Game Twelve (Bowling Green) Thoughts

[catdaddyp]

QB:

It wasn’t Finley’s best outing by any stretch, but he made enough plays to keep the offense in position to score. In an unusual twist, he ran for 58 yards and was far more willing to pull it and go than we’ve seen from him in the past. I’m guessing a part of that was knowing it was his last college game and deciding to leave it all on the field. I know I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating — Finley never made the jump I hoped he would this year, but we don’t get to five wins without him.

 

RB:

Gant is incredibly good at making people miss. He may not have the breakaway speed some other backs have, but his cuts, vision, and angles are almost as good as anyone I’ve seen. And congrats to him for going over 1,000 yards on the season — well deserved.

 

WR:

Drops were an issue at times, but the receiving corps still came through with some big plays. It’s a shame the season is over because Marcel Williams is playing as well as anyone in the MAC right now. He’s absolutely deserving of a First Team selection with the way he closed out the year. Polk and Mason should be in the mix for Second or Third Team All-MAC as well.

 

TE:

Newell returned but didn’t look like himself, and Cravaack didn’t have his best game either.

 

OL:

I thought the OL got better as the game went on. Ironman K. Davis finally missed some time, and Morris showed his versatility by sliding over from left tackle to fill in at right guard. Lyons logged every snap again at center and played well to close out the season.

 

DL:

This group got after it, and the starters played an insanely high number of snaps this year. Congrats to Dall on sealing the game, and I hope it’s not the last time we see him in a Zips uniform.

Murphy probably played his best game to date — I noticed him blast the center into the backfield multiple times. Ideally, that’s a jumping-off point for him heading into 2026. Laventure and Hull were really good, as usual.

 

LB:

Summers played well, and Spriggs flashed his athleticism and physicality multiple times. It wasn’t an overwhelmingly great night for the linebackers, but they were solid and made the plays needed to slow down BG’s run game.

 

DB:

Reed and DeWalt played every snap at corner. I believe both Anderson and Hunter went down during the game, which left Somerville, Flowers, and Di. Johnson to handle most of the snaps at safety. I was impressed with how they came downhill and helped in the run game. The Branches — if that’s the right way to refer to them — split snaps at nickelback.

 

ST:

I was disappointed Hills never broke one for a touchdown this season. He had multiple chances throughout the year and just couldn’t shake free for that final bit. Schramm was excellent on field goals, Castle did well punting, and Wiley once again placed his kickoffs where they needed to be.

 

Coaching:

I thought the staff put together a strong gameplan and did a great job keeping the team focused and ready to play despite there not really being anything on the table anymore. Could things have gone better? Sure, but I’m not going to dwell on the negatives after wrapping up the season with a win.

 

Now we head into an offseason full of uncertainty and a long wait until the 2026 kickoff. We’ll see what happens.

 

 

QB:

Finley

 

RB:

Gant

Patrick

 

WR:

Ma. Williams

Monteiro

 

WR:

Polk

 

WR:

Louis

Mason

 

TE:

Cravaack

Newell

 

LT:

Morris

D. Johnson

 

LG:

Archer 

McManus

 

C

Lyons 

 

RG:

K. Davis

Morris

 

RT:

A. Jones

King

 

 

DE:

Dall

D. Frazier

 

DE:

Durham

J. Frazier

 

DT:

Hull

Murphy

 

DT:

Laventure 

Mixon

 

LB:

Summers

Hocker

 

LB:

Cooper

Spriggs 

 

NB:

Aa. Branch

Al. Branch 

 

CB:

Reed

 

CB:

DeWalt

 

S:

Anderson

Somerville 

Flowers

 

S:

Hunter

D. Johnson

 

 

Offense:

WR - Ma. Williams

RT - A. Jones

RB - Gant

LG - McManus

C - Lyons

 

Defense:

CB - Reed

DT - Murphy

DE - Dall

CB - DeWalt

DT - Laventure

[Blue & Gold]

7 hours ago, catdaddyp said:

QB:

...I know I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating — Finley never made the jump I hoped he would this year, but we don’t get to five wins without him.

 

I was expecting Finley to hit the ground running this season but alas, we got a carbon copy of the 2024 Finley. Took him until MAC play to really start looking comfortable.  I was truly disappointed at how uncomfortable he looked in our opener vs. Wyoming.

 

7 hours ago, catdaddyp said:

Defense:

CB - Reed

DT - Murphy

DE - Dall

CB - DeWalt

DT - Laventure

Did Murphy's light finally come on?!  He's such a physical specimen that I thought he'd be dominant last year, let alone this year.  Bodes well for next season.

 

7 hours ago, catdaddyp said:

DB:

...

Did we ever get word on Catrell White's injury. He looked electric in the 1st Q vs. Wyoming but went down with an injury & never played another snap this season, did he?

[catdaddyp]

10 hours ago, Blue & Gold said:

I was expecting Finley to hit the ground running this season but alas, we got a carbon copy of the 2024 Finley. Took him until MAC play to really start looking comfortable.  I was truly disappointed at how uncomfortable he looked in our opener vs. Wyoming.

 

Did Murphy's light finally come on?!  He's such a physical specimen that I thought he'd be dominant last year, let alone this year.  Bodes well for next season.

 

Did we ever get word on Catrell White's injury. He looked electric in the 1st Q vs. Wyoming but went down with an injury & never played another snap this season, did he?

I agree about Finley. If he’s in form, we’ve got a shot to take one of—if not both—Wyoming and UAB. Instead, we wrapped up non-con play with the same record we always seem to have against P4 opponents.
 

We’ve been waiting on Murphy for a while now. If the portal hits us the way I’m expecting, 2026 may be the perfect window for him to finally come into his own.
 

I haven’t heard anything about White either. I’m assuming it was a season-ender since he never came back. He’s already used a redshirt, but he should be able to get a medical one if he chooses. Getting him back healthy would be huge, especially if we’re operating under the assumption that DeWalt is out of eligibility.