Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Bowling Green Falcons

Bowling Green Falcons (2-1, 0-0 MAC) at Louisville Cardinals (2-0, 0-0 ACC)

- Kickoff: Saturday, September 20 at 12:00 p.m. EST
- Location: L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
- Weather Conditions: Sunshine and clouds mixed. High around 90F. Winds light and variable.
- How To Watch: ACC Network
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -25.5
- All-Time Series: First Meeting
- Last Meeting: N/A

Game Notes

Louisville

The University of Louisville plays the final of three-straight home games when the Cards host Bowling Green on Sept. 20 at Noon. It will be the first meeting between these two programs
The Cardinals moved to 2-0 with a hardfought 28-14 win over James Madison on Friday, Sept. 5 at L&N Cardinal Stadium. The Cardinals trailed 7-6 at the half until outscoring the Dukes 22-7 in the second half.
Jeff Brohm becomes the fourth Louisville coach to start 2-0 in three straight seasons, following Tom King (1925-27), John L. Smith (1999-2001), and Bobby Petrino (2003-06, 2014).
The Cards are looking to go 3-0 for the third-straight season since head coach Jeff Brohm took over the program in 2023.
The Cardinals’ defense was stellar limiting the Dukes to 263 yards of total offense, including 137 yards through the air. UofL recorded six sacks in the win and forced a pair of JMU turnovers.
Bottled up most of the game, running back Isaac Brown broke the game open with a 78-yard touchdown run to conclude the scoring. It marked the sixth scoring run of over 40 yards during Brown’s career.
Brown finished with 104 yards on 12 carries, pushing him over the century mark for the seventh time in 15 career contests. The Miami native is fourth nationally averaging 12.78 yards per carry and is one of five running backs with two runs of over 60 yards.
Wide receiver Chris Bell, who leads the team with nine receptions for 146 yards and one touchdown, caught four passes for 83 yards against James Madison and tied the score at 14-14 with a 64-yard touchdown reception.
Quarterback Miller Moss moved to 2-0 as a starter at Louisville after going 13-of-23 for 151 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in the win over JMU. Miller has thrown for 374 yards and two touchdowns and is completing 62.5 percent of his passes in his first two starts.
Defensive end Clev Lubin led all players with 1.5 sacks for 12 yards among his 10 tackles, 7 of which were solo. Lubin’s sack and forced fumble in the end zone early in the fourth quarter led to the Cards’ go-ahead touchdown. He leads the nation in sacks per game at 1.75.
The Cardinals enter Saturday’s game versus Bowling Green with the nation’s 10th-ranked defense, yielding an average of 206.5 yards per game. Louisville is allowing just 3.15 yards per play, which ranks fourth in the country.
The Cardinals are averaging 5.0 sacks per game after recording a season best 6.0 sacks versus James Madison.
Placekicker Cooper Ranvier enters Saturday’s a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts after hitting from 22 and 38 yards in the win over James Madison.

Bowling Green

BGSU and Louisville are meeting for the first time in program history.
BGSU is 4-7 all-time against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
While the Falcons own wins over current and former ACC members, a victory Saturday would mark just the second in program history over a team competing in the ACC at the time of the game.
BGSU’s last game against an active ACC team came in 2023 at Georgia Tech, which also produced the program’s first-ever win over an active ACC member
BGSU is playing in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for the first time since 2014, when the Falcons opened the season at Western Kentucky. That contest was the first game of UL head coach Jeff Brohm’s head coaching career and his debut at WKU.
TE Jyrin Johnson has 10 receptions for 138 yards this season. His 138 receiving yards rank No. 17 nationally among tight ends, while his 10 catches rank No. 18. Both totals lead all MAC tight ends.
LB Dorian Pringle is the only player in the nation with 25+ tackles, 6.0+ TFLs, and 1+ interceptions. He ranks No. 4 in the country with 6.0 tackles for loss.
Pringle and CB Kal-El Pascal are two of only four players in the nation with 20+ tackles, 1+ interceptions, and 1+ forced fumble. The others are Ronan Hanafin (Clemson) and Xavian Sorey Jr. (Arkansas).
Saturday’s game at Louisville is the only time BGSU will leave the state of Ohio during the first 11 weeks of the season. The Falcons won’t travel outside the Buckeye State again until Nov. 8 at Eastern Michigan. Ypsilanti is just 68 miles from BGSU’s Doyt Perry Stadium.
Eddie George was named the 21st head coach in Bowling Green football history on March 9, 2025.
George returns to the “Great State of Ohio,” where he starred at Ohio State and won the Heisman Trophy 30 years ago (1995). He spent the past four seasons as head coach at Tennessee State, where he was named Big South-OVC Coach of the Year and led the Tigers to the FCS Playoffs in 2024.
George has assembled a staff that blends talent from both BGSU and TSU—two programs that have undergone impressive rebuilds over the past four years. The group brings experience spanning every level of football, from high school to the NFL.
BGSU ranks No. 130 out of 136 FBS teams in returning production for 2025, at just 35 percent. That figure places the Falcons 12th out of 13 teams in the MAC.
In 2024, BGSU led the nation in returning production with a senior-laden roster.
For 2025, BGSU is one of eight MAC programs ranked in the bottom 18 nationally in returning production—and one of four MAC programs breaking in a new head coach

Depth Charts

Here are the depth charts for both teams ahead of their matchup: Louisville vs. Bowling Green

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Falcons, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of the Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Bowling Green

Uniform Report

Louisville will be wearing red helmets and jerseys with white pants, while Bowling Green has yet to annouce their uniform combination.

Ag Day threads #GoCards pic.twitter.com/dmrZS1Vfeh
— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) September 18, 2025