Notre Dame Football: Five Problematic Bowling Green Players
A familiar Notre Dame football face returns to South Bend with one of the worst teams in college football.
After consecutive, huge national matchups for Notre Dame football, Bowling Green comes to town in what should be the ultimate cool down game.
Bowling Green doesn’t have the underrated quarterback Virginia does. They certainly don’t have the athletes that Georgia does. They don’t even have an experienced head coach like New Mexico does.
They do, however, have a guy that knows a lot about Notre Dame: defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.
VanGorder was on the Notre Dame staff from 2014-2016 and had been with Brian Kelly going back to Grand Valley State. He leads a defense that is the strength of the team, ranked 76th in total defense.
He does have some impressive guys on defense, so not all hope is lost for the Falcons.
It’s going to take more than just solid defense to pull one of the biggest upsets in recent memory. An offense that ranks 120th in points per game will need to have a solid game too.
It’ll need to be a perfect storm for the Falcons, and these five men are key to their success come Saturday.
Darius Wade, Quarterback
Wade certainly doesn’t lack experience. He’s a fifth year senior (after a 2015 medical red shirt) that transferred from Boston College and is no stranger to Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler. Loeffler was the offensive coordinator at Boston College when Wade was there.
Wade hadn’t played since 2017, when he appeared in 10 games for the Eagles. He hasn’t been great so far, even if the numbers say he’s been decent. He’s got 664 yards through the air while completing just 58 percent of his passes. He’s got three touchdowns and three interceptions, although his stats are considerably less impressive if you don’t include his three touchdown, 253 yard performance against FCS Morgan State.
Davon Jones, Running Back
Another Boston College transfer, Jones is one third of what Bowling Green refers to as its “three headed monster” at running back. Loeffler believes the backs are the strength of the team and it all starts with Jones.
He only had 413 yards prior to his arrival at Bowling Green, but already has 205 yards this season. He also has 7 catches for 39 yards. Assisted by Andrew Clair and Bryson Denley, Bowling Green averages 165 rushing yards per game. These three men could be big for the Falcons, but it’ll be lead by Jones.
Quintin Morris, Wide Receiver
Morris is Wade’s top target, nearly doubling the team’s second receiver. He’s 6’4″, 228 pounds, similar to Miles Boykin last year. He’s a junior who had his best season last year, second on the team in receptions. Since last year’s leader Scott Miller left, Morris has taken over the number one role.
He’s got 16 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns. You can’t help but think he’d be much more valuable with a better quarterback. He still does a good job with what he’s given. He’s got good size and speed and knows how to use it. He’ll have to be highly effective this weekend.
David Koniwalski, Defensive Lineman
One of the team captains is another guy that isn’t lacking experience. Expected to be a huge part of the Falcons defense last season, Koniwalski was injured and received a medical redshirt for this season. He’s started every game in his sophomore and junior season and had two 50+ tackle seasons so far with four forced fumbles and two recoveries. He knows how to make noise from his defensive end position.
This season has been no different, as he leads the team in tackles for loss with five, well on pace to set a new career high. He’ll likely be matched up against Robert Hainsey in what’s sure to be a physical matchup.
Brandon Perce, Linebacker
Perce is only in his first season of actually seeing a division one football field, but as a junior college transfer, he is no stranger to competition. In his final junior college season, he was a second team NJCAA All American while averaging 14.2 tackles per game.
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He currently leads the team in tackles with 38, which includes 4.5 for loss. He also has an interception. He’s on the smaller side for a linebacker at 5’11 and 213 pounds, but don’t mistake that for a lack of talent. He’s a heavy hitter that has impressed coaches and teammates going back to his first spring game at Bowling Green.