In reality, this whole thing is pretty much meaningless. I mean, long story made short, this dude had a girlfriend that never existed. No one actually died. There was not any real crime done. In the grand scheme of things, none of this actually matters.

However, it still is a huge story because Manti Te’o truly was the heart and soul of this year’s college football season. He was THE story. He led one of the most talked about programs in college sports to the national championship game. And he did so while captivating the hearts of America.

With that being said, this whole thing just bothers me. It makes me upset. Manti Te’o makes me upset.

What upsets me the most is that people and many mainstream media sources will and are making this whole thing into a, “Manti Te’o got played” type of thing. He was duped. He got tricked.

Although this is the case, people need to realize that this guy deserves a lot of the blame. And he deserves all of the criticism that people will and already have dished out towards him.

He is a liar.

First off, he claimed that he met a Lennay Kekua (Which he admitted to tonight that this never actually happened). He fabricated the story and he made it dramatic. This whole thing was made into the biggest story in college football.  When in reality, he talked on the phone with a girl and never once even saw her.

Second of all, the media really isn’t talking about how stupid this guy actually is. Instead, they are making it known to everyone that he was tricked and deceived.

I don’t know about any of you, but if I loved someone or even cared about them a little bit and they were about to die, I would probably go and seen them.

Also, Manti skyped with Lennay many times. Wouldn’t he think it’s weird that she never showed her face in any of these calls? Wouldn’t he think it’s a bit odd that her screen was always pitch black every single time?

It also is extremely annoying that this story was the heart of Manti’s Heisman campaign. Sure, he had a great season and is a special player. But I don’t think that anyone would argue that all of what Manti was dealing with at the time was the driving force behind all of the Heisman talk involving the Notre Dame linebacker. I am sure that some people voted for him because of his story. I mean lets be honest here, there have been many defensive players over the years to have racked up over 100 tackles in a season and have had some interceptions. Manti Te’o would have been the first player ever to have won the Heisman trophy as strictly a defensive player. Charles Woodson did it in 1997, but a lot of his big plays were as a kick/punt returner and even as a wide receiver. Defensive players also won the award in 1936 and 1948 but again, both of those players played both sides of the ball. Needless to say, his story helped him tremendously. Aside from it, he had a very good year. A year that many other great defensive players have had in the past.

Another thing, this story broke on Wednesday and it took him until Friday night to finally talk. And when he did decide to talk, he does so only under the agreement that there will be no cameras. Are you kidding me? First off, that does not help your situation at all. Man up, dude. Tell these people “face-to-face” that this incredible story that everyone believed in was fake. Instead, you do it behind the scenes. It just rubs people the wrong way.

Another thing that I found to be mind boggling was that he told ESPN that he didn’t know for a fact that Lennay never existed until Wednesday. Like seriously? How dumb can you be? This is after he received a call on December 6^th from the voice and number that he associated with Lennay. She said that she faked her death (That happened months prior on Sep. 12) to get away from drug dealers.

And you believed this call and ridiculous story (And the whole thing for that matter) to the point that it took you until just now to know for certain that this whole thing never existed? Wow.

Manti also stated in his ESPN interview that he let this whole thing affect his performance in the National Championship. To me, this is pathetic. And knowing the facts now, it is a complete joke. A fake girl affected his play in possibly the biggest game of his life.

But even at that time. Even if you believed that this girl was alive. It’s the National Championship for crying out loud. I don’t care what happened. Playing for a National Championship is a once in a lifetime type of thing. And you couldn’t clear your mind for 3.5 hours? Instead, you missed tackle after tackle en route to your team getting completely destroyed. You owe it to your teammates, to your school and heck, to yourself to put aside your troubles and to focus on playing in the biggest game that college football has to offer. Any decent athlete knows how to clear their head before a game. Brett Favre played arguably the greatest game of his career just a day after his father died. He didn’t even let a regular season game go to waste, even though the man closest to him passed away no more than 24 hours prior. And you played the worst game of your season due to the fact that you couldn’t pull yourself together on college football’s biggest stage because of a girl that you never once even saw?

I understand that serious relationships can start online. But go and see her once things get serious. Go and see her once you are telling the South Bend Tribune, ESPN and your own parents that you already have seen her. Go and see her once she gets in an accident and is in a coma. Go and see her once she is diagnosed with leukemia. Go and see her when she is in the hospital. Go to her funeral when she dies. His response to why he never did? “It never really crossed my mind. I don’t know. I was in school.” That was his quote from the off camera ESPN interview done by Jeremy Schaap. It is laughable, really. You did not get played, you were that dumb and you played yourself.

I can only imagine how stupid the Notre Dame fan base feels. They are the real victims here. They donated thousands of dollars in charity for Lennay’s leukemia efforts. And as a colleague’s buddy of mine, who attends Notre Dame, told him the other day, “The students are the victims for waving those damn leis around and buying into this whole sob story.” Their whole season centered upon a story that partially didn’t exist. I’m not taking anything away from it. And I know that it was their play on the field that actually matters, but it is pretty sad to think about.

I can understand that Manti Te’o is not a criminal. And after all, it is unfortunate that all of this happened to him. I am sure that he is a great kid and I know that he probably feels incredibly embarrassed about the whole situation and I’m sure he feels bad about it. But it is just beyond annoying that everyone is constantly hearing that this dude was a victim. It is more annoying that this is basically the only angle that is being presented.

Manti should be forgiven. Heck, even I will forgive the guy. But people should know that all of this could have been prevented if Manti showed some intelligence, or even some common sense. The guy goes to Notre Dame; he shouldn’t have been this clueless.

Why is that?

Their only losses will be to No. 2 ranked Florida, a team that they actually outplayed. Multiple missed field goals (Both chip shots) and a timely turnover was the only thing that prevented a BG win. If you watched that game, Bowling Green outplayed the Gators. Even Florida fans would admit to that. Florida has looked unbeatable ever since and just destroyed a top 10 team.

BG also lost to Toledo, who just knocked off No. 21 Cincinnati and will probably be ranked next week, if not soon. Their only loss was to Arizona in week one in OT. BG’s final loss was to Virginia Tech. A team that is one game behind from leading their ACC division and having a chance to win their conference and head to a BCS bowl game.

Not to mention, all of these games were on the road and in the first month of the season. A lot of nationally ranked teams (Two in the top 10 have already loss to Florida) have and will continue to lose to those three teams.

If Bowling Green wins out, they will have the big wins to justify that ranking. They will have beaten Ohio on the road, a team that is currently undefeated and nationally ranked and they will have beaten Northern Illinois or Toledo in the MAC title game. Northern Illinois or Toledo, whoever makes it, will also be nationally ranked.

That would leave BG with a 10-3 record, a MAC East Championship, a MAC title championship and multiple top 25 wins. With their only losses coming during the opening month of the season against a team that is going to have double digit wins and two other teams that are probably going to the BCS, with one of those teams possibly going to the National Championship.

I am not saying they will win out. It will be very difficult. But if they do, the above resume will be extremely impressive. Bowling Green has an unbelievable defense (Ranked No. 1 in the MAC) and they will keep them in every game.

The MAC is actually a great conference this year which will help too. The conference has wins over Penn State (Big Ten), Kansas (Big 12), Cincinnati (Big East), South Florida (Big East), Indiana (Big Ten), Connecticut (Big East) and Iowa (Big Ten).

Needless to say, If Bowling Green wins the rest of their games, they should and will be nationally ranked.

You could clearly tell that the senior was indeed devastated following the game and it hurt to watch. Jones had two sacks and forced a fumble in the loss.

Bowling Green now travels to Virginia Tech this Saturday to face the nationally ranked Hookies. It should be a very tough game, but I don’t really care if we win. We just need to get out of there healthy. Yes, it would be a huge win for the program if we could get it, but the bigger picture is MAC play.

The Falcons need to somehow salvage a kicking game or I think it will be impossible to compete. Not only does it hurt to miss out on points, its even more deflating to put together great drives and come up empty handed. I think it effects the team for the rest of the game.

With that being said, things get easier. These first 4 games were extremely difficult. Florida, Virginia Tech and Toledo on the road in the first month of the season would be a very tough schedule for any team in the country. Toledo took nationally ranked Arizona to OT in week one and Florida and Virginia Tech speak for themselves.

Every game in the MAC is huge from here on out. I expect Ohio to win out so BG is going to have to do the same. We have 7 games left in the MAC, none of them will be easy. However, we will probably be favored in 5 of them if not 6. The Miami game is huge. Whoever wins that will more than likely set themselves up for Ohio. With the winner of that game, advancing to the MAC title game.

That is just my take. I think BG, Ohio and Miami could certainly lose to teams other than themselves. Which would shake things up in the East. It will be very interesting to see how things shake out over the next month and throughout the season.

And although BG’s loss to Toledo stung, the team still has a shot at winning the division and advancing to Detroit.

I also think Toledo will win the West. Which means that there could potentially be an EPIC rematch for all of the marbles. I really hope that happens.

Nevertheless, Bowling Green is still alive and in contention. Its still very early. Most teams around the country haven’t even started conference play.

However, some of the things in the media and around their program bother me. It started last year when they were making their run in the NCAA’s. Their Athletic Director was quoted in talking about how it bothers him that the school is still referred to as, “Ohio University” and not simply, “Ohio.” He even compared the idea to how the University of Arkansas is known as just “Arkansas” and the University of Indiana is known as just “Indiana.”

Lets get right to the point on this one, Ohio University is not Arkansas of the SEC or Indiana, arguably the best program in college basketball. I get what he is trying to say, but you are the Athletic Director of a MAC school. No one, outside of your own campus, will ever refer to you as just, “Ohio.” Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand people’s arrogance about this conference. No one thinks this conference is worth anything, and it bothers me just as much as the next guy. But its reality, and by no means is Ohio University that much ahead, in the grand scheme of things, than any other MAC school.

The next thing that bothers me is a more recent topic. The Bobcat’s QB, Tyler Tettleton said that his school is sort of becoming the Boise State of the Midwest. I don’t remember his exact words nor do I care to look them up, but they were almost exactly that. Ohio won their FIRST ever bowl game last season, and they didn’t even win the MAC. So first things first, win your own conference every single year and then win a BCS bowl game, before you can even consider talking about how your school is even in the same breath as Boise State.

Yes, Ohio had a nice win against Penn State in week 1 that got a lot of recognition. And rightfully so. They were not supposed to win that game. No MAC school is supposed to win a game against the Big 10. But lets not kid ourselves here. The Penn State football team is probably THE biggest named school right now, out of any sport, that is struggling the most (For obvious reasons). Their best player transferred to USC, various other big time players transferred to other schools, they lost a ton of scholarships, they can’t play in a bowl game for years to come, they lost the face of their program, they can’t even make an extra point anymore, and technically, they have not won a game since 1997. The program is a complete mess. I am convinced that multiple teams in MAC could beat Penn State this year, and I think a lot of coaches around the league would agree with that. Penn State will be lucky to win 5 games this year.

Next, is the schedule that Ohio has this year. It is by far the easiest schedule in the conference. Their other non-conference games are Norfolk State (Who?), New Mexico State and Marshall. They avoid the two best MAC teams this year in not playing Northern Illinois (MAC Champions) and Toledo. Their hardest game within the conference is a HOME game against BGSU. Not being bias there either, it will be their lowest spread for the rest of the year. Ohio is probably going to be ranked too, as they keep getting more AP votes each week and they aren’t going to lose anytime soon.

So I will take my school for example. If BGSU and Ohio switched schedules this year, things would be much different. Ohio would not have won in the Swamp, they would not have won at Virginia Tech and they would probably would lose to either BGSU or Toledo (Both would be on the road), if not both.

This article isn’t intended to be negative or to shoot down the great success that the Bobcats have had. This article is simply pointing out the facts of the situation that are covered up because Ohio plays out of the MAC, and no one expects a team from the MAC to have any success, let alone the type of success that Ohio has had.

Also, I am mainly talking about the football team here. Ohio has a great basketball program. They would compete and beat many of the big time programs as they showed last year.

But the same cannot be said about the football team. The schedule has MUCH to do with the team’s success, which is not all of their fault. When they scheduled the game to play Penn State, there was no way in knowing that they would be playing against the biggest mess in college football. They probably thought that they would be going against a ranked powerhouse.

Nevertheless, Ohio University will never be a Boise State and in my opinion, they will never even be a real football power within the conference. Call me crazy, but the Bobcats are not going to win the MAC this year, even though they have gotten all of the attention.

I read an article on ESPN that ranked the top 5 Non-BCS Rivalries (As of 2008), and BG-UT was ranked No.4 on that list. The rivalries ahead of it?

1. BYU vs. Utah (The Holy War) – No longer can be considered Non-BCS because Utah has joined the PAC-12

2. Boise State vs. Fresno (Battle for the Milk Can) – This was when both teams played in the WAC, and now both teams play in the Mountain West. So, technically it is still Non-BCS, but Boise State will be in the Big East next year and are rumored to be moving to the Big 12 after that.

3. Then comes the only Non-BCS Rivalry that will remain right along with BG-UT, Army vs. Navy. This is without a doubt a great contest, however I still think BG-UT is ahead of it. First off, its not really a rivalry is it? How can it be? These two forces work together to protect our country, so how can they “hate” each other? I get why its on the list and it is without a doubt a huge game that both programs and college football fans everywhere look forward to seeing at the end of the season, but I don’t really consider it a rivalry. It can’t be unless both schools literally hate each other, and I don’t see how that is possible in this situation. Maybe the teams do for that day, and I know I am not involved with it first hand, it is just my opinion.

4. BG-UT was No.4 on the list as mentioned.

5. Middle Tennessee State vs. Troy (Battle of the Palladium) I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know that this rivalry existed before I read the article. In 2008, the schools had only played each other seven times, so I’m a little confused by this and don’t even care to look up the tradition behind it. Nevertheless, it is clear to me that the BG-UT rivalry is miles ahead of this one.

The article also mentioned a few others outside of this list:

- Boise State vs. Idaho (Battle of Idaho) – The two teams have stopped playing each other since Boise State moved out of the WAC. And I believe that for a rivalry to exist, both teams have to be competitive, which isn’t the case here. The series was competitive at some point, but as the series ended, Boise was just destroying Idaho every single year.

- Houston vs. Rice (The Bayou Bucket), Memphis vs. Southern Miss (Black and Blue Bowl), Akron vs. Kent State (Wagon Wheel). I do not know much about these, but they do make sense. According to ESPN they aren’t nearly as bitter as BG-UT and I would tend to agree.

All and all, after all of this conference realignment, it actually is pretty cool that the BG-UT rivalry really is one of the best, if not the best, Non-BCS Rivalries in College Football.

In my opinion, it is without a doubt the best. The only one that compares to it is the Army/Navy game, but as I mentioned before, I can’t really call that series a rivalry. If you go to BGSU or Toledo, you know how much hatred there is between the two schools. I don’t have the time to get into all of it, but it is certainly there and I am sure that I will get into all of  it some other time.

For now, I am very excited to be apart of my first BG-UT Football game this Saturday. Me and my Dad will be traveling to that place they call the “Glass Bowl.” Which I think is just the dumbest name possible. It all goes back to all of the UT arrogance. They name their stadium like its some nationally recognized facility that hosts bowl games annually. Their basketball arena is also called “Savage Arena,” which I am extremely baffled as to why they would allow for that to be its name, but thats for another day. They also are charging outsiders 34 dollars a ticket (Their season ticket page is $59) for this game and they only gave our band 170 seats (We have over 300 members).

Sorry for the rant, that just gives you an idea of a little but of the hate that is going into it this year’s game. The game is at 7PM and it should be packed and loud.

GO BG, ROLL ALONG

Long story short, our defense is pretty darn good. We only allowed 6 rushing yards and we made a few huge stops deep in our territory to force field goal attempts. We did allow a bunch of passing yards however, and it appears that our pass defense may need work. Florida really didn’t have a quarterback that could pass with any sort of consistency. Hopefully this improves, but I’m okay with the effort that our defense has displayed thus far. They seem to tighten up in the red zone and get the job done. If Florida didn’t have so many electric players, we probably would have won that game. And outside of Virginia Tech, we won’t face those type of athletes for the remainder of the season.

It was also nice to see our defense CREATE some huge turnovers that actually meant something. The interception by Pettus resulted in a BG touchdown, and the forced fumble by Paul Swan basically clinched the game for us.

Our offense was effective but penalties killed us. However, the wide receiver concerns seem to be answered, as I predicted. We have so much talent at this position, even if most of the guys were inexperienced heading into the year. Joplin was a beast last night, Stokes had a huge touchdown and seems to be in impact player, and Chris Gallon is going to be one of the best in program history. This dude is 6-4 and has some of the best hands that I have seen at the collegiate level. He reminds me a lot of Calvin Johnson (I am not calling him the best reciever on the planet), in the sense of he goes up and catches the ball at its highest point.

Going back to the defense, Chris Jones is indeed worth all of the hype. He caused problems the entire night and is well worth the NFL draft pick that he will soon become.

Heading into a HUGE game against Toledo next week, we do need to correct some things. We need to limit the offensive penalties, be more smooth on offensive (Which relates back to the penalties), and try to disrupt the two good quarterbacks that we will see next week. We can’t keep relying on defensive stands when we are backed up to our goal line, we need more three and outs and we need to force more incomplete passes.

With that being said, I still like our chances against Toledo. Clawson is going to use last year’s lost to these guys and last week’s sloppy performance as motivation. This game is huge, its probably the difference between a 1-3 start and a 3-2 start. The schedule gets easier after this month, but we need this win badly for a variety of reasons. And loosing three games in a row to that school would just be absolutely brutal on every level.

If we limit the penalties, I think we can put up points and I think our defense can keep up us in the game for 4 quarters.

Here is the recap of the Idaho game that can be found on BGSUFalcons.com

Bowling Green, Ohio – In front of a crowd of 16,591, Anthon Samuel scored two touchdowns and the Bowling Green defense held Idaho to six yards rushing in a 21-13 victory Saturday night at Doyt Perry Stadium.

The Bowling Green offense got started on their second drive of the game when Matt Schilz found  junior Shaun Joplin, who finished the game with seven receptions for 117 yards, for 42 yards deep in Idaho territory. The catch was the longest of Joplin’s career. Later on, Travis Greene took an end-around for ten yards to set up Anthon Samuel’s four-yard touchdown rush. The drive lasted 2:07 and covered 67 yards on just five plays.

Bowling Green’s offense then went quiet in the second quarter and the defense took over. Idaho went on a nice 11-play, 77-yard drive that lasted 6:03, but was forced to settle for a 20-yard field goal after defensive tackle Chris Jones sacked Idaho quarterback Dominique Blackman on third down.

The defense held its own again after a fumble gave Idaho a short field to work with. The Vandals threatened to score their first touchdown of the game, but were denied when Ryland Ward broke up a Blackman pass on third down. Trey Farquhar then connected on his second field goal of the game from 22 yards and Bowling Green headed to the locker room with a 7-6 halftime lead.

After Idaho went on a long drive to start the second half, Trey Farquhar pushed his 36-yard field goal attempt wide left and the Falcons kept their one-point lead.

On the ensuing possession, three big plays highlighted the Bowling Green touchdown drive. Quarterback Matt Schilz, who completed 24 of his 35 passing attempts for 283 yards, hooked up with freshman Chris Gallon for 37 yards. Gallon had a huge game in his first outing at the Doyt, as he hauled in six catches for 89 yards.

Schilz then kept the drive alive on third down when he rushed for 12 yards. On third and four, Samuel took a carry and went 29 yards for his second touchdown of the game to give the Falcons a 14-6 lead.

After Josh Pettus picked up his first career interception on a ball that was tipped three times by a pair of Falcons, Je`Ron Stokes caught his only pass of the game when Schilz found the transfer from Michigan up the middle. Stokes eluded a couple of would-be tacklers and finished off the 15-yard reception to give the Falcons a 21-6 lead heading into the final quarter of play.

Bowling Green tried to put the game out of reach before Schilz threw his only interception of the night. Idaho’s Solomon Dixon cut in front of a pass intended for John Pettigrew, and traveled four yards before stumbling down on his own 22-yard line. The Vandals proceeded to go on a seven-play touchdown drive that covered 78 yards in 2:15. Blackman (30-37 for 352 yards), who was playing in his first Division I game, finished off the drive with a 16-yard toss in the corner of the end zone to wide receiver Marquan Major to cut the deficit to eight at 21-13.

After Bowling Green stalled on its next drive, Idaho had one more chance to send the game to overtime. After a completed pass, BGSU captain Paul Swan chased down an Idaho ball carrier and forced a fumble that was recovered by defensive back Aaron Foster on the Idaho 33-yard line. After a key first down run by Pettigrew, the Falcons ran out the clock and secured the 21-13 victory.

Idaho falls to 0-2 on the season. The Falcons improve to 1-1 and will open MAC play on the road next week against their rival Toledo for the Battle Of I-75. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m.

1. Its a night game, which always seems to make the experience more epic.

2. I will be watching the game in the press box and get to do some other cool stuff (Free Dinner).

3. We should be able to win.

4. We looked great last week against a top 25 program, so it will be fun to watch the team at home.

5. It should be PACKED! Reports from the ticket office are indicating that they are receiving a bunch of calls and expect it to be a loud crowed. Traditionally, the home opener here is sold out.

I expect us to win by a few touchdowns. Idaho lost to an FCS school last week (Eastern Washington), but they were without their 6-5, 250+ pound quarterback. They are very high on this dude and at his weekly press conference, Coach Clawson indicated that Eastern Washington is a very good team. He said that they won the national championship a few years back and that they almost beat Washington on the road recently.

Many people are calling this game a “trap game.” Due to the fact that the team is probably excited that they competed very hard against a premier program. The media is “expecting” the team to take Idaho lightly because they are certainly no Florida, and they lost to an “inferior team.” It is also a trap game because the team may be looking forward to huge game next week. Next week BGSU takes on their bitter rival (Who will go unnamed) in the MAC Conference opener for both teams.

Personally, I am not buying any of this trap game talk. And either is the team. Tight end Alex Bayer said that the team is only guaranteed 12 games and that they will be excited for all of them. Captain Paul Swan also indicated that the team is very fired up for this game.

The fact is, its the home opener and the team will be playing in front of a packed crowed. They will be excited and ready to go and I fully expect them to win. They are the better team and they will play like it.

Also, Coach Clawson was one of the better FCS coaches out there. He helped rebuild a few FCS programs and he knows how good an FCS school can be. He even stayed around after his Wednesday press conference to inform the media of this knowledge. Not that Idaho is an FCS team, but they lost to an FCS team. Long story short, Coach knows what the team is up against Saturday. And his team knows. BGSU will come ready to play and they will win.

SIDE NOTE: Coach Clawson is a great guy and we are extremely lucky to have him here. He runs a clean program and he does everything the right way. He treats everyone with respect, and I mean everyone. He even went out of his way to talk to my buddy and I. He is also so professional and represents BGSU tremendously. I hope he never leaves. He has the reputation as a “program builder” and he has certainly rebuilt this program. BG is on the rise and will compete in the MAC and compete nationally for a very long time. The upcoming years could very well be the “Golden Age” for this football program.

Matt Schilz throws a pass Saturday afteroon in “The Swamp” against the Florida Gators. Bowling Green sported a new all white look. Schilz is also wearing a new undershirt that displays BG’s unoffical but popular fight song, Ay Ziggy Zoomba.

By James Nahikian

Bowling Green State University was a few missed field goals, a tipped pass, and a missed tackle away from knocking off an SEC powerhouse on Saturday afternoon. In fact, if they would have just secured a few of the above mentioned miscues, they would have probably won the game as well. Bowling Green was in the game for all four quarters, and in my opinion, was the better team.

It wasn’t anything that Florida did that won them the game. It was the opportunities that the Falcons didn’t take advantage of, that was the difference in the game. Which is pretty impressive if you think about it.

A MAC school went toe-to-toe with a program that has multiple championships (Both National and SEC), multiple Heisman trophy winners, arguably the most historic stadium in college football, multimillion dollar facilities, funding that is off the charts, and a plethora of 5-Star prospects to choose from. With all of that being said, It was the play of the Bowling Green quarterback that really caught my eye.

In my opinion, Matt Schilz is the best QB in the MAC Conference and one of the top 20 QB’s in the nation. If you watched the game, his demeanor defined the word, poised. All day long, he calmly directed his offensive line and snapped the ball with about five seconds on the play clock. Not an easy task, especially in one of the loudest stadiums in all of sports. Schilz maneuvered his offensive and gained 22 first downs on Saturday, against a defense that was ranked in the top 10 nationwide last season. Also a defense that returned almost their entire cast, and will yet again be one of the top defensive units across the land. Matt completed 24 passes and threw the ball almost 50 times against the Gators. He stood tall in the pocket and took hard shots throughout the entire game. These players he was getting knocked down by are no slouches either, these are guys that will be playing on Sundays.

And when Bowling Green was backed up to their one-yard line, coach Dave Clawson wasn’t afraid to let his veteran QB get them out of the dangerous territory with his arm. In an environment that BGSU was in yesterday, this is typically when you see coaches stay very conservative all game long. Especially if you are playing a team like Florida, and come from a mid-major conference. However, this is not the case with Bowling Green and their quarterback.

Yes, Matt Schilz plays for Bowling Green. A team in a much less talked about conference. A team in a very small market, and a team that probably many people have never heard of. However, Matt Schilz is not just a MAC talent. He could be playing for school that is currently nationally ranked and in a BCS conference. Schilz was committed to Kansas State while he was playing quarterback for Maranatha High School in California. But when the coach that recruited him left for Bowling Green, Schilz did the same and decided to play college football for the Falcons. Schilz, now a red shirt junior, started double digit games in both his freshman and sophomore years. The junior is now a captain and is coming off a season where he threw for over 3,000 yards and tossed 28 touchdowns. Schilz was tied for 1st in TD passes last season in the MAC, but has goals this year that go well beyond individual statistics.

Matt Schilz and Bowling Green want to win a MAC Championship. A feat that was last witnessed by this fan base two decades ago. Bowling Green showed Saturday afternoon that is a team that can compete with anyone in the country, and certainly a team that can win all of their games inside of their own conference. For Schilz, he will continue to stack up as one of the best quarterbacks in program history. Maybe not by what his final numbers may show, but by the championships and wins that he will bring over the next two seasons. Schilz is a quarterback that can throw the ball and pick apart any defense in college football. Don’t believe me? Watch him on September 22 on a nation stage again. As BGSU will play Virginia Tech, a team that competed in a BCS Bowl Game last season. I am certain that you will see a quarterback that is poised on every down, and a quarterback that can make every throw that a BCS quarterback can make.

Matt Schilz is my favorite athlete and Bowling Green is extremely lucky to have him.

For now, Schilz will remain in the MAC conference and stay locally known, something that the Arcadia native is just fine with.

After reading numerous ESPN articles, blogs and various Gator friendly blogs, BGSU is being referred to as one of these cupcakes. Which is completely fine. I understand that probably 95% of the USA population outside of the state Ohio is asking the following questions:

“What is a Bowling Green?”

“Why aren’t their colors Green and something else?”

I will say this though, If Gator Nation expects Bowling Green to roll over and for this game to be over midway through the first quarter, than they are in for a hell of a surprise. Bowling Green is not going to be intimidated at all. They are lead by a quarterback who has been in the program for four years.

Okay, so he has been in the program for a while. That doesn’t mean that he can hang with the Gators, he’s a MAC quarterback. Well, if you want to play that card, that is also fine. But you’d be wrong. Matt Schilz had an offer to play at Kansas State. He was actually committed to that program, until the coach that recruited him left for BGSU. If Matt decided to stay at KSU. He would probably be the starting quarterback and be playing for a team that is now ranked in the top 25.

Bowling Green is also lead by a defensive lineman who will be drafted into the NFL next year. Chris Jones is a two time All-MAC performer and will give the Gators all that they can handle. He leads a very experienced defense. Bowling Green returns 88.6% of its tackles, 92.9% of its sacks, 90.5% of its tackles for loss, and 100% of its interceptions and forced fumbles.

On offense, BG probably has more talent and depth at the running back position than Florida does. And they certainly have more experienced at QB, as Florida still doesn’t even know who their starting QB for the season will be.

I am not here to predict the game, although I do think BG will win. I am here to point out the simple fact that this game will not be a blowout and Bowling Green is not a typical cupcake. And for Florida, they should worry about themselves. They are coming off one of their worst seasons in quite sometime. Luckily for them, they had a great defense last year, or else they wouldn’t have even made it to a bowl game.

Bowling Green is not going to be intimidated by anything that Florida has to offer. For those fans that are expecting a cupcake like performance by BG just because they are going into big, bad SEC country, and playing in the mighty swamp, you will be in for a surprise.

And at the very least, when the game is still up for grabs in the third and fourth quarters, you will probably be wondering to yourself; “Why is our SEC team not completely destroying this MAC school?”

Buckle up Gator fans, Its going to be a long afternoon in Gainesville on Saturday for everyone expecting to be home by halftime.

With that being said, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is arguably the toughest venue to play at in college football, the Gators are indeed an SEC program, and Florida is ranked in the top 25. Bowling Green on the other hand, is a team that plays in the much less talked about, MAC Conference. They are a team that didn’t make a bowl game last year, and they are only a few years removed from a 2-10 season. So why do I think that BGSU can win?

I’ll give you my reasons:

1. Dave Clawson has been forced to play young players since he took over the program. He has since developed those young players, and now BGSU is almost returning their entire starting lineup from last season. Experience in a game like this is huge. And although BGSU might not have a whole lot of seniors, they do have players that have multiple years worth of experience.

2. Matt Schilz. Schilz is now in his third season under center. He threw for over 3K yards last season and tossed 28 touchdowns. If you want any chance at winning on the road in an environment like this, you need an experienced QB who is not afraid to make plays. Schilz is a guy who was committed to a Big 12 school early on in his recruiting process. He can play with any team in the country and he can make any throw. I love Matt Schilz and I think he is going to have a monster season.

3. The running game. Clawson has said it all spring and all fall long, the running backs are the biggest strength of this team. Anthon Samuel was the MAC Freshman of the year last season, and if it wasn’t for an injury, he would have ran for over 1K yards. Jamel Martin, Andre Givens and John Pettigrew will also contribute in this game (Jordan Hopgood is suspended). If we can establish the running game, we will be able to slow the game down and control the clock. This will then open things up for Schilz to make some plays with his arm.

4. Week one upsets seem to happen a lot in college football. I would bet you that a good majority of the people in Gainesville didn’t even know that Bowling Green was a college up until the schedule was released, some still might not know who we are. Florida will probably be looking forward to their week 2 SEC opener against Texas A& M, and Florida still has no starting QB set. They plan on playing two guys. Florida’s offense was awful last season, and hopefully both QB’s try to do too much and make mistakes. I expect their offense to be a little out of sink early on, hopefully BG can force some turnovers.

5. I really like our defense. We have a lot of potential All-MAC performers in Chris Jones, Dwayne Woods, Paul Swan and BooBoo Gates. Freshman Will Watson is also going to be a great player and their are a handful of other players who can make plays. I really believe that BG will have the best defense in the MAC this year.

6. Brian Schmiedebusch and BooBoo Gates on special teams. Schmiedebusch is the best punter in the country. That may be a little bias, but he is at least top 5. His numbers did indeed have him ranked as the number 5 punter last season (He was only a Sophomore). If BG ever gets stuck deep in their territory (which is a good possibility) and they need to flip the field, or if they ever need to pin the Gators in deep in their zone, Schmieddebusch will be able to do both. He can punt the ball 50+ yards easy, and just this past week at BG’s second scrimmage, I saw him punt the ball at about the 50 and it was downed at the one-yard line. BooBoo Gates is one of the better returners in the country, hopefully he can take one back.

7. I think Clawson has some tricks up his sleeve. BG isn’t known for their trick plays, but don’t be surprised if you see some on Saturday. Even if only a few connect, it could be the difference in the game. BG should use everything in the book, and I think that they will. They can be very unpredictable and try anything and everything, which can be a very dangerous weapon.

8. Je’Ron Stokes and Chris Gallon. A 4-Star WR recruit and a transfer from the University of Michigan, Je’Ron Stokes will be making his debut for the Falcons in this game. Clawson has said that none of the receivers have separated themselves, but this may be a little bit of gamesmanship. Yes BG is unexperienced at this position, with Shaun Joplin being the only player to have caught a pass for the team, but there is still a lot of talent here. Stokes can be only of the best WR’s in the MAC this year and Gallon is a stud. He is a 6-4 freshman whose potential is off the charts. He was the best player on the field in BG’s last scrimmage. He has the size to go up and make a catch, and he is so smooth when running routes and catching balls. By his senior year, he might be the best player in the conference. The receivers are being portrayed as the team’s weakest point. But don’t be surprised if they step up huge for this game. Schilz can really sling it and these guys CAN catch the ball. Most mid-major schools are not supposed to be able to pass the ball and put up points in a hurry, but BG can. I think the Gators will be surprised and hopefully caught off guard with how talented this offense can be.

9. Improved O-Line and Alex Bayer. Our O-Line will be solid this year, Clawson will attribute to that as well. This will allow our talented backs to get up the field. Alex Bayer is one of the best tight ends in the conference and he is going to be huge in this game. His blocking has improved and his hands are phenomenal. He is roommates with Schilz and the two have a tight bond. Bayer is a guy with a lot of experience and will be a familiar sight for Schilz, which will be important for the new receivers. If Bayer makes a few big plays early, hopefully the WR’s start to loosen up.

With all this being said, Florida is a more talented team. Their defense is great and they are probably deeper than us as well. But don’t be surprised at all if this one stays close. If we can just make a couple huge plays, we might just be able to steal this one.

GO FALCONS, BEAT FLORIDA