Falcons To Open 2026 Campaign At Home Saturday Against Tarleton State

Saturday, September 5

Bowling Green, Ohio

12 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Tarleton State

Tickets From $12 - $29

Photo by: Scott W. Grau

Falcons To Open 2026 Campaign At Home Saturday Against Tarleton State

August 31, 2026 | Football, Falcon Fanatics

Buy Tickets BGSU Game Notes BGSU Depth Chart Tarleton State Depth Chart Eddie George Press Conference Transcript Support Our Student-Athletes

BGSU Seeking Third-Straight Season Opener Victory For First Time Since 2007-09

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

Saturday, Sept. 5 \| 12 p.m. \| Doyt Perry Stadium \| Bowling Green, Ohio

	BOWLING GREEN FALCONS (0-0, 0-0 MAC)	vs.	TARLETON STATE TEXANS (1-0, 0-0 UAC)

WATCH : WatchESPN \| LISTEN : WFRO The Eagle 99 \| STATS : View

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University team will open the 2026 season at home inside Doyt Perry Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 5), hosting the Tarleton State Texans for a 12 p.m. kick. The game will be the Military Appreciation content for the Falcons this season.

Bowling Green vs. Tarleton State

Bowling Green and Tarleton State will be meeting for the first time in program history.
Tarleton State is the first of three new opponents this season for the Falcons, joining Nebraska and Sacramento State as new additions to the record book.
Tarleton State will enter BGSU's opponent history as the 148th unique opponent faced.
Bowling Green will be the first MAC opponent in program history for Tarleton State and just the third team from Ohio, joining Findlay (1915, 1978) and Wilmington (1991).

Home Sweet Home

Bowling Green State University opens the season at home for the third straight year, previously beating Lafayette to begin the 2025 season, 26-7, and Fordham to start the 2024 campaign, 41-17.
This is the first time BGSU has opened three straight seasons at home since 1967-69.
The Falcons are seeking their third-straight season opener win for the first time since winning three straight from 2007-09.
Bowling Green has won their home opener each of the last three seasons and is aiming for a fourth for the first time since winning six consecutive home openers from 2009-14.

Five Top Storylines

RB Austyn Dendy enters the 2026 season on the heels of an electric finish to 2025. Dendy registered three-straight 100-yard rushing games to close out the year, becoming the first Falcon to rush for 100+ yards in three consecutive contests since 2017.
Arriving to BGSU in March 2025, Eddie George now heads into his second season at Bowling Green with a full offseason under his belt. Of the 106 players currently on the BGSU roster, 55 joined the team entering this season, accounting for 51.9-percent of the student-athletes. An additional 27 players joined just last year, for a total of 77.4-percent of the roster becoming Falcons over the last two years.
DB Kal-El Pascal returns to the defense as the lone returning Falcon to start all 12 games for the Orange and Brown last season. TE Blane Cleaver follows closely on the offensive side after starting 11 of BGSU's 12 games a season ago.
LB Dorian Pringle returns to the Falcons' defense this season after having his 2025 campaign cut short due to an injury. At the time of his injury, Pringle led the Falcons in tackles last season with 27 through three games, including seven tackles for loss.
The Falcons return just one quarterback from 2025, sophomore QB Hunter Najm. In the offseason, Najm was joined by junior transfers QB Jay Kastantin (Assumption, D-II) and QB Austin Novosad (Oregon) as well as incoming freshmen QB Dylan Dreasky (Linden, Mich.), QB Jarin Mock (Pickerington, Ohio) and QB Caleb Moyer (Wapakoneta, Ohio).

Run It Back

The Falcons have started each of the last two seasons by running the opening kick of the season to the end zone for a touchdown.
In 2025, Cameron Pettaway started the season with a 98-yard return for a touchdown against Lafayette. As for the 2024 season, Justin Pegues set a program record with a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown in the season opener against Fordham
Researched in collaboration with the nation's FBS Sports Information Directors, this marks the first time in FBS history that this has happened.
Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders accomplished a similar feat. He opened the 1987 season for the Cowboys with a kick return for a TD on the season's opening kick, however in 1988 his kick return for a touchdown to open the season came after Miami (OH) scored a FG on its game-opening drive.

Clear Bag Mandate Expanding To Doyt
Falcon fans should be familiar with the clear bag mandate that began on Jan. 1, 2026 at all BGSU Athletics venues. The same policy from the Stroh Center and Slater Family Ice Arena will be instituted at the Doyt Perry Stadium this upcoming season. The full mandate can be found on the BGSUFalcons.com website. As part of the mandate, clear crossbody bags will be handed out to students with 1,000 at the first football game and 500 at the first volleyball game.

New Flavor Coming To Concessions
BGSU Athletics announced a change in concession partner this summer, bringing with it a new approach to the food and drink selections within the Doyt. Improvements to the concession locations and the additions of grab-and-go markets will cut down wait times with additional point-of-sale operations aiding in moving lines. More affordable prices and expanded offerings will span the menu, including additional alcohol offerings.

New Parking Process
BGSU Athletics will be utilizing a new parking ingress route this year for home football games, aiming to ease traffic patterns coming to games. All pre-purchased parking passes should be ready to be scanned upon arrival to each respective lot. Students can park for free in the established student lot and should have their student ID ready to present.

Football Parking Map

New Videoboard To Elevate Game Day Atmosphere
A new videoboard has been installed in the south end zone of the stadium, expanding the previous board's footprint to allow for new game day elements while elevating the fan experience at BGSU football games. The expansion improves the screen size to approximately 31 feet tall and 39 feet wide, extending the space to 960 by 1,200 pixels. The new video board will provide a more clear image to fans while allowing for more customizable data and information to be shared throughout a game. These changes will enhance the fan experience and allow for more information to be disseminated in real time to fans inside the venue.

College Football's Largest Band Moving To West Side
The Bowling Green State University Marching Band, which will be the largest college marching band in the country this season, has moved! FMB will now be seated on the west side of the stadium, allowing the band to play directly across the field to the ears of the Falcon Faithful. The Falcon Marching Band will relocate from the previous location in Sections 20L and 20U to the northwest corner of the stadium in Sections 19L and 19U. The new location is designed to enhance the overall fan experience by directing the band's sound toward the east side of the stadium, where the Falcons' home sideline is located. The change will allow fans to hear the band and participate in fan-directed cheers throughout the game more clearly. During halftime performances, the band will continue to face the east sideline.

Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons football team on social media
Twitter - @BGSU_Athletics and @BG_Football
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsufootball'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics'
YouTube - 'Falcon Athletics'