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I've seen this team play live each game other than Florida and Va. Tech, and one thing I now see on our sidelines is enthusiasm. Football is a game of emotion and I sat behind the BG bench at the Toledo game and saw none! Zero, Zippo! And after the Va. Tech game I just didn't know how this team could muster it, but they have. I watched our bench during the game in Athens, and I never saw them down. They had a buzz and a swagger and an enthusiasm that was just not there at Toledo. I'm just a dumb fan but I think that swagger and enthusiasm comes from a defense that pushes teams around and dominates. That defense is the heart and soul of this team and I think the Falcons will come out on the field Saturday fired up, angry and ready to put it to Kent State early. It's not often that schedules align and set up in a team's favor two weeks in a row, but this team is the lucky recipient of just such a schedule. They had 10 days before the Ohio game and they will have 9 days before Kent. They used that advantage to win a VERY tough road game and now they have that advantage leading up to a home game. I like the attitude I see out of this entire team and I can't wait to see what they can do Saturday at The Doyt. Let's enjoy the fact that we are here in the middle of November talking about MAC championships and Bowl games and a team on a six game win streak that's brimming with confidence. Here's to many more years of the same!

Phil Steele has similar thoughts on the matter. From his website ...

#25 KENT ST AT BOWLING GREEN
Last year KSU was coming off a bye and BG was playing its 9th straight game and off a big upset over Temple. KSU delivered a 27-15 home win. They posted back-to-back wins over BG for the first time since ‘72-’73. The winner here will most likely end up Detroit for the MAC Championship. Last week Bowling Green went to Athens and upset the Bobcats 26-14 as RB Samuel totaled 181 yards. Kent rolled off its 8th win in a row with a 48-32 beating of Miami as the RB duo of Archer/Durham combined for 323 yards! While KSU has the big offensive edge (#62-101), BG has the defensive edge (#25-78) and with the teams playing similar schedules (KSU #116-120), it should be noted that the Falcons are +89 ypg this year while the Flashes are -12 ypg. This is BG’s 2nd game in 21 days while Kent plays for a 9th straight week and must travel again. MAC East supremacy goes to the home team here.
PHIL’S FORECAST: BOWLING GREEN 23 KENT ST 17

I like the sound of that!

I'm not feeling all that confident about this coming Saturday.

Our defense is enough to stop their offense; however, we need an offense which would permit that defense to rest up so they don't get gassed.

Kent has a defense which, statistically, is more than capable of causing more than a few three and outs.

Besides, overconfidence breeds the most amazing suicide watch on this board the night of and days after. Let's just be cautiously optimistic and enjoy a good season to date.

I feel good about this game because it set up favorably for us on the schedule, we have played well at home and I believe a good defense trumps a good offense.

I'll try not to go into the came too overconfident. I wouldn't want my play to suffer.

I think the key to this game is BG's passing attack. If we can pass consistently and pick up 1st downs with the pass we will do well. I expect Kent to crowd the box and force us to throw and this gives Schilz and his WRs the chance to respond.

Dayons_Den wrote:I think the key to this game is BG's passing attack. If we can pass consistently and pick up 1st downs with the pass we will do well. I expect Kent to crowd the box and force us to throw and this gives Schilz and his WRs the chance to respond.

As long as Schilz and the WRs are on the same page they'll be fine. The problem is, that hasn't happened enough this year and when it has the propensity for the WRs to drop the ball has been huge. My hope is that everything comes together this Saturday on both sides of the ball. If it does, we'll be fine.

Schilz rolled up 400 yards on them last year....we struggled in the red zone that week but we struggled in the red zone a lot of weeks last year. I like our chances....

I don't know the specific number off the top of my head, but it feels great to have put the struggles at home behind us. Our record at the Doyt since 2008ish wasn't very good until this year. Love the 4-0 in BG this season. Hopefully we can make it 5 for 5.

No doubt the schedule set up well for us this year, six home games, having home games at the end (Columbus game is close enough to a home game, at least it's definitely a road game for Buffalo.) I guess I don't really care what time of year the Toledo game is, but with the progress we've made this year since game #3, I'd certainly like to see us play them now. Who knows, maybe we'll get that chance. That would be crazy.

What else is there left to say...GO FALCONS.

This is off the top of my head, so please don't sue me if I'm wrong ...
2001: 4-1
2002: Undefeated (either 5-0 or 6-0, don't remember)
2003: Undefeated (don't remember the number of games and the MAC champ doesn't count since the MAC was officially the host)
2004: 5-0
2005: 2-3
2006: 2-2 (plus loss vs Wisconsin in Cleveland)
2007: 4-1
2008: 1-4
2009: 3-3
2010: 1-4
2011: 2-4
2012: 4-0 with home vs. Kent and CBus vs Buffalo

If we finish undefeated at home, it will be the first time since 2004, and wow have we ever needed that dominance at home. We had one of the nation's longest home winning streaks until 2005 and from 2006 to 2011, with the exception of 2007, the home record just hasn't been good.

There MUST be a great student turnout Saturday, its imperative. Its one thing to win at home with 10,000 people against EMU, we need a rocking Doyt to really help the team keep the energy going through out the game. I really, really hope the students show up...its the school YOU GO TO, not the one 2 hours to the south.

Flipper wrote:Schilz rolled up 400 yards on them last year....we struggled in the red zone that week but we struggled in the red zone a lot of weeks last year. I like our chances....

Flip, this is still probably the biggest weakness of this team. We have only scored 65% of the time in the red zone this year (118th).

I couldn't agree more about how IMPORTANT it is to have a packed and rowdy student section. I've been VERY impressed with the students this year soihope they can drag themselves out of bed for the most important game of the year. The athletic department has a free sock capgiveawayand a food deal so I hope that helps. I was at the OU game (my daughter'sa freshman there) and while the blackout curse worked in our favor the student section was great. They hyped the game, students bought the blackout garb and they showed up...at least till halftime! My wife called me at the beginning of the game and said "wow, the student section looks impressive." that's part of our tv image problem. It would be great if we could get those students onthe East side so theyshowup on broadcasts.

kdog27 wrote:

Flipper wrote:Schilz rolled up 400 yards on them last year....we struggled in the red zone that week but we struggled in the red zone a lot of weeks last year. I like our chances....

Flip, this is still probably the biggest weakness of this team. We have only scored 65% of the time in the red zone this year (118th).

How much of that is missed field goals? Or going for it on fourth down because there was no confidence in the field goal unit? We missed on three or maybe more red zone opportunities because of field goal issues against VT. This unit has been much better during this win streak than the first four games.

The one thing that has me most concerned about Kent State is that rushing attack. They already have TWO backs already over 1,000 yards and Archer did it on 108 carries! Think about that for a second, the dude is average almost a first down every carry of the football!!! Yes, I know we've been pretty good against the run all season, but keep in mind, BG is #14 in the NCAA allowing 104 ypg rushing and Rutgers is #17 in the NCAA allowing only 110 ypg rushing - and Kent State racked up 224 yards against Rutgers where the Scarlet Knights entered the game as a Top-10 defense against the rush. Kent State has such great balance between Archer (speed) and Durham (power). Durham can hurt you over the game with his power and deceptive speed, and Archer can burn you on one play. He is so fast and quick. We need to get ahead of these guys and stay ahead. I think our passing game is going to need to surface at some point in this one to be the difference, and most importantly, we need to TAKE CARE OF THE BALL! KSU is #1 in the NCAA in turnover margin and I thought I saw a stat saying they are something like +33 turnovers in the last two seasons or something.....that is incredible!

I haven't been this excited about a game in awhile, damn can I taste it! But I know and have learned never to look ahead. I enrolled at BG in 1993, the year after we won our last MAC Title. We have been so damn close before, but I have witnessed things like CMU's "Fat Punter" ruin our title hopes before, Toledo do it to us a couple times in the finale including one at BG in OT, and I have even watched Buffalo snatch our title hopes away from us at the Doyt when we led 27-7 in the 4th quarter at home a few years ago. Let's pack the Doyt, beat Kent State, and close the damn deal this year!!! I am so tired of us always talking about how close we were and fell short, let's do it already!