Best of Luck to Omar

[Rightupinthere]

I want us to develop the Conference Swagger Marshall once had.

Marshall had swagger, this is true. It was a part of their paycheck. You do know that the NCAA had issues with their swagger, yes?

[CapitalFalcon]

Harris won the West by beating NIU and UT in the same year when both were VERY good football teams....

True...And he also got the S**T beat out of him TWICE by Miami in the same season.

Yep...That Miami team beat a lot of ggod teams that year. Are we going to say that the 2003 team wasn't good because it lost to a top ten team twice?

No...I am going to say the 2003 team wasn't that "great" because we were very good at beating crappy teams and had difficulty winning against good teams.

So let's recap the 2003 season...

We start out with D-IAA Eastern Kentucky. Wow! What a powerhouse. Win.

Then we move on to Purdue. We squeek out a W, but a win is a win I will grant you that...Win.

We then had mighty Liberty roll into town...Another D-IAA powerhouse. Win. Next!

Ohio State...We played them tough, but just like a win is a win, a loss is a loss... Loss

Next was Central Mich. A team that went 3-9 that year...Win

Then was Western Michigan. They went 5-7....Better than Central, I'll grant you, but still not a winning team. Win

Then came the last of the Directional Mich teams, Eastern. Another 3-9 team. At this point, we had one win over a a team that had a winning record. Win

Next, we beat the crap out of NIU on ESPN Game day! A FANTASTIC WIN NO DOUBT! Revenge is so sweet. Win.

Then came the first thumping by Big Ben and Miami. Loss.

Then Kent. A team that went 5-7. Win

Ball State was the next victim...A 4-8 team. Win

Then our final thumping by Miami for the MACC game. Loss.

Then we beat Northwestern by 4, a team that went 6-6. Win.

By the tally I have, out of 12 games, we were 2-3 against teams with winning records.

I am not debating about who's a better quaterback, Harris or Jacobs, because to be quite honest, I don't care. What I care about is a quality program that can put up wins against quality teams. And so far, I think we have become complacent with playing tough but losing to really good teams, and thinking we are some sort of Football juggernaut because we beat AA schools 62-3.

10-3 is great...But you have to caveat it when you consider that 7 out of 10 of those wins were against I-AA schools, or I-A schools with losing records. We haven’t proved anything to anyone yet. One win against Purdue 2 years ago is not exactly going to gain us a sustainable reputation. We need to beat a Purdue, Wisconsin, or Ohio State every year. Next season will be a fantastic test for us with Wisconsin, the Buckeyes, and Boise have the potential for us to really prove ourselves. And I hope we do it. But that is next year, Omar or not, we will find out…

[Rightupinthere]

Finally, the next time I see someone who claims to be sane say they want to be like Marshall, I'm gonna do some damage. (Or at least get the gnomes to revive that "Little Huntington on the Prairie" word censor they had up for a while over the summer.) Nobody who likes *college* sports should want to win like that.

I should have read all of the additions to this thread.

[Flipper]

By the tally I have, out of 12 games, we were 2-3 against teams with winning records.

And your tally is wrong...you conviently left out a home win against our ARCH RIVAL......

So, that year we were 3-3 against teams with winning records. We lost twice to perhaps the best team in conference history and once to the defending National Champions. We beat two schools that were ranked when we played them and a very good UT squad.

The 2003 squad wasn't good because it beat some 1AA schools or 1 A schools with losing records ( a lot of good college football programs share those those two attributes), it was a good team because it beat ranked opponents, won the divisional title, won a bowl game (the first bowl in over a decade) and did something no other BG squad had ever done before, it finshed the season ranked in the top 25.

Next year could be very interesting.....this year was disappointing. I don't know if this team failed to meet expectations or if our expectations were simply unrealistic given the number of leaders, (Magner, Hawkins, Newson, Burkes, Mrzururuowkow...Scott the center and Laura Hart's boy, Andrew. ) we had lost from the year before.

[gspointer]

Bleeding. Fair enough. A couple points.

My question was on what basis you think the team will be better than last year's team.

A couple points:

First, as promising as Thomas and Macon are (and I agree they are), they will struggle to be even as good as Pope and Lane were, and are very unlikely to be better--even then the year our RBs had this year. Same with our WRs--Partrdige, Ruiz, JUCOs, whatever. Even raising their game, they will be fortunate to be as good as we had this year.

Second, I understand your point (and other's) that guys will step up, etc. Here you place a lot of faith in guys we haven't seen yet, including our "talented" recruiting class pulling their redshirts off.

That defense is more than a couple redshirt freshmen away from getting some stops, and was relatively experienced on top of it. Getting the defense next year to be as good as this year will be a challenge as well. (And I challenge your theory on the "improving defense." They played one good game against good competition (Miami), and played no better against Toledo than they did against Boise.)

Third, there were extenuating circumstances to our "demise" this year. But let's not forget that we were playing poorly long before Omar got injured. And with a full, healthy compliment we lost on our home field in a game to take the East. Even allowing for some obstacles, this year's performance is a fine starting point for looking ahead.

Its not a given that guys come back from the winter and turn into players. It simply doesn't have to happen that way.

Every other year in the Meyer/Brandon era I felt we were just reloading for another run at the title. I don't see that talent coming back for next year. Given our schedule, 6 wins is very possible, even with Omar.

Wow - talk about negative. I disagree with almost every point. Lane was average. Pope was hurt - not much of a loss if you look at this year only. We can only get better. D line will be better and secondary more experienced and talented. O line is going to be superb with 2 mac second teamers back- no real losses there. Only question mark next year is at WR and I think we have talent and hope we add a Juco or two. Go take some Prozac dude - you have issues.

[BGGrad01]

Wow - talk about negative. I disagree with almost every point. Lane was average. Pope was hurt - not much of a loss if you look at this year only. We can only get better. D line will be better and secondary more experienced and talented. O line is going to be superb with 2 mac second teamers back- no real losses there. Only question mark next year is at WR and I think we have talent and hope we add a Juco or two. Go take some Prozac dude - you have issues.

No real losses on the O line? Rob Warren was a first team all-MAC left tackle (blind side) last year. He had a couple injuries that knocked him out for a little bit this year, but he was still good enough to merit some sort of all-MAC honor.

I won't even touch the comment about PJ Pope not being much of a loss.

This team has several issues that need to be addressed in the offseason. I am confident that we can overcome those issues, that young guys will step up, and that we will field a very competitive football team next September. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't post our realistic thoughts and concerns about this team's future.

[orangeandbrown]

Wow - talk about negative. I disagree with almost every point. Lane was average. Pope was hurt - not much of a loss if you look at this year only. We can only get better. D line will be better and secondary more experienced and talented. O line is going to be superb with 2 mac second teamers back- no real losses there. Only question mark next year is at WR and I think we have talent and hope we add a Juco or two. Go take some Prozac dude - you have issues.

I'll pass on your Rx, Dr. Pointer, i'm fine. Since when is saying six wins against a tough schedule "prozac talk?"

BJ Lane averaged almost 5 yards a carry, FYI.

Look, this team wasn't very good, and has significant losses and more unproven players stepping into those roles than we have had in the past few years. That's how I see it. A JUCO or two at WR would really help...on that we agree.

[San Diego Falcon]

I wish we were more like Marshall, but we still got that big win at Purdue. I can't wait for the big game next year against Michigan, but we'd have a better chance if Josh Harris and Urban Meyer were still here, or if we'd change our punt formation.

[MACMAN]

you i would like to point that from the above that many many of you feel as I do. We are as good as, or a better fit, as bottome tier big 10 school than any of the bottom 6 in that conference. This holds true for all the top MAC schools, we are interchangable. now in a wild and crazy world, where The BGSUs, Toledos, Miamis, and NIUs...could be interchanged, I would venture to bet that the boiler makers and wildcats, Indiana etc would have those same records we have, and that we would be as the MAC addons going to some major bowls at 6-5 just because.
So as we compair, and we realy do, we match up very very well with all but the top percent of all conferneces. No not, year and year out team by team, but confernce top to confernce bottom.

i would rather play a OCC sch like next years and loose every one of those games close and not be bowl eligable than play cupcakes and get to play one bowl game...heck I will venture a guess that several of the games next year (occ) have as many or real close to it as any bowl we could go to.
I know I am a lun, but to be the best you have to play the best. and by god we are doing that, and doing it very well. I am darn proud of the program and the MAC for playing these OCC games.

[h2oville rocket]

By the tally I have, out of 12 games, we were 2-3 against teams with winning records.

And your tally is wrong...you conviently left out a home win against our ARCH RIVAL......

My kind of Falcon fan! And when considering which teams have winning records you should drop your game against them. NW only had a .500 record because BG beat them-otherwise they are 7-5 with a bowl win. The 2003 team was cursed by Miami's having a superlative team the same year. But feel free to keep from reminding us Rocket fans that you rang up a win on us that year.

[Rightupinthere]

I wish we were more like Marshall, but we still got that big win at Purdue. I can't wait for the big game next year against Michigan, but we'd have a better chance if Josh Harris and Urban Meyer were still here, or if we'd change our punt formation.

Couple of things, friend.

1: You know Marshall CHEATED, don't you? The only reason they won anything is that they paid their players to lean against a mop. The NCAA didn't shine kindly upon them. Once they were caught, they began a downward trend which has continued this year.

2: We're not playing Michigan next year.

[Jacobs4Heisman]

I wish we were more like Marshall, but we still got that big win at Purdue. I can't wait for the big game next year against Michigan, but we'd have a better chance if Josh Harris and Urban Meyer were still here, or if we'd change our punt formation.

Couple of things, friend.

1: You know Marshall CHEATED, don't you? The only reason they won anything is that they paid their players to lean against a mop. The NCAA didn't shine kindly upon them. Once they were caught, they began a downward trend which has continued this year.

2: We're not playing Michigan next year.

I'm thinking his post was completely tongue-in-cheek. I hope so at least.

[Rightupinthere]

I wish we were more like Marshall, but we still got that big win at Purdue. I can't wait for the big game next year against Michigan, but we'd have a better chance if Josh Harris and Urban Meyer were still here, or if we'd change our punt formation.

Couple of things, friend.

1: You know Marshall CHEATED, don't you? The only reason they won anything is that they paid their players to lean against a mop. The NCAA didn't shine kindly upon them. Once they were caught, they began a downward trend which has continued this year.

2: We're not playing Michigan next year.

I'm thinking his post was completely tongue-in-cheek. I hope so at least.

If that's the case, I withdraw my comments and offer my apologies. I do need a winky icon before my morning pot of coffee (and it is literally a pot of coffee.) But that's more of a personal issue.

[Jacobs4Heisman]

I wish we were more like Marshall, but we still got that big win at Purdue. I can't wait for the big game next year against Michigan, but we'd have a better chance if Josh Harris and Urban Meyer were still here, or if we'd change our punt formation.

Couple of things, friend.

1: You know Marshall CHEATED, don't you? The only reason they won anything is that they paid their players to lean against a mop. The NCAA didn't shine kindly upon them. Once they were caught, they began a downward trend which has continued this year.

2: We're not playing Michigan next year.

I'm thinking his post was completely tongue-in-cheek. I hope so at least.

If that's the case, I withdraw my comments and offer my apologies. I do need a winky icon before my morning pot of coffee (and it is literally a pot of coffee.) But that's more of a personal issue.

If you get a "winky" icon, it might not be exactly what you expect [insert pre-caffeinated emoticon here]

[1987alum]

I'd appreciate it if we could dispense with talk of RUIT's winky.