Week 10 is finally here, and with that comes everyone’s favorite time of the year: Midweek MACtion.
“I like it, actually. I love it to that fact that we’re practicing on the weekends,” head coach Scot Loeffler said Friday. “I love that we’re able to keep our routine in the mornings, we practice, be able to get our guys off their feet, be able to feed them properly, get them ready to play a night game on national tv against a really good Ball State team.”
The last leg of any real homestand Bowling Green has for the rest of the season, the Falcons welcome Ball State (2-6, 1-3 MAC) to Doyt L. Perry Stadium for their first matchup since the 2015 season, and the first time the Cardinals have been in Bowling Green since 2014.
Bowling Green has won seven of their last eight matchups against Ball State, dating all the way back to the 1999 season, the only loss coming in that 2014 game at home.
In their seven wins, the average margin of victory for BGSU is 23.6 points/game and their one loss was by 17 points.
But that was last decade – nearly 10 years ago. Ball State’s Head Coach Mike Neu was still Drew Brees’ quarterbacks coach in New Orleans the last time these squads matched up, while Loeffler was still the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Virginia Tech.
At the time? It was Pete Lembo vs Dino Babers.
“Full speed ahead here on Bowling Green. Good football team, Coach Loeffler’s done a great job there,” said Neu. “I think one of the most impressive things when you look at their football team, they’re number one in our conference right now in turnover margin. The last two weeks, they’ve been +6, their last three wins, they’ve been +9. So, they’ve done a good job. They’ve got a knack at getting the ball out and causing turnovers. They also do a good job of taking care of it.”
So, what does Ball State bring to the table in 2023?
Their 2-6 record doesn’t speak 100% for itself. The Cardinals have started three different quarterbacks this season, have had three different leading rushers, and have only had two guys lead the team in receiving more than once.
Their FBS out of conference schedule was one of the strongest in the Mid-American Conference (@Kentucky, @Georgia, vs Georgia Southern)
“This first challenge in MACtion is very similar to what I said last week about Akron. I think this is a very dangerous football team. I think Mike [Neu] is not a good coach, I think he’s a great coach. They’ve won a championship; they know how to win,” Loeffler said. “They’re tough as heck on defense, I think they’ve found themselves an identity on offense with the quarterback situation. The running back can score every time he touches the ball. The quarterback has the ability to score, there’s just a bunch of really good players around the back and the quarterback.”
Ball State’s run-pass option offense runs through sophomore quarterback Kiael Kelly, who has only started two games this season. He’s a dynamic athlete but excels in the ground game.
In his two starts this season he’s rushed 33 times for 162 yards and two touchdowns and is 17-for-32 passing for 139 yards and an interception.
He led the Cardinals to their first FBS win of the season last week over Central Michigan, with help from his partner in crime in the backfield, Marquez Cooper.
Cooper, who transferred in from Kent State after former head coach Sean Lewis headed west to join Deion Sanders’ staff at Colorado, has had an up-and-down season. He’s only eclipsed the 100-yard mark twice; once against FCS opponent Indiana State (177), and again in their last game against Central Michigan (162).
Last season, in the Golden Flashes’ 40-9 victory over BGSU, Cooper led Kent in rushing yards with 93 yards on 19 attempts.
Despite the two dynamic runners, Ball State ranks eighth in the conference in rushing yards
The defense is their strong suit, with one of the better defenses in the conference in terms of yards allowed, ranking in the top half of the MAC. The defense’s strength is against the run, allowing the second least yards to opposing running backs this season (986) – only Ohio has allowed less yardage to opposing backs (839).
The defensive unit is led by the linebacking tandem of Cole Pearce and Sidney Houston, Jr.
Pearce, filling in as the leader of the defense for the injured Clayton Coll, leads the team in tackles (57) and is second in sacks (3). Houston leads the team with 5.5 sacks.
The special teams unit is not to be slept on either.
Their kicker, Jackson Courville, has yet to miss an extra point this season. He’s a perfect 15-for-15 on PATs and has only missed two field goals (8-for-10). His only two misses came from 50+ yards.
The punter is a real weapon. Lucas Borrow, straight from Australia.
He leads the MAC with 19 punts inside the 20-yard line and averages 42.6 yards on each of his punts, good enough for second in the conference.
“We’ve got to do a great job in all three phases against a really good team. Just like I said, this isn’t a two-win team. This is a team that has found themselves and they’re extremely dangerous,” Loeffler said. “A lot of respect towards them, our entire staff feels that way.”
Kickoff Wednesday is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and temperatures are predicted to be in the low 30s.
Too cold for you? No worries, join Rhys Patrykus and Reese Lannon on Falcon Radio for the game, starting with pregame at 6:45 p.m.
For more stories related to BGSU Athletics, follow Falcon Media Sports Network on X (@bg_fmsn).
