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Athlon Sports
Bowling Green Football: 2024 Falcons Season Preview and Prediction
By Athlon Sports,
20 days ago
Bowling Green is hoping to compete for a spot in the MAC Championship Game with a veteran defense and quarterback. The Falcons lost five games last season to teams (including national champion Michigan) that combined for a 59-10 record. The schedule is more forgiving this year, but some wide receivers need to emerge for the offense to be good enough to get near the top of the MAC.
Former Missouri and Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak will play his sixth year of college football — and second at Bowling Green — and will direct an offense that hopes to improve on last season’s No. 108 ranking. Bazelak played through a leg injury last season and missed most of spring drills but should be 100 percent by the fall. He played 11 games last year and had 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The Falcons also welcome back their leading rusher, Terion Stewart, who averaged 6.1 yards per carry and 85 yards per game before being lost for the season after nine games. Stewart should carry a heavy load this fall for an offense that hopes for a 50-50 split in running and passing.
The Falcons’ top player in the receiving game is tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who led the team with 44 catches, 623 yards and six touchdowns. The top wideouts are gone, although depth was added in Auburn transfer Malcolm Johnson Jr. and Kansas State transfer RJ Garcia II.
The offensive line returns four starters, including third-team All-MAC tackle Alex Wollschlaeger.
The Falcons will field an experienced defense after finishing fourth in the MAC in yards allowed per game a year ago and tying for first in the nation in turnovers. All three defensive linemen return, plus a host of others who saw action in 2023. Dontrez Brown led the group in tackles and also had two fumble recoveries.
Linebacker Joseph Sipp Jr. was second on the team in tackles and will be his unit’s leader. Senior Demetrius Hardamon was injured against Michigan and missed the rest of the season, but he will be back in the fall.
Two starters return in the secondary, including second-team All-MAC cornerback Jordan Oladokun, who had four interceptions. Also joining the backline is Northern Illinois transfer CJ Brown, who was first-team All-MAC in 2021 and second-team in 2022.
Placekicker Alan Anaya returns after going 13-for-18 on field goals with a long of 42. Troy transfer Zach Long and punter Jackson Kleather will also battle for those duties in the fall. Kleather should handle punting again after averaging 39.2 yards last season.
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