Stolz Is Bowling Green’s Biggest Booster : Falcons’ Coach Says His Team Can Play With Most Major Squads

Bowling Green Coach Denny Stolz knew four years ago he had recruited a special group.

“I said from day one they were destined to be a good football team,” said Stolz, who has 23 seniors on a team which is one of only two unbeaten and untied major college football squads in the country.

The Falcons (11-0) won the Mid-American Conference and have a Dec. 14 California Bowl date with Fresno State, the PCAA champion.

But, despite their unblemished record, the Falcons still have found it difficult to crack the top 20 in the ratings.

“We don’t pretend to be a Penn State or a Michigan or a Ohio State,” Stolz said, “but we can play football with many of the run of the mill Big Ten or Pac-10 people. We would have trouble with a huge team, but we’re an awfully lot better than a lot of schools in those conferences.

“People aren’t ranking us more because of our league rather than our team and that’s unfortunate.”

Leading Stolz’s pass-oriented offense, which has averaged 31 points a game, is quarterback Brian McClure, a 6-6, 230-pound senior. He has thrown for more yards in his four years at Bowling Green than any quarterback who ever played the game, with the exception of Boston College’s Doug Flutie.

McClure, with 199 yards in his final game, can become only the second collegiate passer in history to surpass 10,000 yards. Flutie finished with 10,579.

“Brian McClure is extraordinary and has been for four years,” said Stolz, who admits he and his team began thinking about an unbeaten season after its 30-26 win over Kentucky. “He has gotten better every year. He is one of the top two or three quarterbacks in the country and will be a first-round draft pick.”

McClure became a regular halfway through his second game at Bowling Green when he completed 9 of 10 second-half passes to rally the Falcons to a 34-31 win over Central Michigan. He led the Falcons to the MAC title that year and a California Bowl berth against Fresno State.

Bowling Green lost that game, 29-28, and eagerly awaits this year’s rematch with the Bulldogs (10-0-1).

Stolz, who began his collegiate coaching career at Alma (Mich.) College, spent three years at Michigan State before coming to Bowling Green, where he is in his ninth year.

He claims there is very little difference between his Falcons and the so-called “major” powers.

“I’m sure a lot of coaches would have different answers,” he said, “but the difference as far as I see it is we’re not as large and physical in the offensive and defensive lines and we don’t have the great back speed the Big Ten has.

“Our particular team is close in skilled players to those in the Big Ten, but we don’t have those 270- and 280-pound linemen.

“I think the proof is you don’t have the offensive linemen drafted out of the Mid-American Conference. Most of those drafted are defensive backs, receivers or running backs. The huge size and quickness is not in our conference.”

How many big time players does he have at Bowling Green?

“I think we have a lot more than people realize,” said Stolz. “Many of them could have played for me at Michigan State and been outstanding in the Big Ten. I have more outstanding skilled players here than I had at East Lansing.”

Thanks to McClure, who has been invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game, Stolz claims he’s had “tremendous response” in his recruiting this fall.

“An awfully lot of players from around the country have inquired about us,” he said, “especially about our passing game.