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The Lowdown 2006 Schedule Coach: Gregg Brandon (4th season, 26-11) 2005 record: 6-5 MAC finish: 5-3 (t-1st East) 2005 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 61st (143.8 ypg) Passing: 17th (283.9 ypg) 2005 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 86th (174.7 ypg) Passing: 37th (204.9 ypg) Date Opponent Sept. 2 #Wisconsin Sept. 9 Buffalo Sept. 16 at FIU Sept. 23 Kent State Sept. 30 at Ohio Oct. 7 at Ohio State Oct. 14 Eastern Michigan Oct. 19 at Central Michigan Oct. 28 at Temple Nov. 4 at Akron Nov. 15 Miami (Ohio) Nov. 21 at Toledo #Cleveland OH Depth Chart: Offense 5 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. WR 3 Marques Parks So. 81 Matt Emans Jr. WR 80 Ruben Ruiz Sr. 19 Kenneth Brantley II Sr. WR 1 Corey Partridge So. 6 Brandon Jones Sr. LT 71 Drew Nystrom Jr. 74 Jeff Fink So. LG 68 John Lanning Sr. 75 Shane Steffy Fr. C 78 Kory Lichtensteiger Jr. 55 Brandon Curtis So. RG 70 Derrick Markray Sr. 65 Patrick Watson Jr. RT 73 Kevin Huelsman Jr. 61 Kevin Mahoney Fr. TE 88 Sean O’Drobinak Jr. 89 Jimmy Scheidler Fr. QB 17 Anthony Turner So. 14 Freddie Barnes Fr. TB 5 Dan Macon Jr. 39 Bobby Thomas So. Depth Chart: Defense 5 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 99 Diyral Briggs So. 58 Jacob Hardwick Fr. NG 59 Nick Davis So. - Matt Leininger Jr. DT 92 Brad Williams Sr. - D.J. Young Fr. DE 57 Devon Parks Sr. - Orlando Barrow Fr. SLB 30 Erique Dozier So. 95 Jon Jakubowski Sr. MLB 45 Cody Basler Fr. 44 John Haneline So. WLB 48 Terrel White Sr. 10 Scott Goodwin So. CB 2 Antonio Smith So. 7 Van Johnson Sr. CB 16 Kenny Lewis So. 4 Jerrett Sanderson Fr. SS 9 Loren Hargrove Jr. 15 Calvin Wiley Fr. FS 24 Deaudre Perry Jr. 12 Chris Wright Fr. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr. K - Sean Ellis Fr. P - Alonso Rojas Fr. KR 6 Brandon Jones Sr. PR 1 Corey Partridge So.

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There wasn't too much excitement in Bowling Green when the Falcons took a share of the MAC East title last year. When you enter a season expecting to win the league title outright and have designs on a third-straight bowl game, a 6-5 record and a share of a division crown aren't reason for celebration.

Bowling Green faces a much tougher route to success in 2006, now that record-setting quarterback Omar Jacobs has bolted a year early for the NFL, leaving the Falcons cleaned out at the skill positions. Graduation also hit hard on the defensive side at linebacker and along the line. Fourth-year head coach Gregg Brandon thinks he's recruited well, and he's about to find out. "These kids haven't played a lot of football, I won't sugarcoat it," Brandon says of his recruits. "We really have to rebuild this whole team. There's a lot of uncertainty on both sides of the ball."

OFFENSE

For the past five years, the Falcons have had the luxury of having a future NFL quarterback running their complex spread offense - first Josh Harris, and then for the past two seasons Jacobs. But with Jacobs leaving early for the pros, sophomore Anthony Turner gets pressed into service. Adding to the degree of difficulty for Turner is the fact all the experienced running backs are gone, as well as most of the skill at wide receiver.

Junior Dan Macon is the successor in the one-back offense, while the sure-handed Corey Partridge becomes the first option through the air. Senior Ruben Ruiz and sophomore Marques Parks will likely line up at the other receiving positions, but the Falcons will call on senior Kenneth Brantley II and junior Matt Emans plenty in their four- and five-receiver sets.

The good news for the new quarterback is the return of some experienced bodies up front, led by a pair of returning all-conference players in Kory Lichtensteiger, who's moving from guard to center, and senior guard Derrick Markray. Junior tackle Drew Nystrom and senior guard John Lanning, along with tight end Sean O'Drobinak, are all proven performers.

DEFENSE

This group struggled to stop the run last season, and coach Gregg Brandon expects end Devon Parks, entering his fourth year as a starter, to lead a revival that starts along the line. Sophomore end Diyral Briggs missed spring practice after breaking his foot on a winter fall on the ice but should join Brad Williams and Parks to form a decent trio. Don't be surprised to see incoming freshmen D.J. Young (6'5", 278) and Orlando Barrow (6'3", 268) face live fire this season.

Senior linebacker Terrel White led the Falcons with 100 tackles last fall, but there's not a ton of experience with the rest of this group.

The Falcons have junior Deaudre Perry back at safety and sophomore Antonio Smith, who returned two interceptions for scores last year, at corner, but that's where the experience ends in the secondary.

SPECIALISTS

Brandon might roll the dice and go with true freshmen at both kicker and punter, since he feels that strongly about a couple guys he recruited out of Florida earlier this year. Punter Alonso Rojas from Miami and kicker Sean Ellis from Merritt Island arrive with the kind of leg strength the Falcons have been missing in recent seasons.

FINAL ANALYSIS

The Falcons have been on a sustained roll, stringing together five straight winning seasons, first under Urban Meyer and most recently under Brandon, Meyer's offensive coordinator for his two seasons in Bowling Green. That five-year high came on the heels of six straight losing seasons that sent the program deep in the doldrums, and now Brandon faces a make or break kind of point.

With Jacobs' early departure for the pros, the Falcons are without an NFL quarterback to run their spread for the first time in five years. Turner is young and untested, and he didn't help his transition much with a marijuana arrest on campus on the eve of spring practice.

Brandon doesn't get a break from the schedule, either, since the Falcons have to face Wisconsin and Ohio State in first half of the season.