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Published Sep 19, 2024
Bowling Green's offense vs. Texas A&M's defense
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Mark Passwaters  •  AggieYell
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@mbpRivals

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

QB
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

7

Conner Bazelak

Sr.

6-3

225

3

Lucian Anderson

RS-Fr.

6-3

200

OR 12

Camden Orth

Sr.

6-3

225

RB
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

4

Terion Stewart

Jr.

5-9

220

28

Jaison Patterson

Sr.

6

220

6

Jamal Johnson

Sr.

5-10

200

OR 20

Justin Pegues

Jr.

5-9

175

TE (A)
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

0

Harold Fannin Jr.

Jr.

6-4

230

88

Jacob Harris

RS-Fr.

6-4

245

TE (Y)
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

10

Levin Gazarek

Sr.

6-5

250

81

Elijah Boyd

Jr.

6-4

240

WR (X)
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

5

Jaylon Tillman

Sr.

6

215

11

Finn Hogan

Jr.

6-5

220

WR (Z)
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

1

Malcom Johnson Jr.

Sr.

6-1

195

2

RJ Garcia II

Jr.

6

180

LT
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

52

Nick Reimer

Sr.

6-6

315

53

Billie Roberts

Sr.

6-5

295

LG
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

75

Nate Pabst

Jr.

6-5

310

72

Cade Zimmerly

Jr.

6-1

295

C
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

57

Alex Padgett

Jr.

6-6

330

54

Brody Bolyn

RS-Fr.

6-3

305

RG
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

55

Tunde Katukasi

Sr.

6-5

320

65

Jake Burns

Sr.

6-2

305

RT
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

50

Alex Wollschlaeger

Sr.

6-7

295

77

James Thomas Jr.

RS-Fr.

6-5

300

Texas A&M depth chart

Defensive end
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

11

Nic Scourton

Jr.-TR.

6-4

285

94

Josh Celiscar

Gr.-TR.

6-4

265

Defensive tackle
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

5

Shemar Turner

Sr.

6-4

300

99

Gabe Dindy

RS-So.

6-3

310

OR 56

Rodas Johnson

Gr.-TR.

6-2

300

Defensive tackle
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

13

DJ Hicks

So.

6-5

300

OR 17

Albert Regis

RS-Jr.

6-2

310

88

Samu Taumanupepe

RS-Fr.

6-3

350

Defensive end
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

4

Shemar Stewart

Jr.

6-6

290

92

Malick Sylla

Jr.

6-6

245

JACK
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

34

Cashius Howell

Jr.-TR.

6-4

245

15

Rylan Kennedy

So.

6-4

240

Linebacker
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

21

Taurean York

So.

6

235

32

Tristan Jernigan

Fr.

6-1

225

OR 45

Jordan Lockhart

Fr.

6-1

225

Linebacker
NameNumberClassHeightWeight

22

Solomon DeShields

Sr.-TR.

6-3

235

OR 27

Daymion Sanford

So.

6-2

230

OR 0

Scooby Williams

Jr.-TR.

6-2

230

Nickel
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

8

Jaydon Hill

Gr.-TR.

6

200

19

Bravion Rogers

So.

6

180

Cornerback
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

14

Jayvon Thomas

So.

6

195

20

BJ Mayes

Sr.-TR.

6-1

195

Safety
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

1

Bryce Anderson

Jr.

6

192

33

Jarred Kerr

Jr.

6

195

Safety
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

25

Dalton Brooks

So.

6

195

OR 9

Trey Jones III

Gr.-TR.

6-2

215

OR 3

Marcus Ratcliffe

So.

6-3

210

Cornerback
NumberNameClassHeightWeight

26

Will Lee

Jr.-TR.

6-3

190

OR 10

Dezz Ricks

RS-Fr.-TR.

6-1

190

24

Donovan Saunders

Jr.-TR.

6-3

195

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

Bowling Green's offense vs. A&M's defense
CategoryBowling GreenNational/MAC rankA&MNational/SEC rank

Scoring offense/defense

25.5 PPG

88th, 6th

17.7 PPG

50th, 10th

Total offense/defense

425 YPG

45th, 2nd

312 YPG

60th, 12th

Rushing offense/defense

213 YPG

29th, 2nd

143.3 YPG

79th, 13th

Passing offense/defense

212 YPG

81st, 7th

168.7 YPG

42nd, 7th

First downs/allowed

42

113th, 9th

51

68th, 9th

3rd down conversions/

defense

52.2%

17th, 2nd

30.8%

39th, 8th

Red zone %/ defense

100%

1st

100%

100th, 14th

Tackles for loss allowed/TFL

2.5/game

8th, 1st

5/game

84th, 14th

Sacks allowed/sacks

0

1st

1/game

108th, 14th

Turnovers/

forced

2

29th, 4th

5

26th, 4th

Turnover +/-

-1

94th, 7th

+3

22nd, 2nd

Time of possession

29:42

75th, 6th

31:56

37th, 3rd

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.

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