Bowling Green Football Preview 2025: Falcons Make Bold Move With Eddie George
Former head coach Scot Loeffler busted it to get the Bowling Green program up to speed.It might not have won any MAC titles in his six seasons, and he went 0-3 in bowl games, but in three years, he made the Falcons good, and he pulled off two winning seasons over the two years.And then he bolted to coach Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks.Bowling Green made a bold move in its head coaching search, and it might have clobbered a home run getting Eddie George.The Ohio State and NFL legend took over Tennessee State in 2021, and in Year Four won a conference title and got to the FCS Playoffs. He's more than ready for this gig, but the roster is a bit thin.A bowl game is possible in his first year, and if nothing else, George will bring plenty of attention to the school and the MAC.
- Travis Partridge will handle the coordinator duties after cranking up the passing game for Eddie Georgia at Tennessee State. The running game won't go away, but it'll be more of a pass-heavy attack for the oft-traveled Drew Pyne to run. It's his sixth year in college, getting most of his production in a 2,021-yard, 22-touchdown pass season with Notre Dame in 2022. Lucian Anderson is still around after getting in a little bit of work as the No. 2 man last year.
- The receiving corps remains strong, but record-setting tight end Harold Fannin Jr. is off to the Cleveland Browns. Coming in is Arlis Boardingham (Florida), who made 44 grabs with six scores over the last two years with the Gators.Finn Hogan is a good outside option with experience, and now he'll get the ball his way more. Rahkeem Smith is the leading returning receiver with 25 catches.
- The backs won't be used as much as the receivers, but they won't be forgotten. JUCO transfer Chris McMillian has the quickness, and 22-pound Mar'Kel Porter should bring more thump.- The line has veteran parts. Tunde Fatukasi started out at Rutgers and worked last year as the Falcons' left tackle. Alex Padgett is a 330-pound interior blocker who can play guard or center, Jake Burns will likely work in the middle, and Nate Pabst can go anywhere.
- Defensive coordinator Brandon Fisher comes over from Tennessee State after a strong season. His Tiger D was terrific at getting into the backfield and great at taking the ball away. Unlike the offense, the defense will rely more on the transfer portal, except for …- The line gets back a slew of Falcons. Myles Bradley can be used as an outside linebacker or pass rushing edge option, and Collins Acheampong will get his shot on the other side after not seeing time at Miami or UCLA. There's not a ton of experience on the inside, but everyone in the rotation has been around the program for a few years.
- The linebacking corps needs a ton of work. Gideon Lampron (Dayton) was a monster tackler last year at the lower level - more on him in a moment - and after him it's … it'll take a bit. Several career backups need to rise up in fall camp.- The starting four/five in the secondary should be okay, but the depth isn't there, at least coming out of the offseason. Mayes Doggan (NW Missouri State) and JoJo Johnson (Indiana) are expected to step in and take over on the corners. Kal-El Pascal should grow into one of the safety gigs, and after missing a bulk of last season, Darius Lorfils will be one of the team's leading tacklers.
Bowling Green Falcons Key to the Season
The offensive line has to work.Everything will need tweaking under the new coaching staff, but the offensive line has the potential to be an early strength. At the very least, it has more stability than other positions.However, last year's starting five allowed too many tackles for loss and was just okay for the ground game. If the line is good, a slew of other things should fall into place.
Bowling Green Falcons Key Player
Drew Pyne, QB Sr.He's not big, and he's not much of a rusher, but he was good enough for a year at Notre Dame before the staff went big in the portal. He never clicked at Arizona State, and wasn't able to push for the Missouri gig. He has the big-time experience to be a leader, and he needs to make everyone around him better.
Bowling Green Falcons Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: Gideon Lampron, LB Sr.He's only 5-11ish and 215ish pounds, but he plays big, and he plays fast. After getting his feet wet as a sophomore at Dayton, he was unstoppable last season with 119 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 26.5 tackles for loss, and he needs to be the same sort of game-wrecker for the Falcons.Top Transfer Out: Alex Wollschaelger, OT Sr.Again, the offensive line should be a plus, and the new staff can move some guys around, but the 6-7, 295-pound Wollschlaeger is a special blocker with NFL potential if he can crank up the weight. He'll get a chance to show off at Kentucky.
Bowling Green Falcons Key Game
Liberty, Sept. 13How fast can the program get up to speed? It should beat Lafayette to start the season, it'll get rocked by Cincinnati, and later at Louisville, and the opening two MAC games are against Ohio on the road followed up by a date with Toledo.There are other winnable games on the slate, so if the Falcons can get by Liberty, the dream of getting to six wins isn't crazy.- 2025 Bowling Green Schedule Breakdown
Bowling Green Falcons Top 10 Players
1. Gideon Lampron, LB Sr.2. Drew Pyne, QB Sr.3. Arlis Boardingham TE Jr.4. Rahkeem Smith, WR Sr.5. Tunde Fatukasi, OT Sr.6. John Henderson, P Sr.7. Finn Hogan, WR Sr.8. Jake Burns, OG/C Sr.9. Alex Padgett, OG/C Sr.10. Collins Acheampong, DE Soph.
Bowling Green Falcons 2024 Fun Stats
- Fumbles: Bowling Green 18 (lost 5), Bowling Green 10 (lost 2)- 3rd Quarter Scoring: Bowling Green 73, Opponents 40- Punt Return Average: Opponents 10.4 yards, Bowling Green 4.5 yards
Bowling Green Falcons 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
How fast can this all be put together?The starting 22 should be okay, but the depth will be a problem over the first half of the season. The Falcons will take plenty of lumps, but Akron, at Kent State, Lafayette, and at UMass all have to be wins. There should be another victory after that, but again, any injury blips will screw this bunch up.It's a true rebuild, but as these things go, it might not be too painful.Set The Bowling Green Win Total At … 5Likely Wins: Lafayette50/50 Games: Akron, Buffalo, Central Michigan, at Eastern Michigan, at Kent State, at UMassLikely Losses: at Cincinnati, Liberty, at Louisville, at Ohio, Toledo
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