Down, but not out - and there’s still a lot of hope!!!

[BGSU33]

Yeah, I know it's long, but if you are a true fan, I ask you to read and share your thoughts:

Well, it’s been 24 hours after the pure debacle many of us witnessed yesterday in WMU’s thrashing of BG. Like many of you, I was simply stunned at what unfolded right in front of my eyes. I couldn’t believe what I had witnessed, and as I sat in a near empty Doyt L. Perry Stadium in the closing seconds and listened to the cheers of the WMU fans left in attendance, I glanced at the scoreboard one last time before heading for the parking lot. I wanted to remember how bitter this loss stung, and I can only hope our players and coaches do too.

The thing is, BG has been walking a thin line this season and this could have happened sooner than later. We looked unstoppable vs. Wisconsin for a half to open the season, but since then (with the exception of Temple), we have looked nothing more than an average team. Since our trip to Madison, our offense has been good at best (again, with the exception of Temple), our defense has appeared and disappeared, and our (un)special teams have been absolutely nowhere to be found all season long. The bottom line is, right now, we are just an average MAC team fighting for our lives like everyone else is in the conference.

In our three MAC wins, they’ve come against cellar-dwellers Ball State, Ohio and Buffalo. In those three games, we trailed in the fourth quarter to Ball State and were only ahead by seven points against OU and UB late in the game. We could have easily fallen victim to an upset in any of these three games, but we found a way to win which is what good teams do. I had a very bad feeling heading into the OU game, and had the Bobcats not fallen on their faces with all the opportunities we gave them, they would have beaten us before WMU did. But we got flat out smacked down and embarrassed by WMU yesterday, on our home field, in what was one the of the MAC's biggest upsets in recent years, and we hopefully learned a harsh and painful lesson from this game.

That brings us to where we stand now. We’re at a crossroad my friends. We can either regroup and put things together and finally start becoming and playing like the team we know we are capable of being, or we can pack it in and watch one of the most promising seasons in BG history wash right away. I hope it’s not the later. The fact of the matter is, this team is going to need to regroup and do what recent BG teams in the past have fallen short many times in doing, with the big MAC games. We are going to have to not only beat Akron and Kent State, but go to Oxford and get a win and take care of Toledo. We are going to finally have to step up, and prove what we are capable of doing it when it matters most in the MAC. If we want that elusive MAC title that we’ve been searching for since 1992, we’ve got to come together right here and get it done. We’ve got to do it one game at a time, beginning with Akron. And I know in my heart we’re going to have to finally win a game in Oxford to make the job complete. No ifs, ands, buts or maybes about it.

I hope like hell Omar can come back and come back soon. But the things is, he’s one of 11 men on the field on offense. Although he’s arguably the most critical part of our offense, he doesn’t play defense or on special teams. Football is a total team effort, and despite sitting in first place in the MAC East right now, we have got our work cut out for us if we have any hopes of a MAC title or a bowl bid. I have hope, always have and always will. And I believe, though like in men’s basketball and the elusive NCAA Tournament since 1968, I’m tired of saying “there’s always next year.” We have a team in football at BG that is built and made to win a MAC title, and the time is now it comes out any plays like one. I hope that’s what we see vs. Akron and I hope to see all of you out there at the stadium to support these guys in their quest! GO BG!!!

[always a falcon]

Well said.

[Falconfreak90]

I agree....I have been going back and forth on this for the last couple days.

I'll still be in the stands for every game except Miami.

We still can win the East....that should be the only thing that matters today.

[BGSU33]

I think what makes this loss to WMU so painful to some of us now is knowing now we're probably facing must win games against Akron, Kent State and (gulp)....Miami. When we had a two game lead, you figure if we beat Akron, Kent State and Toledo to close out the season, we could afford a loss say to a Miami. That is why I think that despite still being in first place, we know we have our work cut out for us now because we are going to not only have to win games "we should" like Akron and Kent State, but we are going to have to win the big MAC games on national TV like Miami and Toledo which have caused us nothing but a lot of grief in recent years. We still control our own destiny, but the path has gotten much more difficult. All I can hope for is the team rises to the challenge and proves to everyone (even themselves) that they are the team we thought they would be.

[ffejfalcon]

You're right FREAK!! We can still win the East. This game vs Akron Sat will be an important test. Can BG suck it up, put the loss behind them, rally behind Turner, paly that good D, and get back on track? I think so.

Don't bail on these players or these coaches. Keep supporting them because thew will need our help!!

Keep the faith my fellow FALCONS!!!!


Side bar:
BUILD THE SEBO!! It will be a key part of the growth and success of our athletic programs. Especially football.

[BGSU33]

I think a lot of us still have faith and do believe we can still do it. But we can have all the faith in the world, the bottom line is, the players have got to go out and do it. As it always does, it's going to come down to them. I do believe they can do it, but the question is, will they and can they? We'll see......