Hopes are high for the Bowling Green football program entering a pivotal 2024 season. Scot Loeffler’s team is coming off back-to-back seasons with bowl game appearances for the first time since the 2014 and 2015 campaigns.
However, there are still some crucial unanswered questions just two days before the team begins its quest for Mid-American Conference gold.
Which Connor Bazelak will show up?
The former Missouri and Indiana quarterback had a rocky first season with the Falcons.
The senior played 11 games last year, completing 60.4% (168-278) of his passes for 1,935 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
However, the 2023 campaign was a tale of two polar opposite versions of Bazelak.
In the first six games of the season (against Liberty, Eastern Illinois, Ohio, Georgia Tech, Miami (OH) and Akron), Bazelak completed just 57.1% (80-140) of his passes for 895 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions, earning a 114.1 passer efficiency rating.
Meanwhile, in the final five games (against Ball State, Kent State, Toledo, Western Michigan and Minnesota), he completed 63.8% of his throws for 1,040 yards, seven touchdowns and only one interception, earning a 142.4 rating.
If the Falcons are going to have a successful season, they will need Bazelak to perform like he did at the end of last year’s campaign.
Which wide receiver(s) will step up?
It’s safe to say that BGSU lost a lot of offensive production this offseason, specifically in the pass-catching department room.
Odieu Hiliare signed with the Atlanta Falcons after the NFL Draft, Ta’Ron Keith transferred to the University of South Florida (USF), Austin Osborne signed with the German Football League’s Berlin Rebels and Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim transferred to Louisiana Tech.
Those four pass catchers combined for a whopping 138 receptions, 1,511 yards and nine touchdowns last season.
Although the Falcons have a few returning pass catchers, there is not a clear number one wideout.
Excluding Harold Fannin Jr., who will undoubtedly be the team’s top tight end, Finn Hogan, Jaylon Tillman, Levi Gazarek, Terion Stewart and Jamal Johnson combined for just 23 catches, 275 receiving yards and two touchdowns last year.
However, the Falcons have added some talent to the roster that could help fill this void.
Loeffler and his staff added wideouts Malcolm Johnson Jr. And RJ Garcia II from Power Five schools Auburn and Kansas State, respectively. The Orange and Brown also added Tennessee Tech transfer Justin Pegues, a dynamic back who caught 23 passes for 2016 yards last year.
Although the Falcons have added weapons on the offensive side of the ball for Bazelak to throw to, there is not a clear number one wideout, and we will not know for sure who that will be until we see Bowling Green in action on the field.
Can the defense repeat last season’s success?
A major catalyst for Bowling Green’s success last season was their defense, which finished 25th in the country in total defense (326.1 yards allowed per game) and led the nation with 28 takeaways.
However, the Orange and Brown lost four key defensive players this offseason.
Linebacker Darren Anders and defensive back Davon Ferguson graduated. Meanwhile, Jalen Huskey and Cashius Howell transferred to Maryland and Texas A&M.
Those four combined for an astounding 215 total tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, 20.5 sacks, 15 passes defended, six interceptions, four fumbles recovered and three forced fumbles last season.
To put it into context, Anders, Ferguson, Huskey and Howell combined for 25.8% of BG’s total tackles, 46.3% of their tackles for loss, 62.1% of their sacks, 34.1% of their passes defended, 35.3% of their interceptions, 36.4% of their fumbles recovered and 27.3% of their forced fumbles last year.
As the saying goes, ‘defense wins championships.’ If the Falcons want their defense to even come close to replicating last season’s success, which will be necessary for a championship run, they will need multiple players to step up in a major way.
Can the Falcons succeed late in the season?
One of the most alarming problems Bowling Green has had under the command of Loeffler is their inability to finish seasons strong.
Although the Falcons have made back-to-back Quick Lane Bowl game appearances, they have lost to both New Mexico State (24-19) and Minnesota (30-24).
Over the past five years, BG is just 7-15 in November and December games. They have been outscored 686-306 in those contests.
Additionally, the Falcons have lost at least two of the final three games of the season in all five seasons under Loeffler.
If Bowling Green wants to go to the next level, they will need to find out how to stay consistent and close out games late in the season.
Can Bowling Green win the big games?
As the infamous Ric Flair once said, ‘To be the man, you gotta beat the man.’
Unfortunately, the Orange and Brown have not been able to prove they can do this consistently under Loeffler.
Although the program has greatly turned around and improved over the past half-decade, they are just 1-8 against MAC teams who have appeared in that season’s conference championship game under Loeffler, with their only win coming against Toledo at the Glass Bowl in 2022, 42-35.
BGSU has been outscored 317-173 in those nine games.
The top two MAC teams will face off in Detroit, Michigan, for conference supremacy at the end of the season. If the Falcons want to play in that game, they will need to beat the top teams in the conference during the regular season.
