BOWLING GREEN — A winning season for the first time in nearly a decade and some stellar play from notable standouts highlighted Bowling Green State University’s 2023 football season.

The Falcons went 7-6 for their best record since going 10-4 in 2015. The program has continued to take strides in coach Scot Loeffler’s tenure, and the future appears bright as well with numerous players deciding to return for next season.

With the 2023 college football season ending after Michigan’s 34-13 win over Washington in Monday’s national championship game, we will take a look at BGSU’s season through Pro Football Focus, the scouting website that evaluates players’ performance on every play of every game. For context, grades are based on a 0-100 scale.

Terion Stewart (94.7): The BGSU standout running back’s offensive grade of 94.7 was tied with LSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels for first out of all offensive players. His 93.3 rushing grade also ranked fifth. Despite missing the last four games due to a leg injury, Stewart finished tied for fourth in the country with 78 missed tackles forced. The 5-foot-9, 225-pound back set career highs in attempts (125), yards (762), and touchdowns (eight) in leading the Falcons in rushing for the third time in the last four seasons.

Pass coverage (90.6): The Falcons were first among Mid-American Conference teams and tied for ninth overall with a 90.6 pass coverage grade. Notre Dame and Sam Houston State were the only other non-Power Five conference teams in the top 10. BGSU racked up 17 interceptions (tied for fourth in FBS) en route to finishing the season with 28 turnovers gained, which was tied with California and Clemson for first. Linebacker Avi McGary (89.3 coverage grade, two interceptions), cornerback Jordan Oladokun (87.8, four), and cornerback Davon Ferguson (83.7, two) had the top three coverage grades for the Falcons.

Harold Fannin, Jr. (84.9): The first-team All-MAC tight end had the second-highest offensive grade (84.9) at his position, as well as ranking tied for third in receiving (90.6). Among tight ends with at least 10 catches, he ranked first and second, respectively, in the two categories. Fannin, a sophomore, was 12th among FBS tight ends in receptions (44), sixth in yards (623), and tied for sixth in touchdowns (six). His offensive grade ranked second on the team behind Stewart.

Pass blocking (48.6): BGSU’s worst team grade of the season came in pass blocking where the Falcons were 126th out of 133 FBS teams. The Falcons’ run blocking wasn’t much better; their 54.3 was 104th. Fannin’s 79.8 pass blocking grade ranked first on the team, and guard Jake Burns’ 72.2 was the best among BGSU players with at least 100 pass block snaps. The Falcons allowed 29 sacks this season and threw 14 interceptions, the latter of which ranked near the bottom of the FBS.

First Published January 9, 2024, 7:33 p.m.