The Falcons are just a few days away from playing their highest ranked opponent in school history.The Oklahoma Sooners, currently ranked second in the nation, host Bowling Green on Saturday in what is sure to be a game for the ages, at least for Falcons fans. If Oklahoma wins, it’s no big deal. But if the Falcons can somehow storm out of Norman with a win, it will be the biggest upset in school history. However, the odds of a Falcon victory are pretty slim. This is an Oklahoma team that won 12 straight games last season and still has its Heisman Trophy quarterback Jason White as well as most of the key players from last year. Yet the Sooners lost their momentum towards the end of last season, with defeats in their final two games. Can the Falcons continue the Sooners losing streak? Probably not. But anything is possible. Just look at last season: After beating Eastern Kentucky at home, the Falcons managed to sneak past Purdue on the road 27-26. They nearly stole the show in Columbus two weeks later when Ohio State’s Will Allen intercepted a game-tying touchdown pass on the final play. Both Purdue and Ohio State were ranked No. 16 and No. 5 in the nation at that point. Northern Illinois was ranked No. 12 when Bowling Green destroyed their perfect season on national TV and sent the overrated Huskies down a few notches in the rankings.But there are a few missing pieces from last year’s squad, most notably the absence of quarterback Josh Harris, who now has a nice bench seat with the Baltimore Ravens.Harris put Bowling Green football back in the national spotlight, as the Falcons received more national recognition last season than ever before.It is now up to sophomore Omar Jacobs to fill the large void that Harris left when his reign ended. But Jacob’s lack of experience will make it even tougher for the Falcons to overcome this perennial powerhouse.With that being said, the Falcons will need huge games from their more experienced core of players like receivers Cole Magner and Charles Sharon. Or maybe P.J. Pope will bail out Jacobs and find a way to penetrate through Oklahoma’s great wall of defense. An even greater challenge for the Falcons, however, will be stopping the Sooner offense. Oklahoma averaged over 45 points a game last season, which was best in the nation. If the Falcons defense fails to contain Jason White early on, the game will turn into a quick blowout.Going up against Oklahoma will probably be the toughest task of Omar Jacob’s entire career and it’s only his first start. But if Jacobs can escape past the dominant defense of the Sooners, what can’t he do? If the Falcons can somehow pull off a miracle and take down the second best team in the country, expect another season for the record books.
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Football playing in tough opener
September 2, 2004
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