If you look at the standings, what we have left are:
@Akron (0-2, 1-5)
bye
Temps (3-1, 5-2)
@CMU (1-2, 2-5 -- lost at home today to EMU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
@BGSUCKS (1-2, 3-4)
Fiami (1-1, 2-4)
Akron should be a lock, even though they have this week off. They aren't good at all.
By the time Temps rolls around, we should have Omar and maybe Huynh back. In the meantime, the D is getting better. BSU is a much better team than Buffalo and had something to prove after consecutive shellackings. Not only did OU's D give up 15 fewer points this week, they came up with two very nice stops in the 4th quarter today. Given the injuries, they've performed well. Nevertheless, they need to improve on pressuring the QB and tackling.
The only real problem with the offense today was turnovers, but two of those were tipped balls and the third was when Harden maybe tried to do too much, although it looked like he might have been held up and prevented from going down.
You're right, special teams is suddenly a big concern. A blocked punt and two blocked kicks in the last three weeks. Plus, Hershey hasn't played with the abandon (don't want to say reckless) that he did last year.
I've been wondering if this squad isn't a nighttime team. The first three games were at night: 3-0; outscoring the opponents 118-34. The last four games were day games: 1-3; outscored 119-100. Four of the last five games are night games, and the lone day game should be a win.
Preseason expectations are always a little high and are usually rattled as the season rolls along. The expectations for last season were that it was going to be a "dream season" but few could have predicted that Brazill, Keller and Moore would all go down in the first two weeks. This year, we all knew the D line needed work, but we weren't expecting two key parts of the secondary (Leftwich and Hughes) to go down. This team can still go 9-3, can still win the East, can still win the MAC and can still play in a bowl game. Whether or not they wind up with the kind of record that we expected two months ago, if they do all those things (or even just two of the last three) that will be as close to a "dream season" as we should expect from a team with a sophomore QB and a young D line.
I want to drink what you're drinking. Look at BSU's third-down conversion percentage in quarters 2 and 3. Look at how pathetic our pass rush is - not even CLOSE to putting pressure on the QB. He stood back there all day with no need to hurry passes. Keller never came close either.