Sidney 15 Troy 14 (OT)

High School Football
Home Team: Sidney Yellowjackets
Visiting Team: Troy Trojans
Venue: Sidney Memorial Stadium
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Fellow Attendees:None

This game sucked. Read further thoughts here.

Piqua 13 Troy 12

High School Junior Varsity Football
Home Team: Piqua Indians
Visiting Team: Troy Trojans
Venue: Alexander Stadium
Game Time: 10:00 a.m.
Fellow Attendees: Mom, Dad

In all my years of following high school football, this is the first time I've gone to a junior varsity game. My nephew is a sophomore linebacker who played in this game, and, being the last JV game of the year, my brother called and asked me to go. So I went.

Oh...did I mention that my nephew is a linebacker for Piqua? And that, as an alumnus of Troy, I've spent the bulk of my life cultivating a seething hatred for Piqua? Needless to say, that put me in a strange situation for this game. I wanted to see Brandon do well individually, but actually cheering for Piqua's team to win the game...well, that was a little beyond me. Had the game been against anyone but Troy I could have pulled it off, but not this one. So I just sat there (on the home side of Piqua's stadium, I might add, another bizarre element for me) and watched the game in silence, not actively rooting for either team.

I'm glad to say that Brandon did play well. He played every snap on defense, I think, and was in on quite a few tackles. He was almost always where he needed to be and looked to be pretty solid. So that's good. As for the game, well...Piqua won. Or, more accurately, Troy lost. They were up 12-0 at halftime and had quite a bit more talent than the Indians. They seemed to come unglued after the break, though, and absolutely gave the game away with penalties and turnovers.

Still, as a spectator, especially for this game, I was more interested to see what each team had than in the actual outcome. Troy had a couple of guys that looked to be pretty talented, although they'll need to buckle down and get those penalties and turnovers under control if they want to contribute on the varsity level next year. As for Piqua, their QB was a decent dual threat in the mold of most of their recent quarterbacks, but other than that it didn't look to me like they had too much, at least on the offensive side. Defensively Piqua will always be solid, talent or no, because that's their calling card. Overall, though, I didn't see anything from them to indicate that their varsity team will be getting back to their glory days anytime soon.

Troy 26 Piqua 0

High School Football
Home Team: Troy Trojans
Visiting Team: Piqua Indians
Venue: Troy Memorial Stadium
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

Read my thoughts here.

Trotwood-Madison 25 Troy 13

High School Football
Home Team: Trotwood-Madison Rams
Visiting Team: Troy Trojans
Venue: Bob Driver Stadium
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: Alex

Read my thoughts here.

Troy 14 Lebanon 7

High School Football
Home Team: Troy Trojans
Visiting Team: Lebanon Warriors
Venue: Troy Memorial Stadium
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

Read my thoughts here.

Ohio 44 Bowling Green 37

College Football
Home Team: Bowling Green Falcons
Visiting Team: Ohio Bobcats
Venue: Doyt Perry Stadium
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: Brandi

This is the game that the Falcons probably should have won. Committing penalties at inopportune moments (not that there's really an opportune moment for a penalty), dropping passes in the endzone, and settling for field goals instead of touchdowns are not ingredients in the recipe for success. And yet, with all of that, BG was in this game until the end, and very nearly put a TD on the board that would have sent it to overtime. Even with the mistakes, this was a fun, entertaining game to watch.

Besides that, as much as I live and die with BGSU athletics, on this day it was just great to be back in Bowling Green. It was Homecoming, so Brandi and I went up and made a weekend out of it. Aside from the game, we also ate at some of our old haunts and had drinks at some of our favorite watering holes. I don't really miss living in the city of Bowling Green on a day-to-day basis, but I do miss being so close to the university's campus, and it's always nice to get back and spend some time.

Troy 27 Vandalia Butler 6

High School Football
Home Team: Troy Trojans
Visiting Team: Vandalia Butler Aviators
Venue: Troy Memorial Stadium
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

Read my thoughts here.

#8 Boise State 49 Bowling Green 14

College Football
Home Team: Bowling Green Falcons
Visiting Team: #8 Boise State Broncos
Venue: Doyt Perry Stadium
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: Brandi

Wow.

As a fan of Bowling Green, this game was tough to watch. As an avid and interested college football follower and enthusiast, it was pretty awesome. Boise State is one of those teams that shows up on TV on a fairly frequent basis, and they've had a lot of success, but so many people still seem to think it's a fluke. I've always enjoyed watching them play, and now that I've seen them in person, I'm here to tell you, they are no fluke.

A lot of teams, faced with an opponent that is obviously not on their level, will go with a conservative game plan, content to toy with them, generally letting the game stay close until they finally manage to pull away in the end. Boise State has no interest in that type of game plan. They come out and put their foot on their opponent's throat as quickly as possible, then sub out their starters and coast to the end. Honestly, I loved watching it. It sucked to see it happen to my team, of course, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't think Boise State's brand of football is the way football should be played. I think they're just going to get better - why wouldn't a recruit want to go there? They win a lot of games, and the way they play has to be fun.

That said, BG had some opportunities to make this more of a game than it was. The Falcons moved the ball well on their opening drive, only to miss a field goal at the end. After that they had some penalties and turnovers that held them back. I don't think correcting those items would have turned this into a win, but it could have made the final score a little more palatable, or forced the Broncos to leave their starters in longer in order to achieve blowout status. On the defensive side of the ball, I don't think BG played all that badly, really. Boise State had a huge advantage in speed, and their offensive schemes are so good at getting their guys where they need to be.

As happens to me all too often, Brandi and I ended up sitting in front of a couple of guys who couldn't control their knees, spilled beer all over our stuff, and had nothing good to say about anything for the duration of their attendance. That was one good thing about the unevenness of the game - these guys were gone before halftime.

Aside from the game, it was awesome to be back in Bowling Green, if only for a limited time. Sometimes it seems hard to believe that I lived there for so long. As happy as I am to be back in my hometown for good, I miss being so close to the university's campus and being able to just go wander around whenever the mood takes me. But, on the flip side, that makes visiting all the sweeter. Brandi and I will be back in town next week for the Homecoming game, as BG hosts the Ohio Bobcats, and we'll actually be staying overnight, so that should be a good time.

Troy 14 Wayne 12

High School Football
Home Team: Wayne Warriors
Visiting Team: Troy Trojans
Venue: Heidkamp Stadium
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

Read my thoughts here.

Centerville 40 Troy 7

High School Football
Home Team: Troy Trojans
Visiting Team: Centerville Elks
Venue: Troy Memorial Stadium
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

Read my thoughts here.

Fairborn 20 Troy 6

High School Football
Home Team: Fairborn Skyhawks
Visiting Team: Troy Trojans
Venue: Fairborn Memorial Stadium / Buschmeyer Field
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

Read my thoughts here.

Troy 49 Xenia 6

High School Football
Home Team: Troy Trojans
Visiting Team: Xenia Buccaneers
Venue: Troy Memorial Stadium
Game Time: 7:30 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

Read my thoughts here.

CJ 10 Troy 0

High School Football
"Home" Team: Chaminade-Julienne Eagles
"Visiting" Team: Troy Trojans
Venue: Welcome Stadium
Game Time: 5:30 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

Read my thoughts here.

Troy 17 Dunbar 6

High School Football (scrimmage)
Home Team: Troy Trojans
Visiting Team: Dunbar Wolverines
Venue: Troy Memorial Stadium
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

The only really important thing that needs to be said is this: football is back. I go to this scrimmage each year mainly to give myself a taste of being back at Troy Memorial Stadium, sitting under the lights and watching the Trojans do their thing. As much as I enjoy the action of the scrimmage, I'm never totally sure what to take away from it. I'm just happy to be here.

All that said, one thing this scrimmage definitively did show is that the Wing-T offense is back in effect in Trojanland. That's the offense that Coach Nolan has run for most of his 24-year career in Troy, but he went away from it last year to maximize the talent he had - QB Tyler Wright and HB Matt Allen. Those guys are gone now, though, and the Trojans this year will look to a full stable of running backs to provide most of the offense with the passing game relegated back to its customary afterthought position. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing; any longtime follower of Troy football will tell you that the Trojans have had a good amount of success with that approach. Whether that will be the case this year remains to be seen.

There were also encouraging signs from the defense, which was manhandled at times last year. Tonight they looked strong against the run. That's good, because the secondary is young and will undoubtedly be tested throughout the year. If the defense can count on being strong against at least one phase of the game, that's one less thing to worry about.

Now it's time to tee it up for real. The season opener is a little bit different this year, being held on Thursday night at an off time (5:30 p.m.). The game is being held at Dayton's Welcome Stadium as part of a doubleheader.

Bowling Green 75 Ohio 41

Men's Basketball
Home Team: BGSU Falcons
Visiting Team: Ohio Bobcats
Venue: Anderson Arena (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Game Time: 2:00 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

Ohio's coach looks like a librarian. A very angry little librarian at times, I might add. I really think he was trying to get two technical fouls and get thrown out so he wouldn't have to continue to watch the multitude of suck that was his team, and I can't say I blame him. Alas, he was only able to achieve one technical, so he had to stick it out until the end.

As bad as OU was, though, I don't think anyone in the MAC would have beaten the Falcons today. It was obvious from the get-go that they knew they had something to play for, and they latched onto it with both hands and wouldn't let go. It was awesome to see them come out focused and hungry, intent on destroying anything in their path. Just about everybody on the floor looked good today. They went through a couple of sloppy stretches, but were able each time to collect themselves quickly and recommence the beat-down.

With the win, the Falcons tied for the regular-season MAC championship. I stuck around after the game to watch the team cut down the net on the south end of Anderson Arena, and I wasn't even close to the only one. Shortly thereafter, the final of the Miami-Buffalo game was announced - with Buffalo's win, the Falcons are the #1 seed going into the MAC Tournament, which starts next Tuesday, giving them a bye into the quarterfinals, and also guarantees an NIT berth in the event that they don't win the MAC Tourney for the NCAA bid.

This was also Senior Day at Anderson Arena, the last home game for Darryl Clements, Brian Moten, and Nate Miller. These three guys have been huge components of this year's success, and it's awesome to see them go out on top. It's a shame that Senior Day had to fall during the first weekend of BGSU's spring break - it would have been nice for them to get their ovations from a raucous crowd doing justice to the "House That Roars" legacy, but I suppose they'll probably take it however it came.

Now it's time to play for an NCAA Tournament spot. 1968 was a long time ago, gentlemen...let's get it done in Cleveland! Go Falcons!

Miami 50 Bowling Green 45 OT

Men's Basketball
Home Team: Miami RedHawks
Visiting Team: BGSU Falcons
Venue: Millett Hall (Oxford, Ohio)
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

First off, win or lose, I have to give the Falcons a lot of credit. Like so many other games this season, they were behind for a good portion of this game, sometimes by a significant amount. Like so many other games this season, they battled back to put themselves in a position to win at the end. Especially with one of the team's best players (Chris Knight) out and frontcourt depth at a premium due to injury (Marc Larson), the way BG has been playing of late has been very, very impressive. Alas, this time around, they just couldn't get the ball in the hole when they really needed to, but they gave it a hell of a run.

Going to sporting events by myself has good and bad points, sometimes wrapped up all in one thing. Since I'm the rare bird that just needs one ticket, I can often find a singleton in what seems like a really good spot. For this game I found myself in the first row right behind the Miami bench. That sounds pretty good, but really, it's not optimal. Once the game starts, players are jumping up and down, coaches and trainers are roaming around, and plenty of game personnel and event staff are in the vicinity as well. Frankly, it's often hard to see what's going on. I was extremely grateful to one ref who eventually made it a point to tell Miami's bench to sit down pretty much each time down the floor (I think at some point they should have earned a technical foul, but I'm biased). Of course, that didn't keep ol' Charlie from getting in my way from time to time, but it made it easier to see more of the game.

And it goes without saying that I was surrounded by Miami fans. One guy, on his way into the section, saw me decked out in orange and tried to tell me I was in his seat. When I assured him I had a ticket for my seat and actually started to get it out to show it to him, he remembered that he was actually in the row behind me. In the middle of the section I might have bought it, but I was in the first row - dude, you know I'm not in your seat. I think he just assumed I was trying to bogart the seat and wanted to keep a Falcon fan from occupying such a "prime" spot. Unfortunately for him, he had to listen to me yelling encouragement to the Falcons all night long. I don't think I was too obnoxious, except when Scott Thomas hit the 3-ball at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. I went a little bit out of my mind at that point. My throat is still a little raw from that outburst, actually.

My observations on the game itself are a little spotty, due to my odd perspective, but here's what I've got. First, I'd love to see Scott Thomas get some more minutes. His absolutely clutch trey aside, he's the only player we have that looks confident and consistently competent when passing into the post. I think Otis could provide at least some scoring punch if we could get him the ball more often, and we know that Marschall can score. With the offensive droughts these guys go through sometimes, that could be huge. And what was Otis doing on his last foul? He fouled a guy shooting a 3 - bad enough when anyone does it, but why was the center out there? We could have used him in OT. I also wasn't crazy about Nate driving for the layup with about 10 seconds left in overtime, down by 3. The defense cleared out and was pretty much giving it to him, but with that little time on the clock, I think it was time to shoot for 3. It didn't help that he missed the layup, but I think it was the wrong decision either way. And I'm not criticizing Nate - that could have been a coaching call as much as his own initiative. And without him we're not in that situation anyway. He's been huge for us.

So now the Falcons go into their final regular-season game in a four-way tie for first in the MAC with Miami, Buffalo, and Akron. There's a bunch of different ways this can play out, but the only thing the Falcons can do at this point is take care of OU at home and let the whole mess sort itself out. I'll be at the House That Roars (and hopefully it will) on Sunday to cheer the Falcons on, and hopefully we can send B-Mo, DC, and Nate out in style.

Bowling Green 59 Toledo 54

Men's Basketball
Home Team: Toledo Rockets
Visiting Team: BGSU Falcons
Venue: Savage Arena (Toledo, Ohio)
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

This was an ugly game, an absolutely brutal game to watch. But hey, I'm not going to complain too much, because it was a win, the first time I've seen BG win at Savage. Ugly or not, beating the Rockets (in anything) is a salve to soothe all ills.

There's really not a whole lot to say about the game. The Rockets are terrible, and they shouldn't have even been in this game. Unfortunately, the Falcons played almost as badly and let them stick around. I've rarely seen so many passes bounce off of hands or just sail out of bounds untouched. But, again, they managed to pull it out in the end, and that's all that matters.

And the game wasn't the only thing that was ugly. The weather outside was frightful, and I was soaked by the time I got into the arena. After the game, there was a small lake inside the parking garage I was in. And the drive home, which should take around two hours, took more than three due to severe winds blowing over no fewer than three semis along the way. But, much like the game, I made it eventually, and that's all that matters.

Also on the bright side, I didn't have to pay to get into the game. A gentleman standing with his son near the ticket windows had one extra ticket, and since I was by myself, he offered it to me for free just so it wouldn't go to waste. I always do the same when I have extras, but it's an unexpected delight when it comes back around.

Bowling Green 68 Western Michigan 61

Men's Basketball
Home Team: BGSU Falcons
Visiting Team: Western Michigan Broncos
Venue: Anderson Arena (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

The education of Otis Polk continues.

The big man was a beast tonight, and a lot of fun to watch. It seems like he's finally figuring out how he needs to play in order to keep himself out of foul trouble and on the floor. And that's great to see, because I think he can be a serious force in the MAC. Everyone knows what he can do on the defensive end; if we can start getting more performances like this from him on the offensive end, oh boy, watch out.

Miami 67 Bowling Green 60

Men's Basketball
Home Team: BGSU Falcons
Visiting Team: Miami RedHawks
Venue: Anderson Arena (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None

Sometimes I'm not sure what to think about this year's BG team, and this is one of those times. They looked pretty solid early in the year...granted, mostly against lesser competition, but also in a close loss to Ohio State. As the season has progressed, though, it seems like they're getting worse instead of better. I know they go through stretches when they have trouble scoring, which is one thing. Tonight, though, they went through a couple of stretches when it didn't look like they knew what they were doing anywhere on the floor, and that's discouraging. That they managed to make this a close game is pretty astounding; had they been able to maintain competence particularly coming out of the half, they likely would have won.

Still, there's no great shame in losing to Miami, one of two non-BG programs in the MAC that I actually have quite a bit of respect for (the other being Kent State). Charlie Coles is a great coach - you know his guys are going to be tough, year in and year out.

Troy 55 Piqua 42

Boys' Basketball
Home Team: Troy Trojans
Visiting Team: Piqua Indians
Venue: Trojan Activities Center
Game Time: 7:30 p.m. (theoretically)
Fellow Attendees: None

(JV Score: Troy 73 Piqua 50)

Well, it's not football, but a Trojan victory over Piqua in anything is a good way to start the year.

This was just the Trojans' second win of the year, against nine losses. Unfortunately, this was the first time I've seen them, so I can't really speak to why they haven't had much success. They looked pretty decent to me. They've got a couple of big guys down in the post who look pretty good. The guards aren't anything spectacular, but they seemed solid enough. Maybe they're putting things together and will win some more games from here on out. Or maybe Piqua is just that bad. Time will tell.

I was really impressed with Troy' JV team. I didn't see any amazing talent, but they seemed to be really well coached. They were pretty fundamentally sound for guys so young, especially in terms of passing and defense. They had a good feel for where the other guys were on the floor, and they were fun to watch. They played an uptempo style, quite a contrast from the varsity team's more deliberate play. Of course, that resulted in quite a few fouls, and the refs in that game were quite whistle-happy. The JV game started at 6:00, with the varsity scheduled to begin at 7:30. The varsity game didn't end up starting until about 8:10. That one went quite a bit faster, though, and I was on my way out by 9:15 or so.