Bowling Green State University Athletics
Brandon Keeps BGSU on Right Track
August 21, 2006 | Football
Aug. 20, 2006
By RON MUSSELMAN, Blade Sports Columnist - BOWLING GREEN -- Urban Meyer has been hailed as one of the best offensive minds in the nation.
And Gregg Brandon made a name for himself as the architect of Meyer's spread offense at Bowling Green State University in 2001 and '02.
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When Meyer bolted for Utah (he has since jumped to Florida), Brandon was handed the keys to the Falcons' football program.
Four seasons later, the program is still flourishing.
Bowling Green's .717 winning percentage over the last five years is the best in the Mid-American Conference.
Many will find that surprising, considering how dominant rival Toledo has been during that same five-year stretch.
The BG coaching tandem of Meyer and Brandon (43-17 overall) rate a very slight edge over Toledo's Tom Amstutz (45-18, .714) when it comes to overall winning percentage.
Meyer went 17-6 in two seasons, but strangely he never won a division or league championship.
Brandon won back-to-back bowl games in 2003 and 2004 with Meyer's recruits. Brandon, who has a base salary of $159,135 on a contract that runs through the 2008 season, also has led the Falcons to a 26-11 record, one division title, and a share of another.
The team has been ranked as high as 16th in the national polls.
Bowling Green finished a disappointing 6-5 a year ago, losing three of its final five games after record-setting quarterback Omar Jacobs separated his shoulder.
"We've gotten to the level we're at because we've recruited some talented players, and we've rode some great offenses," Brandon said. "It's been a fun ride so far.
"But we became reliant on Omar last year to a fault. And when he went down, we struggled."
Despite his injury-plagued season, Jacobs decided to leave school a year early and enter the NFL draft -- against Brandon's wishes.
Jacobs was a fifth-round pick of the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
"Omar called me New Year's Eve to tell me he was going to enter the NFL draft," Brandon said. "To be honest with you, I think he had his mind made up going into last season. He made his decision, and I wished him the best.
"I can't be mad at him. He was a national level player. He did great things for this program. He was a class guy and always presented himself well. Now both of us have to move on."
Jacobs isn't the only star player missing from Brandon's powerful offense. Receivers Charles Sharon and Steve Sanders and running backs P.J. Pope and B.J. Lane also have departed.
Mix in a brutal nonconference schedule -- the Falcons play Wisconsin (Sept. 2) and preseason No. 1 Ohio State (Oct. 7) -- in the first six weeks, so it could be tough sledding for some of BG's fresh new faces.
Don't forget, Boise State was on BG's original schedule in September, but it has since been replaced by hapless Temple.
Bowling Green quarterback Anthony Turner will serve a one-game suspension against the Badgers at Cleveland Browns Stadium after he and a former teammate were cited for possession of marijuana inside a car on campus in late March.
Turner's replacement will be redshirt freshman Freddie Barnes, who is a much better scrambler than passer.
Ironically, Wisconsin's starting quarterback -- John Stocco -- is questionable for the "Clash in Cleveland" in 13 days.
Stocco, 19-6 as the Badgers' starter, recently had a surgical procedure on his right knee which he originally injured in 2003.
Stocco's backup, redshirt junior Tyler Donovan, last started in a high school game in 2002.
"Wisconsin is an established, proven Division I program," Brandon said. "They've got capable backups, I'm sure. Whoever they roll out against us, the guy's going to be a good player.
"Wisconsin doesn't have to throw the football because they'll pound you. They are a very ground-oriented football team. We saw that up close and personal last year when we lost to them [56-42 in the opener]."
Brandon doesn't want to see a repeat performance from his defense, not with a spattering of cheeseheads in the crowd.
