Under The Radar: Non-BCS Games of Week Two

I picked some good ones last week. Temple beat Villanova by hitting a FG in the last 3 seconds of the game to take a 1 point lead before returning a fumble for a TD on the last play of the game to ice it 31-24. Troy kicked a FG with 4 seconds left to top Bowling Green 30-27. In one of the best plays of the weekend East Carolina hit a 33 yard Hail Mary as time expired to fend off an upset bid by Tulsa 51-49. So 3 out of the 4 games I brought you last week were decided in basically the last play of the game. The other pick was a sentimental pick as Bill Curry and the Georgia State Panthers had their first ever game in the history of the school and beat Shorter in a rout 41-7 in front of 30,000 fans at the Georgia Dome. I was 3-1 picking straight up with no spread as I picked Tulsa to pull the upset of East Carolina but was denied on the Hail Mary. I was going to put Central Michigan at Temple as my first "Game of Week Two" but that game is now over (Temple won 13-10 in OT by the way).

UTEP (1-0) at Houston (1-0)
Fri, Sept 10th (ESPN and ESPN3.com)
10:15 PM EST

Anybody remember last year when Houston was getting some serious buzz after beating Oklahoma State (a Top 10 team at the time) and then Texas Tech? Houston was the #12 team in the nation and UTEP was coming off of a 64-7 throttling at the hands of Texas. So what happened? Well, of course UTEP pulled the upset 58-41. UTEP finished up the year by losing 5 of their next 7 games and Houston went on to finish 10-4 despite losing their last two games. Houston will be looking for revenge but it might not be as easy as they want. In addition to losing to UTEP last year, Houston only beat UTEP by 5 points in 2008 and 3 points in 2007.

My Pick: Houston


BYU (1-0) at Air Force (1-0)
Sat, Sept 11th (Versus)
4 PM EST

Last week BYU was seen beating Washington and Heisman darling Jake Locker. Air Force but up 65 on Northwestern State. Last year BYU clipped Air Force by 17 at home. This year the game is on the road for BYU but I expect them to prevail. Watch this one to get a peak at BYU Freshman Jake Heaps. Last week he went 13 of 23 for 131 yards in his debut as a true freshman.

My Pick: BYU


Bowling Green (0-1) at Tulsa (0-1)
Sat, Sept 11th

Both of these teams played games that I listed in my column last week and both games delivered on dramatic finishes. On paper this doesn't look like the best game but both teams put up valiant fights last week and came up just short. Tulsa lost at East Carolina 51-49 because of a fluke Hail Mary play and Bowling Green lost at Troy on a last second FG. Expect both teams to play with a lot of heart and emotion.

My Pick: Tulsa

Under The Radar: Non-BCS Games of the Week

Ross already has us covered on the "Big Time" games this week in his Six Pack Games of the Week. So I thought I would take a look at some under the radar games this week (in some cases way under the radar) that do not involve any teams from a BCS conference.


Tulsa Golden Hurricane at East Carolina Pirates
When: Sunday Sept 5th at 2 PM on ESPN 2
Where: Greenville, NC (Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium)
Line: East Carolina by 8.5

Last year under the guidance of Skip Holtz, East Carolina defeated Tulsa 44 to 17 on Tulsa's home turf. This year Skip Holtz has moved on to South Florida and former Texas Tech DC Ruffin McNeill has taken over the East Carolina Pirates. With last years game being such a blow out, why would I pick this as a game to watch? Because these two teams look to be vastly different than last years versions. East Carolina returns the least amount of starters in all of the FBS (they are losing 30 lettermen and only return 8 starters) and is breaking in a new coaching staff. Tulsa on the other hand brings back 15 starters with 9 of those playing on the offense including QB G.J. Kinne and WR Damaris Johnson. I think Tulsa could be a surprise team in C-USA. Ruffin McNeill still hasn't decided who his QB is for game one and to me that's not a good sign when you are breaking in a new offense.

My Pick: Tulsa


Villanova Wildcats at Temple Owls
When: Friday Sept 3rd at 5 PM on ESPN3.com
Where: Philadelphia, PA (Lincoln Financial Field)

Temple finished 9-4 last year but opened up the year with back-to-back losses to Penn State and Villanova. Villanova went 14-1 last year and won the FCS Championship over Montana. In week one last year Temple held a 10 point lead on Villanova in the 4th quarter but the Wildcats fought back and kicked a FG with no time on the clock to win the game in dramatic fashion. This sets up as a revenge game for Temple and sets up as a game in which Villanova wants to show the world (or at least Philadelphia) that they are indeed for real.

My Pick: Temple


Bowling Green Falcons at Troy Trojans
When: Saturday Sept 4th on Troy/ISP Network/FCSP (cable)
Where: Troy, Al (Movie Gallery Stadium)
Line: Troy by 14

Much like Temple/Villanova this is a revenge game. Last year in the first game of the year Bowling Green beat Troy 31-14. This was Dave Clawson's debut game as coach of the Bowling Green Falcons and his team surprisingly outgained the Trojans 394-293. Troy took a 14-7 led into half but BGSU owned the 2nd half as they outscored the Trojans 24-0 to win the game. Bowling Green finished the season 7-6 and Troy wound up 9-4.

My Pick: Troy


Georgia State Panthers vs. Shorter Hawks
When: Thurs Sept 2nd at 7:30 PM
Where: Atlanta, Georgia (Georgia Dome)

Most people don't have this game on their radar but to me it's very intriguing because it's the very first game for the Georgia State Panthers. Head Coach Bill Curry has been tabbed as the guy to help make football a reality and it all kicks off on Thursday. Shorter is a Division 2 school that opened up their schedule last week with a loss to West Alabama (the #12 team in Division 2). Despite the loss Shorter's style is said to be like Georgia Tech's. That could be intriguing. Also, Georgia State is not naming a starting QB. They had 4 guys go at it during spring for the starting nod and then former Alabama back-up Star Jackson threw his name in the hat by transferring this fall. Despite being their first year Georgia State does have 8 players with D-1 playing experience (including a grad student who started at Georgia Tech on the OL last year). Unfortunately, this game isn't on TV (shocker) but I will be keeping an eye out on how Georgia State and Bill Curry do in their inaugural season.

My Pick: Georgia State

Pre-Season Preview: Bowling Green Falcons

2009 Record: 7-6 (6-2 in MAC)
2009 Bowl: Humanitarian Bowl (lost to Idaho 43-42)
Final 2009 AP Ranking: N/A
Head Coach: Dave Clawson (7-6 in one year at Bowling Green, 65-55 All-Time)
Non-Conference Schedule: at Troy (9/4),at Tulsa, Marshall (9/18), at Michigan (9/25)

2009 Offensive Statistics
Scoring: 28.5 points per game (5th in MAC)
Rushing Yards/Game: 86 (12th in MAC, 114th in Nation)
Passing Yards/Game: 316 (1st in MAC, 6th in Nation)
Total Yards/Game: 402 (4th in MAC) 

2009 Defensive Statistics
Scoring: 27.5 points per game (7th in MAC)
Rushing Yards/Game: 194 (12th in MAC, 103rd in Nation)
Passing Yards/Game: 204 (5th in MAC)
Total Yards/Game: 398 (10th in MAC)

2009 Misc Stats
Turnover Margin: 0.31 per game (4th in MAC)
Penalties: 49 yards per game (6th in MAC)

Returning Starters
Offense: 4
Defense: 4
Kicker/Punter: 1

Phil Steele All-MAC Pre-Season 
C Ben Bojicic (Third Team)
RB Willie Geter (Fourth Team)
DT Kevin Alvarado (Fourth Team)

Top Returning Statistical Leaders
Passing: QB Aaron Pankratz, Soph (5 of 13 for 52 yds)
Rushing: RB Willie Geter, Sr (176 carries for 705 yds, 9 TD, 4.0 ypc, 54 ypg)
Receiving: WR Adrian Hodges, Jr (46 rec, 417 yds, 2 TD, 3.5 rec/game)
Tackles: LB Alex Wujciak, Sr (131)
Sacks: DB Keith Morgan, Jr (268)
Interceptions: DB Adrien Spencer, Soph (1); DB Keith Morgan, Jr (1)

2010 Pre-Season Rankings
Lindy's: Not Ranked
Mark Schlabach: Not Ranked
Rivals: Not Ranked
Scout: Not Ranked
Sporting News: #66
Sports Illustrated: Not Ranked
Athlon Sports: #111

2010 Pre-Season MAC East Prediction:
Athlon Sports: #6
Phil Steele: #5 (tied with Miami, Oh and Akron)

Former Richmond Head Coach and Tennessee Offensive Coordinator Dave Clawson took over the regins for the Falcons last year. They went 1-4 in their first 5 games dropping games to Missouri, Boise State, Ohio and Marshall. The Falcons then finished the year winning 6 of 7 games before dropping their bowl game. Clawson lost a lot of key players from last years team so it will be interesting to see how he regroups in his second year. We got the Falcon Blog to help us find out what is in store for Bowling Green in 2010.

What are the major strengths and biggest weaknesses of the team?

The Falcons are a very young team this year. Most of the offensive playmakers graduated and the defense also lost its strongest players, particularly at safety. The defensive line returns players who got a lot of snaps and would look to be a strong point, and I think we are strong at LB. While Freddie Barnes is gone, there is a lot of depth at WR.

The biggest issue facing the Falcons this year is obviously at QB. Tyler Sheehan took every meaningful snap last year. There are four players competing for the job, including a sophomore, two redshirt freshmen and a true freshmen. The ability of these QBs to be productive will be a key test.

Looking at the schedule who will be the first major test and why?

I believe the first major test will be Troy, the opening game of the season. Troy is a good program that BG managed to beat last year, but this game will be in Alabama, and with a young team opening the season on the road, it will be a very difficult test.

What team on the schedule do you fear the most?

The cop out answer is Michigan at the Big House, but in terms of games that matter, I worry about the game at Temple. We haven't played them in a few years. They have a very proficient running game, and we have a very un-proficent running defense in recent years. I think this will be a very tough challenge.

Who is the best player on your team that nobody talks about?

LB Eugene "Champ" Fells probably does not get enough notice. Also, on the D-line, Angelo Magnone is a very solid player who has seen a lot of snaps who is below the radar.

Who is the best offensive player on the team?

I'm going to say RB Willie Geter. He has never posted big numbers, partly because I don't think we have run blocked very effectively. If the running game comes around, and it will need to, he has the opportunity to have a good season.

Who is the most impactful defensive player on the team?

Champ Fells. See above.


What player(s) needs to step up this year in order for the team to reach it's full capability?

There are really three answers here, but I think of them more as positions.

First, the running game needs to step up. That will be seen as Willie Geter, but involves his blockers and other RBs (John Pettigrew, notably) too.

Second, the D-line needs to step up. They carry the experience on the defense, and we have really suffered up front in recent years. If the defense is going to keep us in games, it will have to start with them.

Third, the QB position needs to develop by the MAC season and find someone who can manage our offense.

Who is the top offensive newcomer that can make an impact this year?

Kamer Jordan is a JUCO WR who I believe can be very productive in our offense. Shaun Joplin (WR) also has huge playmaking upside.

Who is the top defensive newcomer that can make an impact this year?

This one is a little tougher. I'm going to say D-lineman Jarius Campbell or D-back Jerry Gates, a true freshmen who could see time in our backfield, which returns only one starter.

Gut feeling on the teams final record at the end of the regular season and what makes this a successful season in your eyes?

I haven't sat down and evaluated each game on the schedule, but on paper, as the season starts, .500 would be a successful season for this group.

Thanks to the Falcon Blog for providing us with some insight on Bowling Green. You can follow them on twitter @orangeandbrown.

Next Up: Ball State Cardinals

2010 Previews
Big 12- Kansas State Wildcats, Missouri Tigers, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Big East- Cincinnati Bearcats, Pittsburgh Panthers, West Virginia Mountaineers
Big Ten- Michigan Wolverines, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Northwestern Wildcats, Purdue Boilermakers
Conference USA- Houston Cougars, Tulane Green Wave, UTEP Miners
MAC- Buffalo Bulls, Temple Owls
Mountain West- Utah Utes
Pac-10- Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans, Washington Huskies
Sun Belt- Troy Trojans
WAC- New Mexico State Aggies