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2018 Bowling Green

3–⁠9 (2–⁠6 Mid-American Conference), coached by Mike Jinks, then Carl Pelini (interim, remainder of season).

Schedule and results

Bowling Green in 2018, game by game: lost at No. 24 Oregon 24–58; lost vs. Maryland 14–45; won vs. Eastern Kentucky 42–35; lost vs. Miami (OH) 23–38; lost at Georgia Tech 17–63; lost at Toledo 36–52; lost vs. Western Michigan 35–42; lost at Ohio 14–49; lost vs. Kent State 28–35; won at Central Michigan 24–13; won at Akron 21–6; lost vs. Buffalo 14–44+15−46Lost 24–58 at No. 24 Oregon-34No. 24 OregonLost 14–45 vs. Maryland-31MarylandWon 42–35 vs. Eastern Kentucky+7Eastern KentuckyLost 23–38 vs. Miami (OH)-15Miami (OH)Lost 17–63 at Georgia Tech-46Georgia TechLost 36–52 at Toledo-16ToledoLost 35–42 vs. Western Michigan-7Western MichiganLost 14–49 at Ohio-35OhioLost 28–35 vs. Kent State-7Kent StateWon 24–13 at Central Michigan+11Central MichiganWon 21–6 at Akron+15AkronLost 14–44 vs. Buffalo-30Buffalo
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 1at24OregonL 24–⁠5824%
Sep 8vsMarylandL 14–⁠4545%
Sep 15vsEastern KentuckyW 42–⁠3568%
Sep 22vsMiami (OH)L 23–⁠3854%
Sep 29atGeorgia TechL 17–⁠6321%
Oct 6atToledoL 36–⁠5216%
Oct 13vsWestern MichiganL 35–⁠4227%
Oct 20atOhioL 14–⁠4917%
Oct 30vsKent StateL 28–⁠3558%
Nov 10atCentral MichiganW 24–⁠1332%
Nov 17atAkronW 21–⁠630%
Nov 23vsBuffaloL 14–⁠4427%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Buffalo 44–⁠14; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 9th in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 67th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 73 on file).

Record
3–⁠9
Conference
2–⁠6 tied for 9th in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
292–⁠480
Coach
Mike Jinks, then Carl Pelini (interim, remainder of season)
Elo
1315 −71 this season
SP+ rating
-22.0 No. 126 of 130; offense No. 99, defense No. 128, special teams No. 127
SRS
−18.7 No. 124 of 130 in FBS
Returning
59% of last season’s EPA, No. 77 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 91 roster talent No. 104 in FBS
Offensive coordinators
Kevin Kilmer and Andy Padron
Defensive coordinator
Carl Pelini
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense98th of 130
  • Defense124th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted109th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted127th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0339%1.2898th of 130
Defense0.2649%1.26124th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.03 off
0.24 def		38% off
49% def		—109th off
127th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.7own 2819% allowed
Defense4.7own 3311% caused

CORE rating -19.8, 127th of 130 (offense -6.5, defense 13.3).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsJarret Doege QB2,660 yds
Passing touchdownsJarret Doege QB27 TD
Rushing yardsAndrew Clair RB702 yds
Rushing touchdownsAndrew Clair RB5 TD
Receiving yardsScott Miller WR1,106 yds
Receiving touchdownsScott Miller WR9 TD
TacklesBrandon Harris LB112 tkl
SacksKarl Brooks DL3.5 sacks
InterceptionsMarcus Milton DB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2018 class

Cameron Stage OG★★★No. 1068
Deandre Fitz-Henley ILB★★★No. 1162
Karl Brooks OLB★★★No. 1340
Rico Frye RB★★★No. 1375
Antwuan Johnson ILB★★★No. 1384

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2018 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.815
Running backs23.00.833
Receivers62.30.794
Offensive line42.50.799
Defensive line13.00.815
Linebackers43.00.840
Defensive backs13.00.815
Whole class192.70.812

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2019

The 2019 draft
Rd 6Scott Miller WRTampa Bay Buccaneers

Roster 109

The 2018 roster

109 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2018 line; 63 have a stat line. See the roster

2018 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Buffalo7–⁠110–⁠4
Ohio6–⁠29–⁠4
Northern Illinois6–⁠28–⁠6
Miami (OH)6–⁠26–⁠6
Toledo5–⁠37–⁠6
Western Michigan5–⁠37–⁠6
Eastern Michigan5–⁠37–⁠6
Ball State3–⁠54–⁠8
Akron2–⁠64–⁠8
Bowling Green2–⁠63–⁠9
Kent State1–⁠72–⁠10
Central Michigan0–⁠81–⁠11

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.