Saturday, Nov. 28 -- Noon ET
Pedan Stadium - Athens, OH
ESPN+
The Ohio Bobcats enter Saturday hoping to record their second win of 2020.
After defeating Akron Nov. 10, the 'Cats had hoped to get win No. 2 against arch-rival Miami the following week. However, roster issues (related to a positive COVID-19 test and contact tracing) at Ohio resulted in cancellation of the rivalry game.
Moving into OU's sights is Bowling Green, which has lost all three of it outings. Opponents have outscored the Falcons 142-44, during that stretch.
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Ohio and BG have a long history, with this being the 72nd meeting. Bowling Green holds a 40-29-2 edge. The Bobcats, however, are riding a four-game win streak in the series. Prior to that, BG had won four straight.
LAST YEAR:
Ohio scored 44 consecutive points on the way to a 66-24 victory. The Bobcats rolled up a season-high 609 yards, with 342 and six touchdowns coming through the ground game. Running back O’Shaan Allison put together a career night, rushing for a career-high 175 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries
Bowling Green put up 24 points through two periods. However, the Falcons, who committed five turnovers, failed to score after intermission.
BOWLING GREEN FALCONS (0-3)
-- The Falcons are led by heac coach Scott Loeffler, who is now in his second year at the helm. Loeffler has served as the offensive coordinator at Boston College, Virginia Tech, Auburn and Temple. He has also coached at Florida, his alma mater Michigan, and Central Michigan -- as well as the Detroit Lions. Loeffler has coached seven quarterbacks who went on to play in the NFL, including Tom Brady and Tim Tebow.
-- BGs offense continued to show improvement but Buffalo was too strong in a 42- 17 Bulls win on Tuesday, Nov. 17. BGSU drove into Buffalo territory on seven of its 10 drives and had seven drives of 44 or more yards, but the Falcons stalled too often and were unable to keep up with the Bulls' bruising rushing attack.
-- Buffalo ran for 396 yards, and all six touchdowns came on the ground.
-- Despite the 42-17 score, Buffalo had just one more first down than Bowling Green and only 71 more yards of offense. The Falcons won the time of possession battle and showed balance with 180 yards rushing and 219 passing.
-- BG ranks last among MAC teams in points scored -- 14.7 ppg. The Falcons are 10th in total offense (343.7 ypg), with about just over 56 percent of the production coming from the ground game.
-- Freshman Terion Stewart has produced four of Bowling Green's five rushing scores. Although Buffalo limited him to 42 yards on nine trips last week, Stewart carried 14 times for 162 against Kent State one week earlier.
-- Although he has completed just 40.3 percent of his passes on the season, junior QB Matt McDonald completed 17-of-23 passes (63%) for 219 yards with one interception against Buffalo. Through three games, BG has not recorded a passing touchdown.
-- Julian Ortega-Jones leads Falcon receivers with 10 catches for 133 yards.
-- Bowling Green defensive struggles are partially tied to trouble stopping the run. Opponents have averaged 333.7 rushing yards per game.
-- Linebackers Darren Anders and Kholbe Coleman have combined for 63 tackles.
OHIO BOBCATS (1-1)
-- Ohio is 17-9 in MAC play over the past three-plus seasons. All nine losses have been decided by one possession, and eight have come by three or fewer points. The Bobcats have not lost a MAC game by more than a touchdown since a 62-24 loss at Bowling Green on Nov. 4, 2015.
-- The Bobcats only loss was a 30-27 setback at central Michigan in Week One. They bounced back with a 24-10 home victory over Akron the following week but saw their game at Miami canceled.
-- Quarterback Nathan Rourke is gone, but his brother Kurtis Rourke is now behind center. Kurtis has completed 20-of-33 passing attempts (60.6%) for 323 yards and two TDs.
-- Senior running back De’Montre Tuggle has been the catalyst of Ohio’s offensive attack through two games in 2020. Heading into week four, Tuggle is fourth in the MAC with 24 points scored, ninth with 218 rushing yards and 10th with 380 all-purpose yards. The Bobcats put the game against the Zips out of reach by giving the ball to Tuggle on all nine plays, with the last being his one-yard touchdown to make it a 70-yard scoring march.
-- Tuggle was named MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week for week one of the 2020 season after returning the second-half kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown in a 30-27 loss to Central Michigan
-- The Bobcats recorded three takeaways against Akron. Redshirt senior strong safety Jarren Hampton came up with his second career fumble recovery in the second quarter, and redshirt sophomore linebacker Keye Thompson and redshirt freshman safety Jett Elad both produced their first career interceptions in the fourth quarter to help Ohio seal the victory.
-- Redshirt junior wide receiver Isiah Cox led Ohio with four receptions for 102 receiving yards at Central Michigan. He went over the 1,000-yard career receiving mark in the contest, having now hauled in 54 career receptions for 1,074 yards in 27 games over the past two-plus years. Cox tallied his third career game with at least 100 receiving yards. His 58-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter marked his sixth career touchdown reception.
-- Ohio ranks last among MAC teams in total offense, averaging 326 ypg. The ''Cats are seventh in total defense (430.5 ypg) and second in scoring defense (20.0 ppg).