Previous (Two) Evening(s) MAC Review: I Shoulda Slept Longer

Football

(Wednesday) Toledo 33, Bowling Green 14 — And with this decisive W, the Notactuallyapeacepipe-shaped Peace Pipe belongs in the Rockets' trophy case for the first time since 2006. They just threw everything at the Falcons in the first eight minutes, and everything stuck like perfectly cooked farfalle. Terrance Owens' two touchdown throws came on their first two series, and wide receiver Eric Page launched a third to Tim Cortazzo to make it 19-0 before you could say "Tavares Bolden."

The game was basically over at that point, because the Rockets responded to each of BG's scores in kind. After the Falcons finally got on the board, Adonis Thomas broke an 81-yard run for the equalizer. Eugene Cooper's punt return in the second half was followed minutes later by the final score. Fin.

How demoralized was I? Well, I couldn't bear it at halftime, so off to bed went this blogger, who remained out cold for the next 10 hours. I dreamt I overslept and was supposed to skip the national US curling team. (Yep.)

The mind escapes into fantasy when things go poorly, and they sure did for Falcon football. Seriously. Here were your BG highlights:

• A blocked extra point
• An interception on the Toledo 13-yard line
• A punt return for touchdown

There you are. Three plays. Everything else was foul-smelling doodie, and that's been the story of the year for BG football. And yet elite teams salivate to have their amount of big plays. I did the math; they have seven return touchdowns (interception/kickoff/punt). Only one other team has seven total touchdowns, and that's Oregon. I can't explain it either.

But I can explain Toledo's success as they move to 7-4 and are looking at a bowl game. Owens got back on track with his offense and I worry for whichever mediocre big-conference team has to face these guys in December. But we do have one more week: UT welcomes Central Michigan, and BG hosts WMU, both on Black Friday.

(Wednesday) Miami 19, Akron 14 — Oh, the poor Zips. A team like this starts 0-11 for a reason. When they're in the red zone with a chance to score in the final minute, sure enough their leading receiver Jeremy LaFrance fumbled the ball away for the loss. It was just your standard strip-n-grab for Miami's Jordain Brown. The bigger question remains how the RedHawks, STILL IN THE MAC EAST RACE, was hanging around for 39 minutes with a winless team. Maybe it was the absence of Zac Dysert in the pocket that narrowed the talent margin, but still, people. This doesn't bode well for Miami's showdown next week against Temple, which they absolutely need to face NIU in the MAC championship, barring an OHIO loss to Kent State, which is another small-percentage instance.

Basketball

Michigan 69, Bowling Green 50 — Hey, the Falcons had a 14-13 lead in the first half. That coulda been a football score! But it wasn't, and all day I was wondering if the BG basketball defense could hold tougher than their football counterparts, who allowed the Michigan football team lay 65 points up on the scoreboard, and they almost did it. The Wolverines started putting this way before halftime as the 8-point lead kept growing like a sponge dinosaur in the second half. But A'uston Calhoun did set a personal mark for 16 points — 14 in the first half — in just 21 minutes. Next game: Monday 11/12 vs. Duquesne

(Wednesday) Ball State 75, Indiana State 60 — No, I'm not saying the Cardinals oughta be ranked just yet, but they are the only remaining unbeaten MAC team at 2-0. The Sycamores hung around for awhile in the first half before the Ball State afterburners kicked in for a 46-31 advantage in the second half. SUUURRRRRGE! Your Triumvirate of Verisimilitude: Jauwan Scaife poured in 24 points (9-of-9 free throw shooting), Randy Davis added 15 points along with nine assists and three steals, while Jarrod Jones cleaned up with 12 points and 11 rebounds. They kept getting to the free throw line, and they kept makin' them. It's such a simple formula. Next game: Saturday 11/20 at Butler