The Bowling Green Falcons (2-3, 1-0) head back home to Doyt L. Perry Stadium this Saturday to face off against a potential surprise team in the MAC. The Northern Illinois Huskies (3-2, 0-1).
Series history:
Bowling Green and Northern Illinois have met a total of 23 times, with the Falcons just edging out the Huskies having a 12-11 advantage.
NIU is currently on a three-game win streak in the series dating back to 2016.
Head coach Scot Loeffler has only played NIU once, back in 2021, as the Huskies defeated the Falcons 34-26.
However, with the new pod system implemented, the Huskies and Falcons will meet on the gridiron every year starting today.
Breakdown:
The Falcons are coming into this game off of a 27-20 victory over the Akron Zips.
Like most instances, Loeffler respects the other end very highly and believes Thomas Hammock has built a great program at NIU.
“Thomas is a great guy, great coach. He’s built a great program. He’s built it on the right stuff, very similar to what we’ve done.”
Winning the time of possession is always a must when talking about Loeffler’s teams. NIU is first in the MAC when it comes to time of possession, so Loeffler knows how protecting the ball will be key.
“You’re not going to get the ball as much as you normally would just because of how they control the ball on offense. So every snap is going to matter, and it’s going to be a great game.”
Having running back Terion Stewart available is a huge way to protect the ball. Stewart has been on and off all year battling injury.
According to Loeffler, he will be playing for the Falcons.
“He should play in this game. I was disappointed he didn’t play last week. But, hopefully, he has a great week of practice, and we can get him in the fold, which will definitely help in the run game”
Junior safety CJ Brown was a member of the NIU football team for four seasons. He’s looking forward to the opportunity and has nothing but for his time at NIU.
“It meant a lot. We won championships, and we were kind of in a rebuilding phase too when I was there, but it was a good time there.”
For NIU, Thomas Hammock has these Huskies to a 3-2 record, along with the biggest win in program history as they defeated #5 Notre Dame week 2 16-14.
Like Loeffler, Hammock has mutual respect for BG and is excited for the matchup.
“I have a lot of respect for what coach Loeffler is doing. I think he’s an offensive wizard. We played him in ‘21, and all week, we were prepared for the unbalanced jet sweep, and then he bought an unbalanced jet counter,” said Hammock. “So I told our players, whatever you see on tape, they’re gonna do the opposite. And I think he does a great job of putting these guys in position to be successful offensively.”
NIU is a surprise team competing for the MAC. But they’ve made the most of it for the year, as they have the fifth-best offense and second-best defense in the MAC.
“They’re 35th in scoring, they stop the run, they’re averaging less than 100 yards a game. They stop in the pass, 23rd in passing, and are great on 3rd down. They get off the field. On offense, they’re going to control the ball. It’s a run-first organization with a great play-action pass. I think the offensive line is extremely physical. They’ve got a mentality about running the football.”
Loeffler also believes they have a relentless pass rush as well and knows how tough it will be to line up against them in the trenches.
“They play great defense. Their defensive front is as good as we played. It reminds me of Texas A&M; I think they’re outstanding. They’re 10th in the nation in overall defense.”
You can’t have a BG preview without mentioning star tight end Harold Fannin Jr.
Fannin is just 26 yards away from breaking the all-time tight end receiving yards for a tight end.
Hammock is glad that Fannin stayed in the orange-brown and believes that’s the right way to do it.
“I’m glad the kid stayed at Bowling Green. I’m sure people tampered with the kid and offered him a bunch of money, but I’m glad he stayed at Bowling Green. I think some of our best players in the MAC need to stay at their respective schools.”
This is the first “big test” the Falcons will face in this gauntlet of a conference we call the MAC.
Is 2-0 in the MAC on the horizon?
Tune into Falcon Radio at 3:15 to listen to Falcon Media Sports Network’s Sean Connelly and Andrew Helkowski to find out.
