The Bowling Green Falcons and Louisville Cardinals meet in Kentucky for a battle of the birds. Louisville, the hosting squad, scored 14 unanswered points to escape with a 28-14 win over James Madison two weeks ago, and will be nice and rested heading into this game after taking an early BYE week.
The Falcons, meanwhile, are coming off of a 23-13 homecoming win over Liberty. The defense forced four turnovers to keep the Flames quiet.
This is the last non-conference game for both teams before starting
conference play, so both sides hope they can extend their momentum into the league slates.
Game Notes
- Time and Date: Saturday, September 20th, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. ET
- Location: L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky
- Gambling considerations: Louisville (-26.5), over/under 52.5 points, per FanDuel.
- Viewing options: The game will be available on ACC Network. A valid cable subscription is required for viewing. Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Max Browne (color), and Kendra Douglas (sideline) will provide commentary
- Radio options: Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (color) will provide the BGSU call for Eagle FM 99.
- All-time series: First-ever meeting
About the Bowling Green Falcons
The Falcons played in front of the largest crowd since 2015 last week in their takedown of the Liberty Flames. BG is also off to their best start since 2014, when they also went 2-1 to start the season. This is their first ACC opponent since 2023, when they knocked off Georgia Tech 38-27.
Drew Pyne has been up and down this season, as far as production. He averages just over 176 yards/game, with two passing touchdowns. Louisville has one of the best pass defenses early this season, allowing an average of 106.5 yards/game. Drew Pyne will need to be sharp on the field this week. He’s completed 67.5% of his passes, but Louisville will be watching him constantly.
The Falcons have a three headed monster for their rushing attack with Kaderris Roberts (152 yards), Cameron Pettaway (124 yards) and Chris McMillian (102 yards, one touchdown) accounting for about 91 percent of their production. Mar’Kel Porter has two touchdowns on the year from close range.
Jyrin Johnson is leading the receiving corps with 138 yards and one touchdown. While the duties have been spread evenly between Johnson, Finn Hogan, and RJ Garcia, Johnson seems to be a favorite target of Drew Pyne with his size and athleticism so far.
Defensively, the Falcons have stepped up so far this season. They are tied for 26th in FBS with five turnovers gained. Dorian Pringle has one interception and a fumble recovery. Pringle left the game last week with an injury, and there has been no update to his availability. If he can’t play, that’s a huge loss for the Falcons.
Jackson Kleather earned his second MAC Special Teams Player of the Week award, after going 3-for-3 on field goals and 2-for-2 on extra points. He’s still perfect for extra points, and 9-for-10 on field goals this season.
About the Louisville Cardinals
Louisville is 2-0 on the young season, rattling off wins against Eastern Kentucky and James Madison.
Miller Moss transferred in after starting nine games at quarterback for the USC Trojans. His numbers don’t jump out at you, averaging 187 yards per game with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. He’s also thrown two interceptions. Cardinals fans are waiting for the Miller Moss breakout game, and the hope is that BG won’t have the horses on defense to keep up.
Isaac Brown leads in rushing with 230 yards and three touchdowns. Brown has a quickness and elusiveness that the Falcons will have a hard time stopping.
Chris Bell leads the way receiving with 146 yards and one touchdown. Being the early favorite target, he’s caught 30 percent of Moss’s completions. At six-foot-two, Bell has good height and verticals to be a problem for the Falcon secondary.
Defensively, the Cardinals allow 100 rushing yards per game. The Falcons average almost 138 rushing yards per game, suggesting this will be an excellent advantage for Louisville by forcing BG to the air— where Louisville ranks 7th in FBS for passing defense.
What Each Team Needs
Bowling Green will need to put a complete game together. It’s another tough test for Eddie George and his team. If they can avoid the slow start, they’ll have a chance to hang around and make things interesting.
Louisville has to be better in the first half compared to the last game. They were able to pull away in the second half against James Madison, but the first half raised some questions. Louisville could put the game away early if they start fast.
