BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — The Bowling Green State University football team is getting set to head up to the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit and it will be the final game in the orange and brown for starting quarterback Matt McDonald.
There has been some talk about him asking the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility, but after three years as the starter at BGSU, McDonald says it's time to move on.
"It's bittersweet. This game has meant so much to my family," McDonald said. "My family's bonded so much over this game with my siblings and my dad and the history that we have with it."
He's had his ups and downs at Bowling Green, being asked to be the starting quarterback in front of an offensive line that just wasn't ready in 2020.
McDonald took his lumps and had some real bright spots especially this season, but he's ready to move on and hopefully get in to an all-star game and eventually work out for NFL teams.
But no matter what happens, he knows this could be the last football game he ever plays in.
"I know that's a possibility and I'm OK with that. I have no regrets," McDonald said. "We've overcome a lot over the last couple years and we've gotten to this point, bowl game, haven't done that in the last seven years. I thought that was pretty special and I just want to end it with a win and bring a bowl game victory back to Bowling Green."
BGSU head coach Scot Loeffler said McDonald has made impressive progress since he stepped onto the field for the Falcons.
"He got his brains beat in here for two years and was able to overcome and get out of the bad habits that that creates whenever you're not around a good team," Loeffler said. "Matt's very important. I don't want to see him go, but it's time."
The Falcons will take on New Mexico State on Dec. 26 at 2:30 p.m. from Ford Field in Detroit.