Greene gets starting nod for Falcons

Greene

Bowling Green's Travis Greene picks up a first down as he is tackled by Idaho's Gary Walker in September, 2012.

One of the biggest was seeing sophomore Travis Greene atop the depth chart at running back, a decision coach Dave Clawson said became easier as fall camp progressed.

“He made people miss the most,” Clawson said. “He made the most explosive plays in camp. He catches the ball well out of the backfield.

Greene

“Overall he had the best camp. We had some hard decisions, but that wasn’t one of them. He won the job.”

The only other player listed on the depth chart at running back is senior Jordan Hopgood, but Clawson said a number of other players will see action at the position, including junior Jamel Martin, sophomore Andre Givens, and perhaps even freshmen such as Fred Coppet, Marcus Levy, and William Houston.

Another offensive position battle for the Falcons focused on the tackle positions, where a pair of freshmen will start against the Hurricanes. 

Logan Dietz was named the starter at right tackle, while Jacob Bennett got the starting nod at left tackle.

“Dietz had a great camp — he was really good,” Clawson said. “Naming him the starter was a really easy decision.

“Unfortunately, [sophomore] Christian Piazza was hurt. We thought the battle at right tackle would be Christian and Logan, and Christian got hurt while Logan played well.

“We thought the battle at left tackle would be between Jacob Bennett and Clay Rolf. Jacob won it, but Clay is more playable than he has ever been. He might get in the mix there.”

Rolf, a junior who graduated from Eastwood High School, moved from tight end to tackle after spring drills.

Clawson said one of the toughest decisions was at quarterback, where the Falcons announced that senior Matt Schilz earned the nod over sophomore Matt Johnson. Another close battle was between juniors Bryan Thomas and Kendall Montgomery at defensive end, with Thomas getting the first-team reps over Montgomery, who didn’t play the position full-time before this past spring.

“It’s still a new position for Kendall, and [Thomas] is a little more experienced,” Clawson said. “That gave him the edge there.”

The only other position that was uncertain was at cornerback opposite senior Cameron Truss, with senior Aaron Foster earning that spot after junior Darrell Hunter suffered a wrist injury.

“[Hunter] is not going to play [against] Tulsa, and at this point he is probably doubtful for the season,” Clawson said.

Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481 or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.