| Year: | 2015 |
| Team: | Bowling Green Falcons |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Mid-American Conference |
| Division: | East Division |
| Short Conf: | MAC |
| Record: | 10–4 |
| Conf Record: | 7–1 |
| Head Coach: | Dino Babers |
| Hc Year: | 2nd |
| Hc Games: | regular season |
| Head Coach2: | Brian Ward |
| Hc Games2: | interim, bowl game |
| Cooff Coach1: | Mike Lynch |
| Cooc1 Year: | 2nd |
| Cooff Coach2: | Sean Lewis |
| Cooc2 Year: | 2nd |
| Def Coach: | Brian Ward |
| Dc Year: | 1st |
| Stadium: | Doyt Perry Stadium |
| Champion: | MAC champion MAC East Division champion |
| Bowl: | GoDaddy Bowl |
| Bowl Result: | L 27–58 vs. Georgia Southern |
| Conf Champ: | MAC Championship |
| Conf Champ Result: | W 34–14 vs. Northern Illinois |
The 2015 Bowling Green Falcons football team represented Bowling Green State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Falcons played their home games at Doyt Perry Stadium. They were led by second-year head coach Dino Babers and were members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 10–4, 7–1 in MAC play to be champions of the East Division. They represented the East Division in the MAC Championship where they defeated Northern Illinois to become MAC champions. They were invited to the GoDaddy Bowl where they lost to Georgia Southern.
See also: 2015 Tennessee Volunteers football team.
See also: 2015 Maryland Terrapins football team.
The road win over a Power Five Conference opponent marks the first since a 8/30/08 win at Pittsburgh.[2]See also: 2015 Memphis Tigers football team.
See also: 2015 Purdue Boilermakers football team.
The win marks the first time BGSU has defeated two Big Ten teams on the road in the same season. Advanced to 3-0 all-time against Purdue.[3]See also: 2015 Buffalo Bulls football team.
The win marked Dino Babers' 30th career victory in just his 45th career game as head coach.[4]See also: 2015 UMass Minutemen football team.
The Falcons had a school-record 725 yards of total offense, beating the previous school record of 706 set versus Grand Valley in 1978. BGSU ran 91 plays (46 rush, 45 pass).[5]
See also: 2015 Akron Zips football team.
Quarterback Matt Johnson threw his 50th-career touchdown pass with 4:20 remaining in the second quarter. The 49 point victory over Akron was the Falcons' largest margin of victory all-time in the series with the Zips.[6]
See also: 2015 Kent State Golden Flashes football and Anniversary Award.
The Falcons outgained the Golden Flashes, 602-166, and held Kent State to just 55 rushing yards on 26 attempts. Defensive back Jamari Bozeman led BG with eight tackles. The 48-point margin of victory was the Falcons' largest all-time against Kent State. This was the first shutout against Kent State since a 44-0 win in 1970.[7]See also: 2015 Ohio Bobcats football team.
The win over Ohio marked the Falcons 17th straight victory over opponents from the MAC East. For the third straight season, BG finished undefeated against the East Division, going 5-0 in 2015. Roger Lewis had 102 receiving yards, making the fifth straight game he has gone over 100 yards on the season. Bowling Green went over 500 yards of total offense for the ninth time this season.[8]
See also: 2015 Western Michigan Broncos football team.
P. J. Fleck's Broncos entered the game on a five game winning streak, all coming against MAC opponents. The Falcons became the first team to win three straight MAC East titles since Marshall won six consecutive East Division championships from 1997-2002. BG improved to 6-0 in MAC play for the first time since 1994. First victory over WMU since 52-0 win in 2004.[9]See also: 2015 Toledo Rockets football team and Bowling Green–Toledo football rivalry.
Toledo's defense held BG to 368 yards of total offense, 216 below its average of 584. The Rockets defense caused five turnovers, including three fumble recoveries and two interceptions.[10] Travis Greene became BGSU's all-time leading rusher. He finished the game with 73 rushing yards and had a new career total of 3,492, passing former running back Dave Preston. Quarterback Matt Johnson set a school record for the most passing yards in a single-season, passing Tyler Sheehan's 2009 mark of 4,051. Linebacker Austin Valdez led the Flacons with 13 total tackles and 2.5 TFLs. He also added his second career interception.[11]See also: 2015 Ball State Cardinals football team.
Quarterback Matt Johnson tied the school and MAC record for touchdown passes in a single season. Johnson's 41st touchdown tied fellow Falcon Omar Jacobs' mark that was set in 2004. Running back Matt Domer's 95-yard touchdown was the second-longest touchdown run in school history. Travis Greene went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season, becoming the second player in school history, joining Paul Miles, to rush for 1,000 yards in multiple seasons. Defensively, the Falcons had three first-half interceptions. Alfonso Mack had his team-leading fifth interception, while Dernard Turner had his fourth of the season and Eilar Hardy registered his second. Linebacker Brandon Harris had a career-high 11 tackles. BGSU finished the regular season at 9-3 overall and 7-1 in the Mid-American Conference.[12]See also: 2015 Northern Illinois Huskies football team and 2015 MAC Championship Game.
The 2015 conference title was the second MAC Championship over the last three years for the Falcons and is the 12th MAC Championship in school history. Redshirt-senior Travis Greene ran for a career-high 183 yards and two touchdowns, earning him the Most Valuable Player award. Quarterback Matt Johnson threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Gehrig Dieter caught a game high seven receptions for 75 yards, while Roger Lewis totaled six catches for 75 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown catch and run in the third quarter. Defensively, BG was led by linebacker Austin Valdez's 13 total tackles, while defensive back Alfonso Mack finished with seven total stops and an interception. The defense forced three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.[13]On December 5, Dino Babers became the head coach at Syracuse.[14]
See also: 2015 Georgia Southern Eagles football team and 2015 GoDaddy Bowl (December).
Georgia Southern scored 35 unanswered points in the second half to overcome Bowling Green's 27-23 halftime lead. Quarterback Matt Johnson threw three first half touchdowns. He became BG's passing touchdown leader, passing Omar Jacobs's 70-touchdown mark with 73 to end his career. Johnson extended his MAC and school records for most passing yards (4,946) and touchdown passes (46) in a single season. With his 15 completions, Johnson finished the year with 383, breaking the school record set by Tyler Sheehan (373) in 2009. Running back Travis Greene finished his career with 3,852 rushing yards, most in program history. Wide receiver Roger Lewis (1,544) and Gehrig Dieter (1,033), combined for the most yards for any wide receiver duo in school history. Punter Joe Davidson's 73-yard punt became the longest punt in GoDaddy Bowl history and BGSU's bowl history. Defensively, Taylor Royster and Austin Valdez each recorded 11 tackles. Bowling Green ended the season with a record of 10-4, winning double-digit games for the sixth time in program history. Bowling Green became 6-7 all-time in bowl games and 1-2 all-time in the GoDaddy Bowl. On the season, the Falcons scored a school record 591 points and 81 touchdowns.[15]| MAC East Offensive Player of the Week | Matt Johnson | QB | R-Sr. | Sep. 7 | [16] | |
| MAC East Offensive Player of the Week | Matt Johnson (2) | QB | R-Sr. | Sep. 14 | [17] | |
| MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week | Joseph Davidson | P | R-So. | Sep. 14 | ||
| MAC East Offensive Player of the Week | Roger Lewis | WR | So. | Sep. 21 | [18] | |
| MAC East Offensive Player of the Week | Matt Johnson (3) | QB | R-Sr. | Sep. 28 | [19] | |
| MAC East Offensive Player of the Week | Roger Lewis (2) | Wr | So. | Oct. 5 | [20] | |
| MAC East Offensive Player of the Week | Matt Johnson (4) | QB | R-Sr. | Oct. 12 | [21] | |
| MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week | Tyler Tate | K | R-Sr. | Oct. 12 | ||
| MAC East Offensive Player of the Week | Matt Johnson (5) | QB | R-Sr. | Oct. 19 | [22] | |
| MAC East Offensive Player of the Week | Matt Johnson (6) | QB | R-Sr. | Oct. 26 | [23] | |
| MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week | Joseph Davidson (2) | P | R-So. | Oct. 26 | ||
| MAC East Offensive Player of the Week | Travis Greene | RB | R-Sr. | Nov. 9 | [24] | |
| MAC East Offensive Player of the Week | Travis Greene (2) | RB | R-Sr. | Nov. 16 | [25] | |
| MAC East Defensive Player of the Week | Brandon Harris | LB | Fr. | Nov. 30 | [26] |
| MAC Offensive Player of the Year | Matt Johnson | QB | R-Sr. | Dec. 2 | [27] |
| Vern Smith Leadership Award Winner | Matt Johnson | QB | R-Sr. | Dec. 2 | |
| All-MAC First Team Offense | Matt Johnson | QB | R-Sr. | |
| All-MAC First Team Offense | Roger Lewis | WR | So. | |
| All-MAC First Team Offense | Travis Greene | RB | R-Sr. | |
| All-MAC First Team Defense | Austin Valdez | ILB | R-So. | |
| All-MAC First Team Defense | Joseph Davidson | P | R-So. | |
| All-MAC Second Team Offense | Alex Huettel | OL | R-Sr. | |
| All-MAC Second Team Offense | Jacob Bennett | OL | R-Jr. | |
| All-MAC Second Team Offense | Gehrig Dieter | WR | R-Jr. | |
| All-MAC Second Team Defense | Trenton Greene | OLB | R-Jr. | |
| All-MAC Third Team Offense | Ronnie Moore | WR | Jr. | |
| All-MAC Third Team Specialists | Ryan Burbrink | PR | R-Sr. |
| Sammy Baugh Top Passer Award | Matt Johnson | QB | Dec. 2 | |
| Paul Warfield Award | Roger Lewis | WR | Dec. 2 |
| Alex Huettel | OL | 1st Team | ||||||||||
| Matt Johnson | QB | 4th Team | HM | |||||||||
| Roger Lewis | WR | 2nd Team | HM | |||||||||
| Manning Award Stars of the Week[35] | Matt Johnson | QB | Sep. 14 |
| Davey O' Brien Quarterback of the Week[36] | Matt Johnson | QB | Sep. 15 |
| Maxwell Award National Player of the Week[37] | Matt Johnson | QB | Sep 17 |
| CFPA National Player of the Week[38] | Matt Johnson | QB | Sep. 17 |
| Biletnikoff watchlist[39] | Ryan Burbrink, Roger Lewis and Ronnie Moore | WR | Oct. 28 |
| Ray Guy Award[40] | Joseph Davidson | P | Oct. 30 |
| Davey O' Brien Semifinalist[41] | Matt Johnson | QB | Nov. 2 |
| Biletnikoff Semifinalist[42] | Roger Lewis | WR | Nov. 17 |
| Broyles Award[43] | Sean Lewis | OC | Nov. 25 |