2008 Bowling Green Falcons Season

2008 Bowling Green Falcons Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

2008 Bowling Green Falcons

Nov. 28
Bowling Green 38 … Toledo 10
Bowling Green ended the Tom Amstutz era at Toledo with a thud as Tyrone Pronty caught a 17-yard touchdown pass and Andrew Beam ran for a five-yard score on the way to a 17-0 early lead, and held a 31-3 lead going into the fourth. Tyler Sheehan finished with three touchdown passes, and Willie Geter tore off a 70 yard scoring run. Toledo finally got on the board midway through the fourth on a two-yard Aaron Opelt run.
Player of the game: Bowling Green RB Willie Geter ran 12 times for 150 yards and a touchdown and caught a pass for nine yards
Stat Leaders: Toledo - Passing: Aaron Opelt, 7-20, 67 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Morgan Williams, 21-153. Receiving: Stephen Williams, 2-45
Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 20-33, 241 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Willie Geter, 12-150, 1 TD. Receiving: Corey Partridge, 5-44, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The big storyline around the win over Toledo originally was the marking of the end of the Tom Amstutz era, but now it’s about the end of Gregg Brandon’s run at Bowling Green. Even though his team played a great game to get bowl eligible, and even though the Falcons won three of their last four games with the one loss coming in double overtime to Buffalo. As strange as this might be, on the plus side, he ended with a bang as Tyler Sheehan was great and the offense exploded, while the defense was a brick wall.

- 2008 BGSU Preview
- 2007 BGSU Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2008 Record: 6-6

Aug. 30 at Pitt W 27-17
Sept. 6 Minnesota L 42-17
Sept. 13 at Boise State L 20-7
Sept. 20 OPEN DATE
Sept. 27 at Wyoming W 45-16
Oct. 4 Eastern Michigan L 24-21
Oct. 11 at Akron W 37-33
Oct. 18 Miami Univ. L 27-20
Oct. 25 at No Illinois L 16-13
Nov. 1 Kent State W 45-30
Nov. 8 at Ohio W 28-3
Nov. 15 OPEN DATE
Nov. 21 Buffalo L 40-34 2OT
Nov. 28 at Toled0 W 38-10

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 4-8
2007 Record: 8-5

Sept. 1 at Minn. W 32-31 OT
Sept. 8 at Michigan St L 28-17
Sept. 22 Temple W 48-35
Sept. 29 W Kentucky W 41-21
Oct. 6 at Boston Coll L 55-24
Oct. 13 at Miami Univ. L 47-14
Oct. 20 at Kent State W 31-20
Oct. 27 Ohio L 38-27
Nov. 2 Akron W 44-20
Nov. 9 at East. Mich W 39-32
Nov. 17 at Buffalo W 31-17
Nov. 23 Toledo W 37-10
GMAC Bowl
Jan. 6 Tulsa L 63-7

Nov. 21
Buffalo 40 ... Bowling Green 34 2OT
In the second overtime, Bowling Green went for it on fourth and goal from the two, but Tyler Sheehan's pass fell incomplete. Buffalo took advantage of the opportunity with a 25-yard James Starks touchdown run to clinch the East and secure a bowl bid. Bowling Green held a 27-7 lead early in the third quarter, but Buffalo rallied with a 12-yard James Starks touchdown run and two Drew Willy touchdown passes in the final 2:29 including a five-yarder to Naaman Roosevelt with 37 seconds to play. Tyler Sheehan and Anthony Turner each ran for two touchdowns for the Falcons in regulation, and Sheehan his Corey Partridge for a 23-yard touchdown in the overtime.
Player of the game: Buffalo QB Drew Willy completed 29-of-41 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns with an interception, and he ran for a score
Stat Leaders: Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 24-32, 240 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tyler Sheehan, 21-70, 2 TD. Receiving: Freddie Barnes, 10-107
Buffalo - Passing: Drew Willy, 29-41, 297 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: James Starks, 14-62, 2 TD. Receiving: Naaman Roosevelt, 10-118, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Now we'll see what kind of mettle the Falcons have. They had Buffalo in big trouble with a 20-point lead in the fourth, and with a win, would've had only to beat Toledo to earn the East title. The defense couldn't hold on late, and it force the coaching staff to take a few chances in overtime. The D hadn't proved it could slow down a hot Drew Willy and the UB attack, and while Tyler Sheehan did a good job, he can't be the running game. If he's the team's main rushing option, there's a problem. While a bowl game is highly unlikely, beating Toledo would at least give the Falcons a shot at 6-6.

Nov. 8
Bowling Green 28 … Ohio 3
Bowling Green got an eight-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Sheehan to Jermiah Kelley in the first quarter, and then Sheehan was on the receiving end of a 22-yard pass from Andrew Beam on a trick play in the second. Ohio only managed a 21-yard Barrett Way field goal as the offense struggled on the ground, gaining just 40 yards, and sputters when it got in range, stalling twice around the BG 25. Beam also ran for a two-yard score and Sheehan threw a second touchdown pass to Marques Parks from four yards out.
Player of the game: Bowling Green QB Tyler Sheehan completed 22-of-29 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns and ran 12 times for 20 yards. He also caught a 22-yard touchdown pass.
Stat Leaders: Ohio - Passing: Boo Jackson, 6-16, 96 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Vince Davidson, 16-66. Receiving: LaVon Brazill, 4-70
Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 22-29, 207 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jason Rice, 7-32. Receiving: Corey Partridge, 5-63
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Bowling Green is staying alive in the MAC because of improved play from Tyler Sheehan. A week after a strong performance against Kent State, he was nearly perfect against Ohio with good decision making, no big mistakes, and a little bit of mobility. Still in the hunt for a bowl bid, the Falcons have a week off to prepare for the showdown against Buffalo that might end up deciding the MAC East title. The win over Akron earlier in the year now means everything.

Nov. 1
Bowling Green 45 … Kent State 30
Bowling Green got out to a 28-0 halftime lead on two Tyler Sheehan touchdown passes, an 11-yard Anthony Turner touchdown run, and a 16-yard Sheehan dash, and then Julian Edelman took over for Kent State. Edelman ran for two scores and threw two touchdown passes as the Golden Flashes crept back into the game, but the Falcons stayed ahead as Andrew Beam ran for a seven-yard score and Jason Rice tore off a 33-yard touchdown run. KSU outgained the Falcons 478 yards to 462.
Player of the game: Bowling Green, QB Tyler Sheehan completed 16-of-23 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions, and he ran 14 times for 109 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Kent State - Passing: Julian Edelman, 16-32, 219 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Julian Edelman, 23-170, 2 TD. Receiving: Eugene Jarvis, 6-54
Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 16-23, 159 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Tyler Sheehan, 14-109, 1 TD. Receiving: Chris Wright, 7-96
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After a rough streak of three losses in four games, Bowling Green needed to come up with an easy win. Although Kent State made it interesting, Tyler Sheehan and the Falcon offense did what it needed to do get up and stay ahead throughout with Sheehan running surprisingly well and while coming up with the good throws early for a 28-0 lead. Winning the Ohio game is vital to stay alive in the MAC before the showdown with Buffalo in three weeks.  

Oct. 25
Northern Illinois 16 … Bowling Green 13
NIU got a 30-yard field goal from Mike Salerno with 12 seconds left for the win. Salerno opened the scoring with a 52-yard bomb in the first quarter, and he also hit a 25-yarder to tie it at 13 in the fourth. Bowling Green kept pace with two Sinisa Vrvilo field goals and an 18-yard Marques Parks touchdown catch, while NIU got its touchdown in the third on a one-yard Chad Spann run. The Bowling Green offense finished with just 168 yards and went nowhere in the fourth.
Player of the game: Northern Illinois QB Chandler Harnish completed 5-of-12 passes for 45 yards with two interceptions, and ran 19 times for 113 yards.
Stat Leaders: Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 15-21, 92 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Anthony Turner, 10-39. Receiving: Corey Partridge, 6-21
Northern Illinois - Passing: Chandler Harnish, 5-12, 45 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Chandler Harnish, 19-113. Receiving: Brandon Beal, 3-34.
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After losing three of the last four games, Bowling Green has excused itself from the MAC race. It’s not like the losses are bad blowouts, but there’s been a stunning power outage at the worst possible time. Tyler Sheehan and the passing game could only must 92 yards against NIU, while the running game was even worse being held to just 76 yards. Even so, the team was in it up until the end. Against Kent State and Ohio, Sheehan has to get hot. There’s too much firepower on the O not to be doing more.

Oct. 18
Miami University 27 … Bowling Green 20
Miami got its first win of the year over an FBS team as J.R. Taylor ran for a five-yard score with 2:35 to play to cap off a 13-point scoring run. The RedHawks had a 14-3 first half lead thanks to a six-yard Andre Bratton touchdown run and a 53-yard pass play to Chris Givens, but the lead wouldn’t last. Bowling Green, took the lead on two Tyler Sheehan touchdown passes and a 34-yard Sinisa Vrvilo field goal, but the defense couldn’t hold late and the offense was stopped in the fourth.
Player of the game: Miami University RB J.R. Taylor ran 18 times for 127 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 21-34, 224 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Turner, 12-41. Receiving: Anthony Turner, 7-88
Miami - Passing: Clay Belton, 11-23, 129 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: J.R. Taylor, 18-127, 1 TD. Receiving: Chris Givens, 3-71, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Bowling Green can’t seem to put anything together. Just when it comes up with a nice win over Akron, it comes out and loses to Miami University to screw things up. The defense has been too inconsistent and the offense hasn’t been able to produce when it needs to late. At least it didn’t against MU. Now, with a trip to Northern Illinois up next, it’s do or die time. For now, the team needs to get Tyler Sheehan bombing and hope for the best.

Oct. 11
Bowling Green 37 … Akron 33
Bowling Green scored 23 fourth quarter points helped by a 21-yard Corey Partridge touchdown catch, and halfback option pass from Anthony Turner to Jimmy Scheidler, and a 19-yard Tyler Sheehan run to overcome a 13-point deficit. Akron got a big day from Dennis Kennedy, who ran for 182 yards with touchdown runs from three and 19 yards out, but the offense stalled in the third quarter leading to two Igor Iveljic field goals. The Zips finally got into the end zone again midway through the fourth on a Merce Poindexter catch, but the defense couldn’t slow down the Falcons.
Player of the game: Bowling Green RB Anthony Turner ran 19 times for 126 yards and threw a five-yard touchdown pass.
Stat Leaders: Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 19-34, 161 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 29-182 yds, 2 TD. Receiving: Deryn Bowser, 5-67, 1 TD
Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 26-41, 239 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Turner, 19-126. Receiving: Corey Partridge, 7-58, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... On the verge of a collapse, Bowling Green overcame the loss to Eastern Michigan and a rough first three quarters against Akron to roll up a huge fourth quarter in the win over the Zips. Tyler Sheehan wasn’t great, but he was good enough when he had to be, while Anthony Turner was the weapon who helped turn everything around. Now, despite the loss to the Eagles last week, everything can be on track for a shot at the MAC title with wins over Miami next week and NIU the week after.

Oct. 4
Eastern Michigan 24 … Bowling Green 21
Eastern Michigan went 77 yards in 45 seconds with Tyler Jones catching a 16-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds to play to pull off the upset. In the see-saw game, Tyler Sheehan threw two touchdown passes, including a 46-yarder to Adrian Hodges, and ran for an eight-yard score for Bowling Green. EMU managed 410 yards of total offense with Dwayne Priest running for a 12-yard touchdown in the third quarter and Terrence Blevins running for a one-yard score in the second.
Player of the game: Eastern Michigan QB Andy Schmitt completed 21-of-29 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown, and ran four times for 22 yards
Stat Leaders: Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 27-34, 297 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Anthony Turner, 8-55. Receiving: Corey Partridge, 6-60
Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt, 21-29, 253 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Tyler Jones, 13-60. Receiving: Jacory Stone, 6-81
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Devastating. Bowling Green can’t lose at home to Eastern Michigan if it wants to be in the hunt for the MAC title, and it did. The defense couldn’t come up with a stop in the final minutes despite having the Eagles pinned deep. Tyler Sheehan threw well, but the running game struggled a bit and 10 penalties proved to be a problem. There’s no margin for error now with a trip to Akron up next.

Sept. 27
Bowling Green 45 … Wyoming 16
Michael Ream picked off a pass and fumbled it into the end zone. Cody Basler recovered, and Bowling Green was on its way. Tyler Sheehan threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Corey Partridge and a 20-yard strike to Marques Parks, and Chris Bullock ran for two six-yard touchdowns on the way to a 45-10 lead. Wyoming got short touchdown runs from Wynel Seldon and Devin Moore, but five turnovers with four turnovers did the team in.
Player of the game: Bowling Green QB Tyler Sheehan completed 22-of-35 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns, and hr ran for a score.
Stat Leaders: Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 22-35, 287 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Chris Bullock, 18-61, 2 TD & Willie Geter, 11-61. Receiving: Marques Parks, 5-76, 1 TD
Wyoming - Passing: Karsten Sween, 10-16, 84 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Devin Moore, 15-114, 1 TD. Receiving: David Leonard, 4-39
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Bowling Green took advantage of several Wyoming mistakes to get the big road win, but the Falcon defense did a lot to force those errors. Just as important, the offense didn’t make many mistakes, losing just one fumble while being sharp in the third quarter to put the game away. Now comes a winnable game against Eastern Michigan to potentially launch a strong start to the MAC season, and the team is playing well at just the right time.

Sept. 13
Boise State 20 … Bowling Green 7
Kellen Moore ran for a one-yard score and Ian Johnson scored twice in the second quarter on runs from one and six yards out to give Boise State a commanding lead, and the defense did the rest. Bowling Green managed a four-yard Jimmy Scheidler touchdown catch early in the fourth, but saw its one other promising late drive get snuffed out by a turnover. The Falcons gave it away three times.  
Player of the game: Boise State S Jeron Johnson made 13 tackles with a tackle for loss and a broken up pass
Stat Leaders: Boise State - Passing: Kellen Moore, 18-23, 180 yds
Rushing: Ian Johnson, 13-97, 2 TD. Receiving: Jeremy Childs, 5-79
Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 21-34, 200 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Bullock, 12-49. Receiving: Tyrone Pronty, 6-74
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... There wasn’t much of a running game against Boise State and the three turnovers turned out to be killers, but the Falcons stayed alive by controlling the clock and getting a shutout from the defense in the second half. Tyler Sheehan struggled to connect on his deep passes to open things up for the running game, while Chris Bullock only got 12 carries and 49 yards against a decent Bronco run defense.

Sept. 6
Minnesota 42 … Bowling Green 17
Minnesota busted out a tight game with a 21-point fourth quarter as Eric Decker caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Adam Weber, Weber ran for a three-yard score, and Shady Salamon ran for a five-yard score. Decker also ran for a 12-yard score and Weber threw three touchdown passes in all, but Bowling Green held tough early on with Anthony Turner running for a one-yard score and Chris Wright catching a 27-yard touchdown pass in the third.
Player of the game:  Minnesota QB Adam Weber completed 21-of-25 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns, and ran 11 times for 13 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Minnesota - Passing: Adam Weber, 21-25, 233 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Shady Salamon, 12-64, 1 TD Receiving: Duane Bennett, 8-100, 1 TD
Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 29-44, 261 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Bullock, 5-40. Receiving: Corey Partridge, 7-60
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Does Bowling Green have a quarterback problem? The rotation of passer Tyler Sheehan with runner Anthony Turner helped gain yards, but the overall offensive production wasn’t great in the second half against Minnesota. In a perfect world, Sheehan would be given the team to run with, but the Falcons need a spark whenever they can get one. Of course, the five turnovers against the Gophers didn’t help.

Aug. 30
Bowling Green 27 ... Pitt 17
Bowling Green became the first MAC team to win at Pitt as it overcame a 14-0 deficit with a 14-0 second half on touchdown runs from Anthony Turner and Tyler Sheehan. Pitt opened up the scoring with an 11-yard LeSean McCoy touchdown run and a four-yard Derek Kinder scoring grab, but Bowling Green hung around with two Jimmy Schiedler touchdown catches in the second quarter and saw its defense come through with a big second half. The Falcons came up with four sacks, including two from Diyral Briggs, while the run defense held Pitt to 46 rushing yards over the final three quarters.
Player of the game: Bowling Green CB Antonio Smith had 12 tackles, two tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a sack, and a forced fumble.
Stat Leaders: Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 24-40, 163 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Bullock, 7-44. Receiving: Chris Bullock, 7-49
Pittsburgh - Passing: Bill Stull, 29-51, 264 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: LeSean McCoy, 23-71, 1 TD. Receiving: Cedric McGee, 6-55
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Beating Pitt was a season definer and it's not even September yet. Bowling Green was supposed to have an offense, and it did a decent job of taking advantage of the opportunities, even if the attack wasn't consistent, but it was the stunning play of the defense that suddenly makes the season look special. If the line can play as well as it did against the Panthers once MAC play starts, and if Diyral Briggs and the pass rush can remain productive, look out. This was a true confidence builder.

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Andrew Beam, QB, 6-4, 230, Escalon, California (Escalon) (San Joaquin Delta)
Junior College: Spent two years at San Joaquin Junior College where he earned first team All-Conference honors his second season. High School: Is a 2006 graduate of Escalon High ... coached by Mark Lourerio ... in his two years as a starting quarterback the team went 23-4 ... his senior season he completed 72% of his passes for 1800 yards and 20 touchdowns ... earned second team All-State and first team All-District his senior season ... also lettered in basketball

Potential Instant Impact Players

Marc Stevens, OL, 6-5, 300, Mansfield, Ohio (Lexington)
As a senior was named NorthWest District co-Lineman of the Year ... earned first team honors in District and Conference ... earned second team All-Ohio honors

Blaec Walker, OL, 6-5, 315, Middletown, Ohio (Middletown)
High School: Will graduate from Middletown High School in June ... earned three letters for head coach Ron Johnson ... earned first team All-State and second team All-American his senior season ... earned All-Conference honors for two seasons

Rest of the Class
Andrew Beam QB 6-4 230 Escalon, Calif. (Escalon) (San Joaquin Delta)
Jonathan Davis DB 5-11 170 Ravenna, Ohio (Ravenna)
Winston Etheridge DL 6-2 254 Cleveland, Ohio (Glenville)
Timothy German OL 6-5 300 Newark, Ohio (Licking Valley)
DeMark Jenkins WR 6-3 202 Gary, Ind. (West Side)
Robert Lorenzi DB 5-9 170 Concord, Calif. (Clayton Valley) (Laney)
Casey McHugh OL 6-6 275 San Francisco, Calif. (Archbishop Riordan) (CC of San Fran.)
Keith Morgan DB 6-0 195 Bellefontaine, Ohio (Bellefontaine)
Aaron Pankratz QB 6-6 220 Sagamore Hills, Ohio (Nordonia)
Gerald Phillips K 6-1 195 Green Springs, Ohio (Clyde)
Marquese Quiles DB 6-0 170 Sugar Hill, Ga. (North Gwinnett)
Lane Robilotto DB 6-1 176 Painesville, Ohio (Riverside)
Charles Robinson OL 6-6 340 Middletown, Ohio (Middletown)
Adrien Spencer DB 6-0 175 Fort Wayne, Ind. (Bishop Luers)
Marc Stevens OL 6-5 300 Mansfield, Ohio (Lexington)
Anthony Stover LB 6-2 200 Akron, Ohio (Northwest)
Nicholas Tuminello DE 6-4 225 Boardman, Ohio (Boardman)
Blaec Walker OL 6-5 315 Middletown, Ohio (Middletown)

2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: Forget about the debacle against Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl, 2007 was a great year. The offense should be among the best in the country throwing the ball with QB Tyler Sheehan returning along with all his top targets. The Falcons might not have been consistent, but they put up over 400 yards and 30 points per game, and now they get seven starters back. Nine starters are back on defense.
Why to be grouchy: All the skill players are back, but the line, which wasn't exactly a strength to begin with, loses three starters including all-star C Kory Lichtensteiger. The run defense stunk, and now it loses top tackle Sean O'Drobinak. Before October hits, the Falcons have to go on the road to face Pitt, Wyoming and Boise State and host a resurgent Minnesota.
The number one thing to work on is: Better line play. That might be tough without O'Drobinak, an anchor, but five starters return on the front seven. The run defense allowed 208 yards per game and didn't get in the backfield often enough finishing 12th in the MAC in tackles for loss.
Biggest offensive loss: C Kory Lichtensteiger
Biggest defensive loss: DT Sean O'Drobinak
Best returning offensive player: QB Tyler Sheehan, Jr.
Best returning defensive player: LB Erique Dozier, Sr.

2007 Recap
Recap: Well, you couldn’t tell it from the team’s final game, a record-setting 63-7 loss to Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl, but Bowling Green turned a corner in 2007.  One year after winning just four games, the Falcons doubled that total, closing the regular season with four straight wins and finishing in a first place tie with Miami in the East Division.  Bowling Green was fueled all year by first-year starting QB Tyler Sheehan, who debuted with 26 total touchdowns and more than 3,400 yards of offense, and helped lead his team to an upset of Minnesota and a close call with Michigan State.                

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Tyler Sheehan

Defensive Player of the Year: LB Erique Dozier

Biggest Surprise: Anthony Turner.  The one-time quarterback did a little bit of everything for the Falcons in 2007, developing into a lethal weapon.  Turner led Bowling Green in rushing, threw three touchdown passes without a pick, caught 22 passes, and scored a team-high 10 touchdowns.        

Biggest Disappointment: Had the Falcons gotten a chance at Miami in November instead of October, they might have won the East Division.  When the teams met on Oct. 13, Bowling Green was still trying to find itself, and it showed in a lopsided 47-14 loss that gave the divisional tiebreaker to the RedHawks.    

Looking Ahead: With Sheehan, Turner, WR Freddie Barnes, and RB Willie Geter back in 2008, the Bowling Green has a chance to be even more prolific than last season.  The defense, too, returns most of its key parts, meaning the Falcons will again be a key player in the divisional race.