Ohio (2-2) will take on Bowling Green (2-2) at home to start an eight-game slate in the Mid-American Conference as it hopes to find a way back to Detroit at the season's end. The road will be tough, and Ohio is hard tested after non-conference play, but now the team has to prove it in the MAC on Saturday.
Bowling Green started their season with a win over FCS opponent Lafayette, but it wasn’t convincing. It followed up the win with three FBS games, against Cincinnati, Liberty and Louisville. Cincinnati and Louisville won by multiple scores, but at home against Liberty, Bowling Green won by 10.
The Falcons travel to Athens this weekend, having been competitive in all four of their games this year. They hope to upset the Bobcats on the road, something they have not been able to do yet this season. The Bobcats look to once again defend Peden Stadium, where they are 2-0 to start 2025.
Now, let’s take a look at Bowling Green.
Head coach
Bowling Green made a coaching hire prior to 2025, a head coach from the FCS level, who is well known in the football world, Eddie George. The 1995 Heisman running back from Ohio State was formerly at Tennessee State from 2021-2024, where he had a 24-22 record and a playoff appearance in 2024 before making the jump this year.
George, who has nearly 20 years of football experience at the college and NFL levels, has high hopes behind him, and he made this jump hoping to compete at the FBS level before having to step away from the sidelines.
Quarterbacks
The Falcons brought in experience from the transfer portal at quarterback heading into the first year under George. They brought in veteran Drew Pyne from Missouri, who has brought mixed results. Pyne has been under 150 yards in three games so far, including both wins.
This may be a result of play calling, however, because he has had 21 or fewer attempts in two of those three. Bowling Green is a hard-nosed team, and the wealth of experience from Pyne can’t be overlooked because when he was allowed to air it out against Cincinnati, he threw for nearly 300 yards.
Running backs
The Bowling Green backfield has gotten a lot of work so far this season. The biggest thing is its use of a three-headed monster, with an emphasis on always having fresh legs on the field. Bowling Green has Kaderris Roberts, Cameron Pettaway and Chris McMillian, who have each carried the ball at least 30 times and have accumulated over 135 yards apiece.
Wide receivers
The receiving core for the Falcons has been powered by both wide receivers and tight ends. The most productive so far has been senior tight end Jyrin Johnson, who has 11 catches, 159 yards and a touchdown. They have two other senior wide receivers, RJ Garcia II and Finn Hogan, with over 100 yards on the season, but neither has found the endzone yet.
This room doesn’t have a Harold Fannin Jr. like it did last year, but there are still some solid pass-catching options.
Defense
Bowling Green has been shaky on defense to start 2025. They are starting to fall victim to an offense that has been lackluster. The Bowling Green offense has been outgained by other teams by just under 300 yards. There have been some bright spots this year on the defensive side of the ball.
The Falcons have been flying around the field, with six forced fumbles, recovering four and two interceptions. The defensive line has been active through all four games, stopping the play at the line of scrimmage with some effectiveness. The Falcons have also collected 10 sacks and 27 tackles for loss this year.
