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 An offensive shootout is in the making Saturday at noon when Bowling Green entertains Wyoming at Perry Stadium.
Former Falcons’ head coach Gregg Brandon is the offensive coordinator for Wyoming, which like Bowling Green, brings a 2-0 record into Week 3.
“They are very explosive,” said Dave Clawson, BG’s head coach. Clawson replaced Brandon after the 2008 season.
The Cowboys are averaging 540.5 yards and 40 points per game. Wyoming posted a 45-10 win over Texas State last Saturday, rolling up 618 total yards in the process.
“To have over 600 yards of offense is almost unheard of,” Clawson said. “They are very, very difficult to defend ... They distribute the football extremely well. They play with a fast tempo. It’s going to be a huge, huge challenge for our defense.”
Brett Smith, a true freshman, is Wyoming’s quarterback. He’s thrown for 530 yards and four scores, with three interceptions, and has added 117 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
“He’s playing extremely well,” Clawson said. “He led them on a game-winning drive in the last series against Weber State (a 35-32 Wyoming win on Sept. 3). He then came back and played extremely well against Texas State.
“He can beat you with his arm and he finds ways to make plays with his feet,” Clawson continued. “They have got a whole collection of good tailbacks ... And they have some excellent receivers, who are capable of making plays ... They are putting a true freshman quarterback in there, but all the pieces around him have played well.”
If BG beats Wyoming to go to 3-0, it will be the first 3-0 start to a season since 2003, Brandon’s first season as the Falcons’ head coach.
BGSU NOTES
-- COOPER: BG’s Eugene Cooper is the Mid-American Conference East offensive player of the week after his effort against Morgan State.
A senior, Cooper had career-highs in catches (six), yards (134) and touchdowns (four) in the Falcons’ 58-13 win. Cooper’s four receiving touchdowns tied a school record for touchdown catches in a single game.
“We’re pleased with his development. He needs to keep getting better. He’s not a secret anymore,” Clawson said. “He’s played well two games in a row. I’m sure he’ll be drawing some more coverage looks than he saw the first two weeks.”
-- NOT SO SPECIAL: After reviewing the video from the Morgan State game, Clawson said BG’s play on special teams was disturbing.
“The thing that really concerned me more than anything was just some of our special teams play — kicking the ball out-of-bounds on kickoffs, not fielding the punts, not fielding the kickoffs,” Clawson said. “Those were the glaring things that I don’t care who you play, you can’t do those things.
“We’ve got to get a lot better in terms of handling kicks, because we are leaving a lot of yardage on the field in field position.”
-- BRANDON’S MEN: Current Falcons who were recruited by Brandon and his staff to Bowling Green are: Ben Bojicic; Adrian Hodges, Ray Hutson, DeMark Jenkins, Kevin Moore, Keith Morgan, Jerry Phillips, Chip Robinson and Adrien Spencer.
“These guys are very appreciative of what coach Brandon did for them and I’m appreciative that he brought some of these players here,” Clawson said. “We’re a very young team, so there are not a lot of guys on the team anymore that coach recruited. I’ve been here for three years and the first year or two we had big senior classes
“His record here speaks for itself. He was here six years (as head coach) and led Bowling Green to three bowl games,” Clawson added. “He was certainly one of the leaders in the country in developing the spread offense.”
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