MAC Football 2024 Week 1 Game Preview: Fordham Rams at Bowling Green Falcons

Bowling Green opens the 2024 season at home for the first time since 2019. The Falcons welcome their FCS opponent, the Fordham Rams, for their first-ever meeting at the Doyt. The Falcons look to continue making progress in their rebuild. Their previous step was a successful season. Is the next step winning their bowl game? Or will they go one step further and make it to Detroit? Thursday night will be the first taste.

Game Notes

• Time and date: Thursday, August 29th at 19:00
• Location: Doyt Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio
• Network: ESPN+ (Valid subscription required to view)
• Gambling Considerations: Bowling Green (-17.5), over/under 55.5, according to DraftKings
• All series: First meeting

Outlook of the Bowling Green Falcons

Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Falcons finished 2023 at 7-6, a one-game improvement from 2022. What can fans expect? Will the Falcons continue to make progress? Or will the same inconsistency keep them at the same level?

Connor Bazelak and Cam Orth return as a quarterback duo. Connor Bazelak managed fewer than 2,000 passing yards last season (1,935). Although that was only good enough for fifth place, we saw moments of brilliance that could make him one of the conference’s passing leaders this year. The two are expected to continue to share duties, with Bazelak taking the majority of snaps.

Terion Stewart will hopefully play a full season without restrictions and aims to become the Falcons’ first 1,000-yard rusher since 2016. More importantly, Stewart was the Falcons’ first 700-yard rusher since Andrew Clair in 2018.

Newcomers Malcolm Johnson and RJ Garcia II join a receiver corps that has lost some key players but is once again providing a secretly good performance with Jaylon Tillman and Finn Hogan.

Defensively, the Falcons allowed 38.3 percent of third-down conversions last season. They also allowed 48.4 percent of fourth-down conversions.

Bowling Green was one of the most penalized teams in 2023 with 90 penalties (22nd in the FBS) for 792 yards and averaged nearly seven penalties and nearly 61 penalty yards per game. The Falcons will need to continue to work on their discipline if they want to take the next steps.

Outlook for Fordham Rams

Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

This will be the first time Bowling Green plays Fordham, but the Rams are no stranger to MACtion.

Last season, Fordham erased an early 21-3 deficit to defeat Buffalo by a final score of 40-37. Fordham also had a late lead against Ohio in 2022 before ultimately losing to the Bobcats 59-52.

This is definitely what many would call a “trap game.” While the Rams have finished 21-13 over the past three seasons and added an FCS championship appearance in 2022, they have kept the MAC exciting until the very end in recent years.

Junior quarterback CJ Montes returns for Fordham after throwing for exactly 3,000 yards (ninth in the FCS), scoring 26 touchdowns (eighth in the FCS) and throwing just one interception in 2023. In addition to a 3,000-yard passer, the Rams have a 1,000-yard rusher on the roster in senior running back Julius Loughridge, who finished with 1,146 rushing yards (11th in the FCS) in 2023.

Although the Rams lost their best receiver to graduation, they have equally explosive receivers in Garrett Cody (856 yards, seven touchdowns in 2023) and Mekai Felton (513 yards, eight touchdowns in 2023).

Defensively, Fordham ranked 83rd in the FCS in preventing third down conversions, allowing 41.2 percent. They ranked 59th in preventing fourth down conversions, allowing 52.4 percent.

Finally, Fordham was one of the most penalized teams in the FCS with 86 penalties, an average of nearly eight penalties per game. If the Rams want to beat the MAC two years in a row, they will need to maintain their discipline.

What every team needs

Aside from running football for Bowling Green, the quarterbacks need to perform well to start the year. Although they finished fifth in the MAC for passing yards in 2023, they didn’t have a 2,000-yard passer because of their rotation. If the Falcons want to be explosive on offense, the quarterbacks need to get the ball to their receivers.

Fordham needs to make sure its offense is very efficient. This offense has only allowed eight turnovers, one interception, and seven fumbles in all of 2023. Bowling Green’s defense forced 16 interceptions in 2023. Fordham needs to make the right throws and hold onto the football.