Falcon Optimist Club

1987alum · Post by **1987alum** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:13 am

I try not to be totally blind to the weaknesses in our team and our program. Really, I do.

But I still love the Falcon football team and believe they can do some great things this year. A lot of folks seem to be on the ledge, ready to leap after these two disappointing losses. I think back to the preseason and keep thinking - if someone told us that we'd be 1-2 to start the season and stay within 2 TDs of Boise State on the Smurf Turf, what would we have said then?

Anyway, Noah & I spent a week shoulder-to-shoulder with the football program during the June camp. That time deepened my passion for this team - the committment, the serious approach, the overall effort. I had a chance to talk with many of the coaches and players and you could just feel the intensity. Coach Brandon has built a staff of laser-focused coaches intent on coaching up the players. He's built a roster - despite the few bad eggs that garnered so many headlines - of young men that want to put BG at the top of the MAC.

After looking so many of these young men in the eye, talking to them and shaking their hand, I can't turn my back on them.

I will not be blind to this team's shortcomings, but I will also not be blinded by a barrage of Chicken Little negativism. We haven't even opened MAC play, so the main goal is still very much attainable - getting to (and winning) the MACC game.

I'm counting on Coach Brandon keeping his staff focused. I'm counting on the staff to identify the team's weaknesses and work to rectify them. I'm counting on the team to make us proud with their effort and their resilience.

GO FALCONS!

footballguy51 · Post by **footballguy51** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 1:16 pm

I guess I've fallen victim to letting each loss seem so dramatic. This is because I actually predicted the team to go 11-1 because I saw a ton of promise, with our one loss coming to Pitt. Instead, we beat Pitt, and me, along with most everybody else, started dreaming of possibilities. We've all been guilt at times of judging too quickly or too harshly without taking the time to really put a perspective on things. Ohio State fans deserve to be angry after losing to USC in such horrible fashion, and barely getting past Ohio. However, BGSU beat a ranked opponent, and then played Boise closer than most people thought they would. Minnesota was a case of a team playing better than it did last year, and fans being overly optimistic from the Pitt game.

The few bad eggs that this team had have given this team a black eye at times, but overall we have done okay. I feel that this player is guided enough to come to the conclusion that they want to remember this season for the results of the games, and not the action off the field. And what better way to do that than with a bunch of W's. If they win the MAC, most people will forget all about the credit card thing, the breaking and entering thing, and whatever else there was (see, I've already forgotten about something). This team has the ability and hopefully the drive to finish this season strong.

cw08 · Post by **cw08** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 1:30 pm

It's just dumb for people to have a negative attitude at this point. They've played two(three if you count Boise) BCS teams and had good defensive performances in all three.
Yea, the offense hasn't been what we'd hoped, but just give them a MAC defense to pick apart, and it'll be better in no time.
The team's goal is usually to win the MAC and make a bowl game. Neither goal is lost. Everyone needs to chill.

BGFootball · Post by **BGFootball** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 1:54 pm

cw08 wrote:It's just dumb for people to have a negative attitude at this point. They've played two(three if you count Boise) BCS teams and had good defensive performances in all three.
Yea, the offense hasn't been what we'd hoped, but just give them a MAC defense to pick apart, and it'll be better in no time.
The team's goal is usually to win the MAC and make a bowl game. Neither goal is lost. Everyone needs to chill.

+1

We shut out Boise in the second half in a verrrrrry hostile environment. That team will be ranked soon. We lost a game to Minnesota, that we should have won, who is no push over anymore. Briggs lead the nation in sacks after playing 2 BCS teams. Just wait til we get to MAC play before we start judging this team. Everyone on the team knows that they had a chance to win these last two games and pissed it away. This team still has some serious talent, and a GREAT chance at winning the MAC this year. Lets not get down on them yet.

Jacobs4Heisman · Post by **Jacobs4Heisman** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 2:05 pm

I generally like to piss and moan for the sake of pissing and moaning, but I agree the season is far from over. Nobody will ever mistake me for an optimist, but my expectation is still that we win the MAC. In order to do that, we need to clean up a lot of crap that has gone wrong the past two weeks. Good time for a bye week and final tune-up before MAC play.

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 2:09 pm

I'm no optimist, but I still think we can win the MAC.

I'm a little distraught that we're making so many mistakes on offense and it's those mistakes that are costing us games. Sheehan & company are no longer young guys, they've been through this before. They need to get it together, but the talent is certainly here for a MAC title run.

I'd still like to beat Wyoming, a 2-2 OOC record with our sched is perfectly respectable.

bgsufalcon24 · Post by **bgsufalcon24** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 2:22 pm

Here's the bottom line. We've had to play our three hardest games of the season right at the start. With all due respect to our other MAC teams, nobody in the MAC (save for maybe Ball State and/or Central Michigan, who we won't see until the MACC) is anywhere near as good as Pittsburgh, Boise State, or Minnesota. We were 1-2 last year in our 3 hardest games as well (Minny, MSU, BC). The way to improve on a season ago is to beat Wyoming, and then prevent the slip-ups we had in conference a season ago. Really, the first six games of our conference schedule, we should be favored to win every game. The biggest test of the season will come against (I can't believe I'm going to say this) Buffalo. Miami looks too offensively challenged to be much of a threat, Kent stinks, we don't play Temple, and Akron is overrated right now because their win against Syracuse wasn't that great. Syracuse blows. Ohio is the outlier team because it seems like they've played well, but sorry, 0-3 is still 0-3, and 0-3 stinks.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 2:28 pm

Well, I'm sure most of the folks here know I'm in the Optimist Club...the last two outcomes suck but I am not angry, just disappointed. We all knew this non Conf schedule was demanding and challenging and we've stood toe to toe with two BCS teams, winning one, and what should be a BCS team in Boise.

This team has the horses to win the MAC and get to another bowl game and when it's all said and done, I want the MAC trophy more than anything.

I'm not down on the players or coaches. We have work to do and thank goodness the bye week is this weekend...We've played 3 pretty physical teams and we're banged up.

Beating WY would be great and set us up for the title run. Anyone that wants to get off the bandwagon, it's your choice. I usually ride in the front seat and I ain't getting off the wagon for anything. This is still a damn good football team with a ton of heart.

GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!

BGGrad01 · Post by **BGGrad01** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 2:43 pm

bgsufalcon24 wrote:With all due respect to our other MAC teams, nobody in the MAC (save for maybe Ball State and/or Central Michigan, who we won't see until the MACC) is anywhere near as good as Pittsburgh, Boise State, or Minnesota.

Sorry to pick apart your post, but Buffalo played pretty well against Pitt on the road and NIU almost beat Minny on the road. I would say those two MAC teams were near the level of Pitt and Minny on those days.

I think it goes to show that the MAC is much better top to bottom this year and we will need to show up to every one of our conference games to win. With that said, though, I could easily see us ripping through the MAC without a loss if we play to our potential on a consistent basis. I think we have the best overall talent in the conference and these last two games should have the guys salty enough to maintain focus throughout the remainder of the schedule. They should realize now that momentary lapses can and will cost us games.

If we can handle the altitude at Wyoming (big if), then I think we should run them off the field. The bye week should get most everyone healthy and the offense should be back in good form. The defense has been solid for the most part and I expect another good effort.

Put those two games behind us and get ready to win 11 straight.

FortWayneFalcon · Post by **FortWayneFalcon** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 3:31 pm

BGGrad01 wrote:
Put those two games behind us and get ready to win 11 straight.

I'm definately an optimist. The MAC is in our sights.

tiznow · Post by **tiznow** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 3:55 pm

I think most of us predicted BG to go 2-2 or 1-3 non conference. When we beat Wyoming and go into MAC play 2-2, I will be content. Wyoming will be tough as mentioned earlier. Wyoming does play BYU this week. It could be tough for them to come back sharp against BG next week.

BGSUVA · Post by **BGSUVA** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:25 pm

we are 2-1 ATS, ohio state can't say that.

Rollo83 · Post by **Rollo83** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:10 pm

I'll be rooting for the Falcons all the way...but Brandon's track record the last 3-4 years has me jaded and thus my glass is half empty until proven wrong. I've invested too much time and energy into this in the past to only be let down by a team totally unprepared to play week in and week out.

VDub26Falcon · Post by **VDub26Falcon** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:35 pm

I am trying to be optimistic and I see the glimpses of promise in this team, such as the 2nd half shutout that was mentioned by 87...I just wish that this team would play 60 minutes of quality football. We have not played one full game of solid football yet and until I see that, I cannot be completely optimistic.

bgsufalcon24 · Post by **bgsufalcon24** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:29 pm

BGGrad01 wrote:
bgsufalcon24 wrote:With all due respect to our other MAC teams, nobody in the MAC (save for maybe Ball State and/or Central Michigan, who we won't see until the MACC) is anywhere near as good as Pittsburgh, Boise State, or Minnesota.
Sorry to pick apart your post, but Buffalo played pretty well against Pitt on the road .

Bowling Green 27 - Pittsburgh 17

Pittsburgh 27 - Buffalo 16

While it remains to be seen if BG > P and P > B, then BG > B, on the scoreboard, it's BG 1, Buffalo 0 by way of us competing against (and beating) Pittsburgh, as opposed to competing and losing like Buffalo.

Northern Illinois is 0-2. If they were so great to be in the game with Minny, then they probably shouldn't have laid an egg and lost against WMU (who, I'm sorry, is WAY overrated)