Bowling Green's season had been ugly before Miami. The Falcons dropped their opener at home to Tarleton State, took back-to-back beatings at Nebraska and Iowa State by a combined 111-14, then scored just 6 against South Florida. Then they went to Oxford and beat Miami 24-20, scoring more than they had in any game this year. That win also makes them 1-0 in MAC play.
Mississippi Valley State52-0
Tarleton State13-20Neither offense has done much. Bowling Green hadn't scored more than 13 points before the Miami game. Outside the 52-0 rout of Mississippi Valley State, Sacramento State's best output is 17, and that came in a loss at Eastern Michigan. Their last 3 games produced 19 points total. Somebody has to move the ball on Saturday, and the defense that makes the other team drive the length of the field probably wins.
The Falcons' injury list matters more than Sacramento State's, which is empty. Wide receiver A. Clay is done for the year, so the passing game is already short a target. Running back K. Baldwin sat out at Miami with an undisclosed injury, and whether he's back for Saturday, October 10 is the main thing to watch on the Bowling Green side this week.
There's also the trip. A West Coast team is flying to Ohio for an early Eastern kickoff, which is a classic body-clock problem, though the bye week gives the Hornets an extra week to rest and prepare. The early forecast at Doyt L. Perry Stadium is mild and calm, which won't excuse anybody's offense. The cleaner team probably wins, and through 5 games neither of these teams has been very clean.