2018 Football Schedule Announced; Homecoming Set For Oct. 13

Cleveland, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference today announced dates for all 2018 MAC football games. Of Bowling Green's six home games in 2018, four will be played on Saturdays prior to the middle of October. BGSU will hold Homecoming for the Western Michigan game Oct. 13 and Family Weekend will take place when the Falcons host Eastern Kentucky Sept. 15.

BGSU will open conference play with a home game against Miami Sept. 22. That will be the last contest in an early-season three-game home stand before closing out non-conference action at Georgia Tech the following week.

BGSU will follow the Georgia Tech game with seven consecutive MAC games, beginning with the Battle of I-75 at Toledo on Oct. 6. The Falcons return home to host Western Michigan Oct. 13 for Homecoming before a road game at Ohio (Oct. 20) and the beginning of mid-week #MACtion at home against Kent State (Oct. 30).

Heading into November, BGSU will play Saturday games at Central Michigan (Nov. 10) and at Akron (Nov. 17) before hosting Buffalo Nov. 23 – the day after Thanksgiving.

As previously announced, Bowling Green hosts Maryland Sept. 8 and Eastern Kentucky Sept. 15, which will be Falcon Family Weekend. The Falcons open the season at Oregon Sept. 1.

"Our recruiting classes over the past two years will help us to build this program back to the championship caliber we expect," BGSU Football Coach Mike Jinks said. "Having four Saturday home games in September and October should help our young team develop early in the season. Our fan base has been faithful and supportive since my staff and I arrived two years ago and we need to continue to see that support expand as our 2018 team strives to meet our goals."

BGSU is projected to return 13 starters (six on offense and seven on defense) from 2017, including true sophomore quarterback Jarret Doege, true sophomore running back Andrew Clair, and five of its top six receivers. Defensively, the team returns five of its top six tacklers, every player who recorded an interception, and players responsible for 73 percent of its quarterback sacks.

A revamped defensive coaching staff, led by first year Defensive Coordinator Carl Pelini, will look to build upon a group that recovered 15 fumbles, fourth-most in the country.

An updated release of the schedule is expected to be announced in June with kick times and television schedules for the first three weeks of the regular season and midweek games in late October and November. All other kick times and television schedules will be announced 12 days prior to the scheduled game.

The regular season will conclude with the 22^nd Marathon MAC Football Championship game, at a date to be determined from Ford Field in Detroit. This will mark the 15^th year in which the game is played at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, Super Bowl XL and the 2009 NCAA Men's Final Four.

BGSU season tickets go on sale on Monday and will include perks based on the date of purchase. Fans can renew their season tickets online at BGSUFalcons.com/tickets, in-person at the Stroh Center ticket office, or via phone (877-BGSU TICKET).

The benefits of being a season ticket holder are plentiful, including the following:

Up to a 30 percent discount compared to purchasing single-game tickets
Complimentary Season Ticket Holder Parking as a Falcon Club member
Entry to win prizes in the Football Season Ticket Giveaway Drawings
Ticket Exchange Program – Never Waste a Ticket!
Invitation to Season Ticket Holder Party in August, which includes access to preseason practice, Q&A session with the coaching staff, meet and greet, including autographs, with players and coaches, Complimentary lunch and beverages
Opportunity to purchase single football game tickets prior to the general public
Opportunity to purchase Oregon and Georgia Tech away game tickets
Flexible payment plan

A full promotional schedule will be available on BGSUFalcons.com soon.

Information on each BGSU Football game in 2018 is listed below.

Sept. 1 at Oregon
All-time series: First Meeting
Notable: Oregon went 7-6 (6-1 home record) in 2017, including a 4-5 record in the PAC-12 … The Ducks played in the Las Vegas Bowl, losing to Boise State 38-28 … Oregon went 3-0 in non-conference games in 2017 … Nationally, Oregon was the most penalized team in the country a year ago in both number of penalties committed and penalty yardage … Bowling Green is 0-2 all-time against current members of the PAC-12, losing games to Washington and Arizona in 1986 and 1987 … Oregon Head Coach Mario Cristobal is in his first season with Ducks after spending the previous four seasons on the coaching staff at Alabama. He has a career head coaching record of 27-47 in six years at Florida International … BGSU has future road games scheduled against PAC-12 opponents UCLA (9/3/22) and Arizona State (9/5/26).

Sept. 8 vs. Maryland
All-time series: BGSU leads, 1-0
Only meeting: 9/12/15, BGSU 48-27
Notable: Maryland went 4-8 in 2017, including a 2-7 record in the Big Ten … The Terrapins opened the season with a 3-1 record but lost 7-of-8 down the stretch … Maryland's special teams was a difference maker a year ago as the unit blocked four kicks … Head Coach DJ Durkin is a 2001 Bowling Green graduate and has completed two seasons at Maryland … In 2015, Bowling Green scored 42 second-half points to overcome a 13-6 deficit and defeat Maryland 48-27 … In that contest, BGSU quarterback Matt Johnson tied the school record with six touchdown passes and had 491 yards passing, second-most in a game in school history … The last time the Falcons hosted a Big Ten opponent, BGSU defeated Indiana 45-42 in 2014 for the only win over a Big Ten team in Doyt L. Perry Stadium in program history … Bowling Green has lost three consecutive games against Big Ten schools since defeating both Maryland and Purdue in 2015.

Sept. 15 vs. Eastern Kentucky
FALCON FAMILY WEEKEND
All-time series: Eastern Kentucky leads, 3-1
First meeting: 11/16/40, EKU 48-0
Last meeting: 8/28/03, BGSU 63-13
Notable: Eastern Kentucky went 4-7 a year ago, including a 3-5 record in the Ohio Valley Conference … The Colonels played two Football Bowl Series (FBS) opponents in 2017, losing to Western Kentucky 31-17 and to Kentucky 27-16 … BGSU is 5-3 all-time against current members of the Ohio Valley Conference, last playing Murray State in 2013, winning 48-7 … Head Coach Mark Elder will begin his third season at EKU and is familiar with the Mid-American Conference, having worked on staffs at both Akron and Central Michigan … Elder was the Special Teams Coordinator at Tennessee in 2015, when the Falcons lost to the Volunteers 59-30 to open the season.

Sept. 22 vs. Miami
All-time series: Miami leads, 43-24-5
First meeting: 10/11/41, BGSU 9-0
Last meeting: 10/7/17, BGSU 37-29
Notable: Miami went 5-7 in 2017, including a 4-4 record in the Mid-American Conference … Bowling Green defeated the RedHawks 37-29 when Brandon Harris returned a fumble 93 yards for a touchdown with just 1:21 to play … Andrew Clair had 16 carries for 121 yards in the victory and Armani Posey had 16 tackles on the defensive side of the ball … Head Coach Chuck Martin will begin his fifth season at Miami in 2018, going 16-33 in his tenure, but is 11-14 over the past two seasons … Wide receiver James Gardner and offensive lineman Jordan Rigg are returning all-conference players … Jardner had 11 receiving touchdowns, tied for 11^th-most in the country.

Sept. 29 at Georgia Tech
All-time series: First Meeting
Notable: Georgia Tech went 5-6 in 2017, including a 4-4 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) … Among those seven losses was a pair of one-point defeats to Tennessee (in double overtime) and Miami … The Yellow Jackets lost 4-of-5 to close the season … Georgia Tech was fifth in the country in rushing yardage in 2017 and sixth in time of possession. While they don't throw often, the Yellow Jackets were second nationally in yards per completion … Coach Paul Johnson has completed 10 years at Georgia Tech with a record of 75-54 … He has a career record of 182-93, which includes six years at Navy and five years at Georgia Southern.

Oct. 6 at Toledo
All-time series: Series tied, 39-39-4
First meeting: 10/3/19, Toledo 6-0
Last meeting: 11/15/17, Toledo 66-37
Notable: Toledo finished the 2017 season with an 11-3 record, including 7-1 in the MAC … UT made an appearance in the MAC Championship game for the first time since 2004, in which they beat Akron to take home the title … The Rockets ranked in the top ten nationally in punt return defense, team passing efficiency and blocked punts … They return 4-of-5 players who found themselves among the top ten in the nation in multiple categories … In last year's meeting, Jarret Doege threw for 270 yards … Fred Garth and Nate Locke both accounted for 13 tackles in last season's loss to the Rockets … In three seasons at the helm of the program, head coach Jason Candle has led the team to a record of 30-9, including a MAC Championship title, West Division title and three straight bowl berths.

Oct. 13 vs. Western Michigan
HOMECOMING
All-time series: BGSU leads, 32-18-3
First meeting: 10/9/54, WMU 20-15
Last meeting: 11/11/15, BGSU 41-27
Notable: Western Michigan finished the 2017 campaign with a 6-6 overall record, including 4-4 in the MAC … Closed out the season winning just one of the last four games … Five games were decided by a single possession, in which the Broncos won twice … Tied an FBS record for most overtime periods in a single game when they forced Buffalo to seven, ultimately defeating the Bulls 71-68 … The last time the two met, the Falcons clinched the MAC East Division with the win … In his return to his alma mater, head coach Tim Lester led his team to four straight victories to close out the first half of the season and is 6-6 in his career.

Oct. 20 at Ohio
All-time series: BGSU leads, 40-27-2
First meeting: 9/29/45, BGSU 6-0
Last meeting: 10/14/17, Ohio 48-30
Notable: Ohio concluded the 2017 season with an overall record of 9-4, including 5-3 in the MAC … Went on a four-game win streak late in the season, beginning with their win at Bowling Green … Five games were decided by a single possession, including an overtime victory over Eastern Michigan … Andrew Clair rushed for 148 yards against Ohio last year and Scott Miller had 95 yards receiving … Fred Garth and Marcus Milton both posted interceptions on the defensive side of the ball … In his 13th season with Ohio, head coach Frank Solich has led his team to 76 victories since 2006, the most of any MAC East program … The Bobcats have been bowl eligible behind the leadership of Solich in nine of the last 10 seasons.

Oct. 30 vs. Kent State (ESPN2/ESPNU)
All-time series: BGSU leads, 60-19-6
First meeting: 11/6/20, BGSU 7-0
Last meeting: 10/31/17, BGSU 44-16
Notable: Finished their 2017 campaign with an overall record of 2-10, including 1-7 in the MAC … Defeated Howard University 38-31 in the home opener last season … Topped Miami with a field goal in a 17-14 win over the RedHawks in mid-October … In a 44-16 win last year, BGSU's Andrew Clair led in rushing yards, racking up 111 on the night … Head Coach Sean Lewis joins the Golden Flashes for the 2018 season … Lewis is a former co-offensive coordinator at Bowling Green under Dino Babers and the staff has multiple BGSU ties … Tom Kaufman, Andrew Sowder and Jeff Sobol all worked at Bowling Green, while Matt Johnson was the starting quarterback for the 2013 and 2015 BGSU MAC Champions.

Nov. 10 at Central Michigan
All-time series: BGSU leads, 21-19-0
First meeting: 10/31/24, CMU 21-0
Last meeting: 10/30/10, BGSU 17-14
Notable: Concluded the 2017 season with an 8-5 record, including 6-2 in the MAC … Finished the regular season on a five-game win streak before falling to Wyoming in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl … The Chippewas intercepted 19 passes during the 2017 season, ranking in a tie for seventh in the nation … In total, CMU forced 31 turnovers, which was the third-most of any team in the country … Senior Joe Ostman led the nation in sacks last year, recording an average of 1.27 per game … Alex Briones returns in 2018 after leading the team in fumble recoveries and being ranked fourth in the country in the same category … The last time the two teams met, the Falcons tallied 307 offensive yards in the 17-14 victory … Head coach John Bonamego enters his fourth season with Central Michigan in 2018 … He holds a 21-20 record leading the football program, having joined his alma mater prior to the 2015 season.

Nov. 17 at Akron
All-time series: BGSU leads, 16-8-0
First meeting: 10/3/41, Akron 8-0
Last meeting: 9/30/17, Akron 24-23
Notable: The Zips finished the 2017 season with a 7-7 overall record and 6-2 mark in the MAC … Akron wrapped up the regular season by winning three of their last four matchups, before falling to Toledo in the MAC Championship game … Akron traveled to Boca Raton, Fla. for a postseason game against Florida Atlantic in the Boca Raton Bowl … The Zips ranked eighth in the nation for defensive touchdowns in 2017, posting four … Intercepted 19 passes last season, placing them in a tie for seventh along with MAC foe Central Michigan … Redshirt junior Kwadarrius Smith averaged 21.35 yards per reception in 2017, which was good for ninth in the country … BGSU outgained the Zips in last year's one-point loss … Akron's head coach, Terry Bowden, has served the team for six years and has accumulated a 31-44 record … Bowden has spent 23 years as a collegiate football coach, posting an overall record of 171-106-2, which ranks him seventh among active head coaches in career wins.

Nov. 23 vs. Buffalo (ESPNU/CBS Sports/ESPN3)
All-time series: BGSU leads, 11-4
First meeting: 9/8/01, BGSU 35-0
Last meeting: 11/7/17, Buffalo 38-28
Notable: Finished the 2017 campaign with a 6-6 overall record and 4-4 mark in the MAC … Won their final three games of the season, including the win over the Falcons … Ranked in the top ten nationally in fourth down conversion percentage (0.667), passes intercepted (6), passing yards per completion (14.91), tackles for loss allowed (3.92) and turnovers lost (13) … Wide receiver Anthony Johnson, a redshirt junior, ranked in the top ten nationally in multiple categories, including receiving touchdowns (third), receiving yards (sixth) and receiving yards per game (second) … Junior Khalil Hodge sat second in the nation for total tackles, posting an average of 12.8 per game … Tied an FBS record for most overtime periods in a single game when they forced Western Michigan to seven, ultimately falling to the Broncos 71-68 … In last year's meeting, Jarret Doege threw for 294 yards, completing 28-of-43 passes … Head coach Lance Leipold will enter his fourth season with the Bulls … He became the first coach at Buffalo to win five games in his first season after posting a 5-7 record in 2015.

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