Eye on the Falcons

Offensive coordinator Bob Cole breaks down how the Huskies’ offense matches up against the Bowling Green Falcons’ defense.

NIU receivers vs. BG secondary

“That’s going to be a good matchup in the game. There’ll be times where they might have the edge. There’ll be times where we have the edge. In one-on-one situations we got to get the ball there, and when it is there we got to go make a play.”

NIU offensive line vs. BG defensive line

“Their two [defensive] ends are the real deal. Those two guys can play. And then they bring in a big pass rusher on third down. So, their two outside guys cause you some problems, and our tackles and tight ends are going to have to have a good game if we’re going to be successful out there.”

NIU running backs/tight ends vs. BG front seven

“The strength of their defense is their two inside linebackers, No. 7 and No. 11. They like to bring them right up the gut, and that’s something we’re going to have to work on all week long is picking up their quick blitzes … .”

Defensive coordinator Jay Niemann breaks down how the Huskies’ defense stacks up against the Bowling Green Falcons’ offense.

NIU secondary vs. BG receivers

“They’ve got probably the best overall group of receivers in the [MAC]. They’re pretty comparable to the Western Michigan [group] that we just played as far as offensive skill. It’ll be a great challenge, but we’re looking forward to it, and I think we’ll be ready to go.”

NIU defensive line vs. BG offensive line

“They’re bigger, and that’s typical. We usually don’t have the biggest team, but we have good team speed and agility and quickness, and that’s kind of our strengths. We’re going to be giving up some size there, but we’re used to that.”

NIU front seven vs. BG running backs/tight ends

“They play two or three running backs, and they’re all similar. Their tight ends are guys who don’t catch the ball a whole lot and are involved in blocking. … One of the keys to the game is going to be our ability to leverage and tackle with good efficiency and not have missed tackles turn into big plays.”