Sports
Ohio University Football hosts Bowling Green to open the 2025 MAC Schedule
By: Andrew Bowlby
Posted on:
ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Mid-American Conference play is always delivers exciting results and coming into week five of the season there have already been a couple of MAC Football games. This week, both Ohio (2-2) and Bowling Green (2-2) will open their conference schedules against one another in Athens.
Ohio starts the 2025 MAC season as the defending champion for the first time since 1969. And this season, they will try to become just the third team to repeat as conference champions since the MAC Championship game moved to Ford Field in 2004.
Central Michigan won back-to-back titles in 2006-07 as part of three wins in four years. In 2011-12 Northern Illinois claimed two-straight MAC titles as part of six-consecutive appearances in the title game and three victories.
Each of the last two MAC champions have made it back to the title game in the following season, however, neither Toledo nor Miami could follow up with a second championship.
Ohio and Bowling Green are meeting for the first time since the 2023 season when the Bobcats went to BG and defeated the Falcons 38-7. In that game, Kurtis Rourke passed for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Sieh Bangura added two scores in the rout.
Although BG holds the all-time series lead at 41-32-2, Ohio has won seven of the last nine and four consecutive at Peden Stadium.
Ohio’s run offense vs the Bowling Green run defense is one of the biggest keys to the game. Both rank second in the MAC through four weeks.
The Bobcats rush attack is led by the trio of running backs Sieh Bangura, Duncan Brune and quarterback Parker Navarro. All three have found the end zone and rushed for over 150 yards.
Ohio State’s defense is the only one the Bobcats rush attack has been held to under 180 yards against. But Bowling Green has a chance to do so as well. The Falcons concede only 111 yards per game on the ground and have already recorded 27 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks.
“I think they play hard. I like their defensive line,” Ohio head coach Brian Smith said. “They really get after it up front. Their guys move well and they’ve done a good job going after the quarterback.”
Bowling Green is led by first-year head coach Eddie George. The 1995 Heisman winner with Ohio State, George made his return to the state of Ohio after coaching at Tennessee State for four seasons going 24-22.
The BG offense is scoring 21.5 points per game through their first four games. Led by graduate quarterback Drew Pyne, the Falcons have shown flashes of explosiveness and have weapons that Ohio will need to shut down.
Saturday’s action kicks off at Noon and the CBS Sports Network will air it nationally.