Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 OCT. 7, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Green, he has completed 66 of 114 passes (57.9 passes) for 664 yards with three touch- downs and three intercep- tions. While these numbers aren't awful, Shrider won't be too surprised if Bowling Green makes a change at quarterback. "There would be an out- side chance of going with the other quarterback," he said. "Nothing has been said yet to make us specifically think that. But he's mentioned after every game, every position is evaluated. "And the backup, Grant Loy, came in at the end of the Kent State game and threw for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown." Loy is more of a threat to run the ball, which could help against the Irish, who have had some struggles against mobile quarterbacks this sea- son. Shrider also thinks the idle week could provide Loeffler with extra time needed to make the switch. The strength of this offense is likely its pass catchers. Junior Quintin Mor- ris is a 6-2, 228-pound wide receiver who Shrider said reminds him of a tight end. He had 16 catches for 218 yards (13.6 yards per reception) and two touchdowns through four con- tests. The other standout is redshirt freshman Julian Ortega-Jones. He is also 6-2 and has the speed to get past the second level of the defense. On eight receptions, he's accumulated 118 yards (14.8 yards per catch). Heading into the season, a promi- nent part of this offense was sup- posed to be on the ground. But so far, the offensive line and running backs have struggled. Against FBS oppo- nents, the Falcons are averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. One bright spot along the offen- sive line is Jack Kramer at center. He started all 12 games last season and was named to the preseason watch list for the 2019 Rimington Award, which goes to the country's best center. DEFENSE Brian VanGorder is the new defen- sive coordinator at Bowling Green. He is, of course, infamous for his time leading the defense at Notre Dame from 2014-16. After the team got off to a 1-3 start in 2016, VanGorder was relieved of his duties. His tenure with the Falcons isn't off to a great start, either. Against three FBS opponents, Bowling Green has allowed an average of 49.7 points per game. Shrider said that number is some- what misleading and that opponents are scoring so much because of how poor the offense is. For instance, against Louisiana Tech, the lone Bowling Green score came on a pick- six and the Bulldogs started with the ball in Falcons territory several times. The strongest aspect of this team is its ability to get to the op- posing quarterback. Bowl- ing Green is averaging three sacks a game, which head- ing into week five was tied for 20th in the nation. So far, no one player has been a dominant pass rusher. The team's 12 total sacks come from 10 defenders, and no one has more than two. A player to watch, though, is sophomore defensive line- man Karl Brooks, who led the team in sacks as a true freshman last year with 3.5. Bowling Green also has a group of long and athletic defensive backs who can make plays but are also very inconsistent. "When they're getting those sacks, it's because the coverage is good," Shrider said. "Now, when coverage is bad, that's when it turns into the 60-yard touchdown and they're getting beat by 30." MATCHUP WITH THE IRISH Shrider believes Bowling Green's matchup versus Notre Dame will look similar to the one against Kan- sas State, which means the game will get out of hand in the first half. The Wildcats put up 17 points in the first quarter, and by halftime the score was 38-0. "I wouldn't think the Notre Dame game is going to be particularly close based on how the past couple of weeks went," Shrider said. "It's prob- ably going to be a growing process under the new coach." ✦ GAME PREVIEW: BOWLING GREEN Fifth-year senior Jack Kramer started all 12 games at center for the Falcons last season and was named to the preseason watch list for the 2019 Rimington Award, which goes to the top player at his position nationally. PHOTO COURTESY BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY 2019 BOWLING GREEN SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 29 Morgan State W, 46-3 Sept. 7 at Kansas State L, 52-0 Sept. 14 Louisiana Tech L, 35-7 Sept. 21 at Kent State L, 62-20 Oct. 5 at Notre Dame (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 12 Toledo TBA Oct. 19 Central Michigan TBA Oct. 26 at Western Michigan 12 p.m. Nov. 2 Akron TBA Nov. 13 at Miami (Ohio) (ESPN2/U) 8 p.m. Nov. 19 Ohio (ESPN2/U) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at Buffalo TBA 2019 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 2 at Louisville W, 35-17 Sept. 14 New Mexico W, 66-14 Sept. 21 at Georgia L, 23-17 Sept. 28 Virginia W, 35-20 Oct. 5 Bowling Green (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 12 USC* (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at Michigan (ABC/ESPN) TBA Nov. 2 Virginia Tech (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at Duke (ACCN) TBA Nov. 16 Navy (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Nov. 23 Boston College (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Nov. 30 at Stanford TBA * This will be the Irish Wear Green contest, with fans encouraged to dress in green ACCN — ACC Network