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BGSU Football Spring Game
Venue: Bobcat Stadium (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Game Time: 1:00 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: Brandi (for part of the game, anyway)

The annual spring game is a chance for fans to get a sneak preview of their team well in advance of the season starting in the fall. Unfortunately, since the team is effectively playing against itself, it can be really difficult to judge what you're seeing. If one aspect of the team looks good, is that a good thing? Or is it just because the opposing aspect has issues? Sometimes it's hard to tell. So really, the spring game is just a chance for fans to whet their already insatiable appetite for football while taking everything they see with a grain of salt.

They held the game at BG's high school stadium due to construction at the Doyt, and there was a pretty decent crowd on hand. It's a good thing that it was a beautiful spring day and awesome to be outside, because the game didn't offer a whole lot in the way of excitement. In keeping with the trouble the Falcons had last season, both offenses had trouble moving the ball. Halfbacks Dan Macon and Chris Bullock both looked pretty good, as did Eric Ransom on limited touches. None of the three quarterbacks competing for the starting spot really did anything to distinguish themselves, though, and that makes me nervous. I don't think I can handle another season that features the quarterback draw as the default offensive play.

The flip side of that, of course, is that the defense looked pretty decent. I have no idea, though, whether that's due to actual improvement or just because the offense was struggling. Hopefully they turn out to be as good as they looked, because if the offense keeps having problems, we'll need the defense to keep us in games.

A lot of Falcon fans, myself included, were looking forward to see the special teams play, as that was another area of concern after last season. Our true freshmen kicker and punter both departed after taking an inordinate amount of heat both from other teams and from their own coach last season, so we're starting fresh with a couple of JUCO transfers. It looks like an upgrade at this early stage, but I'm not putting a whole lot into it, as the playing field was tilted in their favor as were weren't putting any pressure on. We still managed to miss two field goals and have one blocked, but I'm thinking that it was a backup, walk-on kicker on those plays. There were also three made field goals, including a couple from decent distance, and the punting averaged nearly 40 yards. So that's encouraging, but again, I'll hold final judgment until I see them facing some guys actually coming after them.

All in all, I didn't see much of anything to make me think that we'll be much better than we were last year. I really hope I'm wrong. I'd love nothing more than for the offense to break out of its shell and at least approach its past explosiveness; for the defense to hold other teams in check; and for the special teams units to be at least competent if not spectacular. Whether any of that happens or not, I know I can't wait for September to get here so I can spend some time at the Doyt and watch it unfold.