Bowling Green spoiled the MAC party in 2013 when they defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies in the MAC Championship game. The 12-0 Huskies were the #16 team in the nation and had they won, instead of Bowling Green, they were certain to move up into BCS Bowl contention for a second successive season. However, they were thoroughly outplayed by a superb Bowling Green team who won their first MAC Championship in over twenty years. It was enough to earn five-year head coach Dave Clawson the job at Wake Forest and gives Dino Babers his first head coaching role at an FBS team.

2013 Bowling Green Falcons Season

After opening the season with routine wins against Tulsa and Kent State, Bowling Green found themselves outmatched trying to handle the explosive Indiana offense. Three more routine victories followed before the Falcons played Mississippi State close in Starkville and lost at home to a solid Toledo team. From there Bowling Green kicked on, thoroughly dominating the rest of the MAC conference play, and only narrowly losing out against Pitt in the Little Caesars Bowl.

Offense

The Bowling Green offense was highly productive in 2014 with Travis Greene leading a strong ground attack and an ever improving Matt Johnson under center. Both those players return and the offense should go up a notch as Dino Babers installs the exciting and highly productive offense he mastered during his four years coaching under Art Briles at Baylor. Babers left Baylor to take charge at Eastern Illinois in 2012 and immediately turned them into a potent offensive unit. In 2012 the Panthers had the seventh highest scoring offense in FCS football with 36.5 points, and 470.9 yards per game. In 2013, Babers second season, they outscored all FCS colleges with 48.2 points, and 589.5 yards per game.

Babers inherits an impressive second year starting quarterback in Johnson. Johnson threw for 3467 yards, 25 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and completed 64.5% of his passes. He improved as the season went on, finishing strong with games against Northern Illinois and Pitt in which he totaled 665 yards (at a 69.5% completion rate), 7 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. If he makes faster and better decisions in his second year, he should thrive in this Baylor-esque offense.

The Baylor offense relies on an abundance of speed to spread out and stretch the defense, which is what Bowling Green will attempt to replicate, and while the talent on the Bowling Green roster does not match that found at Baylor, it is very athletic by MAC standards. The speedy Travis Greene leads the way at running back, having rushed for 1,594 yards (5.7 yards per carry) and 11 touchdowns in 2013 as well as demonstrating he can be a factor in the passing game. Johnson’s two leading targets in 2013 are both gone, but plenty of receivers saw action last season and returning slot receivers Ryan Burbrink and Ronnie Moore have the speed and quickness to excel in this new system. A true freshman in 2013, Moore made the most of his opportunities recording 547 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns on just 28 catches (19.5 yards per reception), as well as carrying the ball 14 times for 138 yards. With that level of playmaking talent, expect Moore to be more heavily featured in 2014.

There are worries on the offensive line with the loss of the two leading members of the 2013 unit, but both starting tackles and a 2nd team All-MAC guard in Alex Heuttel all return. So long as the new line gels quickly, the Bowling Green offense will be fine in 2014 and potentially a great deal better than that.

Defense

Bowling Green will also have a new Defensive Coordinator in 2013 as Kim McCloud has followed Babers from Eastern Illinois. Like Babers, McCloud spent time on the Baylor staff and likes to run a similarly aggressive scheme, getting after the quarterback and creating turnovers. He inherits a defensive unit that was the best in the MAC in 2013, conceding just 15.9 points and 321.4 yards per game. They return six starters and enough experience to handle most MAC offenses fairly well, but most of the stars of the 2013 unit graduated and McCloud has a job on his hands to field a similarly competitive defense in 2014.

There has been significant attrition along the defensive front with the loss of both starting defensive tackles and an experienced defensive end. DE/DT Bryan Thomas, a third year starter, will help those around him settle. In addition, all the likely starters alongside Thomas have earned playing experience, but losing a productive pass rushing DT like Ted Ouellet hurts.

While the defensive line may be weaker there is still strength behind them as key linebackers D.J. Lynch and Gabe Martin return, along with costless safety Ryland Ward and cornerback Brian Sutton. Lynch led the team in tackles and was a 2nd team All-MAC linebacker, as was Martin despite suffering a season ending knee injury midway through the season. Getting a fully fit Martin back for the 2014 season will be crucial to the team’s success, he has the speed and playmaking talent to be a difference maker in the MAC, and the team has already lost the dynamic safety Booboo Gates to graduation.

Special Teams

Bowling Green return both their placekicker and kickoff specialists, but will be breaking in a new punter to replace the accurate Brian Schmiedebusch. Booboo Gates was an explosive returner and will be missed, but both Ronnie Moore and Ryan Burbrink gained experience on returns in 2014 and have the mobility to be effective.

2014 Season Outlook

The Falcons open up with four non-conference matchups. They should overcome WKU and VMI, but then face a difficult double bill against Big Ten opponents. The first is a return match against Indiana which could produce fireworks if both offenses click early in the season while the second is a nasty visit to face Wisconsin in Madison. The conference slate is navigable. Trips to Ohio and Akron could prove tricky, but the Bowling Green offense should be in full flow by then. They finish with two potentially tricky matches, a visit to Toledo, the only team to beat them in conference play last season, and a home encounter against a strong Ball State team. The full 2014 schedule is below.

If all goes well Bowling Green should be playing for a second straight MAC Championship in 2014. Of course, that assumes that the union between Dino Babers exciting offense and Bowling Green’s talented playmakers goes smoothly, which is never guaranteed. Johnson could struggle to play with the poise and accuracy that the system requires, while the young receivers could be slow to pick up the offense and find it harder to impress now that they are starting. However, in all likelihood none of that happens, Johnson should be more than good enough to make full use of the talent around him, taking the Falcons offense to the next level.

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About the author
Kevin Connaghan
Sports writer covering cycling, NFL and Michigan football, as well as a general sports fan