Falcons Set To Begin MAC Play Saturday At UMass

BGSU Falcons (2-2, 0-0 MAC)
vs.
UMass Minutemen (0-4, 0-0 MAC)
ESPN3 (Bob Picozzi & Matt Chatham)
BGSU Radio Network (Todd Walker, John Gibson)

Television
* Saturday's game will be available live on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app
* Bob Picozzi (play-by-play) and Matt Chatham (color analyst) will have the call

Radio
* Falcon Radio Network with Todd Walker (PxP) and John Gibson (analyst)
* Radio coverage can be heard on the flagship station for BGSU Football WFRO 99.1 FM in Fremont, Ohio as well as WCIT 940 AM (Lima, Ohio), WXKR 100.7 FM (Toledo, Ohio), WONW 1280 AM (Defiance, Ohio), WHKW 1220 AM (Cleveland, Ohio), and WHKW 1420 AM (Cleveland, Ohio).
* The Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO) broadcasts home games and select road games on 88.1 FM in Bowling Green.

Websites
* BGSUFalcons.com is the internet home of Bowling Green State University athletics
* Coverage of University of Massachusetts athletics is available at UMassathletics.com

Social Media
* Falcon fans can follow Falcon football all season long through several social media outlets which will provide in-game updates throughout the year.
* On Twitter, fans can follow @BGAthletics or @BG_Football (in-game updates), while on Instagram Falcon Athletics can be found at bgfalcons.

Online Coverage
* Live stats can be found at BGSUFalcons.com under the football schedule page
* Live audio can be heard via the Falcon Radio Network on BGSUFalcons.com
* Live video can be accessed online via WatchESPN.com

The Teams
* Bowling Green will enter Saturday's game at UMass with a 2-2 record through non-conference play. The Falcons lost at Wisconsin on Sept. 20, but had beaten Indiana and VMI in the two weeks prior to that.
* Massachusetts enters the contest with an 0-4 record, coming off a 48-7 loss at Penn State last week. The Minutemen played four Power Five teams during non-conference action, losing to Boston College, Vanderbilt, and Colorado, also.

Series Info
* This week's matchup will be the third all-time game between BGSU and UMass. The Falcons hold a 2-0 advantage in the series. Bowling Green's series with UMass did not start until 2012, when the Falcons defeated the Minutemen at Gillette Stadium 24-0. Last year, at Doyt Perry Stadium, the Orange and Brown downed UMass 28-7.

Falcons Ready To Begin MAC Play At UMass
• Following a two-game stretch against a pair of Big Ten Conference opponents to end non-conference play, the Bowling Green State University Falcons are set to begin Mid-American Conference play on Saturday against UMass. BGSU enters the game with a 2-2 record, while the Minutemen have an 0-4 record.
• The Falcons suffered a setback at Wisconsin last weekend to close the non-conference portion of their schedule. Prior to that game, Bowling Green had won two straight.
• Following a season-opening loss at Western Kentucky, the Falcons bounced back with a 48-7 win over VMI in their home opener. The very next week, the Orange and Brown defeated Indiana 45-42.
• UMass has played four Power Five schools in non-conference play, losing all four of them. The Minutemen played Boston College, Colorado, Vanderbilt, and Penn State in non-conference play.
• Saturday's game will mark the first time since the 2011 season that UMass has played a game on campus following renovations to McGuirk Stadium. The game will also mark Homecoming for the Minutemen.

What A Win Would Mean
• A win on Saturday at UMass would mark the second consecutive season in which the Falcons have won their Mid-American Conference opener. Last season, the Falcons defeated Kent State on the road, 41-22, to begin MAC play.
• A victory over UMass would make the Falcons 3-0 all-time versus the Minutemen. Bowling Green has defeated UMass in each of the last two seasons by a combined score of 52-7.
• Winning on the road Saturday would mark the Falcons first road victory of the season.

Head Coach Dino Babers
• Dino Babers is in his first season at Bowling Green in 2014, and his third as a head coach overall.
• He has a 2-2 record at Bowling Green, but holds a career record of 21-9. Babers has won a conference title in each of his first two seasons as a head coach.
• Babers has also been named conference coach of the year in both seasons as a head coach, after taking a last-place team and winning two Ohio Valley Conference crowns at EIU.
• Babers has an impressive pedigree of mentoring NFL-caliber players. His quarterback at EIU, Jimmy Garoppolo, was drafted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. In total, Babers has coached more than 30 NFL players.
• On top of individual player success, Babers knows how to get the most out of his teams. Babers' teams have been to the postseason eight times in the past 10 seasons.

Falcons Finish Non-Conference Play 2-2
• After finishing non-conference play with an overall record of 2-2, the Falcons are ready to turn their attention to MAC play and defending their 2013 championship.
• Through four games, Bowling Green's offense is averaging 35.2 points per game and 458.2 yards per game.
• The Falcon rushing attack is averaging 170.2 yards per game, while they are averaging 288.0 yards per game through the air.
• Bowling Green has 102 first downs through four games, more than 25 per game.
• In three of their four non-conference games, the Falcons eclipsed 30 points and 400 yards of total offense.

Falcons Looking To Move To 3-0 All-Time Versus UMass
• Bowling Green is 2-0 all-time versus the Minutemen. In 2012, the Falcons went on the road and downed UMass 24-0. Last season, the Orange and Brown defeated UMass by a final score of 28-7 in the Falcons' Homecoming game.

Knapke Given Keys To Offense
• Quarterback James Knapke (Fort Wayne, Ind.) took over the offense following a season-ending injury to opening game starter Matt Johnson at Western Kentucky.
• Through three games as the starter, Knapke is 81-of-132 for 795 yards and four touchdowns.
• In Bowling Green's win over Indiana, Knapke completed 46 passes on 73 attempts for 395 yards and three touchdowns -- all career highs.
• His 46 completions and 73 passing attempts were both school records.
• With his 46-of-73 day passing, Knapke became just the third player to ever complete more than 40 passes in a game at BGSU.
• The previous school record for pass attempts in a game was 63, set by Tyler Sheehan in 2009. Knapke's 73 attempts shattered that mark.
• In his debut as a starter, Knapke completed 22-of-31 passes for 237 yards.
• His 22 completions were the most for a first career start in a Bowling Green uniform since quarterback Matt Schilz went 22-of-43 at Troy on Sept. 4, 2010.
• Omar Jacobs was the last quarterback at BGSU to complete more passes than Knapke during a first career start. Jacobs completed 24-of-41 passes in a loss at Oklahoma on Sept. 4, 2004.

Lewis Leading Falcons
• Roger Lewis (Pickerington, Ohio) has been impressive to begin his career, recording 35 catches in his first four career games.
• Lewis has 434 receiving yards and two touchdowns through the first four weeks of the season.
• Following a 16-reception, 149-yard game against Indiana, Lewis was added to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, which annually recognizes the country's best receiver.
• On Sept. 13 against Indiana, Lewis set a Doyt Perry Stadium record with 16 receptions, and a career-high with 149 yards.
• With nine seconds left, Lewis caught the game-winning touchdown to help the Falcons defeat Indiana, 45-42.
• Lewis is first in the MAC (and inside the top 10 nationally) for receiving yards and receptions per game.

Greene Means Go
• Travis Greene (Carol City, Fla.) has rushed for 356 yards and four touchdowns through the first four weeks of the season.
• Against Indiana, Greene surpassed 100 yards rushing for the 11th time in his career.
• Greene has 1,960 rushing yards in his career good for 13th all-time at Bowling Green.
• The redshirt junior is just 40 yards away from becoming the 12th player in school history to rush for 2,000 yards.
• Greene set a school record in 2013 with 1,594 rushing yards.
• He also set a school record last season with nine games of 100-plus rushing yards.

Coppet Finds Paydirt
• Fred Coppet (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) has been an integral part of Bowling Green's up-tempo attack in 2014.
• Through the first four weeks of the season, Coppet has rushed for 189 yards and four touchdowns.
• Coppet has scored a touchdown in each of BGSU's four games thus far.
• On Saturday at Wisconsin, Coppet took a first-quarter handoff, found a hole, and went 35 yards untouched for a touchdown.
• The true sophomore is averaging 6.8 yards per carry this year.

Special Teams Do Special Things
• Over the last several years, BGSU's special teams unit has proved to be one of the best in the Mid-American Conference.
• That trend has continued throughout the first four games of the season.
• Bowling Green scored two special teams touchdowns against VMI, after scoring just three during the entire 2013 season.
• Tyler Tate is averaging 8.25 points per game thus far. He has made six field goals and 15 PATs. His four field goals versus IU were a new career high.
• Tate's four field goals made set a new Doyt L. Perry Stadium record, and were tied for second-most in school history.
• BGSU has been honored with three MAC East Special Teams Players of the Week in the first four weeks of the season.

Givens Breaks Out At Wisconsin
• Redshirt junior Andre Givens (Youngston, Ohio) stood out on Saturday at nationally-ranked Wisconsin, recording 174 all-purpose yards.
• Givens had 67 yards rushing, including a 60-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He also added 107 kickoff return yards in the game.
• His four plays of 20-or-more yards led the Falcons on Saturday. On top of his 60-yard rush, he had kickoff returns of 21, 22, and 40 yards.

Back-To-Back In The MAC
• Bowling Green will look to become the first team in the Mid-American Conference to repeat as champion since Miami University in 2003 and 2004.
• In fact, no team from the MAC East Division has even appeared in the Marathon MAC Championship Game in back-to-back seasons since Miami in '03 and '04.

Falcons In The Spotlight
• All but one BGSU football game will air on the ESPN family of networks in 2014, with the recently announced MAC television contract extension with ESPN.
• This weekend's game at UMass will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
• Last week's game at Wisconsin was aired on ESPN2. It was the third national TV appearance for the Falcons in 2014 in just four weeks. All four games have been available via national broacasts.
• The season opener at WKU aired nationally on CBS Sports Network.
• The week two contest against VMI was aired to a national audience on ESPN3.
• The thrilling matchup against Indiana was live to a national audience on ESPNU.

Sure-Handed Heath
• Heath Jackson (Ada, Ohio) has become one of Bowling Green's most reliable targets since the latter half of 2013.
• Jackson continues to be one of the Falcons' go-to targets in 2014, recording 22 catches through the first four games of the season.
• The redshirt senior is fifth in the MAC with 5.5 receptions per game.
• He has 195 yards, good for an average of 8.9 yards per reception.

Sutton Flying Solo
• Through the first four games of the season, senior Brian Sutton (Fishers, Ind.) leads the Falcons with 35 total tackles.
• 26 of Sutton's tackles have been unassisted, good for 6.5 per game. That mark is best in the Mid-American Conference and 15th-best in the entire country.

Martin The Menace
• After missing the final six games of the 2013 season, Gabe Martin (Grand Blanc, Mich.) has returned to form in 2014.
• Martin is second on the team with 28 total tackles (16 solo, 12 assisted). He has also added 2.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup, quarterback hurry, and a forced fumble.

Schwieterman Making An Impact
• Gus Schwieterman (Tipp City, Ohio) has filled in nicely during Zach Colvin's absence on the defensive line.
• The redshirt freshman has recorded 20 tackles through the first four games of the season, including a team-high 4.0 tackles for loss. He also has one of the Falcons' four sacks.
• Schwieterman has also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble during non-conference play.

Davidson Recognized By MAC
• Joe Davidson (Findlay, Ohio) was impressive in Saturday's game at Wisconsin, punting 11 times for an average of 45.1 yards per punt.
• On the season, Davidson is averaging 42.7 yards per punt, with three punts of 50-plus yards.
• On Saturday, Davidson boomed a career-long 57 yard punt, and then made the tackle to keep the return man from advancing further.
• Nine of Davidson's punts in 2014 have been fair caught, while four have been downed inside the 20-yard line.

Tate The Great
• Tyler Tate (Carroll, Ohio) has continued to be impressive in 2014, after setting a school-record for points in a season by a kicker in 2013. Tate leads the Falcons with 33 points through four games.
• He is 6-of-8 so far on field goal attempts, including a perfect 3-for-3 on attempts of 40-plus yards.

Falcons In The NFL
• The Falcons currently have four former players on NFL rosters.
• Shaun Suisham signed a long-term contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers during the offseason. He will remain their placekicker through the 2018 season. On Sunday (Sept. 7), Suisham made three field goals and was a perfect 3-for-3 on extra point attempts. Suisham's 41-yarder as time expired gave the Steelers a 30-27 win over the Cleveland Browns. For the season, Suisham is 8-for-8 on field goal attempts, and 7-of-7 on extra point attempts. The Steelers are 2-1.
• Kory Lichtensteiger, a member of the Washington Redskins, made the move to center for the 2014 season. Last year, Lichtensteiger started every game at guard. He has started every game since the beginning of 2012 for the Redskins.
• Chris Jones is in his second season in the NFL as a member of the New England Patriots. Jones was named the Patriots Defensive MVP following last season. So far this season, Jones has recorded four tackles in two games played, including three on Sunday (Sept. 21).
• Alex Bayer, an undrafted free agent, made the St. Louis Rams' 53-man roster. He led the Rams during preseason play with 10 catches. Bayer was active on Sunday (Sept. 21) for the first time, as the Rams lost to the Cowboys.

Falcons Scoring At A Rapid Pace
• Bowling Green's offense has delivered as promised on quick scoring drives and up-tempo play thus far. 17 of the Falcons' 22 scoring drives have been under three minutes this year.
• The Falcons have eight scoring drives of 10-or-more plays in 2014, with seven of those coming against Indiana. BGSU has had 11 scoring drives through the first four games of the season which have covered 70 yards-or-more.
• The Falcons have had three scoring drives this season of less than a minute. The quickest drive of the season came on Saturday at Wisconsin, when the Falcons went 35 yards on one play in eight seconds for a TD.
• All five of Bowling Green's touchdown drives against Indiana were at least 10 plays and covered more than 75 yards. The Falcons had four touchdown drives of 10 plays, while the game-winning drive took 12 plays. The final two scoring drives for the Falcons covered 88 yards.

Several Falcons See First Action
• Nine Falcons have made their first career start through the first three weeks of the 2014 season.
• Gehrig Dieter (WR), Roger Lewis (WR), Tim McAuliffe (C), Nate Locke (LB), James Knapke (QB), Gus Schwieterman (DL), Jhalil Croley (DL), Paul Senn (LB), and Dernard Turner (DB) have all started games for the Falcons this season.
• In addition to those eight, 15 other Falcons have seen the first playing action of their careers during the first four games of the season.
• Nick Johnson (CB), Austin Valdez (LB), Monti Phillips (LB), Joe Davidson (P), Ryan Hunter (OL), John Klingerman (WR), Shannon Smith (DL), Cody Callaway (QB), Hunter Folkertsma (TE), Trevahn Beery (DB), Matt Robinson (DB), Dominique Carter (LB), Malik Brown (DL), Trevor Roop (WR), and Brandon English (RB) have all made appearances during the first four weeks of the season.

The Falcons By Class
• While the Falcons return a lot of experience in 2014, they are still fairly young. 63% of the roster enters the year with at least three years of eligibility remaining.
• 43 players enter the season with four years of eligibility remaining. The Falcons have 21 true freshmen and 22 redshirt freshmen.
• 20 players enter the year as sophomores eligibility-wise. The Falcons have just five true sophomores and 15 redshirt sophomores.
• The junior class has just 21 players, with 14 of them having redshirted.
• The 2014 senior class will consist of 16 players, while only four of them have not redshirted during their careers.
The Falcons By State
• Bowling Green has done a great job of recruiting their backyard in recent years. 70% of the roster hails from Ohio or states that immediately border the state of Ohio.
• 45 players on the 2014 roster are from Ohio. Florida (15) and Michigan (14) have the most student-athletes on the roster besides Ohio.
• The Falcons also have players from Illinois (6), Indiana (6), Pennsylvania (5), Texas (2), California (2), Massachusetts (1), Wisconsin (1), New York (1), Maryland (1), and Canada (1).

Bowling Green Knocks Off Indiana
• In front of 23, 717 fans on Saturday (Sept. 13) afternoon inside of Doyt L. Perry Stadium, Bowling Green defeated Indiana 45-42 to move to 2-1 on the season.
• With 14 seconds left, James Knapke threw a perfect fade route to Roger Lewis for the game-winning touchdown.
• The second half featured nine lead changes between the two teams, with five of those (and most importantly, the final one) belonging to the Falcons.
• Bowling Green's 113 plays from scrimmage were a school record. The previous school record was 100 plays from scrimmage (Kent State, 2001)
• Roger Lewis' 16 receptions for 149 yards were both career highs and Doyt L. Perry Stadium records
• Bowling Green had five scoring drives of 75-or-more yards against Indiana. The Falcons had had just three such drives in their first two games of the season
• The Falcons had seven scoring drives of 10-or-more plays on Saturday afternoon; they had just one such drive during the first two games of the season.
• The victory against Indiana was Bowling Green's first against a Power Five conference team since 2008 (at Pittsburgh).
• The win over a Big Ten Conference foe was the Falcons' first since a road victory at Minnesota (2007).
• BGSU had not won a game against a Power Five conference school at Doyt L. Perry Stadium since Missouri in 2002.

Homecoming Versus Buffalo Set For 3:30 Kickoff
• The Mid-American Conference, in conjunction with ESPN, announced on Monday (Sept. 22) that Bowling Green's Homecoming game against Buffalo will kickoff at 3:30 pm. The game can be seen live on ESPN GamePlan, or online via ESPN3.com or the WatchESPN app.

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Players Mentioned

Alex Bayer

Trevahn Beery

Malik Brown

Cody Callaway

Dominique Carter

Zach Colvin

Fred Coppet

Joseph Davidson

Gehrig Dieter

Brandon English

Hunter Folkertsma

Andre Givens

Travis Greene

Ryan Hunter

Heath Jackson

Matt Johnson

Nick Johnson

James Knapke

Roger Lewis

Nate Locke

Gabe Martin

Tim McAuliffe

Monti Phillips

Matt Robinson

Trevor Roop

Matt Schilz

Gus Schwieterman

Paul Senn

Shannon Smith

Brian Sutton

Tyler Tate

Dernard Turner

Austin Valdez

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