BOWLING GREEN — Bowling Green State University’s football team has quite a few accomplishments it can reach — both individually and as a team — with a strong performance later this month.
The Falcons are hoping to take advantage of one last chance to play together in the 2024 campaign.
BGSU (7-5) is bowl bound for the third straight season — a first since a four-game streak from 2012 to 2015 — and will square off with Arkansas State (7-5) from the Sun Belt Conference in the 68 Ventures Bowl at 9 p.m. on Dec. 26. The game will be played at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala.
“Our team has earned the opportunity to compete for an eighth win, and we will get the chance to do so against a strong Arkansas State team that experienced a journey similar to ours this season,” sixth-year BGSU coach Scot Loeffler said in a news release. “It will be a competitive clash between two great conferences in prime time the day after Christmas.
“We look forward to our great BGSU fans cheering us on one more time in 2024.”
A win for BGSU would mark the fourth straight season that the Falcons improved in the win column. After going 0-5 in 2020, BGSU finished 4-8 in 2021, 6-7 in 2022, and 7-6 in 2023.
A victory would also be the first for BGSU in a bowl game since 2014, when the Falcons beat South Alabama 33-28 in the Camellia Bowl. BGSU is just 1-7 in its past eight bowl games and has just five bowl victories overall.
Both teams are familiar with playing in the postseason in Mobile, with BGSU 1-2 all time and Arkansas State 2-2.
The Red Wolves, who finished tied for second in the Sun Belt West Division with a 5-3 record, are similar to the Falcons in the fact that they have increased their win total each year since 2022.
“We look forward to continuing our season with a bowl game for the second consecutive year,” Arkansas State coach Butch Jones said in a release. “The 68 Ventures Bowl offers an excellent experience for our players and provides a great bowl destination for our team and fans.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to play for an eighth win and to finish the season strong against a very good opponent. Bowling Green has an outstanding football history and will present a great challenge. My relationship with Scot Loeffler dates back many years, and I have the utmost respect for the program he has created at Bowling Green.”
Here are some early things to know about the matchup.
Storyline you’ll hear about the most
It has been the biggest individual storyline of the season for BGSU, especially the last half of the year, and there’s no reason why it should change now.
Harold Fannin, Jr., BGSU’s star who has had one of the best seasons by a tight end in college football history, is on the verge of breaking multiple FBS records. First things first, though; whether or not Fannin will play remains to be seen. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound junior, who has 1,342 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 100 receptions this season, is likely to be one of the first tight ends taken in next year’s NFL draft if he decides to declare.
If Fannin, the MAC player of the year and offensive player of the year, does play, he needs just 11 yards to break the FBS record for single-season receiving yards by a tight end (Jace Amaro had 1,352 for Texas Tech in 2013). Fannin also needs 12 receptions to break the record for single-season receptions by a tight end (Rice’s James Casey had 111 in 2008).
Fannin’s 111.8 receiving yards per game this season would break Amaro’s record of 104 in 2013.
Best matchup to watch
Arkansas State’s defense has been atrocious all season, so BGSU could have a field day offensively. The Red Wolves rank 111th out of 133 FBS teams in scoring defense (32.3 points per game allowed), 128th in total defense (460.3 yards allowed per game), and 130th in rushing defense (225.5).
BGSU’s offense has been one of the best in the MAC, especially in the second half of the season when the Falcons went on a five-game winning streak. BGSU’s 26.8 points per game rank fourth in the league.
BGSU, though, could be without its top running back in Terion Stewart, who recently announced his intentions to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
Potential X-factor
Although Arkansas State’s defense has struggled, the Red Wolves have been able to put up points offensively. Redshirt junior wide receiver Corey Rucker has provided plenty of highlights not only this season, but throughout his time at Arkansas State.
Rucker ranks fourth in the Sun Belt with 946 receiving yards and 65 receptions, and he is also 11th with five touchdown receptions. In his four years (45 games) with the Red Wolves, Rucker has 2,930 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns on 176 receptions.
Rucker lining up across from BGSU standout cornerback Jordan Oladokun could be one of the most interesting one-on-one matchups to keep an eye on.
Early prediction
If a senior-laden and experienced BGSU squad decides to stick together for one last game, it could end up being a great finale for a group of Falcons that have done an excellent job of turning the program around. BGSU will want to get the bad taste of its 28-12 loss to Miami (Ohio) to end the regular season out of its mouth as well. A battle between two programs that have been on a similar upward trend the past few seasons could come down to the wire in a high-scoring contest. BGSU 33, Arkansas State 27.
First Published December 9, 2024, 12:15 a.m.
