Top 70 MAC Football Players: #6 Roger Lewis (WR- Bowling Green Falcons)

So if you're Bowling Green wide receiver Roger Lewis, what do you do for an encore?  Truth is, about the only thing he could have done was drop the microphone and walk off the stage.

As a true freshman, Lewis had a season for the record books last year for the Falcons.  He caught 73 passes for 1.093 yards and seven touchdowns.  He became the first freshman in school history to record at least 1,000 yards receiving, and just the seventh player in school history to achieve that feat.   He had six games of 100 yards receiving and was named the MAC Player of the Week following a 16-catch, 149-yard receiving performance in a win over Indiana.  His 16 catches that day were a Doyt L. Perry Stadium record.  And oh by the way, he caught the game winning touchdown against the Hoosiers on a fade route as time was expiring.

For his break out regular season, Lewis was named first team All-MAC at wide receiver, the first true freshman to earn that honor since BG quarterback Brian McClure in 1982.  He then promptly capped his season by catching four passes for 137 yards and a season-high two touchdowns in the Camellia Bowl win over South Alabama.

Surely the "mic drop" would have been appropriate at this point.  The 6-foot, 196-pound Lewis ended-up at Bowling Green after originally committing to Ohio State and then spending time at a prep school after failing to qualify academically.  He enrolled at Bowling Green in January last year and benefitted from going through spring practice with the Falcons.

Lewis' early success last season was probably not a complete surprise to the coaching staff, but it couldn't have expected either.  Especially when you consider the Falcons were loaded at wide receiver with the likes of Ryan Burbrink, Heath Jackson, Ronnie Moore and Gehrig Dieter, and had a running back (Travis Greene) returning that had just set the school record with over 1,600 yards rushing.  Plus, the Falcons lost their starting quarterback to a season ending injury in the fourth quarter of the season opener.  Hardly the scenario for a true freshman receiver to have a break out season.

Now Lewis has everyone's attention.  He has been named to every preseason All MAC team, including Phil Steele and Athlon's.  He was also recently names to the 2015 Biletnikoff Award Pre-Season Watch List.  Burbrink was also named to that list, proving just how deep the Bowling Green receiving core really is this year.

Lewis will undoubtedly get increased attention from opposing defenses this year as well.  It will be interesting how that plays out.  Defenses can't focus too much on Lewis because of the incredible depth at wide receiver the Falcons will have this year.  Starters Burbrink, Moore and Dieter all return, as does former All MAC performer Chris Gallon from injury, and then add in Baylor transfer Robbie Rhodes.

Falcon quarterback Matt Johnson will have plenty of targets to go to this season in head coach Dino Babers' spread offense.  It doesn't seem likely that Lewis will be able to put up again the eye-popping numbers he did last year.  But then again, who expected them last year?