BOWLING GREEN — Darren Anders, like any good Ohio native, knows the Rose Bowl.
“I pretty much watch it every year,” Bowling Green’s senior inside linebacker said.
Anders was raised an Ohio State fan and fondly recalls watching Terrelle Pryor’s dissection of Oregon in the 2010 Rose Bowl — “that was a big one,” he said — as well as the Buckeyes’ thrilling victory over Utah in the most recent game.
With this history in mind, Anders will lead the Falcons into the Rose Bowl for their season opener against UCLA, during which they will become the first MAC team in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision era to play in college football’s most hallowed venue.
“It’s a super historical place,” Anders said. “As a kid growing up in Ohio, every year you watch a Big Ten team play in there. It’s always been a cool place. They always show the mountains, they always show the atmosphere.”
This will be the second time a MAC team has played in the Rose Bowl. Bowling Green played at the Rose Bowl in 1967 against Cal Sate Los Angeles.
“It means a lot,” senior wide receiver CJ Lewis said. “We’ve been in camp looking forward to going down to California. I don’t think any of us has been to California or played in the Rose Bowl. It’s a great opportunity to showcase our prestige in a prestigious stadium.”
The game will mark Bowling Green’s fifth road trip to a Power Five opponent in four years.
The Falcons played at Kansas State and Notre Dame in 2019, and Tennessee and Minnesota last year. Additionally, Bowling Green will visit Mississippi State on Sept. 24.
The Falcons beat the Golden Gophers in 2021 in a seismic upset, their first win over a Big Ten team on the road since beating Maryland 48-27 and Purdue 35-28 on their way to the MAC championship in 2015.
Beating UCLA “would be a game-changer,” Anders said. “We beat Minnesota last year, but going out this year and being able to beat UCLA would be huge. I think we deserve that. We’re going out there, and we expect to win.”
Bowling Green is currently a 25-point underdog against coach Chip Kelly's squad, but knocking off UCLA in Pasadena is hardly an impossible task.
The Bruins were just 4-3 at home even in a winning 2021 season, losing to Fresno State, Arizona State, and Oregon at the Rose Bowl.
“It would be a big profile boost,” Lewis said. “I don’t think anyone has us beating UCLA. To go into their home, and beat them, would be a great accomplishment. I think we’re going to surprise some people.”
Lewis, having played parts of four seasons with Boston College in the ACC, has some experience in big stadiums. Senior wide receiver Odieu Hilaire, a transfer from Alabama A&M, has less and is looking forward to the Falcons’ Week 1 clash.
“It means so much,” Hilaire said. “Football brings so many opportunities like this. I’m just really grateful for it.”
The Rose Bowl trip means something different to everyone on the Bowling Green roster, but Anders said he will savor what the journey has to offer to him as a senior.
“I’m just looking forward to the plane ride with my teammates, being able to stay at the hotel with my teammates,” Anders said. “It could possibly be my last time traveling with my team, so I’m gonna take everything in. I want to remember this for the rest of my life.”
First Published August 25, 2022, 4:13 p.m.
