BG head football coach Scot Loeffler looks on from the sidelines while playing Miami.

J.D. Pooley | Sentinel-Tribune

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Bowling Green State University’s 17-13 win over Miami did not go unnoticed.

The question is, can the Falcons continue playing with the same intensity they played with at Doyt L. Perry Stadium last Saturday?

It was noticeably a world away from the intensity they played with during a 38-7 loss to Buffalo at Perry Stadium one week earlier.

BGSU coach Scot Loeffler said his team played a “complete game” in the Miami win, but it was a little different than the Falcons’ 34-31 win over Marshall a few weeks earlier.

“In the Marshall game, we had to throw it around to win. This game, we felt at the beginning of the game that we would have to throw it a little bit more than we anticipated, but we started running the ball well,” Loeffler said.

“The few things that we put in differently were working. The defense was playing great. Running the ball was the best thing at that time to win the game.”

BGSU, 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the Mid-American Conference East Division, now travels to Central Michigan (2-5, 1-2), hoping every phase of the game remains in order.

“I put the challenge out. This is a real good team that we’re going up against, well coached. They know how to win. It’s very similar to Miami,” Loeffler said.

“They’re a good team and going up there is very difficult to play. It’s normally cold and windy but thank goodness we are supposed to have nice weather. We’ve got to go play our best game.

“Just like I’ve said, it doesn’t matter who we play anymore. This league is chaotic. It’s crazy. Each week, you’ve got to bring your A-game. If not, you’re going to get your tail kicked in,” Loeffler continued.

In the win over Miami, BGSU senior quarterback Matt McDonald completed 16-of-29 passes for 149 yards, including three to 6-7 junior wide receiver Tyrone Broden for 42 yards. But McDonald’s numbers were hurt by dropped passes.

“We’ve got to have a real good week of practice. We need to eliminate some mistakes. We need to catch the ball better. That was the one negative on offense. We just didn’t catch the ball very well,” Loeffler said.

“I think Matt should’ve been 23-of-29 if we just catch the football. We need to clean up some things in the red area. We need to start scoring touchdowns down there and keep playing good defense.”

Central Michigan is coming off a 28-21 MAC road win at Akron, but they were without their starting running back, Lew Nichols III, who did not make the trip because of an injury.

In six games, Nichols has 469 yards rushing with six touchdowns. BGSU senior defensive tackle Walter Haire says one of the keys will be to shut down the Chippewas’ running attack.

“In their run game, I know their running back, No. 7 (Nichols), is pretty good,” Haire said. “Their O-line is decent up front, so it is just a challenge there for the defense.

Haire said the biggest focus is holding on to the same energy that the Falcons played with during the win over Miami.

“We still must have that mindset. It doesn’t matter what team it is,” Haire said. “We’re not taking any team lightly. Coach says every week is a championship week and we must prepare like it is our Super Bowl.”

BGSU junior left guard Jalen Grant added, “It is about building every day — bringing energy and building on that, and then on game day, just letting loose and play ball.

“That’s what football is about — going out there and doing your job, but when you bring energy, it just makes it that much more fun and that much better,” Grant continued.

“We’re just playing for each other. It’s about building, stacking days. Doing what we did last week and building on that, building on the same energy going into the next week.

“You just focus on the next game, the next opponent, and block it all out. We’re just worrying about Central Michigan and worrying about practicing well this week and going into the game with a lot of juice and energy.”

The trip to Mount Pleasant will be about what direction the Falcons are going to go.

“This is a great opportunity to see how mature our team is and how much they can move the needle of our program going up to a play a really good Central Michigan team,” Loeffler said.

And, if the Falcons must take the game down to the wire to get a win, so be it, said Grant and sophomore tailback Ta’ron Keith.

“It’s a lot of fun playing in close games. It’s nerve-wrecking, but it is how it is in football,” Grant said.

Keith added, “Consistency is the key, and we have to focus on the little things.”