Bowling Green State University Athletics
Six Falcons Named All-MAC; Samuel Named Freshman of the Year
November 30, 2011 | Football
Six members of the Bowling Green State University football team were named to the Mid-American All-Conference team this morning (Nov. 30), announced by the league office. Chris Jones (DT), Kamar Jorden (WR), Brian Schmiedebusch (P) and Dwayne Woods (LB) all earned first-team honors, while BooBoo Gates (kick returner) was named to the second team and Ben Bojicic (C) earned third-team All-MAC honors. The MAC also announced its six specialty awards, with running back Anthon Samuel earning Freshman of the Year honors.
Only Toledo (5) had more first-team members named to the All-MAC squad and it was the first time BGSU had four first-team honorees since the 2004 squad (Omar Jacobs, Rob Warren, Jovon Burkes and Keon Newson).
Samuel, who was not named to any of the three All-MAC teams, ran for 844 yards and five
Jones, a third-team All-MAC member in 2010, had 47 tackles, 14.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. His sack total was tied for the conference lead and was fourth in the conference in tackles for loss. Jones had three tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in the win at Idaho and had six tackles and three sacks in a 13-10 win over Temple. Jones was named MAC Player of the Week after both contests. Jones had at least a half tackle for loss in 11 of 12 games.
Jorden was one of nine conference players that were repeat first-team members, earning first-team All-MAC status in 2010 as well. Jorden was fourth in the MAC with 78 catches and 1,089 yards and was second in the league with 12 touchdown receptions. The senior had five 100-yard games, including a 12 catch, 203 yard performance at Kent State, the fourth-most yards by a receiver in BGSU history. Jorden also had 100-yard games versus Wyoming (9-101-2), at Western Michigan (4-103-1), Toledo (7-106-1) and Northern Illinois (8-152-2). Jorden is the first BGSU first-team repeat performer since Kory Lichtensteiger was named first team in 2006 and 2007.
Woods was seventh in the conference with 111 tackles and was tied for fourth in tackles
Bojicic, a three-time Rimington Award Watch List member (given to the nation's top center), earned All-MAC status for the first time in his career. The fifth-year senior started all 12 games for the Falcon offensive line, but split his time at center and left tackle in 2011. Bojicic was named the team's Offensive Most Valuable Player after the Idaho (made first career start at left tackle) and Temple contests. The Farmington, Hills, native started 42 games in his career for the Falcons.
2011 MAC Specialty Award Winners
Vern Smith Leadership Award Winner: QB Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois
Coach of the Year: Ron English, Eastern Michigan
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois
Defensive Player of the Year: DL Drew Nowak, Western Michigan
Special Teams Player of the Year: K Matt Weller, Ohio
Freshman of the Year: RB Anthon Samuel, Bowling Green
2011 All-MAC First Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois @
Center – Scott Wedige, Northern Illinois @
Offensive Linemen – Mike VanDerMeulen, Toledo %
Offensive Lineman – Trevor Olson, Northern Illinois @
Offensive Lineman – Joe Flading, Ohio @&
Offensive Linemen – Pat Boyle, Temple
Tight End – Evan Rodriquez, Temple @
Wide Receiver – Jordan White, Western Michigan @
Wide Receiver – Eric Page, Toledo @!
Wide Receiver – Nick Harwell, Miami #
Wide Receiver – Kamar Jorden, Bowling Green @
Running Back - Bernard Pierce, Temple @ ^
Running Back –Branden Oliver, Buffalo
Placekicker –Mathew Sims, Northern Illinois
2011 All-MAC First Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker –Aaron Morris, Ball State
Outside Linebacker – Khalil Mack, Buffalo
Inside Linebacker – Brian Wagner, Akron !
Inside Linebacker - Dwayne Woods, Bowling Green #
Down Lineman – Roosevelt Nix, Kent State @
Down Lineman – Adrian Robinson, Temple @ ^
Down Lineman – Chris Jones, Bowling Green %
Down Lineman – Drew Nowak, Western Michigan
Defensive Back – Jahleel Addae, Central Michigan %
Defensive Back – Dayonne Nunley, Miami
Defensive Back – Desmond Marrow, Toledo
Defensive Back – Sean Baker, Ball State #
Punter – Brian Schmeidebusch, Bowling Green
2011 All-MAC First Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Eric Page, Toledo @
Punt Return Specialist –Eric Page, Toledo
2011 All-MAC Second Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Alex Carder, Western Michigan %
Center – Zac Kerin, Toledo
Offensive Lineman - Brandon Brooks, Miami # !
Offensive Lineman – Jordan Hansel, Ball State
Offensive Lineman – Brian Winters, Kent State %
Offensive Lineman – Eric Herman, Ohio
Tight End – David Blackburn, Central Michigan
Wide Receiver – LaVon Brazill, Ohio !
Wide Receiver – Briggs Orsbon, Ball State
Wide Receiver – Perez Ashford, Northern Illinois
Wide Receiver – Marcus Rivers, Buffalo
Running Back – Adonis Thomas, Toledo #
Running Back – Jasmin Hopkins, Northern Illinois
Placekicker – Matt Weller, Ohio ^
2011 All-MAC Second Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – C.J. Malauulu, Kent State
Outside Linebacker – Tahir Whitehead, Temple
Inside Linebacker – Travis Freeman, Ball State
Inside Linebacker – Noah Keller, Ohio ! +
Down Lineman – Sean Progar, Northern Illinois @
Down Lineman – Tremayne Scott, Ohio
Down Lineman – Nate Ollie, Ball State
Down Lineman – Brad Ohrman, Eastern Michigan
Defensive Back – Johnnie Simon, Western Michigan
Defensive Back – Josh Pleasant, Kent State
Defensive Back – Jimmie Ward, Northern Illinois
Defensive Back – Travis Carrie, Ohio
Punter – Brandon McManus, Temple
2011 All-MAC Second Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – BooBoo Gates, Bowling Green
Punt Return Specialist – Jamill Smith, Ball State
2011 All-MAC Third Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Tyler Tettleton, Ohio
Center – Ben Bojicic, Bowling Green
Offensive Lineman – Dann O'Neill, Western Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Wayne Tribue, Temple
Offensive Lineman – Eric Fisher, Central Michigan
Offensive Lineman – A.J. Strum, Ohio #
Tight End – Garrett Hoskins, Eastern Michigan
Wide Receiver – Nate Palmer, Northern Illinois
Wide Receiver – Titus Davis, Central Michigan
Wide Receiver – Cody Wilson, Central Michigan #
Wide Receiver – Chleb Ravenell, Western Michigan
Running Back – Donte' Harden, Ohio
Running Back – Matt Brown, Temple #
Placekicker – John Potter, Western Michigan %
2011 All-MAC Third Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Justin Cudworth, Eastern Michigan
Outside Linebacker – Jerrell Wedge, Miami
Inside Linebacker – Luke Batton, Kent State
Inside Linebacker – Ryan Kennedy, Miami
Down Lineman – Austin Brown, Miami #
Down Lineman – Morkeith Brown, Temple
Down Lineman – Freddie Bishop, Western Michigan
Down Lineman – T.J. Fatinikun, Toledo %
Defensive Back – Latarrius Thomas, Eastern Michigan
Defensive Back – Kevin Kroboth, Temple
Defensive Back – Luke Wollet, Kent State
Defensive Back – Marlon Pollard, Eastern Michigan
Punter – Scott Kovanda, Ball State
All-MAC Third Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Donte' Harden, Ohio
Punt Return Specialist – Terrell Jackson, Buffalo @
@ 2010 First team All-MAC
# 2010 Second team All-MAC
% 2010 Third team All-MAC
^ 2009 First team All-MAC
! 2009 Second team All-MAC
& 2009 Third team All-MAC
~ 2008 First team All-MAC
+ 2008 Second team All-MAC
Only Toledo (5) had more first-team members named to the All-MAC squad and it was the first time BGSU had four first-team honorees since the 2004 squad (Omar Jacobs, Rob Warren, Jovon Burkes and Keon Newson).
Samuel, who was not named to any of the three All-MAC teams, ran for 844 yards and five
touchdowns in nine games. He averaged 93.8 yards per game on the ground, third-highest among freshmen in the country and had five 100-yard games. His 844 yards rushing were the most by a Falcon freshman in school history. Samuel opened the season with 141 yards and a touchdown versus Idaho and added 122 yards and a score a week later versus Morgan State. He was the first Falcon freshman to rush for over 100 yards in his first career game since Freddie Barnes, who ran for 158 yards on 29 carries versus Wisconsin on Sept. 2, 2006 and became the first Falcon to post back-to-back 100-yard games since P.J. Pope did it back in 2004.
Jones, a third-team All-MAC member in 2010, had 47 tackles, 14.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. His sack total was tied for the conference lead and was fourth in the conference in tackles for loss. Jones had three tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in the win at Idaho and had six tackles and three sacks in a 13-10 win over Temple. Jones was named MAC Player of the Week after both contests. Jones had at least a half tackle for loss in 11 of 12 games.
In his first year with the Falcons, Schmiedebusch had a major impact in the Falcons' special teams. The sophomore was fifth in the country with a 45.3 average and helped the team to a 40.6 net punting average, also fifth-best in the nation. Of his 57 punts, 19 surpassed the 50-yard mark, while another 18 landed inside the opponent's 20 yard line. Schmiedebusch not only has one of the strongest legs in the country (had an 81, 76 and 73 yard punt versus Idaho, Buffalo and Northern Illinois), but was one of the best situational punters all season long. When attempting to pin the opposition deep (every punt from beyond BG's 40-yard line) he had 25 attempts, with 15 landing inside the opponent's 20. On the flip side, when BGSU was pinned deep inside it's own 20 yard line, Schmiedebusch had 11 punts for 604 yards, an average of 54.9 yards per punt.
Woods was seventh in the conference with 111 tackles and was tied for fourth in tackles
for loss with 14.0. The junior added two sacks, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and one interception on the season. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native had six double-digit tackle performances, including a season-best 15 stops in a 42-28 win at Buffalo. Woods added 12 tackles versus Wyoming, 10 stops versus West Virginia, 11 tackles versus Temple and Toledo and added 12 stops versus Northern Illinois. Woods, a second-team All-MAC member is 2010, was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week following the contest with Wyoming.
Gates started all 12 games at the Rover position this season on defense, but made an even bigger impact this year in the return game. The sophomore was fourth in the MAC with a 25.8 return average, the third-highest average in BGSU history. Gates was one of just three players in the conference to return a kick for a touchdown, his coming on an 88-yard score versus Toledo on Oct. 15. Gates finished the year with 38 returns for 981 yards, both tops in the league, with his return yards ranking first in school history. Gates is also the only Falcon to ever return two kicks for touchdowns (had a 75-yard score versus Kent State in 2010).
Bojicic, a three-time Rimington Award Watch List member (given to the nation's top center), earned All-MAC status for the first time in his career. The fifth-year senior started all 12 games for the Falcon offensive line, but split his time at center and left tackle in 2011. Bojicic was named the team's Offensive Most Valuable Player after the Idaho (made first career start at left tackle) and Temple contests. The Farmington, Hills, native started 42 games in his career for the Falcons.
2011 MAC Specialty Award Winners
Vern Smith Leadership Award Winner: QB Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois
Coach of the Year: Ron English, Eastern Michigan
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois
Defensive Player of the Year: DL Drew Nowak, Western Michigan
Special Teams Player of the Year: K Matt Weller, Ohio
Freshman of the Year: RB Anthon Samuel, Bowling Green
2011 All-MAC First Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois @
Center – Scott Wedige, Northern Illinois @
Offensive Linemen – Mike VanDerMeulen, Toledo %
Offensive Lineman – Trevor Olson, Northern Illinois @
Offensive Lineman – Joe Flading, Ohio @&
Tight End – Evan Rodriquez, Temple @
Wide Receiver – Jordan White, Western Michigan @
Wide Receiver – Eric Page, Toledo @!
Wide Receiver – Nick Harwell, Miami #
Wide Receiver – Kamar Jorden, Bowling Green @
Running Back - Bernard Pierce, Temple @ ^
Running Back –Branden Oliver, Buffalo
Placekicker –Mathew Sims, Northern Illinois
2011 All-MAC First Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker –Aaron Morris, Ball State
Outside Linebacker – Khalil Mack, Buffalo
Inside Linebacker – Brian Wagner, Akron !
Inside Linebacker - Dwayne Woods, Bowling Green #
Down Lineman – Roosevelt Nix, Kent State @
Down Lineman – Adrian Robinson, Temple @ ^
Down Lineman – Chris Jones, Bowling Green %
Down Lineman – Drew Nowak, Western Michigan
Defensive Back – Jahleel Addae, Central Michigan %
Defensive Back – Dayonne Nunley, Miami
Defensive Back – Desmond Marrow, Toledo
Defensive Back – Sean Baker, Ball State #
Punter – Brian Schmeidebusch, Bowling Green
2011 All-MAC First Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Eric Page, Toledo @
Punt Return Specialist –Eric Page, Toledo
2011 All-MAC Second Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Alex Carder, Western Michigan %
Center – Zac Kerin, Toledo
Offensive Lineman - Brandon Brooks, Miami # !
Offensive Lineman – Jordan Hansel, Ball State
Offensive Lineman – Brian Winters, Kent State %
Offensive Lineman – Eric Herman, Ohio
Tight End – David Blackburn, Central Michigan
Wide Receiver – LaVon Brazill, Ohio !
Wide Receiver – Briggs Orsbon, Ball State
Wide Receiver – Perez Ashford, Northern Illinois
Wide Receiver – Marcus Rivers, Buffalo
Running Back – Adonis Thomas, Toledo #
Running Back – Jasmin Hopkins, Northern Illinois
Placekicker – Matt Weller, Ohio ^
2011 All-MAC Second Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – C.J. Malauulu, Kent State
Outside Linebacker – Tahir Whitehead, Temple
Inside Linebacker – Travis Freeman, Ball State
Inside Linebacker – Noah Keller, Ohio ! +
Down Lineman – Sean Progar, Northern Illinois @
Down Lineman – Tremayne Scott, Ohio
Down Lineman – Nate Ollie, Ball State
Down Lineman – Brad Ohrman, Eastern Michigan
Defensive Back – Johnnie Simon, Western Michigan
Defensive Back – Josh Pleasant, Kent State
Defensive Back – Jimmie Ward, Northern Illinois
Defensive Back – Travis Carrie, Ohio
Punter – Brandon McManus, Temple
2011 All-MAC Second Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – BooBoo Gates, Bowling Green
Punt Return Specialist – Jamill Smith, Ball State
2011 All-MAC Third Team Offense
Position – Name - School
Quarterback – Tyler Tettleton, Ohio
Center – Ben Bojicic, Bowling Green
Offensive Lineman – Dann O'Neill, Western Michigan
Offensive Lineman – Wayne Tribue, Temple
Offensive Lineman – Eric Fisher, Central Michigan
Offensive Lineman – A.J. Strum, Ohio #
Tight End – Garrett Hoskins, Eastern Michigan
Wide Receiver – Nate Palmer, Northern Illinois
Wide Receiver – Titus Davis, Central Michigan
Wide Receiver – Cody Wilson, Central Michigan #
Wide Receiver – Chleb Ravenell, Western Michigan
Running Back – Donte' Harden, Ohio
Running Back – Matt Brown, Temple #
Placekicker – John Potter, Western Michigan %
2011 All-MAC Third Team Defense
Position – Name - School
Outside Linebacker – Justin Cudworth, Eastern Michigan
Outside Linebacker – Jerrell Wedge, Miami
Inside Linebacker – Luke Batton, Kent State
Inside Linebacker – Ryan Kennedy, Miami
Down Lineman – Austin Brown, Miami #
Down Lineman – Morkeith Brown, Temple
Down Lineman – Freddie Bishop, Western Michigan
Down Lineman – T.J. Fatinikun, Toledo %
Defensive Back – Latarrius Thomas, Eastern Michigan
Defensive Back – Kevin Kroboth, Temple
Defensive Back – Luke Wollet, Kent State
Defensive Back – Marlon Pollard, Eastern Michigan
Punter – Scott Kovanda, Ball State
All-MAC Third Team Specialists
Position – Name - School
Kickoff Return Specialist – Donte' Harden, Ohio
Punt Return Specialist – Terrell Jackson, Buffalo @
@ 2010 First team All-MAC
# 2010 Second team All-MAC
% 2010 Third team All-MAC
^ 2009 First team All-MAC
! 2009 Second team All-MAC
& 2009 Third team All-MAC
~ 2008 First team All-MAC
+ 2008 Second team All-MAC
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