Can Omar Jacobs win the Heisman Trophy this season?

It may depend on the supporting cast that surrounds the phenomenal junior quarterback.

It is no secret BGSU has one of the most talented players in the nation, and a potential NFL first round draft pick in Jacobs. The Jacobs-led Falcons outscored opponents 184 to 34 in the first quarter last year.

Jacobs led the nation last season with a touchdown to interception ratio of 41-4, besting this year’s first pick of the NFL Draft, quarterback Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers. Jacobs is the field general, running BGSU’s spread offense nearly to perfection.

But Jacobs could not have accomplished this all by himself. He is surrounded by numerous returning starters on offense, setting the stage for another potential record breaking season.

With BGSU’s explosive receiving corps, all Jacobs has to do is hit the right spot. Losing Cole Magner to graduation was a key loss, but there is still a solid group of receivers returning, including Charles Sharon and Steve Sanders. The seniors could prove to be one of the nation’s best one-two combos.

You should see a mixed variety of players at the third and fourth receiver slots. Senior Derrick Lett, junior Kenneth Brantley, freshmen Luke Alexander and Marques Parks should all see time at the position.

The tight end spot will be taken over by sophomore Sean O’ Drobinak and junior Ruben Ruiz. They both have great size and hands and should make great targets for Jacobs in the red zone.

Despite the finesse at the skill positions, BGSU coach Gregg Brandon believes the offensive line is the most important factor of the Falcon offense.

‘I think one of the keys to our offense is to protect the quarterback,’ Brandon said. ‘By design, we try to get rid of the ball within three seconds. The offensive line can not block forever. The nature of the spread offense allows the quarterback to have good throwing lanes and find open receivers.’

The offensive line is returning only two starters, the biggest loss being Scott Mruczkowski, a seventh round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers. However, the line will be very deep on the left side with senior tackle and team captain Rob Warren and sophomore guard Kory Lichtensteiger.

The question is, will the young guys step up on the offensive line? Warren thinks they are ready.

‘I think our young guys have done a great job,’ he said. ‘Our philosophy is to play together until the whistle blows.’

Warren also talked about the importance of the offensive line continuing to build chemistry.

‘We have to continue to grow as a family again after losing Scotty, [Andrew] Hart and [Andy] Grubb, so I think meshing together and trusting each other as much as we did last year will be the main thing,’ Warren said. ‘We have to work together as a unit.’

At running back, the Falcons are very deep and talented. Along with the play of the line, the running game may be the most important factor on the offense this season. If the Falcons cannot run the ball it will make it that much harder to pass. Senior running back and returning starter, P.J. Pope, was fourth in the nation last year with 10.5 points per game.

Even with all the attention on Omar and the spread offense, P.J. and the backs don’t feel left out.

‘From a running-back standpoint, we stay kind of low-key, but we are an effective part of the offense,’ Pope said. ‘If we are overlooked, that can be good for us. We just try to produce steady numbers while the passing game gets most of the attention.’

The Falcons offense looks to be the strong point of the team this season. The big four on offense Jacobs, Pope, Sharon and Sanders will look to put up scary numbers like they did last season.

In addition to their MAC schedule, the Falcons will play at Big Ten powerhouse Wisconsin and visit a very dangerous Boise State squad.

The Falcons have played some great competition the past few seasons, including Ohio State, Oklahoma, Northwestern, Memphis and Purdue. So how important will the season opener be at Wisconsin?

‘It’#39;s a big game, and I think it is going to be fun,’ Pope said. ‘Camp Randall is a tough place to play. We always love a challenge, and it is always fun to go in and show what we can do.’