Tulsa Game Thread

[JohnnySwoop '85]

Kind of hard to tell what kind of opponent this years Tulsa team really is. Lot of fanfare and talk of them being really good, and was CUSA good team last year and a bowl winner who was supposed to still have a good ground game.
Coach Elko took care of that, if you thought last years D was good, all signs point to line of scrimmage suffocation by them this year!
Yes, I did wish we kept airing it out until the final whistle to exorise the last demons remaining from the GMAC but I'll take this win gladly.
For those of you who made the game and missed the color commentary on the "U"....two references from the announcers. Defensive schemes being referred to as "exotic pressures"....and when they cut back from a SoCarolina lightning delay they said "and now back to "WEATHER FRIENDLY Bowling Green". Weather Friendly!!!!!

Now on to Kent, see you there for this "away" game.

[Warthog]

The qb thing is crazy. You can't tell me that Schilz actually won that qb competition in the coaches' minds. You don't take your starter out two series into the season if you think he's your best shot to win. That being said he looked pretty terrible on the passes he did throw.

I would at least hope the Clawson had fully explained the situtation to both QBs going in to the game. If he names Johnson the starter and he doesn't light it up, people would certainly be second guessing Clawson on why he demoted his three year starter, senior, QB. This way we all got to see that Schiltz was the same Schiltz from last season. And that gives Clawson plenty of leeway to make the switch to Johnson. But it just felt like he made the switch too quick. That makes it feel like this was his plan all along.

Nevertheless, I think Johnson gives us a better chance to win, so I am fine seeing him at QB.

But to turn the focus back to the positive, how about our defense and special teams? OUTSTANDING!!!

[hammb]

But to turn the focus back to the positive, how about our defense and special teams? OUTSTANDING!!!

I can't say enough good things about them. The defense was outstanding and the special teams was nearly flawless.

[footballguy51]

Purely as a QB, Schilz is better. Johnson can run, but his throwing ability leaves a lot to be desired.

[VDub26Falcon]

So, did the Gregg Brandon Era Special Teams Unit get employed by Tulsa?

[hammb]

So, did the Gregg Brandon Era Special Teams Unit get employed by Tulsa?

Haha from what I saw last night I'm not sure that kicker would have started on a Brandon team...it was fugly...

[Beaker]

OB is still a huge concern for me. Johnson does not have a strong arm. The running game and D won this game. At some point we will need to stretch the field when folks stack the box. Hook came too soon in my opinion. If you look at his stats he had a below average passing game but made some plays with his feet. That wont hold up over time.

Small sample size but that looked like the same ole Schilz. Poor mechanics, no pocket presence, and zero threat to run. Now we can tailor the offense to Johnson's strengths. Assuming he starts next week of course.

While it's true that defense and special teams accounted for a lot of the points in this game, you can't overlook the key plays made by Johnson that Schilz could never have made running, and the impact it had on Tulsa's defensive schemes.

I'm convinced that Clawson has had enough of his offense being hamstrung by a QB that is all but a statue and if his passing is off, the offense then becomes very one dimensional and much easier to defend.

No, Johnson does not have the touch or passing skills or experience yet...but he brings athleticism to the position that can literally be a game changer (and was tonight at times).

I see no reason to go back to Schilz after tonight's game. Continue with Johnson and try to build up his passing game. If they get into a bind and need to become a passing team, there's nothing that says Clawson can't use two quarterbacks at times.

I have no problem with the way Clawson handled things. I believe Warthog mentioned that if Clawson had started Johnson over the senior 3 year starter and it had not gone well, the critics would have come out of the woodwork at him. As it is, he gave Shilz the chance and he looked like the same jittery, unsure of himself QB we saw last year. I'm sure had Shilz come out and lit it up, he would not have been pulled.

As for the situation going forward, he has to stick with Johnson. His mobility brings an element we don't have with Shilz and makes it tougher on opponents to defend. The downside is his deep downfield passing ability and overall accuracy. Granted, he doesn't appear to have the arm strength of Shilz, but from what I saw last night, he's no less accurate at this point, at least up to intermediate range. For those of you who were around then, you may remember Josh's Harris' start to his QB career. The guy was a great runner, but most of his throws, even on short range passes, sailed 8 feet over guys heads. With time and experience, he got more and more accurate and eventually turned into a dual threat player that gave D coordinaters nightmares trying to gameplan for. Now, don't think I'm predictiing Johnson will develop into the player Harris was. Josh was a special player that just doesn't come along very often and Johnson doesn't have the same level of physical tools. What I am saying, is don't be too hasty to knock his passing after seeing him in action for such a short time, at this early stage of his career. I'm optimistic that in time working with the first team he will develop more continuity with the receivers and will improve as a passer. I noticed that he seems to look for Bayer more than Shilz ever did. He is a very under utilized weapon and we would be well served to make him a bigger part of the passing game. I like Johnson's competitiveness and fire. Give him a chance to improve and given the team he has around him, I see no reason why we can't win a championship with him at QB. This, coming from an eternal pessimist!

[thewebboy]

Purely as a QB, Schilz is better. Johnson can run, but his throwing ability leaves a lot to be desired.

I completely agree about his arm. His height doesn't help his cause though. I think that might factor into some of his bad throws.

Still I just feel better when he's behind center. Having that running threat at QB is something I've wished we'd had the past 6-7 years. He doesn't need to complete everything, we just need those clutch throws we have been missing the past few years.

[bgsufalcon24]

Oh an, what game that was last night. Just a fantastic night, probably the most fun I have ever had at the Doyt. Like a lot of you have said, I wanted blood in the fourth quarter and seeing Tulsa muff that punt allowing BG to turn the game into a rout was a sight to see. Having seen firsthand the destruction in Mobile, this was retribution. The defensive front totally dominated their O-line all night. Tulsa pretty much conceded that battle by trying to do a lot of quick hitters to the outside.

Matt Johnson made some impressive plays with his legs. The one in particular where ducked under the Tulsa defender and got 7 more yards made the whole stadium gasp. The guy is quick and agile. While I don't get the feeling he is great thrower at this point, I think he is probably no worse than Schilz in terms of accuracy and ability to read the defense.

Tulsa's QB really struggled, which to me was the big surprise of the night. I talked with some Tulsa fans who said he was a transfer from Nebraska. All I know is if our defense plays well like that all year we are going a long way this year.

Some other thoughts:

1.Great crowd, especially students. They turned out big and were making lots of noise the first Tulsa came toward the Sebo end, which caused Tulsa to burn a timeout. All three sections 17-21 was standing room only and they spread out further from there.

2.great weather. You couldn't have asked from a better night.

3.Why do we have so many microphone issues. We had this great idea of having students sing over the band's accompaniment at halftime totally ruined because we couldn't get a decent mic.

1-0. On to Kent. Roll Along!

[Class of 61]

AAAAGGGHHHH the mac site feed isn't working!

Why aren't you keyed in to ESPNU? Wouldn't have to worry about a MAC feed.