For the first time in a while, Bowling Green appeared to be on a positive trajectory last year.
BGSU reached its first bowl game with head coach Scot Loeffler at the helm in 2022. The Falcons didn’t end the season how they wanted, losing 24-19 to New Mexico State in the Quick Lane Bowl. However, the Falcons still went 5-3 in the MAC and hope to follow up with another winning record against conference opponents in 2023.
But can that success be sustained?
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Bowling Green Football’s MAC Title Odds
Bowling Green’s odds to win the MAC are +3000, via BetMGM.
Bowling Green Football’s Over/Under Win Total
Bowling Green’s win total Over/Under is 4.5, with Under 4.5 at +125 and Over 4.5 at -150.
Bowling Green Football’s Schedule
9/2 at Liberty
9/9 vs Eastern Illinois
9/16 at Michigan
9/23 vs Ohio
9/30 at Georgia Tech
10/7 at Miami (Ohio)
10/14 at Buffalo
10/21 vs Akron
11/1 vs Ball State
11/8 at Kent State
11/14 vs Toledo
11/21 at Western Michigan
Bold indicates MAC contests.
Key Bowling Green Football Returners
2022 All-MAC 2nd Team
WR Odieu Hiliare
KR Ta’ron Keith
Connor Bazelak, Odieu Hiliare To Fuel Bowling Green’s Offense
While Bowling Green lost Matt McDonald, its leading passer last year, the Falcons did address the quarterback position in the transfer portal.
Connor Bazelak joined the team and is immediately one of the best quarterbacks in the MAC. He arrives after throwing for 7,370 yards and 36 touchdowns while starting 29 career games between three seasons at Missouri and one at Indiana. His presence should help Bowling Green’s offense play at a high level.
Odieu Hiliare, one of the top wide receivers in the MAC, will help Bazelak adjust to his new team. Hiliare was top 10 in the league with 58 catches and six touchdowns while totaling 747 yards in 2022.
Alabama A&M transfer Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim, one of the most talented MAC transfers this offseason, also joined the Falcons’ receiving corps.
Bowling Green returns its top five running backs from last year. Jaison Patterson was the leader among them with 583 rushing yards to go with one touchdown.
Ta’ron Keith was a versatile player for the Falcons, as he tallied over 1,000 all-purpose yards in 2022. He was third on the team with 195 rushing yards, scoring one touchdown on the ground, and caught 34 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns through the air. That was all while being a second-team All-MAC kick returner.
As far as Bowling Green’s offensive line, the Falcons could’ve played better up front. They gave up the fourth-most sacks (37) last year while rushing for the second-fewest yards (100.3 yards per game).
However, they return plenty of up-and-coming players who will learn from those experiences last year. Left tackle Kameren Stewart, left guard Cedric Dunbar II, center Cade Zimmerly, right guard Bronson Warner, and right tackle Alex Wollschlaeger each started multiple games for Bowling Green last year, while Tunde Fatukasi also started games at both tackle spots. Bowling Green also added former Arizona State offensive lineman Armon Bethea in the transfer portal.
Demetrius Hardamon, Darren Anders Key Pieces of Bowling Green’s Defense
Bowling Green was in the bottom three in scoring defense (32.5 points per game allowed) and total defense (491.6 yards per game allowed) in the MAC last season. The Falcons also have plenty of production from last year to replace.
The Falcons return just six of their top 12 tacklers from a year ago. Defensive back Chris Bacon led the team with 84 total tackles to go with two interceptions, and linebacker D.J. Taylor was second with 79 tackles while adding two picks and four tackles for loss. Both are gone.
But perhaps the biggest loss for Bowling Green will be Karl Brooks, one of the top Group of Five defensive linemen last year. He paced the team with 18 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and six quarterback hurries a season ago.
The Falcons do have some standout players returning, however. That includes linebacker Darren Anders, who recorded 77 tackles, four pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, 2.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles in 2022.
Demetrius Hardamon is the team’s returning leading pass rusher. The outside linebacker tallied six sacks and eight tackles for loss to go with four quarterback hurries and 33 total tackles last year.
Bowling Green hopes these returners and some younger players will rise to the occasion with the opportunities they’ll see in 2023.
Bowling Green Football Season Prediction
Bowling Green will fall short of winning the MAC and won’t quite get to five wins.
Non-conference games against Michigan and Georgia Tech don’t help. The Falcons should defeat Eastern Illinois of the FCS at home, but taking on a strong Liberty team on the road to start the season doesn’t seem like an easy game for Bowling Green.
The Falcons also need to play defending conference champion Toledo, Ohio, Miami (Ohio), and Buffalo, which are all in the top five for best MAC Championship odds.
Playing Akron and Ball State at home and then Kent State on the road in consecutive games could mean there’s a bright spot in the Falcons’ season. Bowling Green’s season finale is at Western Michigan, which should mean the Falcons end the season strong as well.
But even if the Falcons win all of those games, beating any of those top MAC contenders or any of their non-conference foes doesn’t seem likely.
Simply, Bowling Green appears to be heading toward another losing season.
