Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba.com

I'm a stats freak, so I can't resist digging through the game stats. A few thoughts and questions ...

* The stat sheet has Arnold, Johnson and White starting at linebacker. The Fabulous Teddy P played (and had a big sack); Winovich had limited playing time from what I can see. Interesting development or just a blip?

* Arnold was one of the leading tacklers.

* Deaudre Perry had another strong statistical showing. I'm biased because he's one of Noah's favorite players, but I think he's going to be a playmaker. Yes, he gets lost in coverage sometime. But he's not afraid to stick his hat in and always seems to be around the ball.

* BG had three penalties, Ball State had eight. I believe we also had fewer penalties than Wisconsin. Good discipline!

* Our D gave up some big plays, but they stepped up on third down, allowing the Cardinals to convert only 25% of their third downs. BG, on the other hand, converted half.

87,

Regardless of what some folks are saying, BG played better on D this week. BG has only 7 penalties in the first two games...that is very good. The O had big numbers but turned the ball over 4 times...I believe 3 times in BSU territory. But the D came up with stops when we absolutely had to have them. The O came up with a big score 44 seconds after BSU took the lead. That shows a mature team that doesn't lose it's composure and doing whatever it takes to get the win. Every team goes thru games like this thru the season.

For every negative, there is a positive.

We're 1-0 in the MAC and have 7 more to go.

The defense kept them off the field for most of the second quarter. That's what made the game dynamic one where they had to work hard to get a small lead, especially as the O kept turning it over. They kept the game close until the O could get the lead, and then they put it away.

Don't jump all over me--I know they weren't great and I know they have a lot of room to grow. But they contributed to that victory.

I would hope that the D could step up to a team that didn't score a point against Iowa.

As the resident Hawkeye fan here on AZZ.com I must say that Iowa's defense is one of the best if not the best in the nation, and it has been consistently one of the top 3 in the nation the last few years.

Iowa in Kinnick is a tough pill to swallow. Just ask Ben Roethlisberger. I was in attendance to see him throw multiple INTs and also witness his last collegiate loss.

who had the other INT besides Antonio? The announcer said Mayberry, but I saw the stat sheet say Deaundre got it, and still late on the stat sheet, it said someone else.

It was Perry that got the last interception. That announcer was a fool. He called Thomas BJ Lane on his first several carries.