Falcon Fodder

MAC Power Rankings – Oct. 30

Wasn’t that an interesting weekend of football?

There were more than a couple of results that warranted further inspection Saturday. The one that earned national attention was Kent State’s victory at Rutgers, which I think pretty clearly is the league’s signature win this season since it came on the road and marked the highest-ranked team beaten by a MAC school in 2012.

The one that raised eyebrows around the league was Miami knocking off previously unbeaten and nationally ranked Ohio. The Bobcats have been reeling because of injuries for weeks, but that wasn’t the eyebrow-raiser for me: How about the RedHawks claiming a big win over an East Division rival, continuing to make that a FOUR team race?

Both Northern Illinois and Toledo faced challenges on the road Saturday, but both responded the same way: Both the Huskies and the Rockets put together terrific second-half efforts to remain unbeaten in MAC play and set up a winner-take-all showdown in DeKalb on Nov. 14.

Here is a look at the league’s 13 teams, presented in the order I would rank them at this point in the season. …

1. NORTHERN ILLINOIS (8-1, 5-0) (LW #1): Give a little credit to Western Michigan for giving the Huskies a challenge Saturday. But give a LOT of credit to NIU for handling the first-half challenge, firing a few first-half salvos of its own, then dominating the second half. This team’s defense isn’t getting enough credit for its performance so far this season, and the offense just keeps churning out points. Warning: Shield the eyes of young children Saturday when Northern hosts UMass, because that violence could be graphic.

2. TOLEDO (8-1, 5-0) (LW #2): Give a little credit to Buffalo for giving the Rockets a challenge Saturday. But give a LOT of credit to UT for handling that first-half challenge, firing a few first-half salvos of its own, then dominating the second (say, where have I heard that before?). The Rockets have an underappreciated runner in David Fluellen, and the defense – despite giving up lot of yardage – always seems to create turnovers, then convert them into points. But UT faces a couple of challenges, starting with Ball State at the Glass Bowl next Tuesday.

3. KENT STATE (7-1, 4-0) (LW #4): It was easy to slide the Golden Flashes into third following their impressive win at Rutgers. And I must admit, it was hard to resist the temptation to slide them even higher in this poll. KSU will need to be focused when facing Akron Saturday, although it should help that it is a rivalry game. And for those of us who looked past the contest at Miami the following Saturday … not so fast, my friends. But are the Flashes for real? Ask Rutgers.

4. OHIO (7-1, 3-1) (LW #3): So much for the “bigger” tests coming AFTER the Miami game. The Bobcats failed their test in Oxford, and things are about to get really tough for OU. I expect the Bobcats will post a win Thursday over Eastern Michigan, but the schedule gets much tougher quickly as Ohio finishes with Bowling Green (just six days after playing EMU), then plays at Ball State and at Kent State to end the season.

5. BALL STATE (6-3, 3-2) (LW #5): The Cardinals posted another solid road win over Army to become bowl-eligible. Things get harder right away for BSU, though, as their next contest comes against Toledo at the Glass Bowl next Tuesday, followed by a home game against Ohio and the season-ender at Miami. I was not a fan of their offense before the season began, but I have been convinced it is solid; I would like to see more from the Cards’ defense before solidly jumping on the bandwagon.

6. BOWLING GREEN (6-3, 4-1) (LW #6): The Falcons have won five in a row, and the victory over Eastern Michigan makes BG bowl-eligible. There are questions about the quality of the Falcons’ win in that span, although I would think Miami’s win over Ohio helped in that regard. The Falcons need a strong effort next Wednesday against Ohio, and Kent State looms on the horizon. Both of those are important not only to win the MAC East, but also to burnish the Falcons’ bowl resume.

7. MIAMI (4-4, 3-1) (LW #8): The RedHawks got a week off to prepare for the rivals from Ohio, and Miami certainly took advantage of that team to beat the Bobcats and keep alive their hopes to win the East and go bowling. The RedHawks need a strong effort at Buffalo to keep things rolling – and that won’t be as easy as it sounds – but it’s do-able, and it’s important if Miami wants to set up a huge contest against Kent State the following Saturday.

8. WESTERN MICHIGAN (3-6, 1-4) (LW #7): Let’s give the Broncos credit for a strong first-half effort against Northern Illinois, which shows what they are capable of even without QB Alex Carder. But the second half also showed the deficiencies of this team, especially from a defense that should be better. The schedule eases in the coming weeks, but rivalry games with Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan should have this team’s attention.

9. BUFFALO (1-7, 0-4) (LW #9): The Bulls have lost six in a row, but the four in league play came to teams with a combined 17-1 record in the MAC (Kent State, Ohio, Northern Illinois and Toledo). Things don’t get any easier this week with Miami coming to town and Western Michigan still to come (and Bowling Green as the season-ender). It helps that Brandon Oliver has returned to action, giving them a running game and a tool to control the clock and keep them in the game.

10. EASTERN MICHIGAN (1-7, 0-4) (LW #11): The defense struggled at Bowling Green last week, and Thursday brings a road trip to Ohio – another tough contest for a team whose last three league losses have come to teams with a combined league record of 13-1. It looks as if this team has figured out some things offensively, but the defense needs to buckle down as “Michigan” games against Central and Western, followed by a season-ended against Northern Illinois, are yet to be played.

11. CENTRAL MICHIGAN (3-5, 1-3) (LW #12): The Chippewas won a game they needed to win by beating Akron Saturday, but CMU needs to keep that momentum rolling against “Michigan” opponents in Western Michigan (this week) and Eastern Michigan (next week). Once the Chippewas cleaned up the turnovers, they were able to score 35 points and were much more productive offensively. Believe it or not, there are three possible wins still on the schedule – how many can CMU claim?

12. AKRON (1-8, 0-5) (LW #10): Last week I asked if a 2-1 record in the next three games was too much to ask for. Answer? Perhaps, since the Zips opened with a lopsided loss at Central Michigan. Akron has a chance to “make” its season this Saturday with a rivalry game with Kent State, and UMass follows, but two wins looks a little more grim, doesn’t it?

13. MASSACHUSETTS (0-8, 0-4) (LW #13): It almost seems unfair that this team now has to face Northern Illinois on the road after playing at Vanderbilt last week. Surviving that contest in one piece gives the Minutemen a chance in the following weeks, because games against Akron and Buffalo are coming up. Can UMass win either of those games? Yes. Will they? They will need to play better to have a chance.

Agree? Disagree? Want to add to the discussion? Use the "Post a Comment" area below to voice your opinions. Keep it clean, keep it civil, and it will be all good. Join in NOW!

BG's Burke wins CCHA honor

Freshman goaltender Tommy Burke was named Central Collegiate Hockey Association freshman of the week, the league announced Monday.

The native of Chaska, Minn., stepped in for injured senior Andrew Hammond and performed well as the Falcons split a home series with Ohio State this past weekend.

Burke stopped a career-high 27 shots in a 1-0 loss to the Buckeyes on Friday. Then on Saturday he made 21 saves against OSU to force a 3-3 tie and a shootout. In the shootout Burke stopped all four shots he faced to gave the Falcons a win and a split of the two-game series.

Burke currently ranks fourth in the CCHA with a 2.22 goals-against average and stands fifth in save percentage with a 91.3 percent mark.

The Falcons return to action this weekend with a home-and-home series with Michigan State. Friday's game at MSU will start at 5:05 p.m., while Saturday's game at the Ice Arena begins at 7:05 p.m.

Your questions, my answers – Oct. 29

“Ron” e-mailed me: Shame on you for not blasting the BG offense in recent weeks. It has been TERRIBLE! If we don’t win the MAC, it will be because our offense continues to under-perform and puts too much pressure on the defense.

Dear Ron: I went back and read my last two Sunday Morning QBs to see what I wrote about the offense. I thought I was fair, but I don’t think I was particularly complimentary. If you didn’t read those two reports, you are welcome to judge them for yourself.

Click here to read Sunday Morning QB following the UMass game, and click here to read Sunday Morning QB following the Eastern Michigan game.

But I wouldn’t call the offense “terrible” for a variety of reasons.

First, the most obvious reason: Compared to the offenses of the other teams those two days, BG had the BETTER offense both times. Isn’t netting 356 yards of total offense like the Falcons did Saturday way better than collecting just 178 yards, which was Eastern Michigan’s total?

UMass and EMU both had "terrible" offensive days, but is that entirely their fault? No. In fact, to quote a long-time football coaching friend of mine, the other teams give out scholarships, too.

Second, the Falcons have become a bit more conservative offensively because of their fine defensive play. The idea is to limit mistakes and turnovers that would allow an opponent to take advantage for easy scores. Coach Dave Clawson said he doesn’t think teams will be able to cover a long distance to score, so if there are no turnovers -– and if the offense can help turn around poor field position -– the team will be successful.

You may remember a few weeks back Clawson said one of the goals on offense was to just get two first downs each drive? The idea it to burn time off the clock, change field position and make the offense for the other team drive a long distance for a score. We all know how hard it is to put together a long drive when penalties, mistakes or one bad play can stop an offense.

And those are some of the things the offense has done. The turnovers have been down in recent games with just one in the last two contests -– one interception at UMass. BG had a fumble that it recovered versus Eastern Michigan.

And here's an example of good offensive play: the fourth quarter of the EMU game. The Eagles had just 11 yards of total offense in the final quarter, but the offense deserved as much (if not more) credit than the defense did. BG's offense ran two long drives that held the ball for a whopping 12:17 of the quarter. While the Falcons' final drive didn't net any points, it didn't need to: Instead it ate up NINE MINUTES of the clock (9:10, actually) and pushed out from BG's 7 all the way to EMU's 33 when time ran out.

Third, the offense can make contributions to help the team win besides scoring. The last paragraph was one example of that, and here’s another, from the victory over UMass: Bowling Green’s first touchdown came when the Falcons had to drive just 35 yards. Many people thought the defense deserved the credit for the short field, but the truth was the defense deserved only PART of the credit. The offense and the special teams also played a role in that short field.

BG’s first drive in the game began on its 12, if you remember, and if the Falcons have a three-and-out there the first TD doesn’t happen. Instead the offense “flipped the field” and got to midfield before punting. The punt cover unit also deserves credit for pinning the Minutemen on their 6. The defense got the three-and-out, and then the punt return unit was able to get a 16-yard return to set the ball on the 35. And while it did take seven plays to cover 35 yards, the offense did punch the ball into the end zone.

In short, the offense can help set up the defense and lead to victories, as can the special teams units.

And a final thought to fans that are afraid the offense won’t be up to the task if BG is involved in a high-scoring game: When have the Falcons played a high-scoring game this season? Virginia Tech scored 37 points, true, but in the other two losses –- to Florida and Toledo, both powerful offenses –- BG’s opponents notched just 27 points. In this day and age, that isn't a blowout. In fact, those 27 points are the second-lowest point total for the Rockets all season.

Does the offense need to be better in the final weeks of the season? Yes, it does. But has it been terrible recently? No, it has not.

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 victory over EMU

The Falcons won their fifth consecutive game to improve to 6-3 overall this season and 4-1 in Mid-American Conference play with a 24-3 victory over Eastern Michigan at the Doyt. BG became bowl-eligible because of another impressive performance by the defense, while the offense and special teams had an up-and-down day. Here’s a look back at the victory ...

OPENING THOUGHTS: What more can you say about the play of the BG defense? The Falcons came within a facemask penalty of posting a second straight shutout, which hasn’t happened since … wait for it … 1994, when Bowling Green shut out Cincinnati and Ohio in back-to-back weeks as part of a nine-game winning streak (I’m guessing you remember how that horror story turned out, though). More on the defense in a little bit, but first this: BG is using a style of play that focuses on great defense, with the roles of the offense and special teams simply to not put the defense in harm’s way. The result is a low-scoring game that, in this day and age, seems scary. Put it this way: Does a two-touchdown lead in modern football seem safe? Of course not. With the way the BG defense is playing (and, let’s face it, with the competition the Falcons have faced in recent weeks), a two-touchdown lead has been the equivalent of Mount Everest.

OFFENSE: The Falcons finished with 356 yards of total offense, including 225 yards rushing (and an average of 5.5 yards per rushing attempt). Bowling Green scored twice in the first quarter and piled up 170 yards of total offense in the period. The rushing yardage and the first-quarter production aren’t good things: they are GREAT things. However … even coach Dave Clawson expressed concern with the second-quarter work of his offense, which managed just 17 plays and 37 yards on five possessions (the fifth of which came at the end of the half). There were three three-and-outs and a pair of four-and-outs in the quarter for BG. “I was disappointed that we didn’t score points in the second quarter,” Clawson said. “We got the wind, and I thought it would play a bigger factor in this game than it did. To me, to escape the first quarter up 14-3 [playing] against the wind [was good, but] it was a bad second quarter.” The first drive of the third quarter was killed by a pass interference call, and after that the TD by the defense caused the Falcons to go ultra-conservative the rest of the game. But there’s one other positive for the offense: Its ability to run out the clock in the fourth quarter. BG ran 16 plays in that quarter, 14 on the ground, and managed six first downs to possess the ball for 12:17 of the 15-minute period. That allowed EMU to run just six offensive plays –- and have no chance to get a score that would get them back into the game.

DEFENSE: For the fourth week in a row the Falcons were impressive on defense, allowing just 178 yards of total offense, including just 64 yards rushing to a team that had been having success running the ball. If the Falcons had not been whistled for a face-mask on a sack –- which would have set up a third-and-29 play –- BG probably would have posted a shutout. The EMU folks felt they had success running the ball when you take away the sacks, but I disagree in every quarter but the second. There were no sacks in the first quarter, and the Eagles had five yards rushing; in the third quarter EMU had 17 yards rushing (although there were two sacks for minus-20 yards), and two fourth-quarter rushes netted four and two yards, respectively. If you look at “running” plays, EMU had six that gained two yards or less and three for no gain or negative yardage (not including sacks). Eastern Michigan had just eight plays gain 10 yards or more while 14 garnered two yards or less. Those eight plays are a bit of a concern, but the fact that only two of them came in the second half shows that BG is making good adjustments –- and taking advantage of the opportunity to “pin its ears back” and rush the passer to create sacks and turnovers when it has the lead.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Let’s start with the bad news, which was the kickoff coverage unit. Kickoff specialist Anthony Farinella had five kickoffs that averaged 59.6 yards per kick but had no touchbacks. The five kickoff returns the Eagles had measured 122 yards, or nearly 25 yards per return, which is not good at all. EMU’s average starting position after a kickoff was its 28, and that includes a muffed return that began on the 20 and another returned pushed back to the 18 because of a penalty. … BG had just two kickoff returns and didn’t do well with either, starting on its 23 and its 16 (remember, a downed kickoff would begin on the 25). Both returns by BooBoo Gates covered just 16 yards. In short, the kickoff returns also were not good. … On punt returns, Ryan Burbrink had 16 yards on two returns, including a 12-yard long. I thought Eastern Michigan’s punter was very strong, so this wasn’t a bad day. There was one punt I though Burbrink should catch that he allowed to roll, and Burbrink’s reaction after the ball rolled 51 yards showed he thought so, too. But hindsight is 20/20, and Burbrink did a solid job Saturday. … Punter Brian Schmiedebusch averaged 40.0 yards on his six punts, which is acceptable, especially when four of those punts landed inside Eastern Michigan’s 20. He had one punts go more than 50 yards, didn’t have any touchbacks, and the Eagles’ two returns netted minus-1 yards. BG’s net yards per punt was 40.2 yards for the second week in a row, and that’s not a bad day. … Bowling Green made its three extra-point attempts but split two field-goal attempts. Stephen Stein missed a 38-yard attempt with the wind (the ball certainly was high and long enough, but it went wide right) while Tyler Tate connected on a 28-yard field goal against the wind.

THE LAST WORD: Another great performance by the defense, and another inconsistent performance by the offense and special teams. How good is the defense? Currently it is nationally (among 120 BCS schools) ranked eighth in total defense (290.0 yards per game), 11th in scoring defense (15.22 points per game), 15th in rush defense (104.22 yards per game) and, in terms of pass defense, ranked 18th in yards (185.78 yards per game) and 16th in efficiency (a rating of 107.49). The question is simple, though: is this defense, combined with the mediocre performance of the offense and special teams, enough to beat good teams such as Ohio and Kent State? We’ll find out soon enough.

WANT MORE? Here you go … First, click here to read The Blade game story and click here to read the Blade notebook, which features running back John Pettigrew. Click here to read the in-game chat from the contest, and click here to read the BiG Look at the contest. Finally, click here to view a photo gallery from the contest, courtesy of The Blade's Andy Morrison.

BiG look at Falcons victory over Eastern Michigan

The Bowling Green football team put together another dominating defensive effort in beating Eastern Michigan 24-3 at the Doyt Saturday, Oct. 27. With the win, the Falcons improved to 6-3 for the season and 4-1 in the Mid-American Conference, making themselves bowl-eligible as a result of their fifth consecutive win. Here’s a look back at the contest. ...

BiG NOTE: If you missed the news from earlier, BG freshman running back Andre Givens was released from Wood County Hospital early Saturday night. Givens was hit hard in the back in the third quarter of Saturday's game and was not able to get back on his feet after the hit. He was placed on a spineboard as a precautionary measure and taken by ambulance to the hospital. BG officials said Givens had movement in his arms and legs and was conscious the entire time he was on the field.

BiG TWITTER POST: BGSU defense again impressive in team's 6th straight win, limiting Eastern Michigan to 178 yards of TO in Falcons' 23-3 win at Doyt Saturday

BiG OVERVIEW: The Falcons took the opening kickoff and drove 77 yards on six plays, with the big play coming when quarterback Matt Schilz threw a lateral to running back Jordan Hopgood, who found Shaun Joplin alone behind the defense for a 53-yard touchdown pass. Eastern Michigan countered with a drive that ended with a 42-yard field goal by Dylan Mulder midway through the quarter, but BG bounced back with an eight-play, 84-yard drive that ended with a 27-yard TD run by Andre Givens. That was the last scoring until the third quarter, when the BG defense turned a turnover into a touchdown. Rover Gabe Martin sacked Eagles quarterback Tyler Benz and forced a fumble that Chris Jones recovered and carried 23 yards for a touchdown. The final scoring came at the end of a 10-play, 45-yard drive that Tyler Tate capped with a 28-yard field goal.

BiG PLAY: There were several choices here, but the big play came from the defense in the third quarter. The score was 14-3, with EMU facing second-and-seven on its 35. BG’s Gabe Martin sacked quarterback Tyler Benz and stripped the ball free; it bounced to defensive tackle Chris Jones, who rumbled 23 yards for the touchdown. Game, set and match for the Falcons’ fifth consecutive win as the BG defense scored a touchdown in its third consecutive game.

OFFENSIVE  BiG MAN: There are a few choices for this award, but the obvious pick is senior running back John Pettigrew. He got the start in place of the injured Anthon Samuel and was impressive, finishing with a career-high 136 yards rushing on 24 carries while catching a pair of passes for 21 yards. … Receiving honorable mention are junior running back Jordan Hopgood, who carried the ball seven times for 61 yards (that’s 8.7 yards per carry) and added a nifty 53-yard touchdown pass to Shaun Joplin; and freshman running back Andre Givens, who finished with 29 net yards rushing on four carries, one of which was a 27-yard touchdown run.

DEFENSIVE BiG MAN: Most games senior defensive tackle Chris Jones would win this award, but Saturday’s contest wasn’t “most day.” In this contest the best BG defender was sophomore rover Gabe Martin, who led the Falcons with seven tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss that resulted in 20 negative yards. Those tackles for loss all counted as sacks as well. Martin also caused a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and also intercepted a pass. … A very close second to Martin was Jones, who had three tackles that resulted in minus-24 yards. All three were tackles for loss and sacks (he was credited with 2.5 of both), and he also had a fumble recovery that he took 23 yards for a touchdown. Others that played well for the Falcons on defense were senior LB Dwayne Woods, junior LB Paul Swan and junior safety BooBoo Gates, each of whom finished with five tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS BiG MAN: Junior punter Brian Schmiedebusch had one of his best games of the season Saturday, averaging 40.0 yards per kick on six punts. His longest kick traveled 56 yards, and four of his punts were downed inside EMU’s 20. On two returns the Eagles had minus-1 yards, meaning the Falcons averaged 40.2 net yards per punt, which is very good … Honorable mention goes to sophomore Jude Adjei-Barimah, who recovered an EMU fumble on a punt return; sophomore Victor Osborne, who recorded three tackles on five Bowling Green kickoffs; and freshman punt returner Ryan Burbrink, who had a 12-yard return and finished with two returns for 16 yards.

BiG NUMBERS: There were a lot more good numbers for the BG defense Saturday, even beyond the 178 yards of total offense allowed. One was the way the Falcons never allowed the EMU offense to get untracked, allowing them to run just 51 plays (that’s 3.5 yards per play) and limiting the Eagles to just 25:10 in time of possession. BG also was a beast on third downs, allowing Eastern Michigan to convert just 3-of-12. What’s more, the Falcons allowed EMU to gain 22 yards or less on eight of their 11 drives, including the final five in a row; in those five drives the Eagles ran 21 plays and gained a total of 33 yards (1.57 yards per play). But here are the numbers that really send me for a loop every time I think of them: In the last five games the BGSU defense has scored as many touchdowns as it has allowed (three).

BiG QUESTION: Can the Falcons get better play from their offense and special teams when they face Ohio in Athens, Ohio, on Nov. 7? A return to health by several key offensive players would help, and there is plenty of time to do that. But special teams were not sharp versus the Eagles, and the offense needs to be more productive to take some pressure off the defense.

BiG BONUS: Here are a few extra quotes from Saturday's game that didn't make the blogs or newspaper stories ...

• “When you play a [defense] like [Bowling Green's], that’s a really sound team, and they put eight in the box, and you cannot throw your way out of it, you’re going to struggle,” EMU coach Ron English said. “And then their pass rush took over late.”

• “I thought Eastern Michigan was playing good football offensively the past couple of weeks, so to hold that team to three points [was impressive],” Clawson said. “We generated turnovers, and we scored a touchdown.”

• “The offensive numbers weren’t great, but we did what we needed to do to win the football game,” Clawson said.

Live blog from BG football vs. EMU -- Oct. 27

BG football -- Scouting report on Eastern Michigan

Here's a more in-depth look at Eastern Michigan, the Falcons' opponent Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Doyt, starting at 3:30 p.m.

OVERVIEW: The Eagles are 1-6 overall and 0-3 in the Mid-American Conference. EMU is coming off a 48-38 home victory over Army, its first win of the season. The rest of the non-conference schedule included losses to FCS member Illinois State (at home), at Purdue and at Michigan State. The league losses came in Eastern Michigan’s season opener at Ball State and in home contests against Kent State and Toledo.

OFFENSE: The Eagles rank ninth in the MAC in scoring offense with their average of 24.6 points per game, but that number is skewed by the 47 points EMU scored against Toledo two weeks ago and the 48 it ran up on Army last Saturday. Eastern Michigan is 12th in the 13-team league in total offense with 361.6 yards per contest, in large part because the Eagles rank 10th in passing offense (197.1 yards per game. A few weeks back EMU made a change at quarterback, with sophomore Tyler Benz replacing senior Alex Gillett. Benz has completed 64-of-115 passes (55.7 percent) for 983 yards and nine touchdowns with four interceptions; Gillett is 35-for-76 (46.1 percent) this season for 397 yards and four TDs with six picks. The Eagles’ leading receiver is senior Garrett Hoskins, who is listed as a “Y” receiver but really serves as more of a tight end and has caught 30 passes for 469 yards and three touchdowns. The only two other receivers who have more than 10 catches this season are sophomore “H” receiver Demarius Reed, who has 14 catches for 153 yards, and freshman Dustin Creel, who has caught 10 passes for 182 yards. A total of 14 different players have caught passes for EMU this season. The rushing attack is led by sophomore Bronson Hill, who has run for 548 yards and six touchdowns on just 61 carries in six games. In the past two weeks Hill has had 283 yards (and four touchdowns) against Toledo and 185 yards (and another score) against Army. The offensive line has just two seniors, center Andrew Sorgatz and LG Corey Watman, with the rest of the starters sophomores. But the Eastern Michigan line has allowed just eight sacks in seven games, third-best in the MAC.

DEFENSE: The Eagles’ defensive numbers are near the bottom of the MAC. Eastern Michigan is tied for 12th in the MAC in scoring defense (39.4 points per game) and is last in total defense (510.1 yards per game). Leading the defense is senior linebacker Bryan Pali and junior safety Donald Coleman, each of who have 60 tackles, two more than sophomore safety Pudge Cotton. It’s interesting to note that the EMU two-deep lists Coleman as the back-up to senior Alex Bellfy (who has 24 tackles) at free safety, while Cotton, who has two of the Eagles’ five interceptions, is the back-up to junior Mycal Swaim (who has eight tackles and has played just three games) at strong safety. The starters at the cornerback positions are senior Marcell Rose, who has 32 tackles and an interception, and sophomore Darius Scott, who has registered 16 tackles and one pick. Pali starts at WLB and is joined at the linebacker position by senior MLB Justin Cudworth, who has 53 tackles, including six for loss, and senior SLB Blake Poole, who also has 53 stops. The leaders on the defensive line are senior “rush” end Andy Mulumba, whose 41 tackles include a pair for loss, and junior defensive end Kalonji Kashema, who has 22 tackles, including a team-best three sacks. The starting nose tackle is sophomore Cy Maughmer (17 tackles) while the other starter at defensive tackle is sophomore Travis Linser (12 tackles).

SPECIAL TEAMS: The Eagles are in the middle of the pack in the MAC in most of the special teams areas. The thing they do best is cover punts; senior Jay Karutz does the punting and leads the MAC with his average of 44.2 yards per kick with 18 of 42 inside the 20 (and only two touchbacks) as well as eight kicks of 50 yards or more. EMU ranks second in the league with its average of 40.6 net yards per punt. … Freshman Dylan Mulder does most of the placekicking and is 15-of-17 on extra points but five-for-five on field goals, with a long of 41 yards. … Junior Kody Fulkerson has handled the kickoffs and averages 56.6 yards per kick with one touchback and five out of bounds; Eastern Michigan ranks 12th in the MAC on kickoff coverage with a net average of 36.5 yards per kick. … The Eagles rank eighth in the league in punt returns. Sophomore Demarius Reed has returned 10 punts this year and average 7.0 yards per return. … EMU also ranks eighth in the MAC in kickoff returns with an average of 20.9 yards per return. Sophomore Tyler Allen has handled 25 kickoffs and averages 23.3 yards per return to rank sixth in the MAC in that category.

BG KEYS TO VICTORY: 1. Pound it. The Falcons had been running the ball very efficiently before struggling in that area against UMass. Getting the running game rolling again will help open up the passing game, control the clock, and wear down the Eagles. 2. Don’t let them get the run rolling. EMU’s recent success has come by running the ball, and for the past month or so the Falcons have totally taken away the run – against offenses that prefer to pass. Taking the run away this week will be tougher, but it will be essential if the Falcons want to slow down the Eagles offense. 3. Win the punt game. The Falcons dominated in this phase last year, but this season Eastern Michigan has used a good punt game to control field position. Having some success against the Eagles’ punt team, and continuing the recent improvement of BG’s punt cover squad, will be important on a wet field and a cold day.

Join Falcon Fodder for in-game blog vs. EMU!

A look at BG Olympic sports – Oct. 25

Here is this week’s look at the Falcons’ Olympic sports, which includes some important matches for both cross country teams, the men's soccer squad and the volleyball team:

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY: The men will run at the MAC Championships at Beaver Island State Park on Saturday, Oct. 27. In their most-recent race the Falcons finished 15th at the Bradley Classic on Oct. 12. BG was led by senior Josh Franek whose time of 25:49 was good for 55th place.

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY: The next race for the Falcons will be at the MAC Championships hosted by Buffalo on Saturday, Oct. 27. In its most-recent race, the Bradley Classic on Oct. 12, BG placed sixth as a team and were led by junior Abby Koch, who placed 17th with a 21:40 clocking.

MEN'S GOLF: The fall season is finished for the Falcons, whose next competition will be at the Mid-American Match Play event in February. BG finished 13th at the UD Invitational on Oct. 22-23. Sophomore Joe Cooper led the way for Bowling Green, placing 19th with rounds of 73-76=149.

WOMEN'S GOLF: The fall season is finished for the Falcons, whose next competition will be at the Spring Challenge Cup in March.

MEN'S SOCCER: The Falcons will play a Mid-American Conference contest at Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Oct. 27, starting at 10 a.m. because of inclement weather forecasts due to Hurricane Sandy. Then Bowling Green will host Wright State on Tuesday, Oct. 30 starting at 7 p.m. BG currently is 6-7-3 overall and 2-2-1 in Mid-American Conference play. The Falcons played to a scoreless overtime draw at Northern Illinois Oct. 23, then beat Michigan 2-0 on the road Oct. 23. Junior Anthony Grant leads the Falcons with seven goals, while sophomore Danny Baraldi has five goals and a team-best six assists. The pair is tied for team scoring honors with 16 points. Defensively, junior goalkeeper Michael Wiest has a 1.07 goals-against mark.

WOMENS SOCCER: The Falcons finished the season with a 1-17-1 this season and 0-10-1 in league play. BG lost three times in the last week and finished with nine straight league losses after setbacks at Ball State by a 1-0 score in double overtime on Oct. 19; a 3-1 loss at Miami on Oct. 21; and a season-ending 4-0 loss at home to Central Michigan Oct. 25. Sophomore Sidney Huth leads the team in scoring with three goals and seven points, while freshman Demy Whitaker has a team-best two assists. Freshman Jenna Underwood has a 1.73 goals-against average.

SWIMMING: The Falcons will compete next in a home dual match against Wayne State on Friday, Oct. 26.

TENNIS: The next match for the Falcons will be at the WMU Super Challenge on Nov. 9-11.

VOLLEYBALL: The Falcons will be on the road this weekend for a pair of Mid-American Conference matches as they play at Kent State on Friday, Oct. 26 starting at 7 p.m., then play at East Division co-leader Ohio on Saturday, Oct. 27 beginning at 7 p.m. BG now is 14-8 overall and 9-1 after losing at home to Ball State before beating Toledo. Individually, senior Leah Shaw ranks eighth in the MAC in hitting percentage at 28.7 percent, while juniors Paige Penrod and Danielle Tonyan rank second and ninth, respectively, in kills per set (Penrod averages 4.05 kps, Tonyan averages 3.28 kps). Junior Laura Avila is fourth in assists per set (10.59 aps), while junior Kaitlyn Skinner stands third in blocks per set (1.19 bps) and junior Ashley Dunn is seventh in digs per set (4.45 dps).

The End Zone: 10-25

About this time a month ago the Falcon faithful were worried as BG had struggled to a 1-3 start. What's more, the offense had looked bad in a shutout loss at Virginia Tech, while the defense had been torched a week earlier at Toledo.

But now that seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? The Falcons have won four in a row and are favorites this Saturday when they host Eastern Michigan at the Doyt. A win over the Eagles would make BG bowl eligible and keep the Falcons in line for a potential East Division title shot.

Is there a lesson to be learned from this? Yes, namely that football is a 12-game season, especially for MAC schools that are forced by finances to, in effect, schedule losses, such as BG's games at Florida and Virginia Tech.

Instead of worrying about a poor start, the focus should have been on continuing to get better and preparing for more winnable games against league opponents. That's what BG did, and the Falcons reaped the reward of a winning streak.

Actually, there's a second lesson, too. Fortunes can change in a hurry, and that goes both ways. There were still games to be played after the slow September start, and even now there are still games to be played -– and those games will determine what kind of season 2012 was for the Falcons.