Coming off a dominating week one, the Falcons head to Happy Valley for their first road test of 2024
After a dominating performance against Fordham, the Falcons head to Happy Valley to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions for the first time since Joe Paterno was head coach.
Game notes
- Time and Date: Saturday, September 6th at 12:00 p.m. Eastern
- Location: Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania
- Weather: 67 degrees and cloudy at kickoff, with an west-southwesterly 11 MPH wind. Chance of rain stands at 70% throughout the game.
- Gambling considerations: Penn State (-34.5), over/under 48.5, per DraftKings.
- Viewing options: The game will be available on the Big Ten Network. A valid cable subscription is required for viewing. Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Matt Millen (color) will provide commentary.
- Radio options: Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (color) will provide the BGSU call for Eagle FM 99.
- All-time series: Penn State leads 2-0
- Last Matchup: Penn State defeated Bowling Green 48-3 on September 12th, 1998, in what was former head coach Joe Paterno’s 300th win.
Getting to know the Nittany Lions
Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics
After a slow first quarter start in Morgantown, the Nittany Lions outpaced the Mountaineers 20-6 in the second quarter to win 34-12.
The Falcons will look to stop quarterback Drew Allar. He threw for 216 yards on 11 completions with three touchdowns last week. In the victory, Allar surpassed 3,000 career passing yards and 30 career passing touchdowns.
Despite taking a step back in 2023, Nicholas Singleton is primed to be a very good Big Ten running back this year. Singleton racked up 114 yards last week with one touchdown. He only needs 73 yards to surpass 2,000 career rushing yards.
There are explosive wide receivers in this offense. Harrison Wallace III racked up 117 yards with two touchdowns. They also have former Buckeye Julian Fleming. While he didn’t build up stats, he still has the explosiveness that Penn State was looking for in the offseason.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions really have a good unit. Kevin Winston, Jr. and Jaylen Reed combined for 21 total tackles. Zane Durant and Smith Vilbert racked up one sack a piece. This defense has what it takes to keep Bowling Green scoring in the single digits.
Getting to know the Falcons
Scott W. Grau/BGSU Athletics
The Falcons certainly flew through the opposition last week, eschewing Fordham’s resistance to win by a final score of 41-17.
Running was the name of the game against Fordham. All five touchdowns on offense were rushing touchdowns. Terion Stewart led the way with 161 yards and 3 touchdowns, Lucian Anderson III and Connor Bazelak each added one rushing touchdown. The Falcons will have a tough time going against a defense that only allowed 85 rushing yards last week.
As a result, passing took a back seat for the Falcons. Connor Bazelak threw for 168 yards on 15 pass completions with zero touchdowns. The completions he did have helped the Falcons move the ball, especially in the first quarter. The Falcons know they’ll need more passing in the offense to be successful in the future. Penn State allowed 161 passing yards against the Mountaineers. On paper, passing will be tough for Bowling Green even in the best of circumstances.
The Falcons racked up five sacks last week. Penn State did not allow a sack throughout the 60 minutes against West Virginia. Bowling Green will have to find a way to get to the quarterback, though it will be difficult with Penn State’s offensive line.
Special teams may have to step up again to get the Falcons going. Justin Pegues may not get a house call this week, but he’s proven that his ability is dynamic and explosive. John Henderson may not rattle off a 29 yard fake punt again, but if it were a fourth-and-short, he’s proven that it could be a useful tool. As we’ve seen with MAC special teams so far this year, it can set the tone or give a team life.
What Each Team Needs
What can Bowling Green do? Well, there may not be much they can do. I’ll give the need of staying healthy (remember the Michigan game last year). Bowling Green does have a bye week between Penn State and Texas A&M, so that should help with rest and recovery. They also have to defend the run. The Nittany Lions ran for 222 yards against West Virginia.
Penn State will look to dominate on both sides of the ball, but this will be a prime game to start forcing more turnovers. The Nittany Lions forced one interception and recovered two fumbles against West Virginia, but this is a good opportunity to force fumbles and bad throws.