Head coach Gregg Brandon, who will be preparing for his fourth season running the Bowling Green program, said failing to live up to the promise his team had last season has been the primary motivator since 2005 ended.

"Anytime you are picked to win it all and you don't get that done, then you don't meet the expectations," Brandon said. "And those weren't so much the expectations set by the media, but the expectations set by our team.

"It's nice to be perceived as the best team by people outside of the program and you want those accolades, but when you set team goals and you don't meet those team goals that is when you are disappointed and that's where we are right now. We felt like we were good enough to win a championship and play in a bowl game again, but we didn't get that done. So we are going to evaluate and move on."

Once the disappointment is dealt with, the Falcons get about the business of life without Omar. Jacobs left a year early for the NFL, despite having an injury-plagued season, and the job of running this complex spread offense falls on sophomore Anthony Turner.

Turner played in eight games as a redshirt freshman and started twice while Jacobs was out. He did what he was asked to do, but that was a fairly limited scheme given his lack of experience. This time around Turner will have to be able to throw the whole playbook at the opposition.

Along with Turner, most of the other offensive skill position players are essentially unseasoned, so spring ball will provide a coming out party for a number of players anxious to step into the numerous voids. The learning curve is softened by a solid offensive front.

On defense, there are not as many holes to fill, but Bowling Green's inability to stop the run will remain a glaring problem until the Falcons prove otherwise. Last year this team simply outscored a lot of folks, averaging about 34 points per game, but they won't be able to bank on that kind of production without Jacobs.

COACHING CAROUSEL: Head coach Gregg Brandon was able to hold on to most of his staff, and the Falcons will benefit from that continuity. Greg Studrawa is in the unique position of serving as offensive coordinator and the main teacher with the offensive linemen. His input and contagious energy give everyone an extra gear.

Former Falcon defensive end D.J. Durkin was promoted to special teams coach, a duty shared by several members of the staff last season. Defensive coordinator John Lovett and defensive assistant John Bowers switch positional assignments, with Lovett coaching defensive backs and Bowers working with the teams linebackers.

SCHEDULE SITUATION: After much finagling, the Falcons tweaked their 2006 non-conference schedule and reduced it from killer status to just brutal. After facing Big Ten power Wisconsin in a game to be played at Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Falcons were to face explosive Boise State and then travel to meet Ohio State.

That seemed like a bit much to head coach Gregg Brandon, so the Falcons revamped their schedule and the Boise State game was moved to 2007. Florida International is the other non-league foe, with a replacement for Boise State still in the works. In MAC play, the Falcons face Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Kent State and Miami at home, and visit Akron, Ohio, Central Michigan and Toledo.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We have been busting our tails for 364 days to celebrate on one day. To me this is like game day. I am jacked up about this group." -- Head coach Gregg Brandon on announcing his class of recruits.

OL Kory Lichtensteiger and OL Derrick Markray are both returning All-MAC performers, and they will give new QB Anthony Turner some protection while he gets comfortable with the nuances of the spread offense.

DB Deaudre Perry had 68 tackles in only eight games in 2005, and could develop into a major play-maker in the secondary.

LB John Haneline played in nine games last season as a freshman, and is expected to develop the same tenacity and All-MAC pedigree his brother Chris displayed for the Falcons from 1999-02.

TOP NEWCOMERS: P Alonso Rojas is a polished, athletic punter who is expected to step in and handle the duty from day one. The Bowling Green kicking game was a font of inconsistency in 2005 and Brandon thinks he has fixed a lot of that by landing Rojas from South Miami. K Sean Ellis comes from Merritt Island, Fla., where he knocked most of his kickoffs into the end zone and is accurate on field goals and extra points.

ROSTER REPORT: DT Matt Leininger, a stout and strong run-stopper who was booted off the team two years ago for conduct issues, is expected to return and give the Falcons an immediate boost up front. Leininger played a lot as a freshman, and hopefully has matured to the point where he will be a standout performer and a solid citizen. Leininger could be surrounded by two immense freshmen. DT D.J. Young is a thick 6-5, 280-pounder coming out of high school who has Brandon excited about finally beefing up his defensive front. DT Orlando Barrow goes 6-3 and 270. Barrow is like Young in that both are athletic for their size, and both represent the kind of big-bodied defensive linemen the Falcons have had in short supply in recent years.