Eddie George weighs in on Titans downfall, evaluates Bowling Green's season, Pudge the cat

• George previously coached at Tennessee State, leading the team to its first FCS national playoffs in 11 years.
• He has already led Bowling Green to a historic comeback victory against rival Toledo.

Twenty-six years ago this week, Eddie George was coming off his second-best performance to that point in his career with the Tennessee Titans.

He had rushed for 155 yards in a hard-fought win over New Orleans on the way to what became a Super Bowl-bound season in 1999.

Fast forward to more than a quarter of a century later, and one of the last places George, 52, expected to find himself was still on the football field.

Yet here he is in his first season as the coach at Bowling Green, following four seasons at Tennessee State, a program he turned into a winner. He led the Tigers to the FCS playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons in 2024 before leaving for Bowling Green.

George, who had no previous coaching experience before taking over the TSU program, is off to a similar start at Bowling Green compared to his start at TSU. The Tigers went 4-3 in their first seven games, while Bowling Green is 3-4, with wins over Toledo and Lafayette, both of which have winning records, along with Liberty.

"We're still becoming; I don't look at the records," George said. "Holistically, we're picking up kind of where we left off at Tennessee State. I see guys starting to take ownership of the standards we're preaching. It is becoming a lifestyle like it became at TSU. When you see it grow in real time and guys starting to sound like the coaches and me, you know you're on the right path."

Bowling Green's next game is Oct. 25 at Kent State.

Eddie George says Titans have set themselves back 10 years

For the first time since he was on the roster, George does not expect to be able to attend a Titans game this season. At least he will be spared witnessing firsthand the mess his beloved franchise has become.

"I'm sad to see Brian (Callahan) get fired," George said. "Being in this profession I know how hard it is to win and try to build something. I don't know if he was given the proper time to do that. It's a results business and they didn't think it was the right fit."

George fears the Titans have put themselves in a hole that continues to get bigger with each firing, which also included Mike Vrabel as coach in 2023 and two general managers over the last four years. He believes it has set the franchise back, "At least a decade and maybe more."

"What is the culture in the building? I can speak to that because I know what it was like when I was there," George said. "We had a blueprint. We had an identity. What do you want to be that's sustainable. I think that's a question for (owner) Amy (Adams Strunk), the GM and the president, and then they have to find a coach they can be on the same page with. How are you going to build this out? How much time are you going to give this person? It's not going to happen overnight."

Eddie George led Bowling Green to a record-setting win

George has already given Bowling Green fans reason to celebrate. The Falcons rallied from a 21-0 deficit against Toledo on Oct. 11, in the Battle of I-75, for a 28-23 win.

It was the biggest come-from-behind win in program history and came before a sold-out crowd at the Falcons' Doyt L. Perry Stadium.

Even more impressive is backup quarterback Lucian Anderson III led Bowling Green to the win, with starter Drew Pyne, a transfer from Missouri, out with an injury.  

"(Toledo) is a pretty good team; they had some dudes," George said. "But our defense played well. We made some plays offensively and we were able to find a way to win with our second-string quarterback. We were kind of limited offensively, but the guys just believed."

Eddie George is allergic to Pudge the cat

Eddie George is one of the most popular Titans of all time. But his celebrity is being challenged at Bowling Green by, of all things, a cat.

Not just any cat. Pudge the cat, a squishy-faced exotic shorthair Persian who belongs to long-snapper George Carlson. Pudge, whose orange coat matches Bowling Green's team color, became a viral sensation with millions of social media followers after Carlson brought him to the locker room where he boosted morale after a grueling preseason practice. Pudge eventually became the team's unofficial mascot.

There's only one problem. George, who owns two English bulldogs, is allergic to cats.

"Yep, I'm allergic to cats and the first time I saw (Pudge) in the locker room, I said, 'What the hell is a cat doing in the locker room?'" George said. "I can't be around him all the time. When he's in the locker room I usually stay on the other side. But I love the cat. He's so ugly he's cute."

George's dogs − Richard and Nairobi − have not been introduced to Pudge.

"I don't know how that would work out," George said. "They're very protective of each other."

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.