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The 6’5, 221 pound sophomore from Green Bay, Wisconsin has all the tools to be a star. Last season, James Morgan took his lumps as the Bowling Green Falcons finished 4-8. His stats weren’t particularly impressive, especially the 16 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. At the end of the season, the Falcons turned a corner, and won three games in a row. Less was expected of Morgan because of the level of competition and he did just enough to win those games.
There are a lot of reasons for Bowling Green fans to be excited, both for the team and Mr. Morgan. Since this is about Mr. Morgan, let’s start with his best game last season. He threw for 335 yards and 5 touchdowns with only 1 interception against arch rival Toledo. The great quarterbacks play their best on the biggest stage and so far in his young career Morgan has done just that.
The question, at least to me, is not whether or not he is going to become a star, it’s a matter of when. I fully expect him to make plays this year but also make some sophomore mistakes. How he handles those mistakes will go a long way in what type of year he has overall.
Several things are working in his favor. Scott Miller returns at wide receiver and he is great. First team All-MAC punter Joseph Davidson also returns. That will take some of the pressure of Morgan and the offense. Winning the field position battle more often than not will result in easier play calling, which will hopefully lead to less trying to force the ball by Morgan.
Overall, I believe he will have a great year, though there will be some tough lessons learned along the way. The Falcons start with a tough game against Michigan State, followed by a home game against South Dakota. Then comes a pair of road games. One against Northwestern, which should have a good defense, and Middle Tennessee, which probably wont. I think after those 4 games, which I expect to be a bit of a roller coaster for Morgan, he should settle down into the player I expect him to be.