Where, when, weather and TV
Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
When: 6:30 p.m. central, Saturday, Sept. 21
Weather: Hot, high of 97
TV: SEC Network+/ESPN+ (Jay Alter, Rocky Boiman, Ashley Stroehlein)
Bowling Green depth chart
Texas A&M depth chart
Injury update
Bowling Green: RB Terion Stewart (ankle) is probable.
WR Jaylon Tillman (undisclosed) is questionable.
WR RJ Garcia (undisclosed) is questionable.
Texas A&M: Nickel Tyreek Chappell (ACL) is out for the year.
S Trey Jones (undisclosed) is questionable, but is more likely to play than not.
S Dalton Brooks (suspension) will miss the first half.
Bowling Green statistical leaders
Passing: Bazelak, 40-61 (65.6%), 422 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Stewart, 14 carries, 161 yards (11.5 YPC), 3 TD
Patterson, 23 carries, 83 yards (3.6 YPC)
Jamal Johnson, 5 carries, 46 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Fannin, 17 catches, 204 yards (12 YPC), 1 TD
Malcolm Johnson, 11 catches, 114 yards, 1 TD
Jamal Johnson, 5 catches, 55 yards
Texas A&M statistical leaders
Tackles: York, 18
Lee, 12
Turner, 10
Tackles for loss: Scourton, 2.5
Turner, Ratcliffe and Williams, 1.5
Sacks: Howell and Scourton, 1
DeShields and Stewart, .5
Interceptions: Ratcliffe, 2
Thomas, Anderson and Lee, 1
Forced fumbles: Ratcliffe, 1
Head-to-head
What Bowling Green wants to do
Actually, it may sound a bit like what A&M wants to do -- run the ball, run the clock and hit some big plays in the passing game.
Bazelak is no stranger to the SEC or the Aggies, having played A&M when he was at Mizzou in 2021 (A&M's last road win before last weekend). I don't know if that will give him a ton of familiarity with Mike Elko's defense, but it will give him an idea of what to expect speed-wise and when the blitzes are likely to come.
Stewart, the team's leading rusher, did not play against Penn State. Coach Scot Loeffler said Monday that he's playing this weekend, period. Stewart not only ran for 161 yards on just 13 carries against Fordham, but averaged 6.1 yards a carry last year as he tallied 762 yards on the ground. He's a formidable opponent in the backfield.
Bowling Green likes to use their passing game as an extension of the run as well. They run a number of bubble screens and quick slants, so Bazelak can complete a high percentage pass and let the receiver do most of the work. The big receiver in this offense is Malcolm Johnson, who was at Penn State and Auburn before coming to Bowling Green. He has already set career highs in catches and yards, so being the featured receiver is new to him.
When the Falcons look to go deep, they try to do it off of playaction, sucking in the safeties looking for the run. Their best threat may be Fannin, a Mackey Award candidate who tore up Penn State for 11 catches, 137 yards and a touchdown two weekends ago. They like to run him right down the seam, and he's usually too big or fast for a safety.
The Bowling Green offensive line is a veteran group and they've performed well so far. They have not given up a sack and have kept tackles for loss to a minimum. They have not faced a defensive line like the Aggies have, but they will still be a solid challenge.
How the Aggies may want to counter
Expand on what you did against Florida. In other words, keep taking the gloves off.
The Aggies were more aggressive against the Gators, increasing the number of looks Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway saw and coming after them more effectively. If they're going to get after Bazelak, they'll have to come after him with numbers.
A&M only gave up 52 yards rushing to Florida, which is a massive improvement over the first two weeks. And the reasons for that improvement are simple: they played sound football and tackled well. They didn't blow assignments. They'll need to keep that same formula and overwhelm Florida's front as well.
Bowling Green kept Bazelak clean against Penn State and he played well in the first half as a result. The Aggies need to find ways to get to him, and it's time for Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart to really live up to their reputations as quality pass rushers. They may not have a ton of sacks because Bowling Green gets the ball out quickly, but they still need to create havoc. And, in the short passing game, the corners have to continue to tackle well. They've been excellent in that regard so far.
The biggest issue may be how to deal with Fannin. Brooks, probably A&M's fastest safety, will miss the first half. This could be a situation where Ratcliffe has him almost in a man situation, with a linebacker either chipping him or backing off to provide high-low coverage. He's the one guy who could provide the Falcons with a favorable matchup, and the Aggies need to respond accordingly.
