Falcons Set To Battle NIU For Third Straight Season In MAC Championship

Bowling Green Falcons (9-3, 7-1 MAC)
vs.
Northern Illinois Huskies (8-4, 6-2 MAC)

GAME INFORMATION	Friday, Dec. 4, 8:00 pm
LOCATION	Detroit, Mich. (Ford Field)
TELEVISION	ESPN2 (Dave Flemming, Mack Brown, Allison Williams)
RADIO	Falcon Radio Network (Todd Walker, John Gibson)
TICKETS	BGSUFalcons.com
FAN BUS INFO	BGSUFalcons.com
FOLLOW ONLINE	BGSUFalcons.com
GAME NOTES	BGSU \| NIU \| MAC
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL	BGSUFalcons.com

Falcons Set To Battle NIU For Third Straight Season In MAC Championship
The Bowling Green State University football program will make their third straight appearance in the Mid-American Conference Championship Game on Friday night (Dec. 4) at 8:00 pm. The Falcons, who are the first team since Marshall (1997-2002) to win the MAC East Division three straight seasons, will square off against the Northern Illinois Huskies for the third consecutive season. The Huskies, who won the MAC West Division by virtue of winning the four-team tiebreaker with Toledo, WMU and CMU, are making their sixth straight appearance in the championship game. Friday night's matchup will serve as the rubbermatch between the two schools in the MAC Championship, as BGSU was victorious in 2013 before falling to NIU in 2014.

A Win Against Northern Illinois Would...
• Improve Bowling Green's record to 10-3 on the season. The Falcons last won 10 games in a season in 2013 and have done so just twice since the 1992 season.
• Mark the Falcons second Mid-American Conference Championship Game win in school history. Bowling Green has won 11 MAC Championships in school history.
• Be just the third time since the 1993 season that BGSU has finished a season with at least 10 wins.
• Improve head coach Dino Babers' career record to 37-16 overall and 18-9 in his second season at Bowling Green.

Falcon Facts From the Win At Ball State
• BGSU finished the regular season at 9-3 overall and 7-1 in the Mid-American Conference. The nine wins marks just the fifth time since 1995 that the Falcons have won at least nine games in a season.
• Hunter Folkertsma caught his second touchdown pass of the season to open the scoring.
• With his touchdown pass in the third quarter to Gehrig Dieter, Matt Johnson tied the school and Mid-American Conference record for touchdown passes in a single season with his 41st.
• Fred Coppet rushed for 109 yards in Tuesday night's win. It was his second 100-yard game of the season and the fourth of his career.
• Travis Greene rushed for 97 yards in the game, surpassing 1,000 yards rushing for the season. He is just the second player in school history, joining Paul Miles, to rush for 1,000 yards in multiple seasons.
• The 48-10 win at Ball State marked the Falcons sixth true road win of the season, tying a school-record for most road wins in a single season.
• Gehrig Dieter caught 11 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. It was his third double-digit catch effort of the season, and the second straight week he has done so after catching 13 passes against Toledo last week.
• The Falcons had three interceptions in the first half, coming from Alfonso Mack (5), Dernard Turner (4) and Eilar Hardy (2).

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 36-16 and has won a championship in all four seasons thus far.
• Babers has impressed in his Bowling Green tenure to date, compiling a record of 17-9 in just his second season. The Falcons have won the MAC East Division in each of Babers' two seasons at BGSU.
• During his second season, the Falcons have had two wins over Big Ten Conference programs, seven straight wins from late September through the middle of November, and clinched their third straight MAC East Division title.
• The Falcons went 2-2 through one of the nation's toughest nonconference schedules this season, defeating Maryland and Purdue on the road. Babers has compiled an impressive 3-1 record against Big Ten opponents in two years at BGSU - defeating Indiana, Maryland and Purdue.
• 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.

Falcons In The MAC Championship Game
• Bowling Green will make their fourth appearance in the MAC Championship Game when they take the field opposite of Northern Illinois on Friday night.
• The Falcons have played Northern Illinois in each of the past two seasons, winning in 2013 before dropping the 2014 matchup.
• In 2003, BGSU won the MAC West and hosted Miami in the MAC Championship Game, dropping a 49-27 contest to Ben Roethlisberger and the RedHawks.

Three In A ROW! Falcons Are MAC East Champs Again
• For the third consecutive season, Bowling Green is Mid-American Conference East Division champions and will play in the MAC Championship Game on Dec. 4 inside of Ford Field.
• BGSU, with their 7-1 MAC record, clinched the division with a 41-27 road victory at Western Michigan on Nov. 11.

The Ziggy Warriors Are Road Warriors
• With their 48-10 win at Ball State, the Falcons are now 6-0 on the road this season.
• Bowling Green is the only team in the country to have six road victories this season. The Falcons' game in Nashville against Tennessee was a neutral site game.
• Bowling Green is one of just 10 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision to not have suffered a road loss so far this season. Joining BGSU is Alabama, Clemson, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Toledo and Wisconsin.
• The Falcons' six road wins are tied for most in school history for a single season. All of the seasons in school history with five or more road victories are listed below:
• 6 (2015)
• 6 (1985)
• 5 (1991...a sixth came in California Raisin Bowl at Fresno State)
• 5 (1964)
• 5 (1994)
• 5 (2008)

Lighting Up The Scoreboard
• Bowling Green has scored 530 points in 12 games this season, averaging 44.2 points per game.
• The 44.2 points per game are fourth-best in the country and tops in the Mid-American Conference.
• The 530 points are the second-most ever scored in a season, despite this being BGSU's 96th season of football.
• So far through 12 games this season, Bowling Green has scored 40 points in eight games and at least 50 points three times.
• The most 40-point games in a season came in 2004, when the Falcons did so nine times. The school record for 50-point performances in the same season was four, which the 2004 team did.

Senior Class One Of Best In School History
• Bowling Green's senior class has been one of the best in school history, totaling 35 wins to date. If the Falcons can win their final two games of the season, the 2015 senior class will be the winningest in school history. The current senior class is third all-time with 35 wins heading into Friday night's MAC Championship against NIU.
37 • 2001-04
36 • 1991-94
35 • 2012-15
34 • 1982-85
32 • 1959-62
32 • 1961-64

Lewis Nominated For Broyles Award
• Bowling Green State University Co-Offensive Coordinator Sean Lewis has been nominated for the 2015 Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.
• Lewis, who coaches the quarterbacks for the Falcons, has led one of the most dynamic offenses in the country to date.
• BGSU is third in total offense, fourth in scoring offense, third in passing offense, second in first downs offense, first in third down conversion percentage, and fifth in completion percentage.
• In his first year working with the quarterbacks, the Falcons' Matt Johnson has passed for a school-record 4,465 yards and 41 touchdowns. His 41 TD passes are tied for most in Mid-American Conference history, while his 4,465 yards are second most in MAC history.

Bowling Greene: Falcons Have New Rushing King
• With his carry in the first quarter against Toledo on Nov. 17, Travis Greene set Bowling Green's new record for most rushing yards in a career. He surpassed Dave Preston (1973-76) on the all-time list.
• 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. As his senior season winds down, Greene is chasing several milestones in the Orange and Brown in 2015, including:
• Owns the all-time career rushing record with 3,589 yards
• Could become just the second Falcon player ever, behind Paul Miles, to lead Bowling Green in rushing in three consecutive seasons
• Enters the game against Northern Illinois with 18 career 100-yard rushing games...the school record is 20 held by Dave Preston.

Greene Surpasses 1,000 Yards In 2015
• Travis Greene rushed for 97 yards in the win at Ball State, surpassing 1,000 yards for the 2015 season. Greene has 12 rushing touchdowns on the season.
• He became just the 13th player in school history to record a 1,000-yard season.
• Greene also had over 1,000 yards in 2013, when he set a school record with 1,594 yards on the season. With Greene surpassing 1,000 yards, he joined Paul Miles as just the second player in school history to have multiple 1,000 yard seasons in a career.

Greene Chasing Even More Records
• What is possibly more impressive than Greene setting the all-time career rushing mark is that he has done so in such an efficient manner.
• Greene is tied for second in school history averaging 5.6 yards per rush in his career. He trails just Fred Durig (1950-52) on that record list. Durig averaged 5.7 yards per carry in his career.
• The Carol City, Fla. native also has 35 career rushing touchdowns which is third in school history. He is behind just Dave Preston (1973-76, 39 TD) and Josh Harris (2000-03, 43 TD) on the career record list.

Falcon Rushing Attack Explodes At Ball State
• Bowling Green exploded for a season-high 337 rushing yards in the regular season finale at Ball State. The Falcons had two backs over 100 yards for the first time this season. It was the fifth time this year the Falcons have had more than 200 yards rushing in a game, going 5-0 in those games.

Johnson Sets BGSU Single-Season Passing Record
• Quarterback Matt Johnson (Harrisburg, Pa.) became Bowling Green's new leader for most passing yards in a single season on Nov. 17 against Toledo. He has passed for 4,465 yards through 12 games this season, surpassing Tyler Sheehan's (2009) previous mark of 4,051 yards. Johnson is the third player in school history to pass for over 4,000 yards in a season.
• Against Ball State, Johnson tied the school and MAC record for most touchdown passes in a season with his 41st of the year. He owns a 41-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2015.
• Johnson has reached new heights under head coach Dino Babers. After leading the Falcons to a MAC Championship in 2013, Johnson missed all but one game in 2014 due to injury.
• 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 six games this season.
• Johnson also started the season by passing for 300 yards-or-more in the first nine games, also a school record.

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 500 offensive yards in 11 games this season, and have done so 17 times in 26 games under Babers.
• The Bowling Green offense ranks inside the top five in several national categories including: 3rd in total offense (566.0), 3rd in passing offense (387.8), 4th in scoring offense (44.2), 1st in third down conversion pct. (.519), 2nd in first downs offense (349), 5th in completion percentage (.685) and 6th in team pass efficiency (167.41).
• The Falcons offense leads the Mid-American Conference in scoring offense, total offense, passing offense, pass efficiency offense, first downs, third down conversions, and fewest turnovers lost.
• So far in 2015, BGSU has totaled over 600 yards of offense in three games.

Lewis One Of the Nation's Top Receivers
• Wide receiver Roger Lewis was named a semifinalist for the prestigious Biletnikoff Award this season. Despite leading the nation in receiving yards when the finalists were announced on Nov. 24, Lewis was not one of them.
• Lewis, who was one of 10 semifinalists for the award given to the nation's most outstanding pass catcher, has caught 76 passes for 1,401 yards. He has caught 14 touchdown passes this season.
• A true sophomore, the Pickerington, Ohio native has recorded 100 yards in a game six times, while three of those performances have gone for more than 200 yards.
• Lewis went over 200 yards three times in the first five games of this season, going for 200 at Maryland, 261 against Memphis and 201 at Buffalo.
• He recorded 100 yards receiving in five MAC games.
• Lewis is second in the nation in receiving yards, third in receiving touchdowns, and fourth in receiving yards per game this season entering Friday's MAC Championship Game. Lewis has done all of that despite being just fifth in the MAC, and 21st nationally, with 6.3 catches per game.
• After just 26 career games, Lewis has 2,494 career receiving yards - fifth all-time in school history. Last season he was first team All-MAC as a freshman after catching 73 passes for 1,093 yards and seven TDs.

We Want Moore, We Want Moore
• Junior wide receiver Ronnie Moore reached 2,000 career recieving yards in the Nov. 17 loss against Toledo.
• Moore becomes the third active Falcon with 2,000-or-more receiving yards in a career. He caught three passes for 52 yards in the regular season finale against Ball State, and now has 146 career catches for 2,055 yards.
• Moore is the 16th player to reach 2,000 career receiving yards in school history.
• A native of Sanford, Fla., Moore has caught a pass in all 12 games this season and has a reception in 28 straight games dating back to the 2013 MAC Championship. This season, Moore has caught 62 passes for 818 yards and five touchdowns.

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.
• The Falcons' have 185 offensive line career starts on the roster, second-most in FBS football. Alex Huettel (53), Jacob Bennett (40), Logan Dietz (38), Tim McAuliffe (25), Ben Steward (15), Ryan Hunter (12), and Austin Labus (2) make up the 185.
• 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.
• For 2015, Co-Offensive Coordinator Mike Lynch has started an internal competition among linemen. Lynch, who coaches the offensive line along with Tom Freeman, has tracked pancakes each week.
• After 12 games, left guard Ryan Hunter leads the Falcons with 89 pancakes. He has the highest total in a single game this season, when he totaled 17 pancakes against Kent State.
• Both Alex Huettel (53) and Jacob Bennett (40) have impressive streaks for consecutive games started entering the MAC Championship on Friday night.

Babers Announces Captains For Remainder Of Season
• Head coach Dino Babers announced six individuals who will serve the Falcons as captains for the remainder of the season following the MAC East-clinching win at Western Michigan.
• Matt Johnson, Travis Greene, and Alex Huettel will serve as captains on the offense. Zach Colvin and Dernard Turner were named defensive captains, while James Sanford was picked as special teams captain.

Huettel Has Started 53 Straight
• Redshirt senior Alex Huettel (Pickerington, Ohio) started his 50th consecutive game against Ohio earlier this season.
• Huettel, who has made more consecutive starts than any other player in school history, has started every game during his illustrious Falcon career.
• A two-time All-MAC performer at left guard, Huettel's 53 straight starts ranks third in the nation behind a pair of players from MAC foe Northern Illinois:
54 – Aidan Conlon/Andrew Ness, NIU
53 – Alex Huettel, Bowling Green

Falcons Have Been Beasts Of The East
• With their dominating 62-24 victory over Ohio, Bowling Green finished 5-0 against teams from the MAC East Division and has now gone undefeated against division foes in each of the last three seasons.
• Since the start of the 2012 season, Bowling Green has a combined record of 21-1 against foes from the MAC's East Division.
• More impressively, the Falcons have won 17 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-to-back MAC East Championships and will play in their third consecutive MAC Championship Game on Friday night against NIU.

Win The Turnover Battle, Win The Game
• Bowling Green is 8-0 when winning the turnover battle this season. The Falcons have won the turnover battle in seven of the last eight games.
• In Tuesday night's win at Ball State, Bowling Green had a +3 turnover differential. The Falcons lead the MAC this season with a +11 turnover margin.

Falcons Finishing When It Matters
• Bowling Green is 7-0 when leading after the third quarter in 2015. Additionally, the Falcons have pulled out two wins when tied after three quarters -- both on the road at Big Ten stadiums. Tied, 20-20, at Maryland on Sept. 12 heading into the fourth quarter, Bowling Green scored 28 of the final 35 points to cruise to a 48-27 victory. On Sept. 26 at Purdue, tied at 21-21, BGSU scored 14 points in the fourth to win by a touchdown.

Trio Of Falcon Receivers Are Streaking
• Three Bowling Green receivers have caught a pass in at least 26 consecutive games.
• Ronnie Moore leads the trio with a reception in 28 straight games - every game since the 2013 MAC Championship Game. Moore had three catches for 52 yards in the win at Ball State.
• Sure-handed Ryan Burbrink has a reception in 27 consecutive games. He extended his streak with three receptions in the regular season finale at Ball State.
• Roger Lewis has caught a pass in all 26 career games to date. He had four catches for 59 yards in the 48-10 triumph at Ball State on Nov. 24 to extend the streak.

Davidson, Mack Garner Academic Honors
• Two standout student-athletes on the BGSU football team garnered CoSIDA Academic All-District honors for their efforts both on-and-off the football field.
• Punter Joseph Davidson (Findlay, Ohio), who holds a 3.95 grade point average in mathematics, earned the honor in part to his MAC-leading 45.5 yard average.
• Cornerback Alfonso Mack (South Bend, Ind.) also received recognition. A 3.96 GPA student in psychology, Mack is leading the team with five interceptions for the Orange and Brown. Mack has started the last 10 games.

Historic Four Year Stretch At BGSU
• With their eighth win of the season at Western Michigan, Bowling Green has now won eight-or-more games in four consecutive seasons for just the second time in school history. The Falcons enter Friday night with nine wins this season.
• The Falcons started this stretch with an 8-5 record in 2012. They followed that up with a 10 win season in 2013 and an eight win year in 2014. Now, with two games left in this season, BGSU sits at 9-3 overall.
• The only other time in the Falcons' 96-year history that BGSU has won eight-or-more games in four consecutive years came from 2001-04 when the Falcons went 8-3 (2001), 9-3 (2002), 11-3 (2003) and 9-3 (2004).

Falcons Feature Opportunistic Defense
• Thanks in part to Bowling Green's opportunistic defense, the Falcons lead the Mid-American Conference in turnover margin. The Falcons have forced 22 turnovers and committed just 11 through 12 games.
• BGSU has 17 interceptions on the season - second most in the MAC and eighth-best in the country.
• Eight Falcons have combined for BGSU's 17 interceptions this season, led by Alfonso Mack's five picks.
• Dernard Turner (4), Eilar Hardy (2) and Austin Valdez (2) join Mack as Falcons with multiple interceptions this season.

Tate Winding Down Historical Career
• Tyler Tate is winding down a historical career for the Orange and Brown. Tate, a redshirt senior from Carroll, Ohio, currently sits first or second in most major kicking categories.
• Tate is second in school history for career points with 345, PATs made with 177, and PATs attempted with 187. Tate's 345 career points are just 16 shy of Shaun Suisham's school record of 361 career points.
• Tate has made 68 extra points this season, second-most all-time for a single season. Suisham also owns that record with 69 makes. Tate's 72 attempts are most in school history for a single season.
• Last season, Tate's 23 field goals made were a school-record, and his 56 career field goals made are a school record.

Trending Towards 100
• In the first season of Dino Babers' #FalconFast offense at Bowling Green, the Falcons had 11 receiving and nine rushing performances of 100-or-more yards. The 11 receiving games tied a school record for most in a season, while the nine rushing efforts was just two shy of the school record.
• This season, the Falcons have already had 11 such receiving games and seven 100-yard rushing games to date.

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