They're still wearing the Brown and Orange...

[Bleeding Orange]

...so I'll still be rooting for our Falcons, despite our 1-4 start. I'm not going to be able to make it to any more games until after November 3rd because of work, but I will still keep my class ring on at all times during the days leading up to game day. I'll still be wearing orange into the office on Saturdays, and I'll still be glued to my radio and/or computer whenever I am able to be.

There has been a lot of negativity around here after the game yesterday, and while I understand - and in many ways share - the frustration that everyone has expressed, I still love this team, this school, and I can't get enough of it. I think it's important for everyone to bear in mind that we still have a new coach, and a team full of kids who are getting used to his system, and to a whole slate of new position coaches. Yes, a lot of the penalties and drops have nothing to do with new coaches, but we're still talking about 18-22 year guys who are going through a big transition on top of being college students. I like Coach Clawson, I like his style. It may not be producing wins just yet, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be doing so very soon. Whether that happens this year or not, who knows? All I know is, it is going to be fun watching this all develop this year, no matter what the outcome of the games are. Hell, it has been a complete thrill just to see this team running an I-formation every now and then. I never knew a single formation could be so fascinating!

Maybe I'm just being a jerk, or maybe I've just been inspired by my dad bringing home Myle's last night. Either way, I hope everyone hangs in there and enjoys this time for what it is worth. We have only had, what? Nine coaches in the history of BGSU Football? As someone who has never experienced a truly 'new' coach at Bowling Green (I came in during Meyer's last year, and GB wasn't a totally new guy to the program when he started), I'm simply fascinated by this process. Like everyone else, I thought it might be a seamless transition after the Troy and Mizzou games, but even with the games that have followed, I'm still VERY excited to see how things play out moving forward!

GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!

[TG1996]

Nine coaches in the history of BGSU Football?

Nine... 17... who's counting?

[Bleeding Orange]

Nine coaches in the history of BGSU Football?

Nine... 17... who's counting?

Meh, I knew I was going to be wrong about that - hence the question marks. No matter what, my point still stands.

[BGSU33]

The loss to Ohio just truly sucked the life out of me about this team. The Troy game was great to not only get a win and start the season off right, but winning one at home after the 1-4 season there last year was great too. The losses to Missouri and Marshall both stung. After losing all those games (four) last year by one score, those two to Mizzou & Marshall were hard to swallow. But the silver lining was they were both non-conference games and we at least competed tough on the road. The Boise State game turned into a bigger rout than I expected. No way did I think we’d win, but I thought we’d give them a game and we certainly were manhandled. But this is when the worry started to creep in for me….

….Prior to the Boise game, I felt very confident about our chances in the MAC East. But after Boise debacle, coupled with the two previous losses and the consecutive weeks of losing, I felt it put an absolute premium on the MAC opener against Ohio. I really felt BG & OU were headed in different directions coming into the game and felt whoever won that game would win the East. I still stand by that prediction. While any loss stings, yesterday’s seemed so demoralizing IMO. A fourth consecutive loss, falling in the MAC opener, another home loss, giving up a ton of big play, several dropped TD passes, another one-score loss, etc.

For the last several years we’ve pulled in our share of wins over a BCS teams, or posted some nice non-conference wins. But every year the MAC has tripped us up. So this year, with the East looking so wide open again, I thought well, our non-conference season results were below average for BG in the last decade, maybe this will be the year we can make hay in the MAC….then yesterday happened. But the reality to me about yesterday was, it was no different than the last few years IMO. We don’t put fear into anyone in the MAC anymore. No one is afraid to come to the Doyt and in fact, the last couple years teams are just taking wins from us there. Man do I miss the days of several years ago when that wasn’t the case!

Do I think this team will win a few games this season? Yes. But I think yesterday broke our back for our season. That loss to Ohio is essentially like two losses to OU if ever a head-to-head factor comes into play (for any divisional opponent for that matter), we’re now 1-4 which matches the start we had in Gary Blackney’s final year in 2000 when we ended up 2-9, and it almost seems more like we’re playing more poorly week by week now rather than progressing as the season wears on. This was the game I felt was going to show us what our team was about. All we kept hearing about was how the non-conference was behind us, how they were ready to go out there and play, how this is the "real" season, etc. Well, I think yesterday was our “real” team. We’ve dug ourselves a huge hole as next week marks the halfway point of the season. I guess we’ll see how much pride we have left in the tank.

[Bleeding Orange]

I think you've entirely missed my point. It's too late for me to make it any clearer, but suffice to say that there have been fundamental changes made to this program, and that Dave Clawson isn't Urban Meyer. This team can win, but they won't be world beaters this year. If that is what you are expecting, then you are going to continue to be disappointed and make massive posts expressing that emotion.

[daspollak]

Do we have anyone on our team that has NFL caliber talent? I hate to break it to some of you, but we just don't have the personnel on the field to be the cream of the crop in the MAC. I love this team and school, but I need to be realistic about what it can do. I hope we can at least compete for the MAC every year, but I realize that some years may be rebuilding years. This year's team has no players that are truly game breakers. We have some nice pieces, but lack that elite one. I still think we can hang in the MAC East, because Ohio is just not that good.

[ktrain]

one of the biggest falcon fans ever...yeah it hurt to lose that game but you know what...this will be a good team...clawson knows his s**t...its just an awkward period...hell im gonna have watchin us play regardless and it aint over yet...s**t the record aint pretty but we could and i say could go 8-4 WEVE done worse...IM drunk so peace out and roll to bed!!!!i mean roll along

[1987alum]

B.O.:

Preach it, brother, preach it.

I loved the Falcons when Denny Stolz took them to (then abandoned them at) the California Bowl. I loved them when Moe Ankney ran the program into the ground. I backed Coach Brandon up until the day they let him go and I'll back Clawson until he either leaves or is shown the door.

I sat through some of the Falcons greatest games of the past 25 years - the Miami Miracle, the MCB victory, the GMAC victory ... and some of the worst losses - breaking Temple's losing streak, the GMAC debacle. But I love the school, I love the team(s). Not being at a game last year was so disappointing. And just the throught of making it back to The Doyt in November brightens my day - even if the team is struggling at that time, even if the weather doesn't cooperate, even if there will be no real "tailgate" to speak of.

Roll Along!

[hammb]

I'm with ya BO. I will still be at the remaining games this year, and I'll still be rooting for the Falcons.

My expectations going into this year was a pure rebuild. Clawson's teams have always struggled when he first tries to install his system, so I knew it was going to take some time to get to where we want to get to. I expected Troy to be a pretty good team this year, so that win (coupled with how we played Mizzou) upped my expectations a bit. I thought this team could compete for a MAC title even while rebuilding (and they still can). The events of the past month have made me think we're probably a middle of the road MAC team, but again this year was always going to be a pure rebuild year.

What we are seeing so far is exactly what my original expectations were. Our young DBs REALLY struggle, and they also sorely miss the guy that was supposed to be the playmaker at safety. Offensively, exactly as I pointed out numerous times, we didn't lose a lot of starters, but we lost a LOT of production. The guys that have stepped in have not been able to match that production.

This year is a rebuild and nobody should be down on the team or program or coaching staff because of that. We don't have the type of players on the line to do what Clawson's staff wants to do. We don't have a single player that I expect to play on Sundays, and most MAC teams do. I think Brandon left this program as middle of the road in MAC talent, with a horrible attitude and work ethic, and most importantly, the talent we do have is ill-fitted to the new staff's scheme. It will take time to get the program back where we want it, but based on his track record I think Clawson can do it. Yeah he's not Urban Meyer, but finding another Urban is a pipe dream. For 2 years we had one of the top coaches in all of college football...you just can't hope to duplicate that.

[Falconfreak90]

Good points all around. Yeah, it sux to be 1-4 and sux even worse since I can't be at the games right now to show support. :

Phil Steele called this a rare rebuilding year for the Falcons and possibly he's right. Tough loss to Ohio...we don't do well in the red zone so far this year and it's killing us.

Kent State is up next and they will be a challenge. Every game will be a challenge.

Hoping Coach Clawson and the staff have these guys ready to win Saturday.

BEAT KENT

[OrangeSocksFalcon]

B.O.:

I loved them when Moe Ankney ran the program into the ground.

Yes buck up little campers. It has been MUCH worse, remember the the Moe Acne years. I was almost impaled in '88 marching post game when we traveled to Miami for an away game. The students tore down the goal posts when we ended their losing streak. It was SO ugly.

[LowryFalcon]

Yeah Im going to the remaining home games this year. BG's record wont change my mind on that. I just bought tickets to the Ball State game as my uncle is from Muncie and is a huge ball state fan. We always have a personal bet on the game for both the football and mens basketball games. I really hope the falcons can beat Kent State next and I think they will, at least i hope?

GO FALCONS!!!!!!

[bgsufalcon24]

Since I just found a shiny entry-level job in Niagara Falls, it's unlikely that I'll be able to make it back to the Doyt this season (although the game at Buffalo on 11/3 is now a possibility, along with at Kent this Saturday). Bleeding Orange, while we've certainly had our differences and still do in many respects, I admire your almost courageous attitude on this. I remember you posted after the Ohio game that the season isn't over until you've lost 4 games in the MAC. I'm thinking "wait, Ohio goes unbeaten or with 1 loss like they did in 2006, and we're already screwed." But that's beside the point. The point is, me and so many others are willing to cut our losses and cash out, yet you're still excited about the possibilities that remain this season. I admire that. Even though I can never hope to emulate your line of thinking.

I'm not even sure that this is "blatant stupid optimism in the face of almost sure defeat" which is regularly displayed here, particularly on the hockey forum. You have this idea that Clawson is a good guy, and I tend to agree with that, and that it will start producing wins soon. But it wasn't going to be as easy as everyone expected following the Troy game. Maybe it will play out that way. We do have two bottom feeder teams the next two weeks. I'm just not sure that we aren't a bottom feeder ourselves at this point, seeing as we're 1-4. Oh well, I guess we'll find out.

I gotta be honest though, another loss in either Kent or Muncie, and I'm going to find it really hard not to cash out for the year.

[Lord_Byron]

Since I just found a shiny entry-level job in Niagara Falls, . . .

OT: Welcome to W-NY. I took a "shiny entry-level job" 30 years ago, and I'm still here.

Seriously, I think there are about 3000 alums between Rochester and Buffalo. We could use some young blood to run the alumni chapter. . .

[Bleeding Orange]

Since I just found a shiny entry-level job in Niagara Falls, it's unlikely that I'll be able to make it back to the Doyt this season (although the game at Buffalo on 11/3 is now a possibility, along with at Kent this Saturday). Bleeding Orange, while we've certainly had our differences and still do in many respects, I admire your almost courageous attitude on this. I remember you posted after the Ohio game that the season isn't over until you've lost 4 games in the MAC. I'm thinking "wait, Ohio goes unbeaten or with 1 loss like they did in 2006, and we're already screwed." But that's beside the point. The point is, me and so many others are willing to cut our losses and cash out, yet you're still excited about the possibilities that remain this season. I admire that. Even though I can never hope to emulate your line of thinking.

I'm not even sure that this is "blatant stupid optimism in the face of almost sure defeat" which is regularly displayed here, particularly on the hockey forum. You have this idea that Clawson is a good guy, and I tend to agree with that, and that it will start producing wins soon. But it wasn't going to be as easy as everyone expected following the Troy game. Maybe it will play out that way. We do have two bottom feeder teams the next two weeks. I'm just not sure that we aren't a bottom feeder ourselves at this point, seeing as we're 1-4. Oh well, I guess we'll find out.

I gotta be honest though, another loss in either Kent or Muncie, and I'm going to find it really hard not to cash out for the year.

I wasn't trying to be super-duper optimistic, and nor was I trying to talk down to anyone when I posted this. Really, I was just trying to present a different way of looking at this whole situation, outside of strictly just living and dying on wins and losses as we would in any other given year. New coach, new system, new recruits coming into the program, watching the current players try and fit into the new regime - I actually do find all of that to be very exciting. And, I'm willing to give the process the time to play out.

Because this is the way I suppose I naturally look at this situation, I am having a very hard time watching people actually jump - or just talk about jumping - off the bandwagon after only five games into the process. I just honestly don't understand it. And by saying all of this I don't mean to imply that winning isn't important to me. It's why you play the game! But to me, this is a collegiate sport played by kids, not a bunch of guys who are being paid millions to play a game. It is tough to watch people who do make millions to play in a rebuilding year (trust me, I'm a Browns fan), but I understand that sometimes changes need to be made in collegiate programs at our level. I guess I've just embraced that. There is nothing wrong with you if you don't, but like I said, I just don't understand it.