BOWLING GREEN -— On the cusp of its first bowl eligibility in seven years, Bowling Green will host Kent State for a midweek Mid-American Conference East Division matchup.
Here’s what to know about the contest:
BASICS
■ Who: Kent State (3-6, 2-3 MAC) at Bowling Green (5-4, 4-1)
■ When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
■ Where: Doyt Perry Stadium, Bowling Green, Ohio
■ Spread: Kent State by 2½
■ TV: CBS Sports Network
■ Radio: 100.7, Sirius XM 975
■ Follow: Patrick Andres
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kent State: Quarterback Collin Schlee may not have numbers that scream “game-breaking quarterback” — he has thrown only nine touchdowns against four interceptions — but he possesses a skillset that can make Bowling Green work the way it had to against its nonconference opponents. The Falcons haven’t seen a quarterback of Schlee’s caliber in over a month, and the MAC’s hottest defense will be tested on multiple fronts.
Bowling Green: In a game with all the trappings of a potential shootout, senior quarterback Matt McDonald will need to lean on his pass-catchers. With experience necessary in a division implications-heavy environment, look for McDonald to turn to senior tight end Christian Sims for a potential redemption game. Sims fumbled away a shot at his fourth touchdown of the season against Western Michigan, but still ranks second on Bowling Green with 30 catches.
STATS TO KNOW
2,573: The number of days that have passed since the Falcons’ 48-0 win over Kent State on Oct. 24, 2015. That win made Bowling Green, 6-2, bowl eligible — something it hasn’t been since.
40: Schlee has rushed for at least 40 yards in a game six times this year, including a season high of 77 against Ohio on Oct. 1. He has run for three touchdowns as well, including two in the Golden Flashes’ loss to Toledo on Oct. 15.
6: The Falcons have forced six turnovers in their last two games against Central Michigan and the Broncos. That’s the most turnovers Bowling Green has forced over a two-game span since forcing six in two games against Akron and Miami on Nov. 2 and 13, 2019.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Kent State running back Marquez Cooper vs. Bowling Green front seven: An irresistible force meets an immovable object. Cooper has been a spark plug for Kent State as Schlee has battled an injury; the running back rushed for 137 yards in Akron when the quarterback was out. He’s totaled 100 yards or more in three straight games and gashed the Bobcats for 240 yards on the ground on Oct. 1. He could be trouble at the second level, so the usual suspects -— senior defensive lineman Karl Brooks, senior inside linebacker Darren Anders, and others — will need to be on the ball against the run.
PREDICTION
Bowling Green is so close to an accomplishment that would change the way its football program is viewed in northwest Ohio and beyond. A sixth win would mean bowl eligibility, and bowl eligibility would mean a bowl game, and a bowl game would mean national television exposure for the university in the middle of December — prime sports-viewing season. It’d be a paradigm-shifting achievement. Here’s the problem in the near term: The Golden Flashes are constructed to exploit the Falcons’ (still present) weaknesses on offense, with the Schlee-Cooper 1-2 punch just asking for a shootout. A celebration may be coming, but not this week. Kent State 35-30.
WARMUP READING
Bowling Green football starting to draw buzz in bowl predictions
Bowling Green football not focused on possibilities ahead of Kent State matchup
Scouting report: Kent State at Bowling Green football
Q&A: New Bowling Green AD Derek van der Merwe on past, present, and future
First Published November 9, 2022, 5:00 p.m.
