Bowling Green State University Athletics
Sept. 27 - BGSU Football Returns Home To Host Rival Toledo
December 19, 1999 | Football
Sept. 27, 1999
The Saturday contest will begin at 7 p.m. at Perry Stadium, only the fifth night game in stadium history. Fans are urged to get their tickets before the game with less than 2,000 reserved seat tickets still available. General admission tickets are also still available for the contest.
COME EARLY: Fans are urged to come early for the game this weekend against Toledo in order to enjoy the usual tailgating and some additional activities for everyone. The band the Homewreckers will perform prior to game beginning at 4 p.m. at the practice football fields just east of the stadium. There is also a Kid Zone with inflatable activities for the children, a flyover before the game, and a fireworks display following the contest.
THE SERIES: The battle for Northwest Ohio bragging rights and the Peace Pipe Award will take place Saturday for the 64th time. Bowling Green holds a 33-26-4 edge in the series. The Falcons are looking to break a four-game losing streak in the series, their longest in the history of the series. The two programs have split the last 14 meetings with the home team coming out victorious in 10 of those contests. Each team owns two wins on the road over the last 14 games, Bowling Green at Toledo in in 1992 and 1994 and Toledo at Bowling Green the last two times they have come to Perry Stadium in 1995 and 1997. Bowling Green has a 17-10-1 edge at home in the series, but the Rockets have won the last two meetings scoring 35 points in both contests. UT's wins in its its last two trips to Bowling Green broke a five-game winning streak at home for the Falcons. The losing team has scored 16 points in four of the last five overall meetings and has averaged just 10.5 points over the last 19 meetings. Seven of the last 10 games have been decided by eight points or less. There have been 11 shutouts in the series with five of those belonging to Bowling Green, including the last one, a 21-0 decision in 1985. BG has won five of the eight series games decided by three points or less and nine of the 19 decided by a touchdown or less.
LAST WEEK: The Falcons dug to deep a hole in the first quarter and could never recover in dropping a 41-27 decision on the road at Kent. Before many of the fans were in their seats, the Golden Flashes had built a 14-0 lead on an 11-play, 80-yard opening drive of the contest and a 19-yard fumble return for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff. The two scores gave KSU a 14-0 lead at the 10:53 mark of the opening stanza. Kent sandwiched a field goal and another touchdown around BG's opening points of the game to take a 24-6 lead after one quarter and they increased that to 31-6 with a scoring drive in the first five minutes of the second quarter. BG recovered a fumble late in the first quarter at the Kent six-yard line, but an interception in the end zone ended the threat which could have pulled BG within three points. BG scored with just 12 seconds left in the first half to cut the deficit to 31-14 knowing they would also get the kickoff to start the second half. But, they could not move the ball on their first possession and Kent drove 53 yards in six plays to paydirt to build a 38-14 lead. The Falcons would get a pair of scoring passes in the last 17 minutes of the game, but the final score would be as close as they would get. Sophomore split end Robert Redd had eight receptions, a career high, for 126 yards and three touchdowns. Junior quarterback Ricky Schneider completed 22-of-49 passes, both career highs, for 271 yards and four touchdowns, also a career high. Sophomore Godfrey Lewis led the Falcons with 72 yards on the ground.
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) .852 (69-12) 2. Joe Paterno (Penn State) .796 (312-80-3) 3. Steve Spurrier (Florida) .787 (117-31-2) 4. Bobby Bowden (Florida St.) .774 (296-85-4) 5. R.C. Slocum (Texas A&M) .772 (97-28-2) 6. Dennis Erickson (Oregon St.) .742 (116-40-1) 7. John Robinson (UNLV) .735 (106-37-4) 8. Lavell Edwards (BYU) .725 (245-92-3) 9. Paul Pasqualoni (Syracuse) .703 (105-44-1) 10. John Cooper (Ohio State) .702 (181-75-6) 11. Lou Holtz (South Carolina) .682 (216-99-7) 12. Bill Snyder (Kansas State) .671 (80-39-1) 13. Dennis Franchione (TCU) .659 (121-62-2) 14. Fisher DeBerry (Air Force) .652 (122-65-1) 15. Gary Pinkel (Toledo) .644 (59-32-3) 16. Jackie Sherrill (Miss. St.) .643 (158-87-4) 17. Sonny Lubick (Colorado St.) .626 (72-43) 18. Joe Tiller (Purdue) .621 (61-37-1) 19. Randy Walker (Northw'n) .617 (61-37-5) 20. Don Nehlen (West Virginia) .614 (192-119-8) 21. Nick Saban (Michigan State) .611 (38-24-1) 22. Ron McBride (Utah) .601 (65-43) 23. Ken Hatfield (Rice) .599 (140-93-4) 24. Frank Beamer (Va. Tech) .596 (122-82-4) 25. George Welsh (Virginia) .593 (179-122-4) 26. Gary Blackney (BGSU) .585 (54-38-2) (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 25 fumbles in the last 36 games, and just 27 fumbles in the last 40 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 30 of the 70 games. Over that period, BG has run 5,025 plays and returned 388 kicks while losing the ball just 38 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.
A HELPING HAND: The Bowling Green football team and the athletic department have joined forces with the Fifth Third Bank in Bowling Green to assist the United Way of Wood County. The bank has agreed to donate $100 for each touchdown the Falcons score at their five home games this season and $50 for each field goal. In the home opener against Tennessee Tech, BGSU scored five touchdowns and had a pair of field goals to put the total at $600 after one game.
NIGHT GAME HISTORY: The Toledo game will be the fifth night game in the history of Perry Stadium with the Falcons having split the previous contests. The first night game was played in 1989 with Akron taking a 38-24 decision from the Falcons. BG then defeated Eastern Michigan (1990, 25-15) and Western Michigan (1992, 29-19). The last night contest was played on Aug. 31, 1995 and Louisiana Tech earned a 28-21 decision over the Falcons.
TEAM FAST FACTS: BG is 8-1 in MAC openers under head coach Gary Blackney...the Falcons are 18-14-1 on the road under head coach Gary Blackney in MAC play...overall on the road during Blackney's tenure the Falcons are 22-29-2 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 3-14 mark in their last 17 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 18-30 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 66 league foes to two touchdowns or less...BG has a 565-338 edge in points off of turnovers over the last eight-plus seasons...BG has had fewer turnovers than its opponent in 47 of the 94 games played since 1991, and in only 30 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 79 games (a total of 41 lost fumbles in those 79 games)...BG has held 24 of its last 37 opponents to fewer rushing yards than what they came into the game averaging...dating back to the beginning of last season, BG has scored on 50 of its last 58 possessions in the red zone (20-yard line or inside) with 38 of the 50 conversions touchdowns...for the second successive year, Bowling Green was recognized by the American Football Coaches Association for its high graduation rate...the Falcon program was one of 26 programs in Div. I-A from across the country with a 70% or higher rate for the 1993-94 freshman class...the 24 points scored by Kent in the first quarter of their win Saturday were the most allowed by a Falcon team in a quarter since West Virginia scored 24 in the opening quarter of the Sept. 3, 1988 contest...the 24 points by Kent were the most against a BG team in a quarter by an MAC team since Central Michigan scored 28 in the second quarter of the Oct. 30, 1976 game.
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, had started the last 26 games side-by-side until Kautzman was sidelined for the Kent game with an injury. 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 all three attempts in the Marshall game and he has hit all six this season. Strasser has now hit each of his last 12 field goal tries, and 17 of his last 18. He has hit field goals from 43, 37, 35, 31, 21, and 19 yards this season. He is tied for 19th nationally averaging 1.50 field goals per game. He is now within reach of the MAC record for consecutive field goals set in 1993-94 by former Falcon place-kicker Brian Leaver of 14 straight made field goals. His present run of 12 in a row ties him for second on that list with another former BG player, John Spengler, who hit 12 straight in 1979-80. His three field goals in the Marshall game equalled his career high set first in the 1997 game vs. Louisiana Tech. He joins eight other Falcon kickers who have hit three field goals in a game, which is third on the BG single-game list. Strasser has scored 25 of BG's 93 points this season. His 32 career field goals ranks fifth on the BG all-time list just one behind Don Taylor (1972-75) who sits in the #4 spot.
INDIVIDUAL FAST FACTS: Sophomore split end Robert Redd (Dayton, Ohio/Wayne) had a career high eight receptions in the loss to Kent for 126 yards and three touchdowns...his three touchdown receptions were the most by a BG player since Shawn Potts had three against Kent on Oct. 30, 1982...Redd leads the team with 20 catches (12.7 avg. per catch) and his 24 points are second to kicker Jason Strasser's 25 points...Redd also leads the team in all-purpose yards with 438 in the four games...he had 197 all-purpose yards in the Kent contest...junior quarterback Ricky Schneider (Amherst, Ohio/Steele) set career highs with 22 completions and 49 attempts in the Kent game...his four scoring tosses were also a career high, but he did throw three interceptions, also the most in his career...he threw for 271 yards which is just shy of his best of 293 against Marshall in 1997...sophomore strong safety Chad Long (Clyde, Ohio) continues to lead the team in tackles...he led the team with 13 stops in the Kent game and now has 50 for the season...he has led the team in tackles in each of the four games this season...red-shirt freshman Marcus Allen (Columbus, Ohio/Beechcroft) earned his second successive start this season in the Kent game and responded with a career-best 11 tackles...he had three stops in his first start against Marshall...sophomore flanker Kurt Gerling (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford) had five catches in the Kent game extending his pass-catching streak to 15 games...BG's defense had nine tackles for a loss in the Kent game and one sack.
BG PLAYERS AMONG MAC LEADERS: Passing - 5. Ricky Schneider (191.8/game), Total Offense - 6. Ricky Schneider (187.5/game), Passing Efficiency - 6. Ricky Schneider (106.5), Receptions - 7. Robert Redd (5.0 /game), 10. Kurt Gerling (4.25/game), Receiving Yards - 8. Robert Redd (63.5/game), All Purpose Yards - 8. Robert Redd (109.5/game), Punt Returns - 10. Robert Redd (5.6 avg.), Kickoff Returns - 9. Steve Holmes (20.6 avg.), Punting - 3. Pat Fleming (42.1 avg.), Scoring - 8. Jason Strasser (6.3/game), Scoring (Kickers) - 4. Jason Strasser (6.3/game), Field Goals - t-2. Jason Strasser (1.50/game).
BG PLAYERS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Field Goals - t19. Jason Strasser (1.50/game), Punting - 31. Pat Fleming (42.1)
BG TEAM AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Total Defense - 42. (331.0 yards/game), Rushing Defense - 49. (130.8 yards/game).
TOLEDO FACTS: Rocket head coach Gary Pinkel is in his ninth season with his teams having compiled a 59-32-3 record...the Rockets are coming off a 24-3 win over Massachusetts at home on Saturday evening...UT piled up 242 of its 307 yards in the game on the ground as junior tailback Chester Taylor had 140 yards on 24 carries and junior tailback Will Bratton added 76 yards on 16 carries...each had a scoring run in the game...Taylor leads the team with 296 yards (5.4 avg.), which ranks him 38th in the nation, in their three games...Bratton has 169 yards (3.5 avg.) in the three contests...Toledo ranks 29th in the nation in rushing offense...junior quarterback Dan Cole has completed 50% of his passes (37-of-74) for 261 yards with one scoring pass and two interceptions...their top two receivers, running back Lyle Green and h-back Mel Long, are averaging less than 10 yards per reception...Green has 11 catches for 93 yards (8.5 avg.) while Long has 10 receptions for 49 yards (4.9 avg.)...seniors Colin Westrich (tackle) and Mike Bilik (tight end) are the top players on the offensive line...Westrich was a first-team All-MAC selection last season...defensively, senior inside linebacker Jason Lamar leads the team with 31 tackles...he was a first-team All-MAC selection a year ago...junior end DeJuan Goulde has 25 stops as does junior inside linebacker Kevin Rollins...the Rockets ranks nationally in total defense (29th), scoring defense (26th), and turnover margin (tied for 18th) Toledo won its only MAC game to date posting a 23-10 win on the road at Ball State on Sept. 18.
NEXT WEEK: The Falcons stay at home hosting Miami in another key Mid-American Conference game which will also be the annual Homecoming Day contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Compare The Teams
() - MAC Rank BGSU Total Offense: 298.3 (9) Rushing Offense: 100.3 (10) Passing Offense: 198.0 (5) Scoring Offense: 23.3 (5) Total Defense: 331.0 (3) Rushing Defense: 130.8 (2) Passing Defense: 200.3 (9) Scoring Defense: 30.3 (7) Turnover Margin: -1.25 (13) 3rd Down (Off.) - 24/67 (8) 3rd Down (Def.) - 19/57 (5) 4th Down (Off.) - 4/8 Avg. Time of Poss. - 30:47 (5) Kickoff Return - 17.2 (11) Punt Return - 8.8 (4) Net Punting - 34.9 (8)TOLEDO Total Offense: 295.0 (10) Rushing Offense: 188.3 (2) Passing Offense: 107.3 (12) Scoring Offense: 19.7 (8) Total Defense: 306.7 (2) Rushing Defense: 158.3 (7) Passing Defense: 148.3 (3) Scoring Defense: 16.0 (2) Turnover Margin: +1.00 (1) 3rd Down (Off.) - 23/52 (2) 3rd Down (Def.) - 16/44 (7) Avg. Time of Poss. - 31:19 (2) Kickoff Return - 24.2 (3) Punt Return - 5.4 (13) Net Punting - 33.9 (9)
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 63 Eric Curl (6-2, 280, r-Jr.) 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 66 Greg Kupke (6-3, 255, r-Fr.) 68 Mike Bodnar (6-3, 290, r-So.) 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.) 22 Joe Alls (5-10, 185, r-Fr.) 27 John Gibson (5-10, 215, r-So.)Defense (4-3) OLB 33 Geno Burden (6-1, 205, r-Fr.) 10 Garry Fisher (5-10, 210, r-So.) E 90 Ryan Wingrove (6-3, 235, r-So.) 91 Jim Williams (6-5, 240, Fr.) NG 92 Brandon Hicks (6-2, 250, Jr.) 93 Alex Glantzis (6-4, 250, Fr.) T 97 Malcolm Robinson (6-4, 290, r-So.) 58 Rodney Dawson (6-3, 260, r-Jr.) E 51 Larry Witherspoon (6-3, 230, r-Fr.) 57 Casey Williams (6-1, 240, r-So.) OLB 32 Joe O'Neill (6-2, 225, r-Sr.) 50 Chris Haneline (6-1, 215, r-Fr.) MLB 28 Marcus Allen (6-0, 195, r-Fr.) 49 Chris Della Vella (6-1, 225, r-So.) BC 8 Will Sullivan (5-10, 175, Sr.) 6 Emmanuel Hendrix (5-10, 180, 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.) or 34 Andre Davis (6-2, 185, Fr.) FC 19 Chris Hubbard (5-7, 175, r-So.) 38 Justin Turk (5-10, 190, r-Fr.)
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.) 36 Steve Holmes (5-9, 180, Sr.) PR 5 Robert Redd (5-10, 195, So.) 26 Chad Long (6-0, 195, r-So.)
