Bowling Green State University Athletics
Sept. 13 - Falcons To Begin MAC Play This Week
December 19, 1999 | Football
Sept. 13, 1999
Marshall University is the two-time defending league champion. The game will begin at 7 p.m. Bowling Green was the only team to hand the Thundering Herd a loss last season earning a 34-13 decision on Oct. 31.
THE SERIES: Bowling Green and Marshall will be meeting for the 24th time on Saturday since the first meeting in 1954, the first of 21 consecutive seasons in which the two programs played before it was discontinued. Bowling Green owns a 19-4 edge in the series which includes a 34-13 decision last season (Oct. 31) at Perry Stadium, the only loss the Thundering Herd suffered. Marshall won the last game played in Huntington by a 28-0 count in the 1997 season finale for the Falcons. That was the first meeting between the two programs since 1974. BG holds an 8-3 edge in series games played on the road, but Marshall has won three of the last four games played on their home turf. BG has a 4-1 edge in the series in games decided by three points or less and a 7-3 edge in games decided by seven points or less. Seven of the 11 games played in Huntington have been decided by a touchdown or less.
LAST WEEK: The Falcons got into the win column taking their home opener by a 40-15 count over Div. I-AA opponent Tennessee Tech blowing open a 14-6 game at halftime with a 23-point third quarter. The Falcons scored a pair of touchdowns in the opening quarter, but Tennessee Tech came back to notch a pair of field goals and were on the BG eight-yard line with eight seconds left only to turn the ball over on a fumble. The Falcons then blocked Tennessee Tech punts on their first two possessions of the second half turning them into 10 points, one of those returned for a touchdown. After a Tech field goal, the Falcons found themselves on the Tech 20-yard line after an interception and a recovered a "pooch" kickoff to score a pair of touchdowns just 1:34 apart late in the third quarter to take a commanding 37-9 lead. The Falcons had a 265-245 edge in total offense while Tech had an 18-16 edge in first downs. Joe Alls led the Falcons with 62 yards on the ground, 49 in the final quarter, while Ricky Schneider completed 12-of-17 passes for 143 yards. Robert Redd caught five of those tosses for 44 yards.
MAC OPENERS: Bowling Green has won its league opener every year that head coach Gary Blackney has been guiding the program. BG's eight-game winning streak in MAC openers includes a pair of wins on the road (1996 - 14-10 over Miami, 1994 - 45-0 over Akron) in the MAC opener. The last time BG dropped its MAC opener was 1990 when Central Michigan handed the Falcons a 17-0 loss in Mt. Pleasant. Half of the eight wins have come by 10 points or less. Since 1980, BG is 13-5 in MAC openers. In its eight-game winning streak in league openers, BG has outscored its MAC opposition by a combined 235-85.
OPTIMISM IS HIGH: With the return of 28 letterwinners, including 15 starters, the Falcon coaching staff and players are enthusiastically looking forward to the 1999 season. After four consecutive seasons under the .500 mark, many think the program will make a serious run at the MAC East Division title. The Falcons offensive unit returns eight starters and players with significant playing time during their careers at the other three spots. On defense, BG returns seven starters.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Falcons have enjoyed a great deal of success at home under head coach Gary Blackney posting a 30-9-1 mark, a 24-7-1 mark in MAC games. Despite a 12-9 mark in their last 21 games at home, BG has averaged 30.2 points (1210 pts.) at home over the last 40 contests while allowing just 18.1 points (726 pts.). In MAC play at home, BG has averaged 30.1 points (964 pts.) and allowed an average of just 17.2 points (551 pts.). Over the last 16-plus seasons, BG has compiled a 62-17-4 (.771) record and in the 33-plus seasons Perry Stadium has been the home of Falcon football, BG has a 106-51-6 (.669) mark. BG has won five of its last six contests at home
Winningest Active Coaches
(Div. I-A, By Winning Percentage) 1. Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee) .861 (68-11) 2. Joe Paterno (Penn State) .793 (310-80-3) 3. Steve Spurrier (Florida) .784 (115-31-2) 4. Bobby Bowden (Florida St.) .773 (294-85-4) 5. R.C. Slocum (Texas A&M) .768 (95-28-2) 6. John Robinson (UNLV) .745 (106-35-4) 7. Dennis Erickson (Oregon St.) .740 (115-40-1) 8. Lavell Edwards (BYU) .726 (244-91-3) 9. Paul Pasqualoni (Syracuse) .706 (104-43-1) 10. John Cooper (Ohio State) .700 (179-75-6) 11. Lou Holtz (South Carolina) .686 (216-97-7) 12. Bill Snyder (Kansas State) .665 (78-39-1) 13. Dennis Franchione (TCU) .658 (120-62-2) 14. Fisher DeBerry (Air Force) .653 (121-64-1) 15. Jackie Sherrill (Miss. St.) .640 (156-87-4) 16. Gary Pinkel (Toledo) .636 (57-32-3) 17. Sonny Lubick (Colorado St.) .632 (72-42) 18. Randy Walker (Northw'n) .619 (60-36-5) 19. Don Nehlen (West Virginia) .618 (192-117-8) 20. Joe Tiller (Purdue) .613 (59-37-1) 21. Ken Hatfield (Rice) .600 (139-92-4) 22. Gary Blackney (BGSU) .598 (54-36-2) (minimum five years as I-A head coach)
DON'T BEAT YOURSELF: One of the areas head coach Gary Blackney has stressed since coming to the program in 1991 is don't beat yourself with turnovers. In 1996, the Falcons set an NCAA record losing just one fumble all season. Bowling Green has lost just 24 fumbles in the last 34 games, and just 26 fumbles in the last 38 games dating back to the end of the 1995 season. Since the start of the 1993 season, BG has lost the ball by fumble in just 29 of the 68 games. Over that period, BG has run 4,875 plays and returned 371 kicks while losing the ball just 37 times. BG was 12th in the nation in turnover margin (+1.00) in 1996.
SPECIAL TEAMS WERE JUST THAT IN THE WIN: Bowling Green's special teams played a key role in the win over Tennessee Tech scoring one touchdown and setting up the offense deep in Golden Eagle territory two other times which were converted into 10 more points. The Falcons added to their blocked kick total with a pair of blocked punts, one of which was picked up and run in for a touchdown, while the other yielded a field goal after setting up the offense at the Tech 15-yard line. The blocks came on consecutive Tech possessions to start the second half with the Falcon scores giving them some breathing room after enjoying only a 14-6 lead at halftime. The special teams also set up the offense deep in Tech territory recovering a "pooch" kickoff at the 20-yard line which four plays later was turned into seven points and a 37-9 lead. Bowling Green now has 34 blocked kicks since 1991 (15 punts, nine field goals, 10 extra points). BG has scored 12 touchdowns and recorded two safeties as a direct result of the kick block or on its ensuing possession. BG had seven kick blocks in 1991, six in 1992 and 1993, four in 1994, one in 1995, six in 1996, one in 1997, and two last season. The two in the Tennessee Tech game were the first this season.
RECENT SUCCESS AT HOME: The Falcons have won five of their last six home games and in the process have put some impressive numbers on the board. BG has averaged 40 points per game over the six contests and have won the five games by an average margin of over 26 points per contest. In those six games, the Falcons have averaged 419.5 yards of total offense per game with an average of 252.2 coming on the ground. Below is a breakdown of BG's key offensive statistics in its last six home games.
Offensive At Home Opp TO Rush FD(R) Pts(RTD) TOP C. Florida 304 162 20(10) 31(1) 31:02 Ohio 474 278 24(14) 35(3) 35:41 Kent 502 424 27(23) 42(6) 34:41 Marshall 414 181 26(14) 34(2) 38:23 Akron 558 371 30(23) 58(7) 35:53 Tenn. Tech 265 97 16(6) 40(2) 31:30 TO - total offense, Rush - rushing yards, FD(R) - first downs (rushing first downs), Pts(RTD) - points (rushing touchdowns), TOP - time of possession.
FALCON DEFENSE HAS STOOD TALL: The Falcon defensive unit was not expected to be the strength of the team, but if the first two games are any indication, the unit could be one of the best in the MAC. After two games, they have allowed just 29 first downs, 144 rushing yards (72.0 avg./game) on 67 carries (2.1 avg./carry), 160.5 passing yards per game, and just 232.5 yards of total offense per game. Opponents have converted less than 30% of their third-down tries against the unit. the longest scoring drive they have allowed was a 74-yard drive by Tennessee Tech with seven of the nine scoring drives they have allowed of 49 yards or less.
TEAM FAST FACTS: BG is a perfect 8-0 in MAC openers under head coach Gary Blackney...the Falcons are 18-12-1 on the road under head coach Gary Blackney in MAC play...overall on the road during Blackney's tenure the Falcons are 22-27-2 and they have a 4-13 mark in non-league road contests with the wins coming against Temple (1995), Cincinnati (1994), Navy (1994), and Missouri (1995)...after compiling a 14-1-1 mark on the road in conference play between 1991 and 1994, BG has struggled to a 3-12 mark in their last 15 MAC road games...BG put an end to a six-game MAC road losing streak and a nine-game overall road losing skid with its win in the 1998 season finale against Northern Illinois...BG has posted a 6-3 mark against non-league schools at home during the tenure of head coach Gary Blackney...the Falcons have posted an 18-28 overall record the last four-plus seasons after BG teams posted a record of 36-8-2 the previous four years...BG has held 19 of 32 MAC foes to two touchdowns or less at home since 1991, while in all MAC games, BG defensive units have held 36 of 64 league foes to two touchdowns or less...BG has a 562-321 edge in points off of turnovers over the last eight-plus seasons...BG has had fewer turnovers than its opponent in 47 of the 92 games played since 1991, and in only 29 of those contests have they committed more turnovers than their opponent...BG is 34-13 in the 47 games in which they have had fewer turnovers than the opposition since 1991...over the last eight-plus seasons, BG has not had a turnover in 19 games and has committed just one in 27 others...BG has lost more than one fumble only seven times in the last 77 games (a total of 40 lost fumbles in those 77 games)...BG has held 24 of its last 35 opponents to fewer rushing yards than what they came into the game averaging...the Falcons topped the 2,000-yard barrier in rushing in 1998 becoming only the third team since 1980 to do that...dating back to the beginning of last season, BG has scored on 44 of its last 50 possessions in the red zone (20-yard line or inside) with 35 of the 44 conversions touchdowns.
OFFENSIVE LINE IS THE CORNERSTONE: One of the most experienced offensive lines in Div. I-A this season will be the cornerstone of the team. Senior center Doug Dorley (Normal, Ill./Normal H.S./Southern Illinois), senior right tackle Chad McCarthy (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic), senior left guard Mark Kautzman (Bainbridge, Ohio/Kenston), junior right guard Eric Curl (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson), and junior left tackle Rob Fehrman (Byesville, Ohio/Meadowbrook) comprise the fivesome which should be one of the best in the country. The group started all 11 games last season as a unit with McCarthy the most experienced with 32 career starts before this season. They started a total of 104 games among the five before this season, the third-highest total in the country behind only Buffalo (113 starts among its returning starting linemen) and Wisconsin (108). The right side of the line, Kautzman and Fehrman, have started the last 25 games side-by-side. Dorley is joined by sophomore flanker Kurt Gerling as the only returning All-MAC players. Dorley was an honorable mention selection last season. Obviously, the line played a large role in the Falcons enjoying their best season in more than 20 years running the ball last season. Senior Kevin Steinke (Wausau, Wis./Everest) moves into the starting role at tight end having played in all 33 games in his career before this season while starting eight times.
LEWIS ONE OF 38 ON WALKER LIST: Sophomore tailback Godfrey Lewis (Toronto, Ontario/Michael Power) is one of 38 Div. I-A running backs being considered for the Doak Walker Award. Lewis is one of four backs from the Mid-American Conference on the list and one of only three sophomores. The award is presented annually to the nation's premier running back for his accomplishments on the field, achievement in the classroom, and citizenship in the community. Eight semifinalists will be named by the 182 people on the selection committee in late November with the winner announced Dec. 9 on the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN2. Lewis led the team last season with 753 yards on 163 carries, both freshman records at BGSU.
ON THE MARK: Senior place-kicker Jason Strasser (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis) was fourth in the nation last season in field goal accuracy converting 11-of-12 attempts for a 91.7 percentage and he has picked up this season where he left off in 1998. Strasser converted both attempts in the Tennessee Tech game and he has hit all three this season. Strasser has now hit each of his last nine field goal tries and 14 of his last 15. He has hit field goals from 43, 35 and 19 yards this season. He is tied for 16th nationally averaging 1.50 field goals per game.
ALLS MAKES HIS PRESENCE FELT: Red-shirt freshman Joe Alls (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson) earned the first extensive playing time of his career in the Tennessee Tech game and had a major impact. Alls led the team with 62 rushing yards on 13 carries from the tailback position, nine of those carries for 49 yards in the fourth quarter. Alls scored his first career touchdown to get the Falcons on their way to the win with a five-yard run midway through the first quarter. He also blocked a Tech punt early in the third quarter which was picked by a teammate and run in for a touchdown. Alls also returns kickoffs. He had three carries for 15 yards and returned three kickoffs in the season opener at Pittsburgh for 49 yards.
INDIVIDUAL FAST FACTS: Sophomore wide receiver Robert Redd (Dayton, Ohio/Wayne) equalled his career-high with five receptions in the win over Tennessee Tech which were good for 44 yards...he is tied for the team lead with nine receptions while also topping the squad in kickoff returns with a 21.3 average...he also leads the team with 171 all-purpose yards...sophomore wide receiver Kurt Gerling (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford) had two receptions in the Tennessee Tech game and now has at least one catch in each of the 13 games in his career...he is tied with Redd for the team lead with nine receptions...sophomore tailback Godfrey Lewis (Toronto, Ontario/Michael Power), sophomore middle linebacker Khary Campbell (Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Southview), and junior offensive guard Eric Curl (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson), all starters, did not play in the Tennessee Tech game but are expected to be back in the lineup for the game this week against Marshall...sophomore Mike Bodnar (Boardman, Ohio) earned his first career start in place of Curl while red-shirt freshman Geno Burden (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) earned his first career start at outside linebacker in the Tennessee Tech game...senior cornerback Will Sullivan (Wichita, Kansas/Southeast H.S./Hutchinson C.C.) and red-shirt freshman Chris Haneline (North Olmsted, Ohio/St. Ignatius) each had interceptions deep in Tennessee Tech territory which led to Falcon touchdowns...the two "picks" are half the total the team had all of last season...red-shirt freshman quarterback Andy Sahm (Indianapolis, Ind./Chatard) earned his first playing time directing two fourth-quarter possessions completing one of his two passes...senior co-captain Brent Martin (Upper Arlington, Ohio) scored on a 20-yard pass play from Ricky Schneider and on a one-yard run just 1:34 apart late in the third quarter to put the game away for the Falcons...freshman defensive back Emmanuel Hendrix (Pahokee, Fla.) was in the right place at the right time in the third quarter picking up a blocked punt at the five-yard and running the rest of the way for a touchdown...red-shirt freshman Marcus Allen (Columbus, Ohio/Beechcroft) was credited with a punt block in the third quarter which led to a Falcon field goal...sophomore strong safety Chad Long (Clyde, Ohio) led the Falcons with 12 tackles in the win over Tennessee Tech...he leads the team with 21 stops in the first two games...sophomore Chris Hubbard (Detroit, Mich./Chadsey) was credited with eight tackles...BG recorded four sacks in the game and had six other tackles for a loss in the contest.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Offense - Robert Redd (Dayton, Ohio/Wayne) and Joe Alls (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson), Defense - Chad Long (Clyde, Ohio), Special Teams - Jason Strasser (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis), Scout Offense - Jeremee Butts (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior) and Chris Smiley (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Harding), Scout Defense - Mike Malone (Portsmouth, Ohio).
BG PLAYERS AMONG MAC LEADERS: Passing - 6. Ricky Schneider (158.5/game), Total Offense - 7. Ricky Schneider (159.5/game), Passing Efficiency - 7. Ricky Schneider (123.1), Receptions - t-7. Kurt Gerling (4.50/game) and Robert Redd (4.50/game), Receiving Yards - 9. Kurt Gerling (61.5/game), Interceptions - t-3. Chris Haneline (0.50/game) and Will Sullivan (0.50/game), Kickoff Returns - 9. Robert Redd (21.3 avg.), Punting - 2. Pat Fleming (44.7 avg.), Scoring - t-6. Jason Strasser (7.0/game), Scoring (Kickers) - t-1. Jason Strasser (7.0/game), Field Goals - 1. Jason Strasser (1.50/game).
BG PLAYERS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Field Goals - t16. Jason Strasser (1.50/game).
BG TEAM AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Total Defense - t16. (232.5 yards/game), Rushing Defense - 26. (72.0 yards/game), Passing Efficiency Defense - 35. (102.79).
MARSHALL NOTES: The Thundering Herd have started the season with two wins defeating Clemson on the road by a 13-10 count and Liberty last week at home by a 63-3 score...Marshall has won 25 consecutive home games since losing in the 1995 Div. I-AA championship game to Montana, the second-longest streak in Div. I-A...Marshall has a 70-4 record at Marshall Stadium...the Thundering Herd tied the NCAA record for most wins in a decade (103) with their victory over Liberty...head coach Bob Pruett is in his fourth season with his teams having posted a 39-4 record...the Marshall offense revolves around senior quarterback Chad Pennington who was 23-of-31 for 279 yards and four touchdowns in their win over Liberty...his four scoring passes increased his total to 67 since they've been in the MAC moving him past Bowling Green's Brian McClure (he had 63) at the top of the list...Pennington, who has passed for 10,714 yards while completing 62.2% of his passes for his career, has completed almost 70% of his passes this season (52-of-75, 69.3%) for 612 yards and four scores while throwing three interceptions...he is 12th in the nation in total offense (298.0/game)...his favorite targets are slot Nate Poole and wide receiver James Williams...Poole has 11 receptions for 93 yards and Williams 10 for 110 yards...12 different players had receptions in their win over Liberty...Williams had a 93-yard kickoff return for a score in the win over Liberty and is fourth in the country averaging 39.5 yards per return...senior Doug Chapman carries a bulk of the rushing load...he has 115 yards on 26 carries in the first two games...the first-team All-MAC selection last season has 19 career 100-yard games...Marshall has three returning starters on the offensive line led by all-conference players Mike Guilliams and Jason Starkey...Marshall is eighth in the country in passing offense and 20th in total offense...Marshall returns 10 of 11 starters on defense, a unit which ranked second in the MAC in total defense and first against the run last season...the unit is led by senior John Grace who equalled his career high with 18 tackles in the win over Clemson...Grace leads the team with 21 tackles...Marshall also has two of the three players who earned first-team all-conference honors a year ago in the secondary in senior Rogers Beckett and junior Danny Derricott...junior tackle Girardie Mercer was also a first-team All-MAC selection a year ago...in the first two games of the season, the Marshall defense has held the opposition to just a 25% conversion rate on third down...the Marshall defense ranks tied for eighth nationally in scoring defense, 24th in total defense, 28th in passing efficiency defense, and 37th against the run...Marshall has been flagged 23 times in the first two games of the season, 17 of those in the game at Clemson...Marshall is 25th in the country this week in the ESPN/USA Today poll and 26th in the AP poll.
NEXT WEEK: The Falcons stay on the road in Mid-American Conference play traveling to Kent for a Sept. 25 game at Dix Stadium. The contest will begin at 6 p.m.
Compare The Teams
() - MAC Rank BGSU Total Offense: 300.0 (7) Rushing Offense: 129.0 (6) Passing Offense: 171.0 (6) Scoring Offense: 25.0 (4) Total Defense: 232.5 (1) Rushing Defense: 72.0 (1) Passing Defense: 160.5 (5) Scoring Defense: 22.5 (3) Turnover Margin: -1.00 (9) 3rd Down (Off.) - 13/32 (6) 3rd Down (Def.) - 8/27 (4) 4th Down (Off.) - 3/5 Avg. Time of Poss. - 33:52 (2) Kickoff Return - 19.6 (9) Punt Return - 10.6 (5) Net Punting - 26.9 (12)MARSHALL Total Offense: 461.0 (2) Rushing Offense: 125.5 (7) Passing Offense: 335.5 (2) Scoring Offense: 38.0 (1) Total Defense: 256.0 (2) Rushing Defense: 102.5 (2) Passing Defense: 153.5 (4) Scoring Defense: 6.5 (1) Turnover Margin: +0.50 (t-4) 3rd Down (Off.) - 13/29 (2) 3rd Down (Def.) - 7/28 (2) Avg. Time of Poss. - 31:46 (3) Kickoff Return - 39.5 (1) Punt Return - 11.0 (3) Net Punting - 38.0 (1)
Bowling Green Two Deep
Offense (Pro I) LT 79 Rob Fehrman (6-7, 300, r-Jr.) 78 Dennis Wendel (6-7, 275, r-Fr.) LG 73 Mark Kautzman (6-5, 305, Sr.) 68 Mike Bodnar (6-3, 290, r-So.) C 60 Doug Dorley (6-4, 290, r-Sr.) 72 Jon Mazur (6-2, 280, r-Fr.) RG 63 Eric Curl (6-2, 280, r-Jr.) 66 Greg Kupke (6-3, 255, r-Fr.) RT 62 Chad McCarthy (6-4, 280, r-Sr.) 71 Matt Tyla (6-2, 275, r-Jr.) TE 87 Kevin Steinke (6-4, 250, Sr.) 86 Ross Durham (6-6, 245, r-Fr.) FL 4 Kurt Gerling (6-2, 195, r-So.) 18 Matt Bunsey (5-9. 180, Jr.) SE 5 Robert Redd (5-10, 195, So.) 12 Aaron Alexander (6-0, 195, r-So.) QB 1 Ricky Schneider (6-3, 210, r-Jr.) 15 Andy Sahm (6-6, 200, r-Fr.) FB 43 Brent Martin (6-1, 240, r-Sr.) 40 Eric Clark (5-10, 240, So.) 46 Eric Jones (5-11, 230, r-Sr.) TB 25 Godfrey Lewis (5-9, 190, So.) 27 John Gibson (5-10, 215, r-So.) 22 Joe Alls (5-10, 185, r-Fr.)Defense (4-3) OLB 10 Garry Fisher (5-10, 210, r-So.) 33 Geno Burden (6-1, 205, r-Fr.) E 90 Ryan Wingrove (6-3, 235, r-So.) 57 Casey Williams (6-1, 240, r-So.) NG 92 Brandon Hicks (6-2, 250, Jr.) 88 D.J. Owchar (6-3, 265, r-Fr.) T 97 Malcolm Robinson (6-4, 290, r-So.) 58 Rodney Dawson (6-3, 260, r-Jr.) E 44 D.J. Durkin (6-2, 240, r-Jr.) 51 Larry Witherspoon (6-3, 230, r-Fr.) OLB 32 Joe O'Neill (6-2, 225, r-Sr.) 50 Chris Haneline (6-1, 215, r-Fr.) MLB 2 Khary Campbell (6-1, 210, r-So.) 28 Marcus Allen (6-0, 195, r-Fr.) BC 8 Will Sullivan (5-10, 175, Sr.) 38 Justin Turk (5-10, 190, r-Fr.) SS 26 Chad Long (6-0, 195, r-So.) 9 Sergio Lund (6-0, 185, So.) FS 3 Karl Rose (6-0, 185, So.) 34 Andre Davis (6-2, 185, Fr.) FC 19 Chris Hubbard (5-7, 175, r-So.) 24 Ken Dobbs (5-10, 170, Jr.)
Specialists PUNT 48 Patrick Fleming (6-2, 190, r-Fr.) 1 Ricky Schneider (6-3, 210, r-Jr.) PK 11 Jason Strasser (6-3, 170, Sr.) 89 Mike Knapp (5-9, 150, r-Fr.) HOLD 15 Andy Sahm (6-6, 200, r-Fr.) 18 Matt Bunsey (5-9. 180, Jr.) LS 99 Ryan Diepenbrock (6-2, 215, r-Jr.) 87 Kevin Steinke (6-4, 250, Sr.) KOR 22 Joe Alls (5-10, 185, r-Fr.) 5 Robert Redd (5-10, 195, So.) PR 5 Robert Redd (5-10, 195, So.) 26 Chad Long (6-0, 195, r-So.)
