The first thing coach Gregg Brandon said after the football team’s domination of Temple Saturday for the homecoming game was about the crowd.

Not the play of Omar Jacobs, not the two interceptions by Jelani Jordan, not a dominating defensive effort that held Temple to only seven points. It was all about the near capacity crowd showing their school spirit.

It was that important to him. And he hopes to see similar results this Saturday when the Falcons face off against Ohio.

“Well I’ll just say this crowd was awesome,” Brandon said, opening the press conference. “When we showed up at 2 p.m. and did the team walk through Tent City, they were cranked then. That was special. That is what playing at Bowling Green is all about.”

You could tell how much it meant for the coach, and his team, to have a thunderous crowd supporting them for the first time all season. Several times in the first half Brandon and some players waved their hands in the air, trying to rally support for the team during third downs.

“You know when we get a third down bell we get this place rocking,” he said.

The Falcons were one of the last teams in the nation to play a home game, not playing at the Doyt at all in the month of September. Brandon knew that everyone involved on the team needed the relief of playing in a familiar and friendly environment.

It also meant a lot to the players, it gave them that extra burst of energy in order to get to the backfield quicker, seal off open running lanes faster, and hit opposing players even harder.

During their week of practice the excitement of the team to play in front of their home town fans was palpable.

Team captain Rob Warren knew that the crowd would do nothing but help the team succeed.

“You can already tell with guys during practice, everybody is really excited, pumped up and ready to go.”

And quarterback Omar Jacobs knew that a frenzied fan presence was vital.

“We need your support,” Jacobs said of the fans. “We are going to go and do our best to put on a great show for you guys. It’s great to come back home and give them something to cheer about.”

However, coach Brandon doesn’t want to see the homecoming game be the exception to the rule. A product of homecoming buzz and not excitement for the actual football team.

The Falcons next game is just as important, and Brandon would like to see just as many orange and brown shirts in the crowd.

“This is college football at Bowling Green,” Brandon said of the pumped up crowd. “And next we playing OU (Ohio University) and we need it just like it was, even better. Because this is a big MAC game coming up.”