Transcript from the Blade's Matt Markey's chat today.

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 1:01 pm

(The last question is from me. I wanted to get some BG info in there since it was saturated with UT questions ::puke:: )

Phil (Sylvania) According to one of your recent articles I read on toledoblade.com, at the end of last year, Miami was ranked No. 10 in the AP poll and No. 12 in the coaches poll and West Division champ Bowling Green was No. 23 in both. Both their quarterbacks were drafted, and Toledo is the preseason favorite. Here's three questions for the price of one: Who's going to be stepping up at QB in Miami? Do you think BGSU will fall very far? Is UT really going to be that good?

Matt Markey: (12:03 P.M. ET ) I expect Miami to start junior Josh Betts at QB. He is 6-3, 225 and for the last two years has looked pretty good in a baseball cap and holding a clip board while Big Ben made the plays. Betts will be decent, but that's it. BG will not be as strong as it was with Josh Harris, but will have the horses to challenge Toledo and NIU in the West. UT should be very good, especially on offense. The Rockets will simply out-score a number of their opponents.

DK (Toledo) Any early predictions for the BG vs. UT game?

Matt Markey: (12:06 P.M. ET ) The game is at UT, so the advantage goes to the Rockets, plus they return a more potent team than BG. I would expect the Rockets to win in another war, but there are 10 games prior to this one where injuries, etc. could change this picture.

UT Fan Who will be the Rockets biggest challenge this year?

Matt Markey: (12:09 P.M. ET ) Biggest challenge on the schedule - the opener at Minnesota. The Gophers are good, and mad. UT smoked them a couple of years ago and they have not forgotten. Biggest challenge in the MAC West - Northern Illinois. The Huskies will be good, and they are also mad. UT staged a dramatic comeback and beat them in DeKalb two years ago, costing Northern the title. Biggest challenge in the MAC - beating Marshall in the title game in Huntington.

John What MAC team will suprise the rest with improved play this year?

Matt Markey: (12:17 P.M. ET ) A couple teams might surprise the rest. First, Eastern Michigan will not be as bad as it has been, and therefore might bump someone off. The Eagles, formerly known as the Hurons, still have a long ways to go, but they should be better. On the East side, Central Florida should sneak up on some people. The Knights have been a lot less dominant than their bravado led us to believe they would be when they entered the MAC, and now as they exit, they could get a decent win or two on the way out.

Victor (Maumee) What teams do you feel pose the biggest threat to UT for a possible MAC win?

Matt Markey: (12:22 P.M. ET ) The biggest challenge on the West side of the MAC comes from Northern Illinois, and the Rockets have to play that one on the road. The Huskies will not be as good as last year, but are still a strong team. BG will also be quite good, but the Falcons have a new QB and must play Toledo in the Glass Bowl this year. Overall, the biggest challenge comes from the usual suspect - Marshall. The Herd is back to full strength, and will get to host the championship game if it wins the East, which it should.

Kevin Cesarz: (12:27 P.M. ET ) Hey, Matt. What's up with UT linebacker Brock Dodrill?

Matt Markey: (12:29 P.M. ET ) Dodrill is still listed as suspended following his two encounters with the law earlier this year. He is an all-MAC player who will be greatly missed, but it is hard to imagine that he will be reinstated in time for the coming season. It looks like he will need to take a year off from football to work out his personal problems. I would expect UT coach Tom Amstutz to give Dodrill all the time he needs to get things in order, and then welcome him back to the team sometime in the future.

Mark (Sylvania)Should Marshall be allowed to host the MAC championship since they're leaving the conference (for Conference USA) after this season?

Matt Markey: (12:33 P.M. ET ) There is a strong feeling among the athletic directors in the MAC that Marshall and Central Florida should not be eligible for the conference championship this year, since it is their final season in the MAC. The East champion is to host the title game this year, and it will likely be the Thundering Herd, so the possibility exists that Marshall can take the MAC crown on its home field in its final game in the conference. I guess my feeling is that if they are part of the conference, they should be allowed to win it. But it won't look good.

Should Marshall be allowed to host the MAC championship since they're leaving the conference (for Conference USA) after this season?

Matt Markey: (12:41 P.M. ET ) Matt Markey: There is a strong feeling among the athletic directors in the MAC that Marshall and Central Florida should not be eligible for the conference championship this year, since it is their final season in the MAC. The East champion is to host the title game this year, and it will likely be the Thundering Herd, so the possibility exists that Marshall can take the MAC crown on its home field in its final game in the conference. I guess my feeling is that if they are part of the conference, they should be allowed to win it. But it won't look good.

Kevin Cesarz: (12:41 P.M. ET ) Mark, save me from a long drive to see our locals in some god-forsaken place. Spell out the best and the worst of the Mid-American Conference (cities, stadiums, fans food, etc., etc).

Matt Markey: (12:41P.M. ET ) Best city to visit - Orlando (UCF), worst - Ypsilanti (it is hard to determine where the city is, and if there is such a city); best stadium - Peden (Ohio U) the setting in a valley on the river is perfect, and the place is cozy and the right size for the MAC, with a grassy hill on one end for the students, worst stadium - Akron, the Rubber Bowl is a rusty, dilapidated dinosaur that should be recycled. best fans - tough call, but I think Northern Illinois has a decent, rabid following that has so far displayed a certain degree of class; worst fans - it does not get much uglier than Marshall, where 40-year-old men curse and swear at the opposition while holding the hand of their six-year-old daughter. Food - a lot of very good choices, but the best is probably served away from the press boxes, where the fare tends to be contemporary cholesterol; worst - it has to be those cold pizzas at Ball State. Best trip - the drive to Ohio U through the Wayne National Forest; worst trip - another win for Marshall - five and a half hours of two-lane bumpity-bump roads with stop lights in every berg along the way, and then when it is over, you are in West Virginia.

Pat (Bowling Green) Matt, How good do you think Omar Jacobs will be this year?

Matt Markey: (12:53P.M. ET ) Omar Jacobs is going to be a very good quarterback, maybe as good as Josh Harris before he is done. He did not get enough playing time last year, in my view, and would have benefitted from the live experience. I think he will struggle in the opener at Oklahoma, but settle in and have a solid season. The next two years he should be outstanding.

redhawk95 · Post by **redhawk95** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 11:08 pm

i guess miami should simply roll over and not even play the season since this guy has undoubtedly given the east title to the freakin herd. and, i guess we should roll over when the rockettes come to oxford since josh betts will just be "decent." guy needs to do his homework. we have nearly everyone back...with the talent around betts, he'll be just fine. i fully expect to see bg in oxford for a macc rematch.

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 11:16 pm

redhawk95 wrote:i guess miami should simply roll over and not even play the season since this guy has undoubtedly given the east title to the freakin herd. and, i guess we should roll over when the rockettes come to oxford since josh betts will just be "decent." guy needs to do his homework. we have nearly everyone back...with the talent around betts, he'll be just fine. i fully expect to see bg in oxford for a macc rematch.

Look at the source of the chat. He probably knows a lot more about the rockettes than he does about BG or Miami so he makes shakey comments on what he thinks to be right. Or he is a rockettes fan and this is his wish list of what he hopes will happen.

YagerBomb05 · Post by **YagerBomb05** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 11:26 pm

Betts will be decent, but that's it.

That is all anybody is asking for in Oxford...at least for this year. With our defense and experience at skill positions, that should be all we need to get to the MACC.

i fully expect to see bg in oxford for a macc rematch.

agreed...as long as Jacobs is at least "decent" like Betts

Schadenfreude · Post by **Schadenfreude** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 7:42 am

I've long thought home field is a big deal in this league.

That's why I think Marshall is a logical pick for the East. That's why I think we have our work cut out for us this fall in trying to win the West.

Without question, we have a great team. But it's been quite a while since the Falcons have won a game in the Glass Bowl. We'll need to have our act together that night.

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 8:42 am

Schadenfreude wrote:I've long thought home field is a big deal in this league.

That's why I think Marshall is a logical pick for the East. That's why I think we have our work cut out for us this fall in trying to win the West.

Without question, we have a great team. But it's been quite a while since the Falcons have won a game in the Glass Bowl. We'll need to have our act together that night.

I'm in agreement here. I think our team will be very good, but we will have our work cut out for us going to Dekalb & Toledo. Certainly those games are winnable, but we always struggle in the glass bowl, and we all remember our last trip to Dekalb.

If we can at least split those games I think we're in very good shape. Unfortunately, I'm not convinced that we can.

Warthog · Post by **Warthog** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 9:27 am

Tricky_Falcon wrote:Look at the source of the chat. He probably knows a lot more about the rockettes than he does about BG or Miami so he makes shakey comments on what he thinks to be right. Or he is a rockettes fan and this is his wish list of what he hopes will happen.

Actually, Matt Markey is a Bowling Green alum ('76 I think), covered BG for the Blade until last year and he lives in BG. So I think he knows plenty about the school and its sports. If there was any bias, I would attribute it to being the he is employed by the "Toledo" Blade. So he needs to pimp the home team.

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 10:58 am

Warthog wrote:Actually, Matt Markey is a Bowling Green alum ('76 I think), covered BG for the Blade until last year and he lives in BG. So I think he knows plenty about the school and its sports. If there was any bias, I would attribute it to being the he is employed by the "Toledo" Blade. So he needs to pimp the home team.

He's a BG alum and he's picking Toledo? I think this icon is in order. ::puke::

truth · Post by **truth** » Thu Jul 29, 2004 1:38 am

Bruce Bruce doesn't impress me much. when BG fans/alum pick ut to win the big game it

my brain.

Falcon30 · Post by **Falcon30** » Thu Jul 29, 2004 9:16 am

truth wrote:Bruce Bruce doesn't impress me much. when BG fans/alum pick ut to win the big game it my brain.

C'mon guys, he is a jernalist and he needs to be 'objective.'

Besides, how long has it been since the home team won in this series???

NWLB · Post by **NWLB** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 5:00 pm

An interesting thread to revive.

kdog27 · Post by **kdog27** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:20 pm

So far his predictions are looking pretty bad.

BGSUfanatUT · Post by **BGSUfanatUT** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 11:23 pm

redhawk95 wrote:i guess miami should simply roll over and not even play the season since this guy has undoubtedly given the east title to the freakin herd. and, i guess we should roll over when the rockettes come to oxford since josh betts will just be "decent." guy needs to do his homework. we have nearly everyone back...with the talent around betts, he'll be just fine. i fully expect to see bg in oxford for a macc rematch.

As I said b4, i look for MU to come out of the est again, a repeat of last years game....including the away team victory.

NWLB · Post by **NWLB** » Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:06 pm

I think Miami can and will beat Marshall in Oxford. They are alone in the MAC (aside from BG) in terms of teams able to gel into a solid team.

ironmikecw · Post by **ironmikecw** » Mon Sep 20, 2004 5:32 pm

The only thing wrong NWLB is Miami plays Marshall in "turdville" not Oxford this year