2008 Woodie Awards
"D" made stops when it had to
By: Bill Bordewick
Issue date: 10/13/08 Section: Sports Commentary
They were run on. They were passed on. They were down 21-7 at one point in the game. And they won.
The Falcons' defensive effort was a tale of two halves-the first being one to forget and the second being one to remember.
The defense allowed Akron running back Dennis Kennedy to rush for his best effort in 24 games, and that was just in the first half.
Kennedy ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the first half in his most explosive effort in two seasons. They also allowed Akron wideout Deryn Bowser to get free on a 37-yard touchdown pass. Then something happened - the BG defense buckled down and made Akron kicker Igor Iveljic a priority.
The defense forced the Zips into two field goals in the second half, also making three critical stops late in the fourth quarter.
The first stop came when senior cornerback Antonio Smith picked off a Chris Jacquemain pass and returned it to inside the six-yard line. Anthony Turner threw a touchdown pass to tight end Jimmy Schiedler two plays later.
BG coach Gregg Brandon alluded that that was the play that may have got the defense going.
Senior defensive lineman Joe Schaefer was also able to get to Jacquemain for the first sack in two games.
"We preach about just being relentless," he said about the defense not giving up after a sub-par first half.
Schaefer was also able to pressure Jacquemain into rushing his pass on fourth down with 15 seconds to go in the game. The pass fell incomplete and BG walked away with a win.
It was not a pretty defensive effort by any means, but the unit showed up when it mattered most that is all that matters.
"I'm really proud of my football team," Brandon said. "We showed great resiliency."
The word "resiliency" fits perfectly with the Falcon defensive effort. The team was gashed by Akron's offense in the first half but they didn't give up or hold their heads down. They got after it and fixed the mistakes of the first half.
"Just execution," Schaefer said of what went wrong in the first half. "We gave up a couple big plays in the first and that's really what shot ourselves in the foot."
It might not have been a good showing for the Falcon defense, but that's not what people are going to take out this game.
They are going to remember that the Falcons got the stops when they needed them, and that is one of the reasons why they were able to get the victory - a victory that put them in first place in the MAC East.
The Falcons' defensive effort was a tale of two halves-the first being one to forget and the second being one to remember.
The defense allowed Akron running back Dennis Kennedy to rush for his best effort in 24 games, and that was just in the first half.
Kennedy ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the first half in his most explosive effort in two seasons. They also allowed Akron wideout Deryn Bowser to get free on a 37-yard touchdown pass. Then something happened - the BG defense buckled down and made Akron kicker Igor Iveljic a priority.
The defense forced the Zips into two field goals in the second half, also making three critical stops late in the fourth quarter.
The first stop came when senior cornerback Antonio Smith picked off a Chris Jacquemain pass and returned it to inside the six-yard line. Anthony Turner threw a touchdown pass to tight end Jimmy Schiedler two plays later.
BG coach Gregg Brandon alluded that that was the play that may have got the defense going.
Senior defensive lineman Joe Schaefer was also able to get to Jacquemain for the first sack in two games.
"We preach about just being relentless," he said about the defense not giving up after a sub-par first half.
Schaefer was also able to pressure Jacquemain into rushing his pass on fourth down with 15 seconds to go in the game. The pass fell incomplete and BG walked away with a win.
It was not a pretty defensive effort by any means, but the unit showed up when it mattered most that is all that matters.
"I'm really proud of my football team," Brandon said. "We showed great resiliency."
The word "resiliency" fits perfectly with the Falcon defensive effort. The team was gashed by Akron's offense in the first half but they didn't give up or hold their heads down. They got after it and fixed the mistakes of the first half.
"Just execution," Schaefer said of what went wrong in the first half. "We gave up a couple big plays in the first and that's really what shot ourselves in the foot."
It might not have been a good showing for the Falcon defense, but that's not what people are going to take out this game.
They are going to remember that the Falcons got the stops when they needed them, and that is one of the reasons why they were able to get the victory - a victory that put them in first place in the MAC East.
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