Following six straight losing seasons under Gary Blackney, Bowling Green went off the chart in December of 2000 to hire an unknown young assistant coach from Notre Dame named Urban Meyer. With brainy offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon as his wing man, Meyer installed a spread offense and made the Falcons winners in his two seasons in the Ohio flatlands.

Brandon took over the top spot when Meyer moved on to Utah, and he kept the Falcons in contention for the league title and took them to a couple of bowl games. After three seasons under Brandon, Bowling Green has strung together five straight winning campaigns, but number six will be the ultimate challenge.

The Falcons, barely above the bar at 6-5 in 2005, said goodbye to record-setting quarterback Omar Jacobs, who left early for the NFL, and most of their skilled people on offense. Now Brandon needs to find the personnel to keep this as one of the highest scoring teams in the conference, which allows his defense to be mediocre and still get the job done.

Graduation also nailed the defensive side at linebacker and along the line, so new faces abound. Brandon hopes he has guys in the pipeline who can do the job, but he is realistic about his expectations.

"These kids haven't played a lot of football, so I won't sugarcoat it," Brandon said. "We really have to rebuild this whole team. We've lost a lot of really great players through the years here. There's a lot of uncertainty on both sides of the ball, a lot of inexperience as far as playing time."

Nowhere Tech is not on the schedule, but Big Ten tough guys Ohio State and Wisconsin are, so the Falcons don't get any grace period. The Bowling Green offensive line, under the direction of offensive coordinator and line guru Greg Studrawa, is very solid. But the rest of the lineup is too young and green for this team to be talking championship. Winning more than they lose for a sixth straight year would be a significant accomplishment for the Falcons.

"Toby is an outstanding teacher of defensive line play gained from being an outstanding collegiate and professional player," said Gill. "I am very happy to have him on the staff."

--If the Falcons pass out a Mr. Versatility award, junior Pete Winovich wins it every year. Winovich will line at fullback in certain formations this season. When he came to Bowling Green in 2004, Winovich began practice as a quarterback and was later moved to linebacker/special teams by the end of summer camp. Last year, he had 27 tackles playing those roles. As a high school player at Thomas Jefferson High School in Jefferson Hills, Pa., Winovich was a prolific quarterback who threw for 2,233 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior, and had 4,421 passing yards and 44 scores in his career.

--Soon, Bowling Green's football team will train in the most advanced, state-of-the-art facility in the conference when the Sebo Athletic Center opens later this year. The privately funded center, which will be located at the north end zone of the Doyt L. Perry Stadium, will become the stadium's new front entrance and provide about 33,500 square feet of space for sports medicine, rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, and football offices. J. Robert Sebo, a 1958 Bowling Green grad, provided $4.4 million to fund the construction of the facility.

2007 DRAFT PROSPECTS: The Falcons have sent two quarterbacks to the pros in the last four years, but this year offer two solid offensive linemen, Kory Lichtensteiger and Derrick Markray. Both have the size, agility and athleticism the pros covet, plus they have learned the craft under Greg Studrawa, a highly regarded offensive line coach. If they close out their careers with the Falcons as expected, Lichtensteiger and Markray should find their way into the pros.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We have some enthusiastic and talented young guys in our program right now who just need the experience. A lot of guys may not be household names, but I could not be more excited about the effort our team has given this spring." -- Bowling Green head coach Gregg Brandon following spring drills

WR Corey Partridge -- The sophomore moved to fill the vacuum left by graduation as he impressed the coaching staff this spring and then had seven receptions for 106 yards in the spring game.

RB Dan Macon -- After sitting out last season as a red shirt, Macon steps into the void created when the top two running backs from 2005 graduated, and he is expected to give the Falcons their best speed threat in the backfield in recent seasons.

DE Devon Parks -- A starter since he arrived on campus as a true freshman, Parks had seemingly leveled off in terms of development, but after taking on a leadership role this spring he could be headed for an all-conference type of season.

ROSTER REPORT: WR Marques Parks played in six games last season and started four times before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Western Michigan. He has rehabbed and is expected to be in the top receiver rotation this fall. DB Deaudre Perry was a regular fixture at safety over the past two seasons, but his future was in doubt after a personal off-field issue came up. The latest news is encouraging and Perry is expected to return to the starting lineup. DT Matt Leininger was dismissed from the team two years ago after running into trouble off the field, but could make a return this fall if things continue to look positive in his life. Leininger was good enough to start on the defensive line as a true freshman.