@HokieGuru gets the lowdown on another Virginia Tech football opponent in 2012.
Good evening from @HokieGuru. We are here today at All Sports Discussion to discuss the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) spring football practice. Virginia Tech plays BGSU at home on Saturday, September 22 2012 and the Falcons are sure to put up some offense in Blacksburg.
After all, the Mid-American Athletic Conferece (MAC) is the home of offense – we often Twitter hash tag it that we are watching the #MACtion. BJ Fischer a.k.a. @FischerBJ, runs the show at the Falcon Blog. The Twitter account for the Falcon Blog is @orangeandbrown. Without further ado, here’s our interview below:
@HokieGuru: What are some of the major strengths coming out of spring practice?
@orangeandbrown: I think the biggest surprise areas of growth were on the defensive side of the ball. The Falcons had improved play on the line, at LB and in the d-backfield. In fact, perhaps the biggest improvement was in the secondary. BG was very young last year back there and this year they are just young. But, the d-backs had a very strong spring against the WRs. The defense is very much in a position to be a very improved unit. Oh–and our punter is a freaking bomber.
@HokieGuru: What are some of the major weaknesses coming out of spring practice? In other words, what do you think BGSU will be working on in August before the first game? What are the questions that you think have to be resolved?
@orangeandbrown: The biggest areas of concern for BG remain at WR and at the O-line. BG lost a ton of WRs last year, and while the players who are back do have talent, it isn’t clear if they are ready to win battles on every play. In fact, against BG’s secondary, they did not often times. The O-line also lost a lot of its battles. BG has had incredible problems on the O-line for the last two years and has finally developed some depth, but until we see the unit perform effectively and push some people around, I think everyone wonders where they will end up. Finally, placekicking remains very settled.
@HokieGuru: Who are the new recruits that you are impressed with the most? Are there any that you think will get some major playing time right away?
@orangeandbrown: They aren’t freshmen, but BG does have a couple of new players who I expect to make major contributions. They include Je’Ron Stokes, a WR, who signed at Tennessee when Clawson was OC, went to Michigan when Fulmer was cast out, and then transferred to BG. He has game breaking ability in the MAC. The other is RB Andre Givens who was highly recruited, went to Pitt and then had some academic issues. He recently became eligible and could be really productive around a solid O-line in combination with MAC FOY Anthon Samuel.
@HokieGuru: Based on what you saw/read from spring practice, do you think BGSU will be better (e.g. fair better in the MAC) than last year? Why or why not?
@orangeandbrown: Better. BG had one of the youngest teams in the nation last year and this year brings a more experienced team that has a lot of talent. The defense should be stronger and with an offense that can finally run the ball and protect the QB (we hope) we are very optimistic that wins are coming back to Bowling Green this year. This team has a shot to win 8 games, based on the schedule.
@HokieGuru: Give us the pulse of the BGSU football program – what are are the Falcons bloggers/fans thinking right now on the status of the program?
@orangeandbrown: I would say anticipation is very high. The program was left in a shambles by the previous coach and the challenge in football is that it can take a long time to turn things around. After two losings seasons, fans are ready to see BG make it back to bowl contention and compete for a MAC title. There are certainly concerns and this team should actually be even better next year, but for this year, I think everyone strongly hopes the Falcons are back.
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