After squandering a 21-7 halftime lead and falling at home to Western Michigan 42-35, the Bowling Green State Falcons decided on Sunday to dismiss head coach Mike Jinks.
In a statement released on Sunday, BGSU Athletic Director Bob Moosbrugger said “We felt it was time to make a change in leadership. These are not easy decisions and we do not this lightly.”
Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, in his first season with the Falcons, will be the head coach on an interim basis beginning this Saturday at Ohio.
Jinks was the 19th head coach in Falcons football history succeeding Dino Babers after the Falcons won the 2015 MAC Eastern Division championship then defeated Northern Illinois in the Championship game.
Jinks came from Texas Tech where he was the Associate Head Coach and Running Back for the Red Raiders under head man Kliff Kingsbury. His record at BGSU, his first as a collegiate head coach, was 7-24 5-14 in MAC play.
Pelini came to the Falcons from Youngstown State where he was the defensive coordinator for the Penguins the past two seasons leading them to the FCS Championship Game in 2016.
The younger brother of former Nebraska, and YSU head coach Bo Pelini, Carl has had head coaching experience is 2012-13 at Florida Atlantic.
In addition, he worked under Frank Solich at Ohio as well as being a Defensive coordinator for his brother.
Pelini is the third interim head man in BGSU history. The others were Adam Scheler for Dave Clawson in 2013 losing to Pittsburgh in the Little Caesars Bowl 30-27 and Brian Ward in 2015 for Babers losing to Georgia Southern in the GoDaddy Bowl 58-27.
Moosbrugger said that a national search for a new head coach would begin immediately.