The Urban Meyer premier is over. The 8-3 turnaround is old news. Even four senior members of the Bowling Green starting defense are far away at NFL camps. Where does this leave the Falcons just a day before their annual spring game?
The first concern for the Falcons is staying at a championship-caliber level. While the Falcons did go 8-3, there were no trophies or bowl bids to show for it.
“We had a good season last year,” Meyer said. “We don’t have anything to show for it, though, which separated us from having a great season.”
What could separate another good from a great season will depend on who is willing to step up and lead the team. At this point, Meyer said he does not have enough players on the team doing this. The Falcons are filled with talent, and Meyer said that many of the vacant positions left by the seniors are being filled with players like Mitch Hewitt and lineback in place of Khary Campbell and Charles Sharon at wide receiver in place of David Bautista. But the month and a half of practice outside this spring has yet to show the emergence of leaders that became prevalent last year in seniors like Brandon Hicks, Ryan Wingrove and Campbell.
“This is not a senior team like it was last season,” Meyer said. “We will have to lean on some younger guys. I’ve seen some very good teams that have been lead by juniors, sophomores and freshman.”
Part of the senior experience is on the bench nursing injuries at the moment. Offensive linemen Jon Mazur and Dennis Wendle are both nursing knee injuries at the moment. Meyer said that while he is seeing the effort needed from some seniors like wide receiver Robert Redd and running back Joe Alls, he would like to see his seniors step up more and lead the team.
“Do we have good kids? Yes,” Meyer said. “But is the same hunger there as last year? No. Are they satisfied? No.”
While Meyer shared a large portion of news about team improvement, he was satisfied with some individual performances, including the emergence of Hewitt and cornerback Janssen Patton.
“Janssen Patton is just an all-around great player,” Meyer said. “He is one of the best players in the MAC. He shows up everyday and outworks others.”
The Spring Game will give the opportunity for players like Redd and Alls to demonstrate this to their team and the fans in attendance. While most collegiate football spring games face the first team versus the second, Meyer is going to continue his format from last year, splitting his team apart to make the best players on the offensive and defensive side of the ball go against each other.
“Other schools put their first team against their second and the score ends up being something like 76-12,” Meyer said. “We want to see what our guys can do against our best.”
The Spring Game will begin at 1 p.m. at Doyt Perry Stadium. Fans who attend will can pick up posters, schedule cards and can purchase or renew season ticket orders for next season. Those who order or renew their season tickets this week are eligible to win a trip for two to either Kansas or South Florida with the Falcons next year.
