Bowling Green Falcons 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Bowling Green 2008 Record: (6-6, 4-4)
Bowling Green 2008 Bowl: none
Bowling Green Coach: Dave Clawson (First year at Bowling Green, 0-0 overall)
Bowling Green Offensive Coordinator: Warren Ruggiero
Bowling Green Defensive Coordinator: Mike Elko and Shannon Morrison
Bowling Green Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Chris Bullock, RB, 384 yards
• Passing: Tyler Sheehan, QB, 2,610 yards
• Receiving: Freddie Barnes, WR, 355 yards
• Tackles: P.J. Mahone, S, 95
• Sacks: Andrew Johnson, DT, 3.0
• Interceptions: P.J. Mahone, S, 3

Notable Bowling Green Returning Players: C Ben Bojicic, S Jahmal Brown, OT Brady Minturn, DT Michael Ream, LB Jerett Sanderson, G Shane Steffy, WR Chris Wright

Bowling Green Key Losses: DE Diyral Briggs, G Brandon Curtis, LB Erique Dozier, OT Jeff Fink, LB John Haneline, WR Jermiah Kelley, CB Kenny Lewis, WR Corey Partridge, DE Joe Schaefer, CB Antonio Smith, RB Anthony Turner

Bowling Green had a fairly successful 2008 season, though it fell short of expectations. I had the Falcons pegged as the favorite to win the division but they fell short with a 4-4 conference record thanks to a 1-3 home league mark. Despite their 6-6 finish and an upset win over Pittsburgh, the Falcons were left out of the bowl picture and somehow earned head coach Greg Brandon a pink slip despite five winning seasons in six years! They will look to return to postseason play under new head coach Dave Clawson, formerly of Tennessee, this year but have the conference’s smallest number of returning starters, so the going won’t be easy.

On offense, the majority of starters return from a group which averaged 27.7 points per game. Headlining the returnees is senior quarterback Tyler Sheehan, who accounted for 27 touchdowns passing and rushing last year and will start for the 3 rd consecutive season, albeit in a new system as he will take snaps from under center for the first time in his career. The offensive line will also have to learn a new system but there are three starters back, so hopefully Sheehan will have some protection. The Falcons lose almost all of their top skill position players from last year but tight end Jimmy Scheidler did have seven touchdown catches in just seventeen grabs last year! Expect a more ground-based attack like we saw at Tennessee last year, hopefully with better results as the Clawson-led Volunteer attack got former UT coach Phil Fulmer fired. I would expect solid but unspectacular offensive production in Clawson’s first year at the helm.

The defense is a bigger concern. The front seven only returns a single starter (senior linebacker Jerett Sanderson), so this group is a virtual unknown. Sophomore nose tackle Andrew Johnson had 3 sacks as a freshman last year so he will be a player to watch but in all likelihood the Falcons will struggle against the run early in the year. The secondary is a bright spot as senior safeties PJ Mahone and Jahmal Brown are the team’s leading returning tacklers and combined for 178 tackles last fall. There are a couple of seniors with a lot of playing experience at cornerback but few career starts and I expect a fairly significant drop off since they lose 1 st and 2 nd team All-MAC cornerbacks from last year! I think that BGSU’s secondary will be solid but unspectacular this fall. The Falcon defense could be a liability if their new cast of characters can’t come together quickly, especially up front.

The schedule is fairly tough but they do host favorites Ohio and Akron and avoid Temple in the divisional rotation. However, they draw Central Michigan and Toledo from the West which won’t be an easy task. Furthermore, their non-conference schedule features two tough road games at Missouri and Marshall and their two home games are against two of the non-BCS’s best in Troy and Boise State. Overall, this team should take a small step back from last year’s group and I will be surprised if they are bowl eligible.

Bowling Green Big Games: Oct. 3rd vs. Ohio, Oct. 10th vs. Kent State, Nov. 3rd @ Buffalo, Nov. 12th @ Miami, Nov. 20th vs. Akron

Bowling Green’s Strength:

Despite the turnover, the offense should be in great shape due to the return of senior quarterback Tyler Sheehan. The signal caller threw for 2,610 yards and 20 touchdowns last year and is also a dangerous scrambler. He added seven touchdowns on the ground. With Freddie Barnes and Chris Wright back to catch Sheehan’s passes, the passing offense should be much better than it was a year ago, more like what it was two years ago when the Falcons passed for nearly 300 yards per game. The rushing offense was pretty bad in 2008 and now Anthony Turner is gone. Chris Bullock and Willie Geter are capable backs. Bullock should take over the majority of the carries, but Geter has big play potential and could turn the ground game into something half way decent.

Bowling Green’s Weakness:

The Bowling Green defense was good last year thanks to the front four. The team tallied two sacks per game and that helped out the rest of the defense. Now three of the front four are gone. Defensive tackle Andrew Johnson tallied three sacks a year ago and the new staff will have to find some new faces who can consistently get into the backfield. Linebackers Erique Dozier and John Haneline are also gone and the rush defense will suffer from their loss. That puts a lot of pressure on linebacker Jerett Sanderson to emerge as the senior leader of the linebacker corps. Even both corners are gone and Kenny Lewis and Antonio Smith will not be easily replaced.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Falcons:

The good news is safeties P.J. Mahone and Jahmal Brown are experienced seniors. Mahone led the team in tackles and interceptions last year. Brown was third on the team in tackles and the safeties will have to lead this defense. If they do not, Bowling Green will give up a ton of points. Yet, the offense should be good enough to win a few games even if the defense struggles. And if the defense can find some new faces on the front line that can get into the backfield, the Falcons could be bowling.

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