LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It's a first-time meeting, but the storylines run deep. When Louisville hosts Bowling Green on Saturday, it'll mark a reunion of football lives that first crossed in 1992 — a Jeff Brohm breakout performance at quarterback for U of L, and Eddie George's collegiate debut for Ohio State. Now they meet as head coaches, with both teams off to 2-0 starts in 2025.
Bowling Green brings a ground-first mentality and some playmakers on defense, but the Cardinals counter with a top-10 defense and explosive skill position threats. Coming off a bye week, Louisville looks to sharpen its attack before heading into ACC play.
George rushed once for three yards and a touchdown in that 1992 game, Brohm went 22-30 for 230 yards and a TD in a losing effort. A two-point conversion pass failed late, and Ohio State held on to win 2019. Brohm did out pass OSU's quarterback, Kirk Herbstreit, by 50 yards.
Four years later, they would meet in the NFL, with George a running back for the Houston Oilers, and Brohm coming on in relief of the injured Steve Young just three plays into the game for the San Francisco 49ers. It would be Brohm's finest NFL performance, completing 19-30 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown to lead the 49ers to a 10-9 win. The TD pass was the only one in Brohm's NFL career.
Some things to know about this year's matchup:
The Time
Noon ET Saturday, Sept. 20, L&N Stadium (60,800), Louisville
How to Watch / Listen
TV: ACC Network (Chris Cotter play-by-play; Max Browne analyst; Kendra Douglas sideline). Streaming: ESPN app (available with TV provider login)
Radio: 93.9 FM The Ville, WGTK 970 AM (Paul Rogers play-by-play; Craig Swabek analyst; Jody Demling sideline). Streaming: ESPN Louisville app. Satellite Radio: Sirius XM 193 • Internet 983.
The Line
Spread: Louisville is a 26.5-point favorite (DraftKings). Over/Under: 53.5
Notes: This is just Louisville's third game vs. the MAC in the past 20 years. Brohm was 1-1 straight up and against the spread against the MAC at Purdue. Bowling Green won its last meeting with an ACC team, beating Georgia Tech 38-27 as a 21-point underdog in 2023. Bowling Green has covered four straight regular-season games against Power 4 opponents.
The Coaches
Louisville: Jeff Brohm (third season, 21-8 at U of L; 87-52 overall). Bowling Green: Eddie George (first season at BGSU, 2-1; 26-23 overall).
Series History
This is the first matchup between the programs. Bowling Green is 4-7 all-time vs. current ACC teams. BGSU's last win over an active ACC member came in 2023 at Georgia Tech (38-27)
The Records
Louisville: 2-0, coming off a 28-14 win over James Madison
Bowling Green: 2-1, coming off a 23-13 win over Liberty
Players to Watch
Louisville: Running back Isaac Brown broke open the win over JMU with a 78-yard touchdown and averages 12.8 yards per carry, fourtth nationally. Wideout Chris Bell leads the team with 146 receiving yards, including a 64-yard score last week. Defensive end Clev Lubin leads the nation in sacks per game (1.75) and had 10 tackles and a forced fumble against JMU. Quarterback Miller Moss has thrown for 374 yards and two touchdowns through two starts.
Bowling Green: Quarterback Drew Pyne, a Notre Dame and Arizona State transfer, can stretch the field but the Falcons lean on the run. Running back Terion Stewart is a proven workhorse with 1,000+ career yards and had 138 vs. Georgia Tech last season. Tight end Jyrin Johnson leads all MAC tight ends in catches (10) and yards (138). Linebacker Dorian Pringle is the only FBS player with 25+ tackles, 6.0+ TFLs, and an interception this season. Safety Kal-El Pascal (yes, named for Superman) had a forced fumble and interception against Liberty.
Quick Sideline Storylines
- This is the only game Bowling Green will play outside Ohio in the first 11 weeks of the season.
- The 1985 BGSU team won at Kentucky — the program's last win in the Commonwealth.
- The last time Bowling Green played a game in Kentucky was a loss to WKU in 2014. The opposing coach in that game? Jeff Brohm.
- Louisville has held opponents under 275 total yards in both games this season.
- Isaac Brown has six career touchdown runs of 40+ yards in just 15 games.
- This will be the final game of a three-game homestand for Louisville before ACC play begins.
The Quote
"Luckily, I've never had an opportunity to tackle (Eddie George). What great player he was. I enjoyed watching him play. I don't know him real well, but he's a class human being, and has done a great job, being a young head coach. They play really good football. They are well coached. Do it the right way. They believe in physical, fundamentally sound football on both sides of the ball. They're going to run the ball at you. They're not going to turn the ball over. They're going to control the clock, try to pop a few runs and throw the ball over your head. On defense, they're very sound as well. They're going to cover your receivers. They're going to get lined up and set. You see all those things show up every week, and that's why they're 2-1 and I think they've got a bright future with him as their coach.”
— Jeff Brohm, on Bowling Green State and first-year coach Eddie George
The Pick
Louisville 34, Bowling Green 10
Louisville needs to take a step forward, bye week or not, and they should manage that behind a solid defense and an offense that has two weeks of fine tuning since beating against James Madison. But will it be enough to cover. BGSU has covered in its past four matchups against Power 4 opponents.
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
