The Bowling Green Falcons (3-3, 1-1 MAC), fresh off an iconic, come-from-behind Battle of I-75 victory over rival Toledo, get set to host the Central Michigan Chippewas (3-3, 1-1 MAC) for the first time
at Doyt Perry Stadium since 2019. CMU, on a march to the MAC West division title under first-year head coach Jim McElwain, took a triumphant 38-20 win six years ago.
BG and Central have played each other two of the last three years, with matches in 2022 and 2024. Last time out, Bowling Green traveled to Mt. Pleasant for a weeknight November matchup and took advantage of a depleted Chippewa offense, out-gaining them 388-250, and taking a 23-13 victory thanks to two fourth-quarter scores. Terion Stewart’s 117 rushing yards were a major decider in the contest.
It’s a very important contest for both teams, as a win would go a long way towards attaining postseason eligibility.
Game Notes
- Time and Date: Saturday, October 18th, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern time
- Location: Doyt Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio
- Gambling considerations: Bowling Green (-4.5), over/under 43.5 per FanDuel.
- Viewing options: The game will be aired nationally on CBS Sports Network. A valid cable subscription is required for viewing. Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Adam Breneman and Patrick Peterson (both color) will provide commentary
- Radio options: For Bowling Green, Eagle FM 99 will broadcast with Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (color) providing commentary. For Central Michigan, Adam Jaksa (play-by-play) and Brock Gutierrez (color) will provide the call for 98.5 WUPS-FM.
- All-time series: Bowling Green leads 25-19 all-time, with the most recent game seeing BG take home a 23-13 victory on Nov. 5, 2024.
About the Falcons
The Falcons are trying to follow up a miraculous comeback against their bitter rival Toledo. The win was a big step forward in figuring out what the Falcons are about, but there are still so many unknowns left to be answered.
The offense put up their season-high in points in the triumph— and still had a tough day, going for five yards over their first three drives to allow in part the Rockets to race out to their early lead.
Lucian Anderson III got his first career start— in undoubtedly one of the biggest games you can play as a Falcon. He finished 9-of-16 for 92 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Drew Pyne is still day-to-day, so it may not be surprising to see Anderson get another start. The Falcons don’t have a receiver with 200 yards yet. Jyrin Johnson still leads the room with 189 yards and one touchdown. The Falcons welcomed Cameron Pettaway to the 100 yard club after his 118 receiving yards last week. The Falcons may have a tough day throwing the ball with Central’s tactics against the pass.
Chris McMillian leads the Falcons with 248 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Kaderris Roberts and Pettaway also join him in the 200 yard club. While the Falcons scored 28 for the first time all season, the offense needs to breakout consistently without a defensive spark.
The Falcons have been very sound defensively, and were ultimately the reason BG took a win over Toledo last week, capitalizing on leverage downs to change the game state. They rank sixth in the MAC with 378.2 yards allowed per game. Gideon Lampron earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week against Toledo, and currently leads the team with 57 total tackles. Myles Bradley leads the team with four sacks, and four Falcons lead with one interception. One player to watch is Isaiah Thomison. While his stats don’t jump out at you, he forced a fumble that allowed the Falcons to take the lead last week.
A well-rested Falcons defense is necessary for success, and it starts with the offense figuring out how to maintain possession in order to play more complimentary football.
About the Chippewas
Central Michigan’s last game felt like a headscratcher. They were down 28-13 after three quarters against Akron and could only muster nine points despite holding the Zips scoreless in the final frame.
We’ve seen what this team looks like when firing on all cylinders, with a dominant win over Eastern Michigan to open up the MAC slate at home. So what Chippewa team will we see this weekend?
The Chippewas offense heavily relies on the run game. They rank third in the MAC with 188.5 yards per game. Quarterback Angel Flores leads the rushing attack with 384 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Nahree Biggins (278 yards) and Trey Cornist (211 yards) follow behind with one touchdown each.
While there is high praise for the run game, the passing game is best described as serviceable. Joe Labas is back after missing most of last season with an injury. He leads the team with 694 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. He’s part of a quarterback room that ranks 11th in the MAC for passing (150.2 yards per game). The Chippewas don’t have a receiver with 200+ yards, but Tommy McIntosh (188 yards), Biggins (152 yards), Tyson Davis (136 yards), and Langston Lewis (127 yards) all have seen action with one touchdown each.
Defensively, Central allows 225.7 pass yards per game, anchored by 156.2 rush yards per game. Michael Heldman ranks fourth in the MAC with 4.5 sacks, while Brenden Deasfernandes is tied at the top with two interceptions. Five other Chippewas have one interception. It’s a vast improvement over last season, when CMU had five turnovers total in 2024. Look for them to take advantage of a Bowling Green team that has struggled to pass the ball so far.
What Each Team Needs
Bowling Green finally figured out how to put together complimentary football sequences against Toledo. They need to keep doing that to keep their confidence high going into a winnable game against the Chippewas. Anderson’s performance against the Rockets in the win was encouraging, and CMU is a step down in terms of talent from UT. Whether it’s Anderson or Pyne under center, keeping up long, sustained drives is crucial for a team which has struggled to get above 20 points in most contests.
Central Michigan’s offense also needs to have a good game if they hope to stay in this one. They have only averaged 17.6 points per game against FBS opponents, with their grind-it-out philosophy sometimes getting in the way in losses due to fallow possessions. Head coach Matt Drinkall has suggested in past press availability his team needs to stop being so predictable in certain leverage situations; against a tough Bowling Green defense which keys in on the run, it could be a long day if CMU doesn’t get creative early.
