The Falcons and Huskies face off for the first time since 2021.
Bowling Green hosts Northern Illinois for the first time since 2017. The Falcons look for a 2-0 start in MAC play, while the Huskies look to get their first MAC win.
Game notes
- Time and Date: Saturday, October 12th at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time
- Location: Doyt Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio
- Weather: High 60’s at kickoff, 50 percent chance of rain
- Gambling considerations: Bowling Green (-3), over/under 48 per DraftKings.
- Viewing options: The game will be available on ESPN+. A valid subscription is required for viewing. Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play) and Tyoka Jackson (color) will provide commentary.
- Radio options: Andy Garcia [debut season] (play-by-play) and Mark Lindo (color) will provide the NIU call for WDKB-FM 94.9. For BGSU, Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (color) will provide commentary on Eagle FM 99.
What Happened Last Time?
The Huskies hosted Bowling Green in 2021. After the Falcons took the early 7-0 lead, the Huskies would outscore the Falcons by a margin of 34-19 to take home the 34-26 victory. Jay Ducker ran for 210 yards, while Trayvon Rudolph returned a kick 100 yards to the house for the Huskies in the effort.
Getting to know the Falcons
Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images
The Falcons survived a slight scare from the Zips last week. Harold Fannin, Jr. played hero with a rushing touchdown on fourth-and-two to cap off another big day where he picked up 172 total yards. In this league, that first MAC win can be a confidence booster.
Connor Bazelak, despite some untimely interceptions, has been playing very well this year. He sits atop the MAC in passing yards with 1,243. Over half of those yards (676) have gone to the nation’s fourth leading receiver in the aforementioned Fannin Jr.
The Falcons average 145.8 rushing yards/game. Terion Stewart still leads the team with 270 yards and four touchdowns, despite not seeing action at Penn State or Akron. Jaison Patterson has seen a lot of time on the field in more recent weeks, racking up 203 rushing yards and three touchdowns overall.
Defensively, this game will be one for the Falcons to prove themselves on. CJ Brown will face off against his former team, while Jacorey Benjamin still has the only interception for the Falcons. Charles Rosser leads the Falcons with 3.5 sacks, with Joseph Sipp, Jr. and Anthony Hawkins following with three sacks each. The main focus this weekend is to stop the Huskie running game, which is the most successful in the league by nearly 40 yards per game on average over second place.
Getting to know the Huskies
Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
Dating back to the 2013 MAC Championship, NIU has won four of the last six matchups against Bowling Green. This years’ Huskies are a bit of an enigma. They defeated Notre Dame for their best win in school history, had close losses to Buffalo and NC State, and seemed to just squeak by UMass (despite the 34-20 win). Which Huskies team will we see on Saturday?
NIU proved that the running game is still top dog. Rushing for 367 yards in their win against UMass, they did it in the shadows of the Antario Brown injury. Gavin Williams led the way with 125 yards and one touchdown. Jaylen Poe contributed 98 yards and two touchdowns. Ethan Hampton follows with 64 yards and one touchdown. This is the best part of their offense, and they will continue to use it.
The passing game is overshadowed by the rushing game. Hampton is eighth in the MAC with 913 passing yards. His leading receiver, also the team’s leading rusher, is Antario Brown. Following Brown, is Grayson Barnes with 147 yards and one touchdown. If the Falcons can stop the Husky run game, Hampton will have to use his arm and that has not been a guarantee for success in 2024. One only has to look at last week’s UMass game, where NIU attempted just two passes in the second half after trying to spread the ball around to start.
The Huskies have been able to penetrate offensive lines this season, racking up 13 total sacks. Nevaeh Sanders leads the way with four. Roy Williams follows with 3.5. Devonte O’Malley has three sacks to round out the top three. Christian Fuhrman and Amariyun Knighten each have one interception. The Huskies allow an average of 94.6 rushing yards per game, the most successful rate in the league— which accentuates an already incredibly successful defense to begin with.
What Each Team Needs
The Falcons will need to get that run defense better. If they can’t stop the run, Bowling Green will have a rough day. Also, just let Fannin cook. Fannin will make the play, they just have to get him the ball.
Going off that, the Huskies need to keep running the ball. It’s what they do best at 230.8 yards per game. Bowling Green allows 191 rush yards per game. If the Falcons end up stopping the run, Hampton will have to throw the ball.