Buckeye Reporter

Bowling Green State University will begin its 107th football season on Thursday, August 28, facing Lafayette College at Doyt Perry Stadium. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

This matchup marks the first meeting between Bowling Green and Lafayette in football. It is also only the second time Bowling Green has played a team from the Patriot League, with the previous encounter occurring in the 2024 season opener against Fordham.

The contest will be notable as it officially starts Eddie George’s tenure as head coach of the Falcons. George was hired in March as the program’s 21st head coach. "Thursday officially marks the start of the Eddie George era. George, hired in March, is the 21st head coach in BGSU program history," according to Bowling Green State University.

George enters his first season aiming to become the 11th Falcon head coach to win his debut game, joining names such as Scot Loeffler (2019), Urban Meyer (2001), and Doyt Perry (1955). This year also marks three decades since George won the Heisman Trophy; he becomes just the fifth Heisman winner to serve as an FBS head coach.

Former Bowling Green head coach Urban Meyer will be honored during Thursday's game as part of his National Football Foundation Campus Salute ahead of his official induction into the College Football Hall of Fame this December in Las Vegas. "Meyer will be officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in Las Vegas in December. He joins Doyt Perry (1988) and Don Nehlen (2005) as former Falcon head coaches enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame," according to university officials.

Another storyline for this season involves defensive end Eriq George—son of Eddie George—and defensive tackle Ian van der Merwe—son of Vice President for Athletics Strategy Derek van der Merwe—who are believed to be the first pair of sons from both a head coach and an athletics director playing together on an FBS team and within the same position group.

Quarterback Drew Pyne is expected to make a start for his fourth consecutive season after previously starting games at Notre Dame, Arizona State, and Missouri.

The Falcons are opening their season at home for a second straight year, something that last occurred during 2002-03 when they hosted Tennessee Tech and Eastern Kentucky. Last year's opener was also played at home against Fordham on a Thursday night.

There are several connections between Bowling Green and Lafayette personnel: Lafayette defensive lineman Joey Shimko spent last season redshirting at Bowling Green; offensive coordinator T.J. Dimuzio held various staff roles at BGSU from 2009-12; defensive coordinator Mike Saint Germain worked alongside current BGSU assistant AD Vincent Briedis while both were at Virginia; cornerbacks coach Jeff Sejour coached under Scott Wachenheim at VMI where BGSU secondary coach Richard McNutt also previously coached; recruiting coordinator Andrew Seumalo is related to Arizona's Joe Seumalo who worked with current Falcon linebacker Justin Eklund at San Jose State.

Eddie George was named Bowling Green’s new head football coach on March 9, returning to Ohio where he starred as a player for Ohio State University before coaching four seasons at Tennessee State University—including leading them to an FCS Playoff appearance last year.

Despite recent success—the Falcons have posted a 16–8 record in Mid-American Conference play since 2022—the team faces challenges with roster turnover this year. Only about one-third of its production returns from last season, ranking near the bottom nationally among FBS teams by this measure.

Bowling Green has shown consistent improvement over recent years: it is one of only four FBS programs since 2020 that increased its win total by four or more games from one year to another twice consecutively—a feat matched only by Kansas State, Oregon State, and Tennessee—and has not experienced a decline in victories across four straight seasons.