Peden Stadium -- Athens, Ohio
With their loss, the Falcons fell to 1-6 on the year and remained winless in MAC play. Those marks added up to an end of the line for head coach Mike Jinks, who was replaced by defensive coordinator Carl Pelini as interim head coach.
When Pelini looks across the field Saturday, he will see a familiar face in 17-year Bobcats head coach Frank Solich. Pelini was a grad assistant for Solich one year at Nebraska and also served as an assistant for the Bobcats head man in 2006 and 2007.
It is with a bit of irony that Pelini, Jinks’ defensive coordinator, takes over the reins because BG’s defense has struggled. The Falcons are last in scoring defense, surrendering 47.6 ppg, while the offense ranks sixth among MAC teams with an average production of 27.3 ppg.
Bowling Green will be facing an Ohio offense that averages 34.2 ppg (third MAC) and is fourth in total offense (433.0 ppg). Junior QB Nathan Rourke runs the Bobcat offense and ranks second among all MAC players in total offense (281.8 ypg). His 66.2 ypg rushing is ninth (MAC).
As it showed last week, BG is also capable of scoring points. Overall, the Falcons are scoring 27.3 ppg. The on-field architect of their success is Jarret Doege, who ranks second (MAC) in passing average (266.3 ypg). He is fifth in pass efficiency.