Gill-ing the game
He stood quietly, watching the New Mexico State sideline erupt in applause as the Aggies celebrated a win that had earlier on in the contest been the Flames to lose.
The New Mexico State loss was an unexpected loss while the victory over Troy on Saturday, Oct. 13 was an unexpected victory.
At 3-3, the Turner Gill-led Flames have had a roller coaster beginning to their inaugural year in the FBS (College Football Bowl Subdivision).
After kicking off the season in dominant fashion with a 52-10 victory over Old Dominion, the Flames cooled off following losses to Army and North Texas. The Flames offense has begun to show signs of life in the last three weeks during their back to back road trips to New Mexico and a home matchup against Troy. In those three games Gill’s offense has compiled 115 total points.
The Flames went 1-1 in their journey out West but are looking to make significant defensive improvements due to the 155 points allowed in the last four games.
Granted, the transition to FBS involves the Flames having to take on stiffer competition which will include November road trips consisting of University of Virginia and Auburn. But, Gill is not concerned with the potential coaching differences that come with moving up to the FBS.
“Coaching football is the same, FBS or FCS,” Gill said. “You have 11 guys on the field, you coach them up and you do the
best you can.”
Gill mentioned that the Flames are dealing with a significant number of injuries coming off of their two game New Mexico series.
As the Flames have advanced in the level of competition that they face, Gill remains confident that what his team sees on the field remains the same.
“We’ve seen all kinds of things,” Gill said. “Not just in these last few games but in the last few years we’ve seen all kinds of different coverages, different schemes. After the first couple of series you get a feel for what their thinking, especially formations.”
The Flames will look to get a feel for Idaho State’s formations as quickly as possible when they play host to the Bengals on Saturday at 2 p.m. for Homecoming Weekend.
If the Flames can top the Bengals Saturday, they will sit at 4-3 on the season, heading into their three-week road trip.