advertisement
12:01
toledoblade: Ryan and Don are here to answer your questions on Michigan and BGSU football.
Ask away.
12:03
[Comment From Freddie]
Don, any chance BGSU imrpoves this year, or schedule too hard?
12:04
demmons@theblade.com: Freddie: Coach Clawson believes the Falcons have shown improvement each week of the season. Whether it produces Ws is another story.
12:05
[Comment From Guest]
Iowa clearly has been under rated by the big ten and AP this season so far - with that being said, Ryan do you think UM will be able to win considering they have lost all year on the road?
12:07
rautullo@theblade.com: Guest- UM has only played one game on the road this year, granted the Wolverines did not perform well. Winning a night game at unbeaten Iowa will not be easy but I'm not convinced the Hawkeyes are great.
12:07
[Comment From Wolfie]
Which UM team will we see rest of season. 200+ rushing or MSU being stunted against the Spartans?
12:07
[Comment From halmie]
sorry forgot my name along with my question...
12:09
rautullo@theblade.com: Wolfie- Who really knows? Without center David Molk, who will be out for another couple of weeks, UM's rushing attack has struggled a bit. UM needs to be able to effectively run the ball to take pressure off the defense, but doing that against Iowa, which hasn't allowed a rushing TD in eight games, will be a big challenge.
12:11
[Comment From Wolfie]
Will Denard Robinson be a threat at all to pass this season? Seems like MSU knew he was going to run every time he was in.
12:13
rautullo@theblade.com: Wolfie- Robinson is a one-trick pony right now and eventually I think we'll see him as a receiver, maybe not this year but possibly next. The bigger question is why Rich Rod thought it was a good idea to insert Robinson at quarterback to begin a fourth-quarter drive down two scores in Spartans territory. That possession ended after three plays and minus 14 yards.
12:14
toledoblade: Don, while we have a break here, can you asses what the Falcons have to do to be successful this week against Kent?
12:14
[Comment From halmie]
Ryan - how are you not convinced they are not that great? Especially with Sash leading in interceptions.
12:15
rautullo@theblade.com: Halmie- Iowa beat Arkansas State by three points and Northern Iowa by one. Why should I be convinced the Hawkeyes are anything special?
12:16
toledoblade: Ryan, what are the keys to victory this week as the Wolverines travel to Iowa?
12:17
demmons@theblade.com: toledoblade.com: The Falcons need to make plays from beginning to end. They have not finished a game strong since winning their opener against Troy. Figuring out how to win games sounds simple, but BG is finding out the hard way it's not a simple task.
12:17
rautullo@theblade.com: UM needs to establish a strong run game, tackle well, and do better on defensive third downs.
12:18
[Comment From Bleed Blue]
When does Tate Forcier hit the wall this season?
12:18
[Comment From The Falconer]
Don, at what point does BG coach Dave Clawson abandon Tyler at qb in the red zone and just go to the wildcat formation?
12:19
rautullo@theblade.com: Bleed Blue- Forcier has struggled a bit the last two weeks before really turning it up in the fourth quarter. I'm not sure if he'll hit a wall but we're likely to see a few subpar games from Forcier, especially on the road.
12:19
demmons@theblade.com: Falconer: Great concept. Why not this weekend?
12:19
[Comment From Blue on Blue]
Ryan, would you have gone for the 2 pts conversion on the road when UM scored late in the 4th quarter? Was that brought up after the game?
12:19
[Comment From Freddie]
Who has the edge so far this season, Don, UT or BG?
12:20
toledoblade: The Falconer, nice screen name and good book by Cheever.
12:21
rautullo@theblade.com: Blue on Blue- Rodriguez was asked if he considered going for two, and his only response was, "No." I agree with the call. When you take into account emotion and momentum, UM was feeling very good about itself and MSU was thinking, "Oh no, not again." Trying to win the game in OT was the right decision even though it didn't work out.
12:21
demmons@theblade.com: Freddie: I have to give the nod to UT. They've won more than one game this season and have looked pretty good outside of getting dominated by The Buckeyes of The Ohio State University.
12:21
[Comment From Wolfie]
Can you believe RichRod threw the punter under the bus after the game for the fake punt?
12:23
[Comment From Wolfie]
I mean, idf there is a read for fakes, shouldn't RichRod taken the read off at that point?
12:23
rautullo@theblade.com: Wolfie- Rodriguez probably could have handled the question better, especially since he knew it was going to be asked. He should have taken blame for even allowing Mesko the option of faking the punt. It was a mess of a sequence any way you look at it.
12:23
rautullo@theblade.com: Wolfie- Yes. No reason to complicate things that deep in your own territory. Kicking the ball was the only logical option.
12:27
toledoblade: Don and Ryan, biggest surprise of the season so far?
12:28
rautullo@theblade.com: toledoblade: By far it is Forcier's moxie to repeatedly bring his team back in the fourth quarter. He already has two come-from-behind wins and one in which he brought his team from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.
12:28
[Comment From Joe B]
How does Koger look so far this year?
12:29
demmons@theblade.com: toledoblade.com: Losing four in a row after winning the opener is the biggest surprise in relation to BG. I figured maybe two wins by now.
12:30
rautullo@theblade.com: Joe B- He's looked good for the most part --- nine catches and two TDs. He had a drop against MSU but by and large has played well.
12:30
[Comment From jerry]
Who will win this year- - OSU or UM ?
12:30
toledoblade: Or how about - Pryor or Forcier?
12:31
rautullo@theblade.com: Jerry- Nothing I've seen through five games would suggest UM is ready to beat OSU.
12:32
rautullo@theblade.com: toledoblade- It's comparing apples to oranges. Two different players, two very different offenses. I'll take Pryor in quarters 1-3, Forcier in the fourth quarter.
12:33
[Comment From e-roc]
they actually pay you guys to do this?
12:33
[Comment From Freddie]
Does BGSU win at Kent this week?
12:34
demmons@theblade.com: e-roc: Of course. A penny for every thought:)
12:34
[Comment From Bleed Blue]
Will Iowa defense solve Forcier this week?
12:34
rautullo@theblade.com: E-roc- No, and it seems like unjust punishment that I have to do this the same week I had to sit through watching UM's defense get slaughtered against MSU.
12:35
demmons@theblade.com: Freddie: I've consulted with my magic bowling ball and it revealed to me the final score. Drum roll please - BG 21, Kent 20
12:36
rautullo@theblade.com: Bleed Blue- The better question is whether Forcier will solve Iowa's defense, which has allowed more than 20 points just once this season (21 against Arkansas State).
12:38
[Comment From Wolfie]
Your thoughts on UM's "spread" so far, Ryan?
12:39
rautullo@theblade.com: Wolfie- Last I checked Iowa was an eight-point favorite. That seems like a lot for a team that isn't known to have a prolific offense. I'd take UM and the points ... if I was a gambler, of course.
12:40
[Comment From Freddie]
Don, if Joplin is on the field, are the Falcons a better team?
12:40
[Comment From Wolfie]
Of course, not that I am, either.
12:41
[Comment From Toledo guy]
Any chance BGSU or UM ever have a football team, basketball team fight like at Kansas?
12:42
demmons@theblade.com: Freddie: Great question. If Jop was in uniform on game days I believe the Falcons would have more than one win nearly halfway through the season. He's as good an athlete they have on the roster. He's major D-1 talent.
12:42
rautullo@theblade.com: Toledo guy- Why not? I'll put the football team down as an eight-black eye favorite.
12:44
[Comment From Toledo guy]
How much interaction is there between players of different teams normally? A lot? Natural rivals?
12:44
rautullo@theblade.com: Toledo guy- Athletes generally hang out with athletes, at least that's how I saw it when I was in college.
12:46
[Comment From The Falconer]
Any trouble motivating a 1-4 team, Don?
12:48
demmons@theblade.com: Toledo Guy: It's possible. Never rule out anything. Hockey taking on basketball. women's track taking on women's volleyball. anything is possible. Seriously, I think heads in Kansas athletics administration will roll for this chaos that has been going on. It's a sign of no order in the athletic dept.
12:49
demmons@theblade.com: The Falconer: 1 and 4, if there isn't a sense of urgency now, then, Houston, we have a problem.
12:50
[Comment From A2 in the Big House]
Four wins already. Is Rich Rod safe?
12:51
rautullo@theblade.com: A2- He's fine. Let's not get worked up over one loss.
12:52
[Comment From A2 in the Big House]
I mean by bettering last season's win total.
12:55
toledoblade: It is lunch time after all, best place for lunch in BG or Ann Arbor?
12:55
toledoblade:
You know, we sports guys like to eat ...
12:55
rautullo@theblade.com: Both BG and Ann Arbor have a Mr. Spots, which is nearly unbeatable.
12:56
demmons@theblade.com:
toledoblade.com: No better place than dorm food. Just kidding. How about Myles Pizza or El Zarape.
12:59
toledoblade: All right looks like that is a wrap. Come back next Tuesday for more BG and UM talk and Monday for OSU and Toledo talk.
Post a Comment