MANHATTAN, Kan. — Bowling Green’s first crack at a Power Five team this season, to put it lightly, didn’t go especially well.
Kansas State pounded the Falcons 52-0 on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Three questions after BG dropped to 1-1:
1. What did the loss reveal?
In almost any case, a loss tells a team more about itself than a win. The Wildcats are likely the second-best team the Falcons will see this season, and they overwhelmed BG with their offensive line and had little trouble with the Falcons’ offense. The BG defense was marginally better in the second half, but Bowling Green just didn’t get anything going on offense and had nothing in the way of a deep passing game. The Falcons’ offense has a wide variety, and it will be interesting to see how (and where) they make tweaks after struggling in Manhattan.
2. How does Bowling Green measure against a good Group of Five team?
Kansas State is a step up from anyone Bowling Green will play in the Mid-American Conference, but Louisiana Tech is comparable to what the Falcons will see at the top of the MAC. The Bulldogs have had five straight winning seasons and established themselves among the better Group of Five programs. Bowling Green is aiming to once again become a regular bowl participant from a similar league. This week’s game should give the Falcons an idea how close (or far) they are from that goal.
3. What will Bowling Green do at quarterback?
The NCAA’s roulette waiver wheel did not end up in Bowling Green’s favor, as quarterback Matt McDonald was denied in his bid to play this season. For the rest of 2019, that means the Falcons will have only two scholarship quarterbacks. Much like the first game, Darius Wade started and Grant Loy finished at Kansas State, and both quarterbacks possess running ability. But with only two options at quarterback, how will Bowling Green deploy its two signal callers in the running game? Wade did not have a designed run Saturday.
First Published September 8, 2019, 1:00 p.m.
