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End Zone: BGSU Falcons: 10-03

Falcons seem to have penchant for letting teams to

10/2/2013
BY JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
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  • Only a pessimist would look at BG's four wins this season and find fault with the team's victory formula. But the Falcons do seem to have a penchant for allowing teams to "hang around" for a while before pulling away late.

    An optimist wouldn't worry, of course. What's the problem when BG nearly doubles the scoring output of its opponents in the late stages of a game? And that's what the Falcons do, having outscored their opponents 87-14 in the second half of their four wins.

    True, the Falcons' ability to grind out victories has its merits. It shows that BG is well conditioned; it shows that BG doesn't panic when it falls behind; and it shows that a veteran team doesn't abandon a game plan, instead tweaking it in ways that produce success on both sides of the ball.

    Still, I must be a pessimist. What some view as "grinding out a victory," I see as allowing inferior teams stay close long enough to give them a chance to land a lucky punch late and steal a victory. And while it may have worked against the four teams BG has beaten this season, this comeback style won't work against the better teams still left on the schedule.

    Of that I am positive.

    Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481 or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.