Next year will be very interesting for BG football

[BGSU33]

Next season, we will really find out a lot about where BG stands as a football “program.” With Jacobs leaving early, coupled with other big-time losses such as Sharon, Sanders, Pope, Warren, Piepkow, Jordan, Thaler, etc., we will have to earn everything we can get. Some people feel BG has established itself as one of the MAC’s top teams through its success in recent years and could continue to excel in the MAC. Other people feel BG could be falling on harder times and could be headed straight for a rebuilding year. Only time will tell, and this will be reflected heavily in our players' performances and coaching staff next season.

For me, thinking of this heading into 2006 will sort of remind me what it was like for BG heading into the 1996 season for this reason. From 1991-1994, BG was pretty much outstanding and was the cream of the crop in the MAC going 11-1, 10-2, 6-3-2 and 9-2 in those years. But at the end of 1994, we suffered the “Fake Punt” (need I say more) to close out the year and went just 5-6 the next season in 1995. Many felt 1995 was just one bad year but that BG was still the program it was prior to that year. But in fact, BG fell and feel hard, going 4-7, 3-8, 5-6, 5-6 and 2-9 from 1996-2000. We’ve all pretty much come to know this time as “The Dark Years.” That’s why I almost see 2006 as I did 1996. This past year (2005), I feel we were a much better team than 6-5, but that’s what we finished and we can’t change that. But 2006 will prove to us if we are really a good “program” and are able to reload and retool (such as what Toledo has established itself as the last decade after big losses of talent), or if we were just a good team during these recent years like we were a decade ago (or how WMU was a few years ago)?

I had a conversation with a friend of mine at Ohio about this topic (with the understanding Jacobs was likely to leave early). He made a point that really stood out to me in my mind. He said when Jacobs was out with his injury, BG still had the same team without him and got beat twice at home against teams it should have beaten (WMU, Akron) and then struggled with a very bad Kent State team. He acknowledged how there certainly was an adjustment needed to be made for losing such a good player like Jacobs, but he said it showed just how much BG’s program was like so many others in the MAC, and that BG just had one difference maker that some teams lacked. Whether he was right or not, we’ll find out next season. I obviously hope he’s wrong and that we can win the MAC next season. But there’s no doubt in my mind the road will be a lot harder to a MAC title after the players we’ve lost from 2005 and how much improvement some of the teams in the MAC are making. But hey, if Akron can do it like they did in 2005, why not BG in 2006?

[San Diego Falcon]

But hey, if Akron can do it like they did in 2005, why not BG in 2006?

3...2...1....

[JoeFalcon]

Solid post.

The ability of Anthony Turner will been analyzed ad nauseam, but what he showed last year as a redshirt freshman being thrown into the fire was extremely encouraging. Remember, Omar had a full two years immersed in the system before he assumed control. A summer of passing and film study (unsupervised, of course) plus a fall practice with plently of reps will be crucial.

As was said, the key will be other players taking on larger roles than they have in the past and becoming productive contributors to take the burden off a single player at a single position. I think we have the depth and talent to pull it off.

[always a falcon]

When AT was at the helm with Omar out, our Offensive Coaches went into a brain freeze and forgot that AT could throw the Heck out of the ball. Totally different? playcalling. Never gave him a chance to air it out and keep the defenses honest.
I hope the summer thaws them out. :coo-coo:

[BGSU33]

Solid post.

The ability of Anthony Turner will been analyzed ad nauseam, but what he showed last year as a redshirt freshman being thrown into the fire was extremely encouraging. Remember, Omar had a full two years immersed in the system before he assumed control. A summer of passing and film study (unsupervised, of course) plus a fall practice with plently of reps will be crucial.

As was said, the key will be other players taking on larger roles than they have in the past and becoming productive contributors to take the burden off a single player at a single position. I think we have the depth and talent to pull it off.

Agreed. I'm actually pretty excited to see what all happens, I just would rather dive into next year coming off a MAC title and bowl game this past year, but wouldn't we all? About Turner, I'm alos excited to see what he can bring to the team after getting his feet wet this season. The one thing I think Turner could already be better than Jacobs is a vocal leader. I know Omar was a quiet type of a guy by nature, but I always loved see Harris display his leadership and I think Turner could do the same.

[BGSU33]

When AT was at the helm with Omar out, our Offensive Coaches went into a brain freeze and forgot that AT could throw the Heck out of the ball. Totally different? playcalling. Never gave him a chance to air it out and keep the defenses honest.
I hope the summer thaws them out. :coo-coo:

Yeah. I know they couldn't throw the entire play book at him, but it seemed every game Turner played when Omar went down (WMU, the Akron, then KSU), he threw less and less. I liked what I saw out of his passing against WMU, I thought he should have thrown more against Akron and against Kent State, well, I think we all just wanted to get the hell outta there with a win any way we could.

[Bleeding Orange]

When AT was at the helm with Omar out, our Offensive Coaches went into a brain freeze and forgot that AT could throw the Heck out of the ball. Totally different? playcalling. Never gave him a chance to air it out and keep the defenses honest.
I hope the summer thaws them out. :coo-coo:

Yeah. I know they couldn't throw the entire play book at him, but it seemed every game Turner played when Omar went down (WMU, the Akron, then KSU), he threw less and less. I liked what I saw out of his passing against WMU, I thought he should have thrown more against Akron and against Kent State, well, I think we all just wanted to get the hell outta there with a win any way we could.

This issue isn't that the coaching staff "couldn't" throw the entire playbook at him, the problem is that they didn't. That is simply poor coaching and we lost two home games that we should have rolled in because of it.

[BGGrad01]

I am interested to see who steps up to be a leader on this team. There may be only six senior starters next year - Ruiz, Lanning, Markray, Parks, Williams, and White. Of those guys, 1 has been here a year and another has been a backup for 3 years. Markray only got significant playing time last year. I think that we have the talent to compete in the MAC, but we need some guys to step up as leaders on this team right now.

[DrDesert]

....and the importance of a strong kicking game for next year's team just increased even more dramatically with today's announcement.

[Rightupinthere]

It will be an interesting year.

It will also be a whole heck of a lot of fun! The reason? There's nothing to lose. Without Omar, next year's team will not be expected to produce many wins nor be in the hunt for div title.

hehehehehehehehe.

Like I said, fun.

[Flipper]

I can't think of a team since Meyer's first year that the fans expected less from than next year's squad