Meet Your Insider
Hey, Falcons fans, and welcome to The Cover Window! I'm Darcy Fenwick, your Bowling Green insider. I played goalie for the club hockey team, and I still watch everything like I'm in the crease. Pass defense? That's save percentage. An interception returned for a touchdown? That's a shorty, the best goal in hockey. I travel with this team and I live with this team, and in a hockey town like this one, I fit right in. When we win, I bang my stick on the desk. When we lose, I send myself to the penalty box for two minutes of silence. Every week you'll get the players, the coaches and the matchup, with a little rink-rat attitude. "Save percentage says no."
The School in 60 Seconds
Bowling Green plays at Doyt L. Perry Stadium, listed at 24,000. Our head coach is one of the most famous names in football: Eddie George, the 1995 Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State. That season he ran for 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns, then a school record, and he also won the Doak Walker, Maxwell and Walter Camp awards. He was NFL Rookie of the Year in 1996, made four Pro Bowls, and is in the College Football Hall of Fame. He even starred on Broadway in "Chicago". That's a hat trick and then some. He's also one of only two NFL running backs, with Jim Brown, to rush for 10,000 yards without ever missing a start. Per the school, only Walter Payton started more consecutive regular-season games than his 130. Iron man. Goalie-approved.
The Coach and the Scheme
Eddie George was named Bowling Green's 21st head coach on March 9, 2025. At Tennessee State he took over a program averaging about three wins a season and went 9-3 in the 2024 regular season, with a share of the conference title and an FCS playoff berth. He was the Big South-OVC Coach of the Year. In 2026 the defense is our strength. We have 18 sacks, and opponents convert only 32% of third downs, 23rd in FBS. The pass defense allows 178 yards a game, 28th. Save percentage says no. But the run defense allows 209.6 yards a game (132nd), and the red-zone defense ranks 129th. On offense we run on about 57% of plays and score 18 points a game (129th). Time to shoot more. And we've got good blockers in front of the net: only 11 sacks allowed.
Players to Know
QB Jay Kastantin (No. 17): 1,201 yards, 7 TD, 4 INT, 66.5% completions. Against Ball State he went 17 of 24 for 215 yards and two TDs.
RB Austyn Dendy (No. 1): 332 yards and 4 TD on 94 carries. He scored against Ball State.
WR Brennan Ridley: two catches for 84 yards and a TD last week. WR Jeremiah Scoby: 26 catches, 269 yards.
LB Dorian Pringle (No. 3): 67 tackles, seventh in FBS, including 10 last week. Our best defenseman.
The Conference Picture
We're 2-5 overall but 2-1 in the MAC. That's what matters in the standings. The MAC wins: 24-20 at Miami (OH) and 38-10 over Sacramento State. Last week we lost to Ball State 32-31. One goal. Ouch. Non-conference was tough: Tarleton State 20-13, at Nebraska, at Iowa State and South Florida 14-6. A win in Buffalo keeps us right in the MAC race. Western Michigan is next.
This Week: Bowling Green (2-5) at Buffalo (4-3)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · 3:30 p.m. ET · Broadview Stadium, Amherst · ESPN+. Forecast: 59 degrees and sunny with almost no wind. Not exactly hockey weather.
Last week: we lost 32-31 to Ball State. Buffalo beat UMass 25-18.
Our offense vs. their defense: Buffalo's pass defense allows 229.3 yards a game (97th). Kastantin should have chances. Buffalo is minus-4 in turnovers.
Their offense vs. our defense: Buffalo RB Messiah Burch has 661 yards and ran for 172 last week. Our run defense has to be better than 132nd. Buffalo's passing game ranks 128th, and QB Jason Wright completes 48.2%. Save percentage says no.
Series: Bowling Green leads 13-9. Buffalo won last year 28-3, and we won in 2023, 24-14.
Availability: I found no official availability report for either team as of Oct. 18, 2026.
What decides it: (1) Stopping Burch. (2) Third downs. Our defense is 23rd, and Buffalo's offense is 94th. (3) The red zone. Ours is 129th on defense. Have to stop pucks in close.
And to Kendra Woolcott, Buffalo's insider: love the parka. But this is a sunny day, and sunny days are for shooters.
Local Flavor (unsponsored, not an ad)
In Bowling Green? Pagliai's Pizza on South Main Street. Pizza after a road game, the Falcon way.
My call: Buffalo Bulls 27, Bowling Green Falcons 20.