Week seven of the college football season is here, and we have a big one in Bowling Green. 

The Battle of I-75 is set to take place at Doyt L. Perry Stadium on Saturday as Mike and Jan Wilcox Head Football Coach Eddie George met with the media at his weekly press conference to share his thoughts on the game. 

Here were the Falcon four takeaways from the media availability:

No added pressure

Eddie George has played in some pretty meaningful rivalry games, including many against Ohio State and Michigan during his time with the Buckeyes.  

George doesn’t think there’s any more added pressure and just has the team do their job. 

“Honestly, it doesn’t matter. You know, in these types of games, it doesn’t matter what you’re ranked, how many games you’ve won coming into this game, if you’re ranked number one in the country in run, pass, it doesn’t matter. It’s always different whether it’s on the road, in the backyard, in any cornfield, in between here and Toledo, it does not matter,“ said George. “But the most important thing is that you’ve got to be present. You’ve got to stay locked in. You have to control the emotions of the game and control the momentum shifts as it happens, both good and bad, to stay even-keeled and stay locked in throughout the course of the game.“ 

Having players get used to the rivalry

Bowling Green has added 52 new players this offseason, which means a lot of them haven’t played in this game and know the importance of it. 

How do you hammer that home to the new players? 

“A lot of these guys haven’t played in this game last year. There is a sprinkle here and there. There are coaches who have coached in it. I told my staff last week that I think it’s important for them to understand what they’re walking into. What it means to this university, what it means to this community,“ said George. “You look at, nowadays, with the transfer portal, there’s so much turnover in college football. Now, almost nationwide, you kind of lose appreciation for the rivalries because of the close proximity. 20, 25 miles, 26 miles up the road, you typically include the same type of players. We’re making a real emphasis for them to understand that, hey, this is an important game. This really means a lot to this university.“ 

The approach remains the same. 

The approach every week in practice and in games is to get better, and just because it’s a rivalry game doesn’t mean those factors still don’t apply. 

George preaches that to his squad day in and day out, that this week, yes, with added value, they still need to do their job to get better. 

The approach is always the same. We’re always looking to get better. We’re always emphasizing that. I think the emotions of it will take care of itself. Things are heightened in this game, certainly. Every possession counts. Every turnover is bigger, every touchdown is bigger, and momentum shifts are bigger, and there’s nothing that you can prepare for during the course of the week for that. You just have to ride along with that emotion and take that as it comes. There is a fine line between both understanding that, hey, I got to play with controlled anger, controlled rage, this controlled focus to go out and do my job, and not to go out and play above and beyond the call of duty, but do my best in that moment. Understand that every play and everything counts. Playing with discipline is going to be key for us.“ 

Keys to being successful in this game

A key in every game played will always be discipline and to win the turnover battle. 

So the key this week for Eddie George’s squad? 

Protect the football. 

“Protect the football. Number one, protect the football. That’s going to be key for us. That will help clean up those mistakes that we had in the last few weeks,“ said George. “So, being disciplined with our eyes defensively, protecting the football and taking advantage of the opportunities that are given to us on both sides of the football and being able to score a touchdown as we drive.“ 

There’s a lot to be excited about this weekend. Adding another rendition to the Battle of I-75 will always come with fun surprises and some really good football. 

You will always get both of these teams’ best games played all season long. 

This week will be no different.