The Bowling Green Falcons (4-8, 4-8 ATS, 5-7 O/U) battle the UCLA Bruins (8-4, 8-4 ATS, 7-5 O/U) in the season opener on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons posted a 4-8 record last year and went 2-6 in MAC Play. The Bruins logged an 8-4 record and went 6-3 in Pac-12 action. There are no previous meetings between these combatants.
The Bowling Green Falcons are seeking improvement after earning only two conference wins last season. There were a few big moments including a stunning road win against Minnesota eary in the season. The squad is definitely expected to eclipse last year’s season win total of five. They were voted to finish 5th in the MAC East in the preseason poll.
The Falcons' offense returns almost all the main pieces from last season. The offense struggled to generate points but they have a fair amount of talent. QB Matt McDonald accumulated 2555 passing yards along with a 12:7 TD to INT ratio. The senior QB connected on 60% of his attempts.
Last season’s rushing leader Terion Steward is also back. The sophomore RB logged 412 rushing yards on a stellar average of 5.9 yards per carry. The Falcons return all leading rece ivers from 2021 including Tyrone Broden. The junior brought in 596 yards.
??? Highlights from today's press conference with @CoachLoefflerBG, @mattcmcdonald4, @Bigwalt___ and @KarlBrooks5 ??#ToTheMoon ???? pic.twitter.com/lrs1xqbiN4
— BG Football (@BG_Football) August 29, 2022
The Bowling Green defense was somewhat competitive last season but it depended on the opposing offense. They have a good linebacker in Darren Anders who accrued 124 total tackles. The pass defense was elite, ranking 11th in the FBS however, the rush defense was pegged 105th.
Bowling Green scored an average of only 21.4 points in 2021, pegging them 108th. The defense conceded an average of 30.7 points, positioning them 96th.