Spartans saying all the right things...

TG1996 · Post by **TG1996** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 6:18 pm

And it feels pretty good. Who knows how much they actually believe, but usually these non-conference game previews focus more on the "big team" than the opponent. To see BG get some press for what they did in Minneapolis is cool.

http://www.gatorsports.com/article/2007 ... /709030736

MichState04 · Post by **MichState04** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 6:57 pm

There will be no under estimating you guys...after all you beat a team that has beaten us the past few seasons. I seriously think that BGSU will present a bigger threat than our next 2 games (Pitt and @ ND). I am really looking forward to a hard fought game next weekend.

BGDrew · Post by **BGDrew** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:00 pm

MichState04 wrote: I am really looking forward to a hard fought game next weekend.

+1. An intense, fair, and injury-free game is what I'm hoping for Saturday. Please feel free to stick around and let us know some things about MSU. We're a pretty docile bunch unless you're talking about our logo.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:12 pm

That's a nice read...good press for the Falcons and MAC. It would be ignorant to say the MAC is on the Big Ten level overall. But MAC teams can play some good ball.

I am way pumped to get to the game Saturday...I've always wanted to see BG play MSU and it's hard for me to believe it's only happened once. We play MSU in a number of sports every year.

MSU will be ready...I know BG will be as well. Hope the weather is perfect. Right now the forecast calls for scattered T storms and a high of 72.

GO FALCON FOOTBALL

The Niz · Post by **The Niz** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:30 pm

Freak, where should I park if I want to tailgate near you? I know I'm bringing my cooler, and grill along this weekend.

MichState04 · Post by **MichState04** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:32 pm

Absolutely. I had fun talking with UAB fans last week and I look forward to taking some beatings on the BGSU board!

I am sure you guys know some things about MSU already, but after last weeks win over UAB a few things were apparent and I will lay them out:

- Our QB from last year (Drew Stanton) is gone and we are starting RS Jr. Brian Hoyer (from Ohio) this year. Don't be fooled, he has more experience than most new QB's because of all the injuries Drew sustained last season.

- MSU has definately gone back to a smash mouth pro-set offense (something I am guessing you did not see at Minny). We rushed for almost 300 yards (led by Jehuu Caulcrick with 10 rushes for 93 yards and 4 TD's - in about a half of play).

- Kickoffs were a big problem for us...apparently the kick-off kicker is not 100% and will not be on Saturday against you guys so if you have a good returner, there is the potential for big plays there...might see MSU start kicking it out of bounds if it becomes a problem and giving it up on the 35.

- Our team has been known for penalties over the past couple of seasons and on Saturday it was less than 5 for something around 35 yards. Many MSU fans were surprised about that.

That is all I have so far...

If anyone is going to the game Saturday and want any info about the MSU campus or parking, let me know...

BGDrew · Post by **BGDrew** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:55 pm

Just to counterpoint a few things that you have wrote. I'll let others who have far more in-dept than I do to fill in some holes:

- Our QB is still pretty green. He got some snaps last year but was under virtually a completely different offense. He was very strong against a weaker Minnesota defense and made some great reads and decisions. He's not going to stun anyone with his speed, but he is a great pure passer.

- If MSU plans to run the ball then they should have a lot of success against our defense. The one strike against our team the past 3 years has been our inability to stop the run from teams with a good o-line. Unless we come up with something miraculous this week, expect a strong running game Saturday.

- Our kick return team had problems last Saturday getting good returns. If your PK isn't strong, this is something we will need to improve on to get a good start on drives.

- We had a lot of dumb penalties last Saturday. Hopefully it's just beginning of the year rust and not an indicator of things to come. I'll let guys like hammb break down our team a little more detailed.

Tacky_Glue · Post by **Tacky_Glue** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:43 pm

BGDrew wrote:We're a pretty docile bunch unless you're talking about our logo.

To which logo are you referring? The logo on the top of the page was great, I was sorry to see your athletic department switch to boring BG letters on the helmet. Too many colleges use boring letters on their helmets. I always liked BGSU's falcon.

Your new uniforms, however, are fantastic!

Schadenfreude · Post by **Schadenfreude** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 7:47 am

Tacky_Glue wrote: To which logo are you referring? The logo on the top of the page was great, I was sorry to see your athletic department switch to boring BG letters on the helmet. Too many colleges use boring letters on their helmets. I always liked BGSU's falcon.

The helmet at the top of the page was roughly of the same design from the early 1980s until last year. It was probably the longest-running helmet design in the MAC.

That abstract Falcon swoosh is now officially retired in favor of what detractors call the space ghost:

Some of us -- including myself -- believe the new logo is an improvement, but the break with tradition has caused a lot of discussion and angst.

And the new logo created a pickle for the football team, as there is no way to put the "space ghost" on an orange helmet and make it very visible from the stands or in most camera shots. They would have had to go with white helmets in order to make the new logo visible.

And, since the team has always worn orange helmets (when they weren't wearing leather helmets), a different color would have caused even more of an uproar.

it appears the athletic department decided the best thing to do was to go with the interlocking "BG," which certainly stands out.

I think they made a decent decision. I agree with you that there are too many letters on helmets, and many of those designs are pedestrian. (To wit: The big block "S" that has sometimes graced your helmets. I always thought the Sparty logo was better). But these helmets seem to work.

Your new uniforms, however, are fantastic!

Thanks. I've been watching the Falcons for close to 20 years, and these are the best road uniforms I've ever seen. I'm thrilled with what they came up with.

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:12 am

To build upon what BGDrew said:

* Offensively look for us to spread out in 4 & 5 wide sets most of the time. Judging from Saturday it looks as though we'll see quite a bit of moving our back in motion either from the slot to the backfield, or vice versa. The receiving corps looked pretty good on Saturday.

* The best WR of the bunch is Corey Partridge, but he rolled an ankle Saturday. He's going to try and give it a go this week, but we shall see. The Sophomore Zach Charles looked pretty good Saturday. Freddie Barnes, a converted QB, just makes plays (made some HUGE catches Saturday when Partridge went out). Our new JuCo RB, Ransom, looked very good catching the ball when lined up in the slot, look for that a lot.

* We have a very good 2 headed RB tandem by MAC standards. Ransom is the quick/shifty guy. Bullock is the power runner. Willie Geter got some preseason pub, but didn't do much on Saturday. We will run from the spread. A lot of misdirection type plays.

* Our OL is pretty good, but they struggled with a lot of penalties on Saturday; this surprised me as I thought they'd be the best unit on offense.

* You probably already know about our QB. He struggled in his limited duty as a freshman last year, but looked like a senior Saturday. I would expect that most games would fall somewhere in between those two performances...hopefully shading more towards what we saw last week.

* Defensively we really struggled when Minny went to running the ball more. This does not surprise, as we are not strong enough at the point of attack to really shut down a Big 10 running game, and has been our Achilles heel when matching up with better teams for most of the recent past.

* Our secondary is full of playmakers. They have had a tendency to gamble in the past and give up some big plays trying to make a big hit or going for the ball instead of their man. Saturday looked mostly solid though.

* Our LBs are pretty athletic bunch, they're pretty solid, and I don't worry about them much. Dozier is the headliner, but the whole group played well Saturday.

* The DL is supposed to go with a 10 man rotation this year. I'd have to rewatch the Minny game to really see how much of that happened in the game though. #99 Diryall Briggs is the only one to really fear; he looks like our only DE who can provide a consistent pass rush. He gets off the ball with lightning quickness.

My best guess at this one is:

MSU wins IF: They dedicate themselves to the run and pound our defense into submission. They will tire eventually and the chunks of yardage will get larger in the 2nd half. Defensively they need to somehow pressure the young QB and mix up their coverages. I honestly think short zone coverage schemes might be better than trying to man up with the crossing routes we like to run. We really don't stretch the field vertically much; our long pass plays come on catch & runs.

BG wins IF: They can shut down that run game initially and build a lead with the offense. I don't think BG can shut down the run game for 4 quarters, but if they build a lead they may get MSU to move away from it. They need to clean up those penalties, and they'll need another good game from Sheehan. I think BG also must win the turnover battle to come out on top.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:19 am

The Niz wrote:Freak, where should I park if I want to tailgate near you? I know I'm bringing my cooler, and grill along this weekend.

Niz,

That is the Million Dollar question right now and I have no idea...never been there before. My buddy Ham in Grand Rapids gave me an idea but I don't know yet. I will be leaving our grill home but will have a cooler. Maybe our Spartan Friends can advise the best TG lot for visiting teams.

I don't think Mrs. Freak wants to get there "too" early, though. I doubt we'll be in the TG lot before 9...hopefully around 9:30 at the lastest. Definitely look for the "BGSU" flag...it will be waving proudly.

MSU fans...what are the best lots to use for visiting teams? Thanks in advance and I look forward to a hard hitting game Sat.

GO FALCONS

MichState04 · Post by **MichState04** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:51 am

Falconfreak90 wrote:
The Niz wrote:Freak, where should I park if I want to tailgate near you? I know I'm bringing my cooler, and grill along this weekend.
Niz,

That is the Million Dollar question right now and I have no idea...never been there before. My buddy Ham in Grand Rapids gave me an idea but I don't know yet. I will be leaving our grill home but will have a cooler. Maybe our Spartan Friends can advise the best TG lot for visiting teams. I don't think Mrs. Freak wants to get there "too" early, though. I doubt we'll be in the TG lot before 9...hopefully around 9:30 at the lastest. Definitely look for the "BGSU" flag...it will be waving proudly.

MSU fans...what are the best lots to use for visiting teams? Thanks in advance and I look forward to a hard hitting game Sat.

GO FALCONS

The best place to park is Munn Field which is just west of the stadium on the map below (it is in pink with the P on it). It is $15 and obviously very close to stadium. The only bad thing is if it is really wet on Saturday, they don't open it up because it is a grass field. The only other downside is that is an alcohol free lot which simply means you just have to be careful and not get busted...police walk around, but they aren't digging or anything like that. It is a great place to tailgate, just hope we have another stellar weekend of weather

BGDrew · Post by **BGDrew** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 12:02 pm

I think I'm going to aim for parking near the three public lots towards the east (close to the Law building). I planned on having a few brews before heading to the stadium, and I don't want to be breaking any rules especially as a visitor. No reason to make someone's job harder. MSU has a pretty nice campus, so I wouldn't mind the walk.

Also, I think those lots are only $10.

fightinfalcons · Post by **fightinfalcons** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:56 pm

Munn Field used to have the craziest tailgating in the Big Ten in the '90s.... if you want fun tailgating now go to the tennis courts south of the stadium near the big "G" on the map MichState04 provided us. And get there EARLY... for those of you taking the bus ride from BG I think it's leaving too late Saturday morning... you should try to get a ride and get there earlier. My sister went to MSU & I've tailgated there a few times over the past few years, that's why I know this.

MichState04 · Post by **MichState04** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:51 am

fightinfalcons wrote:Munn Field used to have the craziest tailgating in the Big Ten in the '90s.... if you want fun tailgating now go to the tennis courts south of the stadium near the big "G" on the map MichState04 provided us. And get there EARLY... for those of you taking the bus ride from BG I think it's leaving too late Saturday morning... you should try to get a ride and get there earlier. My sister went to MSU & I've tailgated there a few times over the past few years, that's why I know this.

Tennis courts are no longer public, it is students only and from what I hear they had to go on a waiting list to get parking passes in there. If you want to tailgate there, you have to know a student. This rule change was like 3 years ago, so its new.

The 'G' lot is passes only.