There are two games left in Bowling Green’s season, and the beginning of the end starts in Muncie, Indiana.
Bowling Green (6-4, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) and Ball State (3-7, 2-4 MAC) face off in the final Saturday game of their seasons on Nov. 23.
MATCHUP HISTORY
Bowling Green leads the all-time series, 22-9-1.
The Falcons won the last matchup on Nov. 1, 2023, at Doyt Perry Stadium, 24-21, and have won eight of the last nine matchups dating back to the 1999 season.
THE LOWDOWN
By kickoff, it will have been exactly a week since the Cardinals parted ways with long-time head coach Mike Neu, and in his place steps a long-time assistant of Neu’s.
“I have a ton of respect for Mike [Neu]. I thought he did a great job there,” BGSU head football coach Scot Loeffler said at his weekly press conference. “Unfortunately, they made a decision to change, but he’s one of the winningest coaches there, and he’s done a great job. [It] just shows you how fragile winning and losing is.”
His replacement is Colin Johnson, a 2003 graduate of Ball State and the school’s former offensive line and assistant head coach.
“Obviously, I’m honored. It’s never easy in this profession to deal with change. But, as a young coach, when I got into this business, I was exposed to it early, and you learn that this is what you get into,” Johnson said. “I want to give unbelievable gratitude to Mike Neu and what he has provided for myself and my family. I grew up idolizing the guy being a Ball State athlete myself over in the old facility at Worthen, seeing his picture up on the wall and hearing about his stories as a champion. I’ve always looked up to him.”
Despite their less-than-great record, this Ball State team is chippy.
Their four conference losses are by a total of 15 points.
“When you look at this, and I showed this to our team, Ball State [scored] 48 [and] Buffalo won – three-point loss. Ball State [scored] 21 against a ridiculous Miami team – six-point loss. Ball State beats Northern Illinois, which is hands down one of the better teams in our conference – won by two. Ball State vs. Kent State – won by two. Ball State 42, Western Michigan, 45, and we know what Western is. They’re a really good team – three-point loss. Then, they lost to CMU by three,” said Loeffler.
Ball State averages 27.0 points per game and is led by one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, Kadin Semonza.
Semonza, a redshirt freshman from Huntington Beach, Calif., leads the conference in passing touchdowns, completions, and yards per game.
“I think he’s a really, really good player, and I don’t know if you can stop him,” Loeffler said. “You have to control the explosion battle with him. He’s a very accurate passer. They have weapons on the perimeter. They have a really good tight end [Tanner Koziol]. The backs are good, and they’re playing really, really good offensive football.”
However, Bowling Green is on one of their best stretches in the Loeffler era, winners of their last four, and are playing near-perfect football in all three phases.
“It’s all about improving. We still haven’t played a complete game. I think we’ve played some good games, but you’re striving for that perfect game, and there’s no such thing as that,” Loeffler said. “So, you’re always chasing perfection, but we have to make sure that we’re locked in. When we’re locked in, and we’re focused on doing the things that we’re supposed to do, being great teammates, locked into our jobs, locked into our preparation, playing disciplined, playing really hard – that’s when we’re good.”
Over this winning streak, the Falcons are averaging 30.5 points per game and are holding opponents to just 14.5 points per contest.
And Connor Bazelak hasn’t thrown an interception since Homecoming against Old Dominion.
But the ol’ Orange and Brown will have their work cut out for them. For some reason, teams always seem to play with more fire under a new head coach. Also, Ball State will be celebrating Senior Day.
“It starts with this Saturday, Senior Day. Anyone who straps on the pads and put on the jersey knows the goal is to win, but Senior Day is special because it’s a culmination for all the work that the seniors in your program have put together. My goal is to see to it that they go out on the highest note possible, right? And that starts with getting a win here this Saturday, on Senior Day,” Johnson said.
Kickoff from Muncie is slated for 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 23.
