Falcons Host Akron For Homecoming

Bowling Green Falcons (4-2, 2-0 MAC)
vs.
Akron Zips (3-3, 1-1 MAC)

GAME INFORMATION	Saturday, Oct. 17, 3:00 pm
LOCATION	Bowling Green, Ohio (Doyt L. Perry Stadium)
TELEVISION	ESPN3 (Dan Gutowsky, Dustin Fox)
RADIO	Falcon Radio Network (Todd Walker, John Gibson)
LIVE STATS	BGSUFalcons.com
WATCH ONLINE	ESPN3.com/WatchESPN
LISTEN ONLINE	BGSUFalcons.com
GAME NOTES	BGSU \| Akron \| MAC

Falcons Host Akron For Homecoming
Coming off a record-setting offensive performance against UMass, the Bowling Green State University football team will play host to the Akron Zips for Homecoming this Saturday. Coming off a 62-38 win over UMass which saw the Falcons set school records in total yards (725) and passing yards (519), BGSU enters the game 4-2 overall, 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference. Akron comes into this weekend's game coming off a big win at Eastern Michigan. The Zips are 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the MAC.

A Win Against Akron Would...
• Make the Falcons 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the MAC for the third straight season
• Be BGSU's 15th straight win over a MAC East foe, making them 18-1 against teams from the East Division since the start of the 2012 season
• Mark the Falcons' seventh consecutive win in the series against the Zips, dating back to 2006

Falcon Facts From A Record-Setting Win Over UMass
• Bowling Green set a school record with 725 yards of total offense on Saturday against UMass. BGSU ran 91 plays in the contest (46 rush, 45 pass). BGSU's previous record was 706 set in 1978 vs. Grand Valley.
• The Falcons' 515 passing yards in the game set a new school record for most passing yards in a game. BGSU's previous record was 505 set by Tyler Sheehan in 2009.
• Matt Johnson went 33-for-39 (84.6%) for 450 yards and five TDs. It was his fifth 400-yard passing game in the first six games of the season. His 450 yards were a new Doyt L. Perry Stadium record, surpassing Ben Roethlisberger's 440 yards in 2003.
• Roger Lewis, the country's leading receiver, had eight catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. Through 20 career games, Lewis has 1,995 career receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.
• For the second straight week Travis Greene went over 100 yards rushing. He rushed 15 times for 122 yards and a touchdown. He now has 3,026 yards rushing in his career, just the fourth player in school history with more than 3,000 career rushing yards. Greene now has 16 career 100-yard rushing games. The school record is 20 held by Dave Preston.
• Tyler Tate kicked off 11 times, averaging 63.1 yards per kick. He had four touchbacks. He was also perfect on two field goals and was 8-for-8 on PAT tries.
• Alfonso Mack recorded his first career interception in the win over UMass.
• James Sanford tied his career high with 2.0 sacks in the game.
• Nilijah Ballew set a career-high with eight tackles, 1.0 sack and a fumble recovery in the win.

Head Coach Dino Babers
• Dino Babers is in his second season at the helm of the Orange and Brown, and his fourth season overall as a head coach. He has a career record of 31-15 and has won a championship in all three seasons thus far.
• Babers has impressed in his Bowling Green tenure to date, compiling a record of 12-8 in just his second season.
• In his first season, Babers led a team which lost its starting QB in week one, winning eight games. In those eight wins were a victory over a Big Ten foe (Indiana), a MAC East Division championship, and Bowling Green's first bowl win since the 2004 season.
• The Falcons went 2-2 through one of the nation's toughest nonconference schedules this season, defeating two Big Ten Conference opponents on the road. Babers has compiled an impressive 3-1 record against Big Ten opponents - defeating Indiana, Maryland and Purdue.

Falcons' Offense Has Record-Setting Day
• Bowling Green set new school records for total yardage (725) and passing yardage (519) in Saturday's 62-38 win over UMass.
• The previous record of 706 yards was set vs. Grand Valley in 1978.
• BGSU football played 431 games in between 700-yard offensive performances. The last time BGSU went over 700 yards (1978), head coach Dino Babers was in high school.

Johnson Sets New Mark At The Doyt
• Matt Johnson passed for 450 yards on Saturday against UMass, setting a new record for most passing yards in a game at Doyt L. Perry Stadium.
• Johnson, who surpassed Ben Roethlisberger's previous record of 440 yards set in 2003, went 33-for-39 in the game with five touchdowns.
• Johnson's 84.6% completion rate was tied for fifth-best in school history for a single game. But, of those individuals in the top five, Johnson's 39 pass attempts on Saturday were 25 more than any other QB on that list.

Fans Witness History Saturday At The Doyt
• The 100 combined points on Saturday between BGSU and UMass, which saw the Falcons claim a 62-38 win, was the highest scoring game ever at Doyt L. Perry Stadium.

The Ziggy Warriors Are Road Warriors
• With their 28-22 win on the road at Buffalo, the Falcons are now 3-0 this season in road games.
• Bowling Green is one of just three teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision with three road wins to date, joining Temple and Memphis.

School    Road Wins in 2015   Opponents
Bowling Green   3   at Maryland, at Purdue, at Buffalo
Memphis   3   at Kansas, at Bowling Green, at South Florida
Temple   3   at Cincinnati, at UMass, at Charlotte

BGSU Among Group Of Five's Most Impressive Early Season Teams
• The Falcons are one of just three teams among members from the Group of Five conferences (MAC, CUSA, AAC, Sun Belt, MWC) to have multiple wins this season over Power Five conference opponents.
• Bowling Green's two road wins over Big Ten Conference opponents lead the Group of Five teams with multiple wins against Power Five conference teams. Toledo and Boise State have also defeated two Power Five opponents.
• However, the Falcons are the only team from the Group of Five to have both of their Power Five wins on the road.

School    (P5 wins in 2015   Opponents
Bowling Green   2   at Maryland, at Purdue
Boise State   2   Washington, at Virginia
Toledo   2   vs. Arkansas, Iowa State

Johnson A Star In Babers' Offense
• Quarterback Matt Johnson (Harrisburg, Pa.) has been a star in his seven starts under head coach Dino Babers. Despite missing 13 games a season ago due to injury, Johnson has passed for 2,847 yards in just seven starts under Babers.
• To start the 2015 season, Johnson passed for 400 yards in each of his first four starts. He is the first player in school history to ever pass for 400 yards in back-to-back games, three times in a season, and four times in a career.
• In all, Johnson has passed for 400 yards-or-more in five of his first six games this season. Just three quarterbacks in the NCAA have had as many 400 yard passing games in the first six games of a season since 2000.
• Although Johnson's streak of consecutive 400-yard games ended at four, only three players have ever had a longer streak within the same season.
• In his seven starts under Babers, Johnson has completed 215-of-312 (68.9%) passes for 2,847 (406.7 ypg) yards and 20 touchdowns. More impressively, Johnson has just three interceptions in seven starts under Babers.

   Johnson game-by-game under Babers
Opp.                 Cmp.    Att.    Pct.   Yds.    TD    INT
at WKU            25        36        .694   313        1   0
at Tennessee   27        49        .551   424        2   0
at Maryland        36        55        .655   491        6   1
Memphis            28        45        .622   443        4   0
at Purdue            43        59        .729   402        1   1
at Buffalo            23        29        .793   324        1   0
UMass                33        39        .846   450        5   1
TOTAL            215   312            .689   2,847   20   3

Babers' #FalconFast Offense Has Clicked
• Ever since he took over at Bowling Green, Dino Babers has made it clear that his offensive system usually clicks between games four and six of the second season.
• Against UMass (game six of the second season), Bowling Green set a new school record with 725 yards of total offense.
• Babers' Falcons have had at least 536 offensive yards in all six games this season, and are one of four teams in the nation averaging more than 600 yards per game (604.7).
• In his 20 games at BGSU, Babers' teams have had 500-or-more yards of offense 12 times.
• The last two seasons against UMass, BGSU has scored a combined 109 points (54.5 ppg), run 199 total plays (99.5), totaled 1,393 yards (696.5 ypg) and averaged 7.0 yards per play.

Falcon Teammates On Historical Pace
• Johnson and wide receiver Roger Lewis are both on a historical pace through the first six games of the season.
• Johnson has passed for an FBS-leading 2,534 yards in six games this season and is just 1,517 yards away from the school record with at least six games left to play in the regular season.
• Johnson's passing yardage is fifth-most in the NCAA for a players' first six games of a season since the year 2000.
• Additionally, Johnson is just 145 passing yards away from breaking into BGSU's top 10 for a single-season.
• Lewis leads the nation with 902 receiving yards through just six games this season.
• He is just 60 yards shy from breaking into BGSU's top 10 all-time, and 868 yards away from the school record with at least six regular season games remaining.
• Lewis' 902 yards through the first six games of a season are the sixth-most by an FBS player since 2000.

Lewis Goes For 200 Yards For Third Time In 2015
• Wide receiver Roger Lewis caught 10 passes for 201 yards at Buffalo in game five, the third time this season he surpassed the 200-yard mark in a game.
• Lewis, who currently leads the nation with 902 receiving yards, is the only player from BGSU to ever have three 200-yard games in a season and a career. He did so in a four-game stretch.
• In the first half against Buffalo, Lewis had nine catches for 195 yards and a touchdown.
• Against Memphis, Lewis caught seven passes for a career-high 261 yards and three touchdowns. The 261 yards were second-most in school history and seventh-most in MAC history.
• It was Lewis' second-straight 200-yard receiving performance, the first player in BGSU football history to ever accomplish that feat in consecutive games.
• Since the year 2000, Roger Lewis is the only player in the NCAA to have three 200-yard receiving games in the first five games of a season.

Trio Of Falcon Receivers Are Streaking
• Three Bowling Green receivers are riding impressive streaks, as all three have caught a pass in at least 20 consecutive games. In two cases, those streaks stretch back to the 2013 season.
• Ronnie Moore leads the trio with a reception in 22 straight games dating back to the MAC Championship Game in 2013. On Saturday, Moore had five catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.
• Sure-handed Ryan Burbrink has caught a pass in 21 consecutive games dating back to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in 2013. Burbrink registered four receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown against UMass.
• Roger Lewis also has an impressive streak going, having caught a pass in all 20 career games he has played in. He caught eight passes for a team-high 142 yards and a touchdown against the Minutemen.

Falcons Light Up Scoreboard In Win Over UMass
• Bowling Green scored 62 points on Saturday in their win over UMass, the most points by a Falcons' team since the 2005 season.
• In that 2005 season, BGSU scored 70 points in a win over Temple at The Doyt. The previous season, the Falcons had also scored 70 points on the road in a win at Temple.
• The 62 points on Saturday marked just sixth time since 2000 that a Bowling Green team has eclipsed the 60-point mark in a game.

2015 #GutGang Feasting At The All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Buffet
• Bowling Green features one of the most experienced offensive line units in the entire country, and it has showed thus far. Despite missing two starters for much of Saturday's game, Bowling Green's offensive line allowed just two sacks.
• The Falcons' have 155 offensive line career starts on the roster, second-most in FBS football. Alex Huettel (47), Jacob Bennett (34), Logan Dietz (33), Tim McAuliffe (20), Ben Steward (14), Ryan Hunter (6), and Austin Labus (1) make up the 155.
• Bowling Green was one of just nine schools in the entire country to start the same five players on the offensive line every game last season. The Falcons were joined by Fresno State, UL-Lafayette, Northern Illinois, Ohio State, Rutgers, Tulane, Wisconsin and Rice. BGSU is the only one of those nine that returns all five starters in 2015.

Greene Running Towards History In 2015
Redshirt senior Travis Greene is in his third season at running back for the Falcons in 2015, after coming to BGSU and playing wide receiver his first two years on campus. Greene has set the school record for most rushing yards in a season and nearly broke 1,000 yards a season ago despite missing two games because of injury. What will his third year bring? He is chasing several milestones in the Orange and Brown in 2015, including:
• Currently sits 4th all-time with 3,026 rushing yards...just 397 yards shy of the all-time career record currently held by Dave Preston (1973-76)
• Could become just the second Falcon player ever, behind Paul Miles, to lead Bowling Green in rushing in three consecutive seasons
• Enters this weekend with 16 career 100-yard rushing games...the school record is 20 held by Dave Preston.
• Last week against UMass, Greene had his second straight 100-yard performance, rushing 15 times for 122 yards and a touchdown.

Johnson, Tate Named MAC East Players Of The Week
• Bowling Green garned two MAC Player of the Week honors after the win against UMass, as Matt Johnson and Tyler Tate picked up weekly awards.
• BGSU has now won eight weekly awards through six games - six on offense and two on special teams.
• Johnson, who won the award for the fourth time this season, passed for a Doyt L. Perry Stadium record 450 yards on 33-of-39. He added five passing touchdowns to the tally.
• Tate, who won the award for the first time this season, was a perfect 10-of-10 on kicks Saturday, splitting the uprights on both of his field goal attempts and all eight of his PAT tries. He also added four touchbacks on his 11 kickoffs, averaging 63.1 yards per kickoff.

Unchartered Territory
• In it's 96-year history of football, BGSU has only had 36 players rush for 1,000 yards and 36 players have 1,000 receiving yards in their careers. The current roster is loaded, however, as four receivers and two running backs have more than 1,000 career yards.
• Running back Travis Greene has rushed for 3,026 yards in his career (4th all-time), while Fred Coppet has 1,343 rushing yards (26th all-time) for his career.
• Four receivers - Ryan Burbrink, Roger Lewis, Ronnie Moore, and Chris Gallon - have more than 1,000 career receiving yards.
• Roger Lewis currently leads the receivers group with 1,995 yards in 20 career games, good for 14th all-time.
• Burbrink, 16th all-time, has 1,935 yards in his career, while Moore is 18th all-time with 1,679 career receiving yards.
• Chris Gallon currently sits 36th all-time in receiving with 1,041 yards after catching two passes Saturday against UMass.
• Redshirt junior Gehrig Dieter is not far from joining the 1,000 career receiving yards club, currently sitting at 825 yards.

Falcons Have Explosive Receivers
• Through the first six games of the season, Bowling Green is one of just eight teams in the nation to have at least five receivers with 15-or-more receptions.
• More impressively, the Falcons are the only program of those eight to have four receivers with 25-or-more catches.
• Western Kentucky joins Bowling Green as the only other program in the country to have three players with 30-or-more catches this season.
• For the Falcons, Roger Lewis leads the team with 48 catches. He is followed by Ronnie Moore (39), Gehrig Dieter (31), Ryan Burbrink (28) and Travis Greene (15) as receivers with more than 15 catches.
• California, Texas Tech and Washington State are the three schools that have six players with 15-plus catches this season. WSU is the only program of those three to have four players with 20-or-more catches.
• Joining the Falcons with five players to have more than 20 catches are Arizona, Arizona State, Wake Forest and Western Kentucky. BGSU is the only team of those five to have four players with more than 25 receptions.

Babers Against The Big Ten
• Head coach Dino Babers is 3-1 during his tenure at Bowling Green against opponents from the Big Ten Conference, following Saturday's 35-28 win at Purdue.
• During his first season, Babers and the Falcons split a pair of games against Big Ten foes, defeating Indiana before losing to Wisconsin.
• This season, Babers and the Falcons defeated Maryland 48-27 on the road during week two before beating the Boilermakers over the weekend.
• The two road wins against a Big Ten team in 2015 marked the first time in school history a team has accomplished that feat.

Falcons Have Been Beasts Of The East
• Since the start of the 2012 season, Bowling Green has a combined record of 18-1 against foes from the MAC's East Division.
• More impressively, the Falcons have won 14 straight games against MAC East opponents, dating back to a 2012 win over Buffalo in the regular season finale.
• With that success has come results, as the Falcons have won back-to-back MAC East Division titles.
• Bowling Green is undefeated against teams from the MAC East in each of the past two seasons (2013, 2014), directly leading to two MAC Championship Game appearances as the East Division representative.

Former Falcons In The NFL
• Eight former Falcons were on preseason NFL rosters this season, including four who have played a significant role with NFL teams over the past several years.
• Kory Lichtensteiger is the starting center for the Washington Redskins. He has started every game since the 2010 season.
• Both Chris Jones (PUP list) and Shaun Suisham (IR) have had significant impacts in past seasons for the Patriots and Steelers, respectively. Jones won a Super Bowl last season with the Patriots, while Suisham is signed through 2018 and was a Special Teams captain last season for the Steelers.
• Jude Adjei-Barimah made his debut with the Tampa Bay Bucs two weeks ago against the Carolina Panthers, playing on special teams and defense. The Bucs were victorious 38-31 last weekend against Jacksonville.
• Two other Falcons - Alex Bayer (San Diego Chargers) and Gabe Martin (Arizona Cardinals) - are on NFL practice squads.

Falcons On National TV This Season
• The Orange and Brown are currently scheduled to appear on National TV seven times this season, with every game expected to be broadcast to a national audience.
• The first two games of the season were on national TV, while the game at Purdue was on Big Ten Network.
• This week's game against Akron is scheduled to air on ESPN3.
• In addition, the season's final four regular season games are all expected to air nationally: Ohio (ESPN2), at Western Michigan (ESPN2/ESPNU), Toledo (ESPN2/ESPNU) and Ball State (ESPNU/ESPN3).

Head Coaches On The Rise
• During the month of June, Athlon Sports named several head coaches who were rising stars in the profession. In just his fourth season as a head coach, Dino Babers made the list.
• Babers is 27-13 in his three year career as a head coach, including an 8-6 record during his first season on the sideline at Bowling Green.
• Despite losing his starting quarterback in the season opener last year, the Falcons still managed to claim the MAC East Division and win the inaugural Camellia Bowl over South Alabama.

Falcon Tight Ends Having An Impact
• In Dino Babers' first season, Bowling Green's tight ends had just two catches.
• That has all changed in 2015, as the tight end has become an integral part of the Falcons' offense.
• BGSU's tight ends (Derek Lee, Chris Gallon, Hunter Folkertsma) have combined for 21 catches and three touchdowns.

Season Pacing
• Several members of the Bowling Green State University football are on pace to finish very high in the BGSU single-season record books at the end of the regular season:

Statistic	Player	Value / shy of 10th	Regular Season Pace / All-Time Record
Pass cmp.	Matt Johnson	190 / 47	380 / 373
Pass yds.	Matt Johnson	2,534 / 165	5,068 / 4,051
Pass TDs	Matt Johnson	19 / 1	38 / 41
Pass pct.	Matt Johnson	.691	.691 / .669
Catches	Roger Lewis	48 / 24	96 / 155
Rec. yds.	Roger Lewis	902 / 60	1,804 / 1,770
Rec. TDs	Roger Lewis	7 / 3	14 / 19

Tate Nearing 300 Career points
• Tyler Tate enters this weekend's game with 299 career points, one point shy of becoming the second player in school history with 300 career points.
• Current Pittsburgh Steeler Shaun Suisham owns the school reocrd with 361 career points.

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Jude Adjei-Barimah

Nilijah Ballew

Jacob Bennett

Ryan Burbrink

Fred Coppet

Gehrig Dieter

Logan Dietz

Hunter Folkertsma

Chris Gallon

Travis Greene

Alex Huettel

Ryan Hunter

Matt Johnson

Austin Labus

Derek Lee

Roger Lewis

Alfonso Mack

Gabe Martin

Tim McAuliffe

Ronnie Moore

James Sanford

Ben Steward

Tyler Tate

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