The final game for BGSU football (3-8, 1-6) is upon us as the Falcons travel to Massachusetts to face off against the UMass Minutemen (0-11, 0-7) in the season finale for both squads.
Matchup history
This will be just the fifth all-time netting between the two schools and the first time meeting as members of the Mid-American Conference, as this is the inaugural season for UMass in the MAC.
The Falcons have yet to lose to UMass as they hold a 4-0 lead with their last win coming 10 years ago, when the Falcons defeated the Minutemen 62-38 in Bowling Green.
Scouting Bowling Green
This obviously wasn’t the way the Falcons would have liked to end the season, but they have one more opportunity to find a win and end the season on a high note.
The last month and a half hasn’t looked good for the Falcons. October 11th was the last time the Falcons won a game.
Something that head coach Eddie George looks to change.
“You always look for a way to finish strong, and to walk away and to end the season with a victory would bode well for us in terms of the results,” said coach George. “But I think, and I know, that, the last month, or month or so, the results haven’t been there, but we’ve gotten better. I can see that in our quality of play, we’re competing at a high level. We’re doing some really, really good things.”
The quarterback position, especially, hasn’t been what most of us expected, but Coach George says to expect the same thing.
Which more than likely means Hunter Najm will play.
“You could see one of the two- a couple of quarterbacks. It could be Lucian, it could be Najm, it could be Drew [Pyne]; we’re still gonna assess the situation. But nothing has changed,” says coach George.
“So when Hunter plays, as he is gonna play, he’s gonna learn and see what he’s grown and learned from last week and try to go out there and execute at a high level.”
There have still been some bright spots for the Falcons over this losing streak, however.
Linebacker Gideon Lampron has climbed his way up the nation’s leaderboard in multiple categories.
Lampron ranks No. 3 in the nation in solo tackles (59) and No. 5 in total tackles (109). Lampron is also No. 5 nationally. He is the only player in the nation with 100+ tackles and 15+ tackles for loss.
Scouting UMass
UMass has fallen on some hard times as they are currently 0-11 and still searching for the first win of the season.
Something Eddie George knows and will be taking them just as seriously, despite their record.
“They’ve had some tough breaks. They have a really good roster, a competitive roster. They’re playing hard. I know the numbers statistically don’t show that, but this team is very capable. They played Buffalo tough, they’re playing their opponents tough,” says coach George. “So, we’re looking for the same thing, and we’re trying to go out there and find a way to win a ballgame and feel good about ourselves. So, it’s gonna be a battle of wills.”
UMass ranks 134th on offense and 128th on defense nationally out of 134 teams.
Both rank dead last in the MAC.
So hard times have come in Amherst, Massachusetts.
However, like Bowling Green, there are some bright spots on the team.
Ranking fifth in the MAC, redshirt Junior Tyler Martin is averaging 8.5 tackles per game, which ranks 36th in the country as well.
The Minutemen also have the MAC’s best punter, Keegan Andrews. He has averaged 46.60 yards per punt, ranking first in the MAC and 11th nationally.
This is a UMass team that is led by first-year head coach Joe Harasymiak, who had a tough team to inherit and, like the Falcons, has a lot of new faces in the building.
About 52 percent of the Massachusetts roster is playing in their first season at UMass. 50 new players out of 96 total.
Falcons’ four players to watch
Gideon Lampron (Bowling Green No. 4)
As mentioned, he is climbing national leaderboards and is all over the place on the defensive side of things, and I would expect another big day from him in Massachusetts.
Jyrin Johnson (Bowling Green No. 7)
Johnson is usually a go-to guy for the Falcon quarterback as he ranks No. 1 in the nation with an active reception streak of 44 games. He is tied for No. 9 nationally and is No. 1 in the MAC among tight ends with 35 receptions.
Tyler Martin (UMass No. 5)
Martin is definitely a bright spot for this defense as he is averaging 8.5 tackles per game, which ranks 36th in the country as well.
Jacquan Gibson (UMass No. 2)
The wide receiver has put up 478 yards on 53 receptions and is averaging 5.89 catches per game, which ranks him second in the MAC and 17th nationally.
