BOWLING GREEN — Scot Loeffler said Monday he will not name a starting quarterback for Bowling Green’s first game Thursday against Morgan State.
The Falcons gave three quarterbacks — Grant Loy as well as transfers Matt McDonald and Darius Wade — regular work with the first team during training camp, but Loeffler does not plan to reveal his hand until game time.
The Falcons did not list a surefire starter on their initial depth chart ahead of the first game. Loeffler followed in his press conference by saying that BG has a tentative plan for the game, but that laying it out Monday did his team no good.
“We’ve got an idea,” Loeffler said, “but it doesn’t give us any advantage whatsoever to mention a starting quarterback right now.”
McDonald is the favorite to start, but the Boston College transfer joined the program this summer and must receive a waiver with the NCAA to be immediately eligible. His appeal to play this season was pending.
Asked if BG had an answer from the NCAA on McDonald’s status, Loeffler said Bowling Green is “worrying about what we can control.”
If McDonald is ruled ineligible this season, Bowling Green must pick between Loy and Wade, the latter of whom arrived at Bowling Green shortly before training camp.
Both McDonald and Wade previously played for Loeffler at Boston College, where BG’s first-year head coach was the offensive coordinator from 2016 to 2018.
Bowling Green allowed all three quarterbacks to play with the first-string offense in camp, and a result, the surrounding offensive players say they feel comfortable with any of the three options under center.
“All three guys look great right now and all three guys are ready to play, and they’ll be ready to play come Thursday night,” center Jack Kramer said. “Whoever is back there, we feel very confident with what they can do and where they can lead this offense.”
Whoever starts will replace Jarret Doege, who started 17 times the past two years. Doege initially stayed at Bowling Green after the coaching change, but opted to transfer following the conclusion of spring practice, and landed as West Virginia.
Last season, Bowling Green averaged 24.3 points, which ranked seventh among teams in the Mid-American Conference. The Falcons return many of their skill players, including receiver Quintin Morris, who caught eight touchdowns last season, and leading rusher Andrew Clair.
Clair said Monday that, by now, he’s used to playing with all three quarterbacks.
“Just knowing that [I’ve been] getting reps with every single one of the QBs and going out there every single day, each one of them is performing very good,” Clair said. “Each one of them is doing their job, and each one of them is doing the right thing. It definitely shows we can trust any one of them.”
Loeffler said last week it’s possible that more than one quarterback plays in the season opener.
No matter who starts Thursday, Kramer said he trusts whomever is taking snaps.
“Obviously, as an offensive line, you have to trust your quarterback, and the quarterback has to trust the offensive line. All three guys have our trust, have my trust, and they have ours,” Kramer said. “It doesn’t matter who is back there Thursday night. All three are ready to go, so we’ll see what happens.”
First Published August 26, 2019, 5:15 p.m.
