It sure was nice reading through some of the nice things that you guys had to say about our team. Thanks for the support. I visited your board several times a couple of years ago and thought that you had some of the best fans that I had come across on the internet. I've been paying more attention to your team and conference since we played last. So I guess you could call me a secondary fan.
Well, this year is over and in the books now. It's time to start looking at next year. It looks like we finally get to make that return trip to your fine state. I'm really excited about it!
How is your team looking for next year?
How is recruiting going this year? I thought that I heard that you guys picked up a stud running back.
Here is the good news and the bad news for BSU.
The bad news is that we lose a lot of senior starters this year. Most of them were three year starters and great leaders. We lose Z and Korey Hall (our O and D leaders). I guess it will be a rebuilding year for BSU, although last time we rebuilt we went 11-0 before losing a heartbreaker in the Liberty bowl to UL.
The good news is that we will have an overall increase in raw talent. Our coaches also rotate a lot of players in and out to keep our guys fresh. So some of the new starters already have some solid playing time.
Hopefully we don't have any coaching staff changes over the off season (knock on wood). For a first year coaching staff, these guys have really come together.
I'm looking forward to chatting with you guys again during the off season and leading up to the game.
It's not too early SDBronco. Congratulations on winning the Fiesta. I was pulling for you all the way! Your win was a win for all "mid-major" schools, proving once and for all we can play with, and beat the big boys on any given day!
Can't wait to have you guys come to the Doyt. It will without a doubt be one of the biggest non-conference games in our history. I just hope we are up for the challenge and the game is better than the last time we played.
We had a down year last year, but we were pretty young and we got some of our young guys some experience last year.
Looking forward to hosting you and again congratulations!
Wow..what an outstanding year you guys had! Congrats! I'll let the pro's on the board answer your questions but all I can say is I hope that BSU DOES come to BG next year as planned. It would be a ton of fun!!! You'll love our town, hospitality and hopefully a real competitive football game too....
Congrats too SDbronco, on your teams great and exciting win over Oklahoma Jan1st. I wish and hope we can get our team up to that level. Your coach has done an amazing job after such a short time. I remember you lost your old coach but you replaced him with maybe an even better one. I've been meaning to go to your fans forum and give you my congrats.
Thanks guys, it was indeed a great year for us Bronco fans. It was quite a ride and the effects for the program will be felt for years to come (there will be an announcement for the largest single donation ever to BSU next week). I hope it was also another rock thrown cleanly through the glass ceiling that us "non-BCS" teams live under. The Fiesta bowl was absolutely the best game that I have ever seen live. What an emotional roller coaster for someone who already has an emotional stake in either of the teams! What really struck me watching the game was that BSU dominated on both lines and seemed to have just as much team speed. So I guess that the number of stars out of high school doesn't tell the whole story.
I started to watch it again on a re-broadcast but was sickened by the announcers. It was a slap in the face to all of us smaller programs. You would think it was the U of Idaho vs OU and not the BSU program that has finished in the top 15 for 4 of the last 5 years. I can see "up and comer" vs "old gaurd" or something but David vs Goliath made it sound like a fluke that we were even there. Many writers predicted that BSU would be there before the season ever started. Sorry for the long rant about BSU.
How do you guys see your program this year? Is the MAC looking good this coming year? Who do you see being at the top of the MAC this coming year?
I think the WAC has improved quite a bit in the last year and should continue to do so this coming year. Hawaii, Nevada, San Jose State should all be pretty good next year, so if Fresno gets out of it's current rut and BSU stays strong we should have a pretty decent conference again next year.
Thanks again for your responses
How hard is it to get to BG? is there a major airport close. I would be flying from San Diego or LA. Is there much to do in BG? Sorry that I don't know much about your neck of the woods. How is the tailgaiting?
SDbronco wrote:
How hard is it to get to BG? is there a major airport close. I would be flying from San Diego or LA. Is there much to do in BG? Sorry that I don't know much about your neck of the woods. How is the tailgaiting?
SDBronco
Toledo has an airport within a half hour away, Detroit is the closest major airport, it's about an hour-ish.
As for what to do in BG, it depends on what you're looking for. We're in the middle of the heartland, but we do have one very scenic beach, weather permitting.
Tailgating is great at BG, and I assume will be at an all-time high for the BSU game. (There are tailgate pics scattered among the photo galleries here.)
"I don't believe I can name a coach, anywhere, anytime, anyhow, who did it better than Doyt Perry."
-1955 BG Assistant Bo Schembechler
Your best bet would be to fly into Toledo or Detroit. Cleveland is a little bit farther, but not terrible.
As far as our team, I'm not very optimistic for next season, but I'm among the more negative around here. We have to improve at least some from last year, because there's no place else to go, but I don't see us making much noise next year. Our coaching staff is under a lot of fire for their recent performance, and rightfully so.
The defense was much improved last year, but a very young secondary gave up way too many big plays. We had a good edge rush, but Devon Parks, our best rusher and defensive player, was lost to graduation. So was our best Linebacker, Terrel White. We still have a talented young secondary, a big-hitting linebacker in Erique Dozier, and a nice pass rusher in Diyral Briggs. We had some highly regarded big DTs come into the program last year, and I'm anxious to see if they're worth their salt next year. I'm guessing defense will be the bright spot next year.
As far as offense goes, we will have a pretty good OL, as that's been a continued strength for us, and a good RB corp. Chris Bullock stepped up big as a freshman midway through last year, and we just signed the best JUCO runningback out of Texas. Who knows how he'll pan out. We have no clue what's going on at QB, as that was a nightmare last year. Anthony Turner is the incumbent, but he had a rough year, and was rarely healthy. His job will be challenged in camp by second year players Tyler Sheehan and Anthony Glaud. Sheehan's more of a pocket guy, and Glaud's a bigger running threat. At least we think he is. Nobody really knows at this point.
WR might be a problem. We have a great player coming back in Corey Partridge, and a converted QB named Freddie Barnes. Barnes looked on his way to becoming a number 1 option until he got hurt late in the season, and was never the same. We'll need him to step up big time. We just lost our terrific WR coach to CMU, so I'm worried about that position, especially since Partridge is our only proven option.
Special teams will probably make us all want to draw a nice warm bath, get all comfy in it, and then drop a toaster in the water with us. All facets of our special teams have been hideous for the last few years, and both our kickers left the program this offseason. We really have no clue on special teams, and our coaches have no idea how to fix the problems. It's been our most glaring issue.
Overall, I'd say the MAC will still be pretty weak next year. We might be able to compete in the east, but that doesn't mean we'll be a good team. In order for us to be able to compete with our higher quality competition, like Boise, we'll need young players all over the field to really step up their production, we'll need to find a QB, and we'll need our coaching staff to turn a real big corner.
I have no idea who'll be at the top of the MAC. One has to like Central from the West, but they lost Kelly to UC. The East will probably be a huge pile of crap again next year, as a pretty dreadful Ohio team won it easily this year.
I sure enjoyed your fans thoroughly the last time our teams met up, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to really try to get out there and experience some mid-western football this year. Based on the attached thread at Broncocountry, it looks like I won't be alone, either. Best of luck with your fine program, and I look forward to seeing Bowling Green for myself... not to mention we can't get Leinies in Idaho... Let's try to get a full-on tailgate planned for this (hopefully) Saturday game...
It is great to see opposing fans come into our forums and show such class. It was great to see BSU take home the Fiesta Bowl this year. And I am hoping that our boys can look at that game as a possible statement game and hopefully get ontop of the MAC again where we should be.
So to the BSU fans that came on here so graciously, Thank You! You don't know how much many meatheads we have to deal with over here. I am looking forward to a great weekend next year when Boise comes to BG and hopefully some great tailgating weather!
BELIEVE me when I say we get the pumpous knuckle heads on our board in droves. If posters come to our board with respect, the likewise get showered with respect, but it's rarely the case. It's no doubt the same here... It should be a fun game this year, and I really hope that ESPN doesn't put it on a Wednesday or something so that our fans can travel. I know that the Thursday game the last time we played didn't allow some of your fans to make the trek out to Boise...
It's BG, all games of some importance are on a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. BSU had a good season, however I still feel the Bagers got hosed out of the BCS
"my middle finger waves at Columbus and Ann Arbour"
I just hope our students and fans show as much class as the Boise fans showed to us. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Boise (save the night of the game). Even after a tremendous win, the Bronco fans did not scream and yell and treat us like crap - they didn't even need to hand out buttons before the game encouraging good sportsmanship or have the coach up on the big screen encouraging their fans to cheer them on and demonstrate class.
My trips to Norman and to Boise were both fantastic. I'd love to go back to both schools and play again!
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And I wish someone in Marketing and Communications would get that commercial of the Oklahoma women's basketball team and duplicate it with our women!
"The name on the front of the jersey is more important than the name on the back" -Herb Brooks
Let's try to get a full-on tailgate planned for this (hopefully) Saturday game...
