesting to see that he knows these players so well. But there hasn't been any extra motivation in our room because of that."

IS SATURDAY'S GAME A "TRAP" GAME? "Monday we came in and got a new game plan. Now we're worried about Kent, not about Temple," BooBoo Gates said. "We know we have to practice hard for every game, because every game is important at this time in the season. Their [1-6] record doesn't mean anything. Last year they beat us 30-6, and that's what we're looking at. We have to get payback [for that]."

INJURY REPORT: The Falcons are getting closer to full strength thanks to the return of sophomore Ted Ouellet on the defensive line and freshman cornerback Darrell Hunter. Hunter still wore a yellow (non-contact) jersey but was on the field with the second team; Ouellet did not wear a yellow jersey but also worked with the second-team defense.

The bad news from Wednesday's practice was at running back. Freshman Anthon Samuel was not on the practice field yesterday because he is suffering post-concussive symptoms. At this point Clawson said Samuel is “probable” for Saturday’s game. Sophomore Jordan Hopgood split the first-team snaps with Jamel Martin, while sophomore Erique Geiger took snaps with the second team.