Uh-oh, the Falcons are favored
11/5/2005BOWLING GREEN - Although it was his first time up in the Perry Stadium suites for a visit with the media, sophomore tight end Sean O'Drobinak didn't hesitate to offer a frank assessment about the undertaking he and his Bowling Green State University teammates have in front of them.
"[Coach Gregg Brandon's] been saying, 'You're going to find out what kind of character you guys have,'●" O'Drobinak said. "Now it's on us. What kind of character do we have? Are you going to stand up and say, enough's enough, I'm done, I'm going to change it right here, or are you going to keep on going with this?"
"Personally, I think everybody's opinion is that we're going to go do this. Right now, we're an average team, and we've got to go prove we're a better team than we are. No more talking, we've just got to go do it."
BG plays Kent State today at 2 p.m., the third consecutive week the Falcons will face a team which, on paper, their offensive talents outnumber. With three games left, BG (4-4, 3-2 Mid-American Conference) cannot afford another loss in a game in which it is heavily favored.
The Falcons are tied with three teams for first in the MAC East after blowing a two-game lead with home losses to Western Michigan and Akron. It couldn't be predicted before the year started, but the game against the Golden Flashes (1-7, 0-5) could be season-changing. A win gives the Falcons some confidence back heading into tough contests with Miami and Toledo. A loss nearly kills the meaningful part of the season.
"I think we are OK," Brandon said. "Two disappointing home losses are going to take its toll, but the best thing we have going on is that we are still in the hunt."
Underachieving is an awful feeling, offensive lineman Rob Warren said, and "I'm fighting my butt off for anything I can do for this team to make sure that feeling goes away."
Even without quarterback Omar Jacobs, the two touchdowns in each of the past two games the Falcons have scored, coupled with lackluster defensive performances, are much below the standard the program has set the past four seasons. But the team has had two weeks to work with Anthony Turner at quarterback and Warren said the Falcons won't let this game get away.
"I think a lot of the guys have their head in the right place now," Warren said. "It's like an eye-opening experience. We have to step up and do things right now."
Contact Maureen Fulton at:
mfulton@theblade.com
or 419-724-6160.