BOWLING GREEN — Spring practice will start bright and early Saturday morning for Bowling Green, the official start of season No. 2 under coach Scot Loeffler.
Bowling Green finished the 2019 season at 3-9 overall and 2-6 in the Mid-American Conference, which included a shocking victory against Toledo.
The Falcons will begin the spring with very few holdovers from last season, making this offseason an important one for the program. What to watch as BG begins practice:
Quintin Morris’ growth at a key position
Morris had a promising first season as a tight end in Loeffler’s offense, which places a heavy emphasis on the position. Bowling Green moved Morris, who played wide receiver previously, to a hybrid tight end before last season, and he ended being one of the more productive pass-catching tight ends in college football.
Last season, Morris led Bowling Green in all major receiving categories and earned a nod as second-team All-MAC. With another year in the offense and a full offseason of training to be a tight end, Morris could well be one of the top offensive players in the MAC and an NFL prospect to boot.
The continued youth movement
The 2020 recruiting class was second-year coach Scot Loeffler’s first full cycle at Bowling Green, and it was all hands on deck to bring in as many quality high school players and the Falcons could sign.
What that will mean for the roster: Freshmen as far as the eye can see. Including walk-ons, Bowling Green is on track to have more than 50 players with freshman eligibility when the Falcons begin training camp in August.
Even without the full ’20 class on campus, Bowling Green still has a truckload of young players competing for playing time. Seven of the true freshmen enrolled early, and BG tried its best to preserve redshirts with last year’s recruiting class.
Redshirt freshman like cornerback Davin Wilson, wide receiver Tyrone Broden, and defensive linemen Andrew Bench and Brennan Spiess very well could see increases in playing time at positions that need help.
Matt McDonald as the unquestioned starter
Bowling Green will break in a new starting quarterback this spring, as Matt McDonald is now eligible to play after sitting out last season due to transferring from Boston College.
McDonald will be the only quarterback on the roster who is not a freshman, and barring something unforeseen, he will be BG’s starter. He won the starting job last offseason, but the NCAA denied his waiver claim, which forced him to miss the year.
He has played only in Loeffler’s offense, and McDonald now will have the full complement of repetitions with the No. 1 offense for the foreseeable future.
First Published March 6, 2020, 1:00 p.m.
