Bowling Green Falcons
Mid-American Conference
2009 Record: (7-6, 6-2)
2009 Bowl: Humanitarian Bowl vs. Idaho (L 42-43)
Coach: Dave Clawson (7-6 at Bowling Green, 7-6 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Warren Rugiero
Defensive Coordinator: Mike Elko
Returning Leaders
Rushing: Willie Geter, RB, 705 yards
Passing: Aaron Pankratz, QB, 52 yards
Receiving: Adrian Hodges, WR, 417 yards
Tackles: Keith Morgan, S, 68
Sacks: Kevin Alvarado, DT, 2.5; Angelo Magnone, DE, 2.5
Interceptions: Keith Morgan, S, 1; Adrien Spencer, CB, 1
Other Key Returnees: C Ben Bojicic, OT Tyler Donahue, LB Eugene Fells, WR Ray Hutson, DT Andrew Johnson, DE Darius Smith
Key Losses: WR Freddie Barnes, LB Cody Basler, S Jahmal Brown, S P.J. Mahone, OT Brady Minturn, LB Jerett Sanderson, TE Jimmy Scheidler, LB James Schneider, QB Tyler Sheehan, G Shane Steffy, CB Roger Williams, WR Chris Wright
Coach Dave Clawson took Bowling Green to a bowl game during his first season with the Falcons, but that was with an experienced group. Now the real test begins. Just three starters return on offense and four on defense. Coach Clawson’s two recruiting classes will be put to the test this year and there are plenty of holes that need to be filled by unproven underclassmen.
Strengths:
The offense is not going to be anywhere near as productive as it was last year with Tyler Sheehan and Freddie Barnes gone. Those two broke records all over the place and will be remembered for a long time in the annals of Falcon football history. How do you replace that passing combination? You do not. Instead, Bowling Green will look to run the ball more often. Running back Willie Geter emerged as a solid back when he was given the opportunity. He ended the 2009 campaign averaging 4.0 yards per carry and reached the end zone a total of ten times. And, despite the loss of three starters, the offensive line has plenty of experience led by Ben Bojicic and Tyler Donahue. The line on the other side of the ball is the other strength. A big question heading into last year was the inexperience on the defensive front four. That problem went away quickly as players like Kevin Alvarado, Andrew Johnson, Angelo Magnone and Darius Smith stepped up and did a fine job last year and should be even better with more experience.
Weaknesses:
Since the start of the 2007 season, Sheehan has taken 95 percent of Bowling Green’s snaps. Four players are fighting for his job and the only one to ever take a snap in a real college game is Aaron Pankratz, who threw for 52 yards against Boise State last season. Matt Schilz, Kellen Pagel and true freshman Caleb Watkins are still in the mix and probably will be up until the Falcons opener on September 4th. Replacing Freddie Barnes will be equally difficult. Adrian Hodges caught 46 passes last year and is likely the new number one target, but players like Ray Hutson, Justus Jones and Tyrone Pronty need to step up too. Junior college transfer Kamar Jordan and redshirt freshman Jordan Hopgood have performed well in the spring and will battle for playing time as well.
The Bottom Line:
Because both lines are pretty good, Bowling Green has a chance to win some games. This is certainly not a great Falcons team, but they can pull off a surprise or two if the quarterback situation settles favorably and the back seven of the defense can find some new playmakers. Once again the linebackers have to reload, but sophomore Dwayne Woods could turn into a great player in the Mid-American Conference and Eugene Fells at least has some experience. BGSU expects Ryan Crow and Calvin Marshall to contribute as well, but there is room for redshirt freshmen Paul Swan and Alex Thomas to make an impact. Corner Adrien Spencer is the lone returning starter in the secondary, but Keith Morgan is a fine safety who should be capable of stepping into a starting role. It is filling the other spots that remains a big question and could be the difference between rebuilding and reloading.
2009 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 86.54 (114th in nation, 12th in conference)
Passing Offense: 316.15 (6, 1)
Total Offense: 402.69 (43, 4)
Scoring Offense: 28.46 (55, 5)
Rushing Defense: 194.23 (103, 12)
Pass Defense: 204.00 (38, 5)
Total Defense: 398.23 (87, 10)
Scoring Defense: 27.46 (76, 7)
Turnover Margin: .31 (36, 4)
Sacks: 1.54 (95, 8)
Sacks Allowed: 2.23 (74, 10)
