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If there is any doubt as to who the two best teams in the MAC are this year, NIU and BSU proved it tonite! What a heck of a game, for both teams....final score is totally misleading due to a couple of mistakes late, especially Wenning's INT.
Jordan Lynch is a hell of a QB...perhaps truly better as a runner, but passed for over 300 yrds. tonite and rushed for over 100....

I have to honestly admit, after watching us play very well the past two weeks, and playing UT tough, after getting down too far to maintain things, that either of these two teams would probably beat us head to head....but I'd sure like to see us get the chance!!!

I would really like to see our defense vs the NIU offense. How fun would that game be? The nations 5th best scoring defense against the nations 6th best scoring offense. DJ Lynch and Paul Swan vs Jordan Lynch. Juicy!

The NIU @ UT game will also be a good one. Great that the MAC title races are going to play out on National TV. NIU @ UT will be the MAC West title game on ESPN2 and BG @ Buffalo for the MAC East should be on ESPNU.

Lynch is awesome. He does not get enough credit for the passer he is IMO. He is not a great passer but he is good enough that if you try and take the run away from he will burn you. Takes good care of the football too. His running/passing stats over the past 2 seasons are insane.

I think Johnson and Lynch are very similar skill wise...Lynch is older and more experienced and a bit stronger as a runner, but they both have the ability to wind up and drop a 50 yd bomb on you if you start crowding the box.

BSU and NIU are very good teams...I don't think either of them would blow us off the field though. I think we're capable of beating either one if we show up for 60 minutes.

For all the greatness of Lynch. There were two plays that poor tackling probably cost Ball State the game. If they make those two tackles properly, I think they probably end up winning.

Flipper wrote:I think Johnson and Lynch are very similar skill wise...Lynch is older and more experienced and a bit stronger as a runner, but they both have the ability to wind up and drop a 50 yd bomb on you if you start crowding the box.

I agree. I think Johnson could be as good as Lynch if we put him position to the next 2 years. The offense is specifically built around Lynch as it should. With Greene and Johnson in the backfield HOPEFULLY for another 2 years we should be in really really good shape. I honestly doubt we will be able to keep Greene, Coppett, Givens and Moore all here. I think there will be plenty of places to use Moore to keep him happy as he becomes better WR. Also looked really good on that punt return a couple weeks ago. I hope I'm wrong but I see one of those backups transferring. Would love to be wrong about that of course and have an Alabama type running attack that never lets up no matter who is back there.

We know we can beat Toledo if we show up from kickoff. NIU and Balls aren't that much better. The offense will have to play like they have the last 2 games though. I'm getting ahead here, let's kill EMU and Buffalo first!

If you make Lynch one-dimensional you can beat NIU. Ball State did a good job of this last night until they botched those two plays and let Lynch beat them with his feet and arm. He's a great player but I think forcing him to throw the ball more is the way to slow down that offense. They throw a lot of short yardage passes and screens which are easy to defend.

kdog27 wrote:

Flipper wrote:I think Johnson and Lynch are very similar skill wise...Lynch is older and more experienced and a bit stronger as a runner, but they both have the ability to wind up and drop a 50 yd bomb on you if you start crowding the box.

I agree. I think Johnson could be as good as Lynch if we put him position to the next 2 years. The offense is specifically built around Lynch as it should. With Greene and Johnson in the backfield HOPEFULLY for another 2 years we should be in really really good shape. I honestly doubt we will be able to keep Greene, Coppett, Givens and Moore all here. I hope I'm wrong but I see one of those backups transferring. Would love to be wrong about that of course and have an Alabama type running attack that never lets up no matter who is back there.

Don't forget Marcus Levy who is redshirting this year.

2014 skill guys. Could be scary good.
Receiver and backs are loaded.
HB- Greene ; Coppett ; Levy ; Givens
FB- Pohlman
WR- Gallon ;Moore ;Burbrink ; Redding ; Dieter ; Jackson ; Hosley ; Coby ; Cohen
TE- Davis ; Folkertsma ; Larson. Question mark, here.

If NIU can find a QB, they may be the favorite in the West, again. Is Lynch the only senior on their offense?

BG, NIU, and Toledo are all going to be really, really good next year.

Harnish, Lynch.... I am sure they got something. Quite a program they got rolling.

I really like how Heath Jackson has come along the last few weeks. Really stepped up. So did Cohen until that injury. If Gallon could get back to where he was late last season we could be a scary offense if Dieter is as good as advertised.

http://instagram.com/p/f0QR1Jw14T/%23

Here is clip of catch of Gehrig in practice. QB is his brother Nolan.

If clip doesn't come through go to 102313' thread. Is Gehrig Dieter eligible

Last night basically confirmed one thing to me. The MAC is extremely top heavy, and the 5 best teams are niu, ball st, Toledo, bg, and buffalo. It could be that buffalo is a distant 5th on here, as bg played Toledo tougher than the bulls. I think any of these teams has a decent chance of winning their bowl game, dependent on who they're playing.

lookimrory wrote:Last night basically confirmed one thing to me. The MAC is extremely top heavy, and the 5 best teams are niu, ball st, Toledo, bg, and buffalo. It could be that buffalo is a distant 5th on here, as bg played Toledo tougher than the bulls. I think any of these teams has a decent chance of winning their bowl game, dependent on who they're playing.

Yeah, the conference is extremely top heavy. You have basically 5 haves, 5 or 6 have nots, and just a few teams right in the middle. It's much different from the late 2000s when I was an undergrad and every week was an adventure where almost anybody could win on any given week.

NIU, BSU, UT, UB, BG = good
OU, CMU = meh
AKR, KSU, MIA, EMU, WMU = teh suck
UMASS = eh, do we even have to count them??

CMU only makes the meh category at 3-6 because they'll likely win out from here and finish 6-6. The others are all pretty clear cut. Notice how no MAC team in the suck or meh category has beaten any team in the good category. Not once. That's pretty amazing, and honestly I think it's been the 2nd year in a row of this. The only thing that's changed is that KSU and UB reversed class with one another.

bgsufalcon24 wrote:

lookimrory wrote:Last night basically confirmed one thing to me. The MAC is extremely top heavy, and the 5 best teams are niu, ball st, Toledo, bg, and buffalo. It could be that buffalo is a distant 5th on here, as bg played Toledo tougher than the bulls. I think any of these teams has a decent chance of winning their bowl game, dependent on who they're playing.

Yeah, the conference is extremely top heavy. You have basically 5 haves, 5 or 6 have nots, and just a few teams right in the middle. It's much different from the late 2000s when I was an undergrad and every week was an adventure where almost anybody could win on any given week.

NIU, BSU, UT, UB, BG = good
OU, CMU = meh
AKR, KSU, MIA, EMU, WMU = teh suck
UMASS = eh, do we even have to count them??

CMU only makes the meh category at 3-6 because they'll likely win out from here and finish 6-6. The others are all pretty clear cut. Notice how no MAC team in the suck or meh category has beaten any team in the good category. Not once. That's pretty amazing, and honestly I think it's been the 2nd year in a row of this. The only thing that's changed is that KSU and UB reversed class with one another.

Going into next year, I think Buffalo and possibly Ball State have the potential to drop to the middle while Akron could rise a notch. Other than that it looks like status quo in 2014.

Many MAC coaches (including Clawson) like to say that the talent is relatively equal across the league. Nonsense.

mscarn wrote:

bgsufalcon24 wrote:

lookimrory wrote:Last night basically confirmed one thing to me. The MAC is extremely top heavy, and the 5 best teams are niu, ball st, Toledo, bg, and buffalo. It could be that buffalo is a distant 5th on here, as bg played Toledo tougher than the bulls. I think any of these teams has a decent chance of winning their bowl game, dependent on who they're playing.

Yeah, the conference is extremely top heavy. You have basically 5 haves, 5 or 6 have nots, and just a few teams right in the middle. It's much different from the late 2000s when I was an undergrad and every week was an adventure where almost anybody could win on any given week.

NIU, BSU, UT, UB, BG = good
OU, CMU = meh
AKR, KSU, MIA, EMU, WMU = teh suck
UMASS = eh, do we even have to count them??

CMU only makes the meh category at 3-6 because they'll likely win out from here and finish 6-6. The others are all pretty clear cut. Notice how no MAC team in the suck or meh category has beaten any team in the good category. Not once. That's pretty amazing, and honestly I think it's been the 2nd year in a row of this. The only thing that's changed is that KSU and UB reversed class with one another.

Going into next year, I think Buffalo and possibly Ball State have the potential to drop to the middle while Akron could rise a notch. Other than that it looks like status quo in 2014.

Many MAC coaches (including Clawson) like to say that the talent is relatively equal across the league. Nonsense.

Ohio could struggle next year also. Most of it's line, Tettleton, Blankenship, 2 of it's top 3 receivers (5 of it's top 6 receivers), both tight ends.