Thursday, September 2
Knoxville, TN
8:00 PM ET
Bowling Green State University
at
Tennessee
Bowling Green Opens 103rd Season of Football on Thursday
August 30, 2021 | Football
BGSU Opens 103rd Season of Football
• Bowling Green State University opens its 103rd season of football at Tennessee on Thursday night.
• The Falcons open a season against an SEC opponent for the first time since also facing Tennessee in Nashville's L.P. Field to start the 2015 season. BGSU went on to win the 2015 MAC championship.
• Bowling Green is playing its first non-conference road game in nearly two years. The Falcons' last road non-conference game was on Oct. 5, 2019, at then-No. 9 Notre Dame.
• The game will be televised live on the SEC Network and simulcast via the WatchESPN App. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.
McDonald Returns to Lead the Offense
• QB Matt McDonald returns to lead the offense in 2021 after starting all five of BGSU's games in 2021.
• McDonald began his career at Boston College. Scot Loeffler, BC's offensive coordinator at the time, recruited McDonald out of Mission Viejo
High School in California in 2017.
• At Mission Viejo High School, an injury in McDonald's junior season allowed his backup, JT Daniels, to take over the starting role. Daniels went on to earn high school All-American status, and then started as a true freshman at USC before moving on to Georgia.
• The 2021 season will mark McDonald's fifth in Loeffler's system.
Five Top Storylines
• BGSU opens with an SEC opponent for the first time since facing the same Tennessee program to open the 2015 season.
• Bowling Green is 4-8 all-time against current members of the SEC. Three of the four wins have come against Missouri, while the other one was against Kentucky in 1985.
• Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler has coached seven quarterbacks who went on to play in the NFL. Those seven quarterbacks have gone on to win a combined nine Super Bowl championships (Tom Brady - 7; Brian Griese - 1; Chad Henne - 1).
• Bowling Green welcomes seven transfers from "Power 5" FBS schools this season, which includes: Bryce Brand (West Virginia), Davon Ferguson (Kansas), Jayden George (Alabama), Tommy Guajardo (Michigan State), Austin Osborne (Washington), Ali Saad (Minnesota) and Devin Taylor (Virginia Tech).
• BGSU has 71 combined student-athletes on its roster from the classes of 2020 and 2021, which means that 67.6 percent of its current roster was in high school the last time the Falcons played a non-conference game.
Bowling Green vs. Tennessee
• Tennessee won the only previous meeting between Bowling Green and Tennessee, a 59-30 loss at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
• Bowling Green's 557 yards against Tennessee marked the seventh time over a 15-game spand that the Falcons surpassed the 500-yard mark in a game.
• Gehrig Dieter caught a career-high seven passes for a career-high 133 yards and a touchdown.
• Matt Johnson's 424 yards passing were a career-high for him at the time and the 8th-most all-time in school history at the time. It now stands ranked No. 12 on BGSU's single-game ledger. Johnson passed his total against Tennessee four more times in the 2015 season.
Loeffler vs. Tennessee
• Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler has faced Tennessee three previous times as an assistant coach and his teams are 2-1. In 2002 Michigan fell to Tennesee in the Citrius Bowl. In 2009 and 2010 Loeffler was at Florida and the Gators beat Tennessee each year, including a 2010 meeting at Neyland Stadium.
Mid-American Conference Opens 75-year celebration on Thursday
• Bowling Green helps open the Mid-American Conference's 75th-year celebration on Thursday night. In addition to the BGSU game at Tennessee, Ball State hosts Western Illinois and Buffalo hosts Wagner on Thursday night in the first MAC games of 2021.
Bowling Green - Tennessee Connections
• Tennessee's defensive coordinator Tim Banks got his coaching start at Bowling Green as a graduate assistant in 1996. He later returned to be the running backs coach in 1999 and the defensive backs coach in 2000.
• Tennessee's special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach Mike Ekeler was on staff at Kansas in 2019 as the special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach while current BGSU cornerback Davon Ferguson was playing with the Jayhawks.
• Tennessee's secondary coach Willie Martinez was on the same 2012 staff at Auburn with Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler. Martinez was the secondary coach while Loeffler was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Loeffler and Martinez were also on staff together in 2000 at Central Michigan. Martinez was the assistant head coach and secondary coach while Loeffler was the quarterbacks coach.
• Bowling Green's defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach Eric Lewis was on Tennessee's staff in 2017 as a quality control assistant.
• Bowling Green cornerback Devin Taylor is the cousin of Roland James, who played at Tennessee and later in the NFL with the New England Patriots.
NFL Quarterback Pedigree
• Bowling Green and LSU are the only two programs in the nation that have at least two quarterbacks that are the sons of former NFL starting quarterbacks.
• Bowling Green has Matt McDonald, son of former Cleveland Brown starting quarterback Paul McDonald. BGSU also has Jayden George, son of former NFL starter (Colts, Falcons, Raiders, Vikings, Washington) Jeff George.
• LSU has Max Johnson, son of Brad Johnson, and Garrett Nussmeier, son of Doug Nussmeier.
• Matt McDonald's father, Paul, led USC to a win over Joe Montana and Notre Dame in 1978 at the Coliseum. McDonald later faced Montana in the NFL, but his Browns fell to the 49ers in 1984.
BGSU Brings In Transfers from the Portal
• Bowling Green welcomes seven transfers from "Power 5" FBS schools this season, which includes: Bryce Brand (West Virginia), Davon Ferguson (Kansas), Jayden George (Alabama), Tommy Guajardo (Michigan State), Austin Osborne (Washington), Ali Saad (Minnesota) and Devin Taylor (Virginia Tech).
• Osborne was the primary receiving target in high school for BGSU quarterback Matt McDonald at Mission Viejo High School in California. The PrepStart All-American caught 36 passes for 961 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior during McDonald's senior season at Mission Viejo.
• Taylor was an FCS All-American at Illinois State after spending the 2020 season as a starting cornerback at Virginia Tech.
• Ferguson appeared in 20 games over the past three seasons at Kansas. He made 90 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and picked off one pass for the Jayhawks.
• Bowling Green State University opens its 103rd season of football at Tennessee on Thursday night.
• The Falcons open a season against an SEC opponent for the first time since also facing Tennessee in Nashville's L.P. Field to start the 2015 season. BGSU went on to win the 2015 MAC championship.
• Bowling Green is playing its first non-conference road game in nearly two years. The Falcons' last road non-conference game was on Oct. 5, 2019, at then-No. 9 Notre Dame.
• The game will be televised live on the SEC Network and simulcast via the WatchESPN App. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.
McDonald Returns to Lead the Offense
• QB Matt McDonald returns to lead the offense in 2021 after starting all five of BGSU's games in 2021.
• McDonald began his career at Boston College. Scot Loeffler, BC's offensive coordinator at the time, recruited McDonald out of Mission Viejo
High School in California in 2017.
• At Mission Viejo High School, an injury in McDonald's junior season allowed his backup, JT Daniels, to take over the starting role. Daniels went on to earn high school All-American status, and then started as a true freshman at USC before moving on to Georgia.
• The 2021 season will mark McDonald's fifth in Loeffler's system.
Five Top Storylines
• BGSU opens with an SEC opponent for the first time since facing the same Tennessee program to open the 2015 season.
• Bowling Green is 4-8 all-time against current members of the SEC. Three of the four wins have come against Missouri, while the other one was against Kentucky in 1985.
• Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler has coached seven quarterbacks who went on to play in the NFL. Those seven quarterbacks have gone on to win a combined nine Super Bowl championships (Tom Brady - 7; Brian Griese - 1; Chad Henne - 1).
• Bowling Green welcomes seven transfers from "Power 5" FBS schools this season, which includes: Bryce Brand (West Virginia), Davon Ferguson (Kansas), Jayden George (Alabama), Tommy Guajardo (Michigan State), Austin Osborne (Washington), Ali Saad (Minnesota) and Devin Taylor (Virginia Tech).
• BGSU has 71 combined student-athletes on its roster from the classes of 2020 and 2021, which means that 67.6 percent of its current roster was in high school the last time the Falcons played a non-conference game.
Bowling Green vs. Tennessee
• Tennessee won the only previous meeting between Bowling Green and Tennessee, a 59-30 loss at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
• Bowling Green's 557 yards against Tennessee marked the seventh time over a 15-game spand that the Falcons surpassed the 500-yard mark in a game.
• Gehrig Dieter caught a career-high seven passes for a career-high 133 yards and a touchdown.
• Matt Johnson's 424 yards passing were a career-high for him at the time and the 8th-most all-time in school history at the time. It now stands ranked No. 12 on BGSU's single-game ledger. Johnson passed his total against Tennessee four more times in the 2015 season.
Loeffler vs. Tennessee
• Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler has faced Tennessee three previous times as an assistant coach and his teams are 2-1. In 2002 Michigan fell to Tennesee in the Citrius Bowl. In 2009 and 2010 Loeffler was at Florida and the Gators beat Tennessee each year, including a 2010 meeting at Neyland Stadium.
Mid-American Conference Opens 75-year celebration on Thursday
• Bowling Green helps open the Mid-American Conference's 75th-year celebration on Thursday night. In addition to the BGSU game at Tennessee, Ball State hosts Western Illinois and Buffalo hosts Wagner on Thursday night in the first MAC games of 2021.
Bowling Green - Tennessee Connections
• Tennessee's defensive coordinator Tim Banks got his coaching start at Bowling Green as a graduate assistant in 1996. He later returned to be the running backs coach in 1999 and the defensive backs coach in 2000.
• Tennessee's special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach Mike Ekeler was on staff at Kansas in 2019 as the special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach while current BGSU cornerback Davon Ferguson was playing with the Jayhawks.
• Tennessee's secondary coach Willie Martinez was on the same 2012 staff at Auburn with Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler. Martinez was the secondary coach while Loeffler was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Loeffler and Martinez were also on staff together in 2000 at Central Michigan. Martinez was the assistant head coach and secondary coach while Loeffler was the quarterbacks coach.
• Bowling Green's defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach Eric Lewis was on Tennessee's staff in 2017 as a quality control assistant.
• Bowling Green cornerback Devin Taylor is the cousin of Roland James, who played at Tennessee and later in the NFL with the New England Patriots.
NFL Quarterback Pedigree
• Bowling Green and LSU are the only two programs in the nation that have at least two quarterbacks that are the sons of former NFL starting quarterbacks.
• Bowling Green has Matt McDonald, son of former Cleveland Brown starting quarterback Paul McDonald. BGSU also has Jayden George, son of former NFL starter (Colts, Falcons, Raiders, Vikings, Washington) Jeff George.
• LSU has Max Johnson, son of Brad Johnson, and Garrett Nussmeier, son of Doug Nussmeier.
• Matt McDonald's father, Paul, led USC to a win over Joe Montana and Notre Dame in 1978 at the Coliseum. McDonald later faced Montana in the NFL, but his Browns fell to the 49ers in 1984.
BGSU Brings In Transfers from the Portal
• Bowling Green welcomes seven transfers from "Power 5" FBS schools this season, which includes: Bryce Brand (West Virginia), Davon Ferguson (Kansas), Jayden George (Alabama), Tommy Guajardo (Michigan State), Austin Osborne (Washington), Ali Saad (Minnesota) and Devin Taylor (Virginia Tech).
• Osborne was the primary receiving target in high school for BGSU quarterback Matt McDonald at Mission Viejo High School in California. The PrepStart All-American caught 36 passes for 961 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior during McDonald's senior season at Mission Viejo.
• Taylor was an FCS All-American at Illinois State after spending the 2020 season as a starting cornerback at Virginia Tech.
• Ferguson appeared in 20 games over the past three seasons at Kansas. He made 90 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and picked off one pass for the Jayhawks.
Players Mentioned
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