5 Thoughts on
the 2009 GMAC Bowl
Tulsa 45 ... Ball State 13
GAME
RECAP: Tulsa rips through Ball State in the rain
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1. Note to Ball State QB Nate
Davis: Stay in school for one
more year. He’s a very nice
passer who slides effortlessly
out of the pocket, but he did
nothing in his final two against
Buffalo and Tulsa to make NFL
scouts flush with anticipation.
He’s shown a tendency to cough
up the ball and had trouble
navigating a Hurricane D that
was among the nation’s worst in
pass efficiency defense. I’m not
suggesting Davis won’t make a
quality pro someday. It just
doesn’t make a ton of sense
leaving early when you’re coming
off two of the weaker
performances of your career.
Plus, as a general rule, unless
a quarterback is a top 10 lock,
he’s almost always better off
getting more reps at the college
level. -
Richard Cirminiello
2. It would have been nice to
see an exit poll from the fans
leaving Ladd-Peebles Stadium to
determine just how many made the
three-hour trip down I-65 to see
the Tulsa offense up close. You
see, Hurricane offensive
coordinator Gus Malzahn, the
architect of the nation’s
top-rated attack, was on the
sidelines for one final game
before taking over the same job
at Auburn on Gene Chizik’s new
staff. Although the competition
was certainly lighter than what
he’ll see in the SEC, those
Tiger fans in attendance had to
be impressed by what they saw.
In weather fit for a duck, Tulsa
still managed to crank out more
than 600 yards, most of which
came on the ground. If Malzahn
can attract the right personnel
to the Plains, how much fun will
it be watching the frenetic
hurry-up, no-huddle offense go
up against Nick Saban’s defenses
every November? -
Richard Cirminiello
3. Has any
conference ever had a worse bowl season than the MAC? For a league
that has made such great strides and plays such competitive
football, this bowl season has been an unmitigated disaster. NIU
losing to Louisiana Tech in the Independence, a home game for the
Bulldogs, was acceptable. Western Michigan lost to Rice in Houston.
That's also nothing to beef about. But Buffalo, the MAC champion,
got run over by UConn after getting five turnovers in the first half
of the International, Central Michigan lost what amounted to a home
game to Florida Atlantic in the Motor City, and now, Ball State got
embarrassed by Tulsa. Sure, there's a valid excuse with head coach
Brady Hoke at San Diego State instead of on the sidelines, but once
the blowout kicked in and the rain intensified, the Cardinals didn't
appear to want anything to do with the rest of the game. At this
point, the MAC has to stay away from Mobile, especially against
Tulsa, after Bowling Green lost to the Golden Hurricane 63-7 last
year for the worst defeat in bowl history. Overall, the MAC now
slips in behind the Sun Belt as the worst conference in America.
-
Pete
Fiutak
4. Tonight's game, the thirty-third out of 34 bowls, offered yet one
more example of how the bowls differ from the regular season.
In its first 12 regular-season games, Ball State was supremely
confident and relatively airtight. But as soon as Nate Davis fumbled
away the MAC championship against Buffalo, BSU's reason for playing
football evaporated. The Cardinals--stomach-punched not just by
their inability to win their conference, but by the departure of
coach Brady Hoke--clearly looked like a team that just didn't have a
lot of fire in the belly.
For Tulsa, loser of the Conference USA Championship Game to East
Carolina (an East Carolina team that spit the bit against 6-6
Kentucky in the Liberty Bowl, another shocking bowl turnabout),
tonight represented a chance for redemption. The Golden
Hurricane--despite having traveled to Mobile, Ala., for last year's
GMAC Bowl--still treated their postseason contest as a big deal. The
results proved as much.
If you had played this game in early December, the Cardinals would
have fared a lot better, because Tulsa quarterback David Johnson was
suffering a crisis of confidence, a football equivalent of a
full-scale collapse. But after a month of down time, a mentally
refreshed Johnson looked like his old, sharp self against Ball
State.
There are no excuses in bowl games--teams have to show up and
perform if they want to gain respect for themselves and their
conferences. With that said, timing means a great deal in this
strange three-week world known as bowl season.
-
Matthew
Zemek
5. Given the difference between the 12-game season-long grind and
the one-shot nature of bowls--very much on display in this and many
other bowl games--it's in the best interest of college football to
create new ways of making the season more competitive and
compelling.
No, I'm not talking about a playoff. We know that's not happening
for at least the next five seasons (the last season under the FOX
BCS contract, followed by the next four seasons under ESPN's new BCS
agreement). What the sport can do is to have teams like Ball State
and Tulsa play mid-December games that feel partly like
regular-season games and partly like postseason games.
Have the MAC champion play the C-USA champion in mid-December.
Have the WAC champion play the Mountain West champion
in mid-December.
Put the games in good time slots on Saturday afternoon on major
cable or broadcast networks. This would be a great way for the sport
to build strength and increase visibility in its non-BCS
conferences. Then even more of the sport's little guys will receive
both the exposure and the on-field spotlight they deserve.
Ball State-Tulsa didn't sizzle on January 6, 2009, but had
Cardinals-Golden Hurricane been staged on December 20, 2008, one
would have seen a far better product, without question. -
Matthew
Zemek