Bowling Green State University Athletics
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Know The Opponent: Michigan State
July 11, 2017 | Football
Over the course of the next six weeks, BGSUFalcons.com will break down the 12 opponents that BGSU Football will face during the 2017 season. The Falcons open the year Sept. 2 at Michigan State, and the Spartans are the first team to break down. The two teams open the season at noon on ESPNU.
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THE FIRST OF MANY
Per CBS Sports, Michigan State enters 2017 with the toughest schedule in the Big Ten. Despite coming off a 4-8 record, an experienced Bowling Green team is just the first challenge in a season full of them. An opening-week faceoff with the Falcons will immediately be followed by visits from defending Mid-American Conference Champion Western Michigan as well as the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The Spartans will then host Iowa before back-to-back road games at rival Michigan and Minnesota. Though they may get a break with a homecoming matchup against Indiana, the Spartans then take on very competent Northwestern and Penn State teams. Their toughest challenge is by far at Ohio State on Nov. 11. They will round out the season at home versus Maryland and on the road against Rutgers. ESPN's 2017 Football Power Index (FPI) gives the Spartans an approximate win-loss record of 5-7. While a step up from their record in 2016, the FPI gives them a harsh 0.0% chance to win the conference.
FIGHTING FOR THE MAC
Michigan State has found considerable success against Mid-American Conference opponents in recent years. The last MAC team to take down the Spartans was Central Michigan in 2009 when the Chippewas emerged from Spartan Stadium with a hard-fought 29-27 victory to hand them their first loss of the year. Since then, however, the Spartans have buckled down on MAC teams, going 9-0 against them since the '09 upset. Though they have never beaten MSU, the Falcons have posted a 3-2 record against Big Ten teams dating back to the 2014 season. Their last victory came in 2015 when they beat Purdue 35-28.
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A THIRD INSTALLMENT
This matchup with Michigan State is only the third time the teams have ever met. The Falcons are 0-2 all-time against the Spartans, but the point differential between the two losses is just 14 points total.Â
The teams' first meeting was in 1981 under Falcon head coach Denny Stolz. The Falcons entered Spartan Stadium with an 0-2 record and gave the home team a scare, losing just 10-7. Stolz's team would go on to finish 5-5-1 that year and finish fourth in the MAC.
2007 presented another solid game involving the two. Bowling Green again entered Spartan Stadium, though this time with a win at Michigan State's conference mate Minnesota the week before. After falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter, the Falcons scored twice within four minutes to take a 14-7 lead. The Spartans tied it up before half and scored again in the third to take a 21-14 lead. A Bowling Green field goal made it a 21-17 game, but the Spartans scored early in the fourth and went on to win it 28-17. The thriller at MSU ended up being one of just four regular season losses on the year for BGSU. Head Coach Gregg Brandon's Falcon team went on to tie for first in the MAC East and qualify for the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
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NEW GUY UNDER CENTER
Spartan redshirt sophomore Brian Lewerke is poised to take over as the starting quarterback after appearing in four games in 2016. He was called upon to step in after both starter Tyler O'Connor and backup Damion Terry suffered injuries. The Phoenix native earned his first career start against Northwestern but was replaced in the second half when Head Coach Mark Dantonio decided to put O'Connor back in the game. His top performance came against No. 2 Michigan when he completed 6-of-10 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. In total, he finished the year 31-of-57 for 381 yards and two touchdowns while throwing one interception.
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EVEN MATCHUP?
Bowling Green and Michigan State were about as even as two teams could be last year when it came to offense. Total offense had the Falcons ranked 83rd in the country with 4,883 total yards while the Spartans finished 89th with 4,470. Bowling Green edged out the Green and White in every category but, by putting them side-by-side, you can truly see how similar their offenses were.
Yards/Game: BGSU 407, MSU 395
Pass Yds: BGSU 2713, MSU 2668
Pass Yds/Game: BGSU 226.1, MSU 222.3
Rush Yds: BGSU 2170, MSU 2072
Rush Yds/Game: BGSU 180.8, MSU 172.7
Total Points: BGSU 298, MSU 289
Points/Game: BGSU 24.8, MSU 24.1
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SEASON TICKET INFORMATION
SEASON TICKET BENEFITS (SPARK PAGE)
ROAD GAME TICKET PRICES/SALES INFORMATION
FOOTBALL TICKETS PAGE
THE FIRST OF MANY
Per CBS Sports, Michigan State enters 2017 with the toughest schedule in the Big Ten. Despite coming off a 4-8 record, an experienced Bowling Green team is just the first challenge in a season full of them. An opening-week faceoff with the Falcons will immediately be followed by visits from defending Mid-American Conference Champion Western Michigan as well as the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The Spartans will then host Iowa before back-to-back road games at rival Michigan and Minnesota. Though they may get a break with a homecoming matchup against Indiana, the Spartans then take on very competent Northwestern and Penn State teams. Their toughest challenge is by far at Ohio State on Nov. 11. They will round out the season at home versus Maryland and on the road against Rutgers. ESPN's 2017 Football Power Index (FPI) gives the Spartans an approximate win-loss record of 5-7. While a step up from their record in 2016, the FPI gives them a harsh 0.0% chance to win the conference.
FIGHTING FOR THE MAC
Michigan State has found considerable success against Mid-American Conference opponents in recent years. The last MAC team to take down the Spartans was Central Michigan in 2009 when the Chippewas emerged from Spartan Stadium with a hard-fought 29-27 victory to hand them their first loss of the year. Since then, however, the Spartans have buckled down on MAC teams, going 9-0 against them since the '09 upset. Though they have never beaten MSU, the Falcons have posted a 3-2 record against Big Ten teams dating back to the 2014 season. Their last victory came in 2015 when they beat Purdue 35-28.
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A THIRD INSTALLMENT
This matchup with Michigan State is only the third time the teams have ever met. The Falcons are 0-2 all-time against the Spartans, but the point differential between the two losses is just 14 points total.Â
The teams' first meeting was in 1981 under Falcon head coach Denny Stolz. The Falcons entered Spartan Stadium with an 0-2 record and gave the home team a scare, losing just 10-7. Stolz's team would go on to finish 5-5-1 that year and finish fourth in the MAC.
2007 presented another solid game involving the two. Bowling Green again entered Spartan Stadium, though this time with a win at Michigan State's conference mate Minnesota the week before. After falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter, the Falcons scored twice within four minutes to take a 14-7 lead. The Spartans tied it up before half and scored again in the third to take a 21-14 lead. A Bowling Green field goal made it a 21-17 game, but the Spartans scored early in the fourth and went on to win it 28-17. The thriller at MSU ended up being one of just four regular season losses on the year for BGSU. Head Coach Gregg Brandon's Falcon team went on to tie for first in the MAC East and qualify for the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
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NEW GUY UNDER CENTER
Spartan redshirt sophomore Brian Lewerke is poised to take over as the starting quarterback after appearing in four games in 2016. He was called upon to step in after both starter Tyler O'Connor and backup Damion Terry suffered injuries. The Phoenix native earned his first career start against Northwestern but was replaced in the second half when Head Coach Mark Dantonio decided to put O'Connor back in the game. His top performance came against No. 2 Michigan when he completed 6-of-10 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. In total, he finished the year 31-of-57 for 381 yards and two touchdowns while throwing one interception.
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EVEN MATCHUP?
Bowling Green and Michigan State were about as even as two teams could be last year when it came to offense. Total offense had the Falcons ranked 83rd in the country with 4,883 total yards while the Spartans finished 89th with 4,470. Bowling Green edged out the Green and White in every category but, by putting them side-by-side, you can truly see how similar their offenses were.
Yards/Game: BGSU 407, MSU 395
Pass Yds: BGSU 2713, MSU 2668
Pass Yds/Game: BGSU 226.1, MSU 222.3
Rush Yds: BGSU 2170, MSU 2072
Rush Yds/Game: BGSU 180.8, MSU 172.7
Total Points: BGSU 298, MSU 289
Points/Game: BGSU 24.8, MSU 24.1
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