BOWLING GREEN — If this week was the frying pan for Bowling Green, Saturday is the fire.
The slumping Falcons made a change at the top Sunday by dismissing coach Mike Jinks, creating a whirlwind six days for the football program that will conclude with BG’s first on-field test without their head coach.
It is a challenging test, at that: The Falcons will go on the road at Mid-American Conference favorite Ohio with a 1-6 record, an interim coach, and, if odds are any indication, little chance to win the game.
However, BG still hopes to finish the year on a winning note, starting by potentially spoiling Ohio’s homecoming at Peden Stadium in Athens.
“It’s unfortunate what happened, but it’s a part of college football,” Falcons cornerback Marcus Milton said. “We’re just trying to control what we can control, and that’s the next five games this year.”
Bowling Green's 2018 football schedule
VIDEO: Carl Pelini on recruiting at BGSU
Ohio (3-3, 1-1 MAC) has not won the conference in 50 years and desperately needs a win against a 17-point underdog to have any hope of winning the East Division. On the other hand, Bowling Green (1-6, 0-3) has just three wins in the past two seasons and fired its coach for the first time in a decade.
The coaching change was a shocking one for the players, with whom Jinks was popular and well-respected. Interim coach Carl Pelini will oversee the rest of the season.
If practice this week was any indication, the Falcons have been galvanized — at least temporarily — by the change, and they were eager for a chance to return to the field.
“Really, we have one goal in mind, and that’s Ohio University,” Falcons receiver Scott Miller said. “We’re going to put all of our efforts, all of our energy toward them. [It’s] one game on Saturday afternoon, and we’re giving everything this week for that moment.”
Pelini said Bowling Green, despite the adverse situation for the coaching staff and the players, still has the opportunity to make a leap in its remaining games.
The Falcons had two bad losses to conclude September with a home defeat to Miami and a blowout loss at Georgia Tech, but they have made small strides the past two weeks. BG trailed by three points with the ball in the fourth quarter at Toledo and led in the fourth quarter last week against Western Michigan, but the Falcons couldn’t close the deal in either game.
Pelini said BG still can overcome its fourth-quarter woes with minor improvements.
“If we truly evaluate it honestly and make those changes, I think we have an opportunity — still — to get over the top and start to not just be successful in those situations, but embrace them,” Pelini said. “I think that the first one is the most difficult.”
Pelini said his time in football has taught him that a team often will come close to winning before it actually does — but a victory can change everything.
“Once you do [win], that snowball will start rolling,” Pelini said. “We’re still at that point where we need to pull out that first one.”
The Falcons see this game as a test of character.
They might be without their coach, but Miller said their response will say a lot about the team.
“We all love coach Jinks. He did a lot for us,” Miller said. “He gave us all an opportunity, whether it be coaches or players, but life is really about how you respond. It’s what makes you as a man and tells the story of your life.
“We’re going to respond like warriors and compete this week, and try and get a win.”
Contact Nicholas Piotrowicz at: npiotrowicz@theblade.com, 419-724-6110, or on Twitter @NickPiotrowicz.
First Published October 19, 2018, 11:30 a.m.
