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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green Strives To Continue Winning Ways
December 20, 1999 | Football
Nov. 15, 1999
BGSU to conclude the 1999 campaign with a non-league contest against Central Florida. The 1 p.m. game will played at the Florida Citrus Bowl. The Falcons take a two-game winning streak into the contest.
THE SERIES: The Falcons will be facing off with the Golden Knights for only the third time with UCF having won both previous meetings. UCF took a 27-19 decision at home in 1996 and won 38-31 last season at Perry Stadium.
LAST WEEK: The Falcons used a strong running game and a stingy defense in the second half to post a 35-14 win over Ball State at Perry Stadium. Ball State moved 88 yards in eight plays with the first possession of the contest to take the early lead, but the Falcons tied the contest at the 5:04 mark of the first quarter after a long run by Joe Alls set up the score, an 11-yard run by Godfrey Lewis. A key point in the game came 2:46 later as Will Sullivan blocked a Ball State punt and Matt Bunsey picked up the ball at 24-yard line and took it to the end zone to put the Falcons ahead for good. The two teams traded second quarter touchdowns and Ball State missed a chance to tie or move closer just before halftime moving to the BG four-yard line before a sack moved them back and then they missed a 29-yard field goal. From there, the second half was all Falcons. The BG offense possessed the ball for 23:51 of the 30 minutes racking up 200 yards of total offense and running 45 plays. Ball State never got into BG territory in the second half and ran just 17 plays gaining a total of 74 yards. The Falcons scored in the third quarter on a 16-yard Andy Sahm to Kevin Steinke pass and in the final stanza on a 20-yard run with a fumble by defensive lineman Brandon Hicks. Tailback Joe Alls led the running game to a season high 293 yards with 155 yards, a career high, on 25 carries.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Falcons have enjoyed a great deal of success at home under head coach Gary Blackney posting a 33-10-1 mark, a 27-8-1 mark in MAC games. Despite a 15-10 mark in their last 25 games at home, BG has averaged 30.5 points (1341 pts.) at home over the last 44 contests while allowing just 18.5 points (815 pts.). In MAC play at home, BG has averaged 30.4 points (1095 pts.) and allowed an average of just 17.8 points (640 pts.). Over the last 17 seasons, BG has compiled a 65-18-4 (.770) record and in the 34 seasons Perry Stadium has been the home of Falcon football, BG has a 109-52-6 (.671) mark. BG has won eight of its last 10 home games.
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. This season BGSU scored 22 touchdowns and six field goals in their five home games to put the total at $2,500.
RECENT SUCCESS AT HOME: The Falcons have won eight of their last 10 home games and in the process have put some impressive offensive numbers on the board. BG has averaged 37.1 points per game over the 10 contests and have won the eight games by an average margin of 23.5 points per contest. In those 10 games, the Falcons have averaged 414.2 yards of total offense per game with an average of 236.1 coming on the ground. What follows is a breakdown of BG's key offensive statistics in its last 10 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 Toledo 447 145 24(9) 34(2) 34:28 Miami 429 187 28(10) 31(3) 36:17 C. Mich. 404 223 24(12) 31(2) 34:27 Ball State 345 293 21(15) 35(2) 34:21 TO - total offense, Rush - rushing yards, FD(R) - first downs (rushing first downs), Pts(RTD) - points (rushing touchdowns), TOP - time of possession.
Winningest Active Coaches
(Div. I-A, By Winning Percentage) 1. Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee) .851 (74-13) 2. Joe Paterno (Penn State) .792 (316-82-3) 3. Steve Spurrier (Florida) .788 (122-32-2) 4. Bobby Bowden (Florida St.) .778 (303-85-4) 5. R.C. Slocum (Texas A&M) .761 (101-31-2) 6. Dennis Erickson (Oregon St.) .735 (120-43-1) 7. Lavell Edwards (BYU) .728 (251-93-3) 8. John Robinson (UNLV) .717 (107-41-4) 9. Paul Pasqualoni (Syracuse) .696 (108-47-1) 10. John Cooper (Ohio State) .695 (184-79-6) 11. Bill Snyder (Kansas State) .681 (86-40-1) 12. Lou Holtz (South Carolina) .669 (216-105-7) 13. Dennis Franchione (TCU) .660 (125-64-2) 14. Fisher DeBerry (Air Force) .652 (126-67-1) 15. Jackie Sherrill (Miss. St.) .646 (162-88-4) 16. Gary Pinkel (Toledo) .629 (62-36-3) 17. Sonny Lubick (Colorado St.) .625 (75-45) 18. Nick Saban (Michigan State) .616 (42-26-1) 19. Don Nehlen (West Virginia) .609 (194-123-8) 20. Frank Beamer (Va. Tech) .607 (128-82-4) 21. Barry Alvarez (Wisconsin) .606 (69-44-4) 22. Joe Tiller (Purdue) .605 (63-41-1) 23. George O'Leary (Ga. Tech) .603 (35-23) 24. Ron McBride (Utah) .600 (69-46) 25. Ken Hatfield (Rice) .598 (144-96-4) 26. Dick Tomey (Arizona) .595 (153-103-7) 27. George Welsh (Virginia) .592 (182-125-4) 28. Randy Walker (Northw'n) .591 (62-42-5) 29. Gary Blackney (BGSU) .580 (57-41-2) (minimum five years as I-A head coach)
TEAM FAST FACTS: Bowling Green has 35 blocked kicks since 1991 (16 punts, nine field goals, 10 extra points)...BG has scored 13 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, two last season, and three this season (all punts), two in the Tennessee Tech game and the other against Ball State...BG is 8-1 in MAC openers under head coach Gary Blackney...the Falcons are 18-17-1 on the road under head coach Gary Blackney in MAC play...overall on the road during Blackney's tenure the Falcons are 22-31-2 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 4-16 mark in their last 20 MAC road games...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 21-33 overall record the last four-plus seasons after BG teams posted a record of 36-8-2 the previous four years...BG has held 21 of 36 MAC foes to two touchdowns or less at home since 1991, while in all MAC games, BG defensive units have held 39 of 72 league foes to two touchdowns or less...BG has a 579-355 edge in points off of turnovers over the last eight-plus seasons...BG has had fewer turnovers than its opponent in 49 of the 100 games played since 1991, and in only 33 of those contests have they committed more turnovers than their opponent...BG is 36-13 in the 49 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 21 games and has committed just one in 29 others...BG has lost more than one fumble only eight times in the last 85 games (a total of 46 lost fumbles in those 85 games)...BG has lost the ball via fumble in just 34 of their last 76 games...dating back to the beginning of last season, BG has scored on 70 of its last 80 possessions in the red zone (20-yard line or inside) with 54 of the 70 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.
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. The fivesome have started six games this season as a unit. 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. Lewis is second on the team this season with 470 yards (52.2/game) on 123 carries (3.8 avg.). He had his first 100-yard day of the season, and third of his career, with 124 yards on 31 carries in the Toledo contest. He has also become just the 25th player in school history to top 1,000 rushing yards for a career. He now has 1,223 yards in 19 career games to rank 16th on the all-time BG list.
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 made his only attempt in the Central Michigan game and he has hit 11-of-13 this season. Strasser has now hit 17 of his last 19 field goal tries, and 22 of his last 25. He has hit field goals from 43, 37, 35, 32, 31, 27 (2), 26, 22, 21, and 19 yards this season. He has missed from 45 and 43 yards. He is tied for 39th nationally averaging 1.10 field goals per game. He had his streak of 13 straight made field goals come to an end in the Toledo game when he missed from 45 yards. His streak fell one shy of the MAC record set in 1993-94 by former Falcon place-kicker Brian Leaver of 14 straight made field goals. He puts his name second on that list with another former BG player, John Spengler, third on the list making 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 59 points this season to lead the team. His 37 career field goals ranks fourth on the BG all-time list while his 209 career points ranks fourth on the all-time list, third among kickers.
QUITE A DEBUT: Red-shirt freshman Andy Sahm (Indianapolis, Ind./Chatard) made the most of an opportunity in the Toledo game earning his first career start and responding by passing for 302 yards hitting 20-of-30 tosses. Sahm, who had thrown only two passes this season and played in just two contests, was named the starter Friday night after the starter in the first four games of the season, junior Ricky Schneider, was late for a meeting. The plan going into the game was for Sahm to play the first series and then the coaching staff would go back to Schneider. But, Sahm played so well in the first series, he completed four-of-five passes for 33 yards, and in succeeding possessions (nine-of-10 in the first quarter for 95 yards) that the coaching staff decided to stay with him. He is the first BG quarterback to throw for 300 or more yards in a game since Ryan Henry late in the 1994 season while becoming only the fifth quarterback in school history to top the 300-yard passing barrier. His yardage total was the best by any quarterback in school history in their first career start. Sahm has completed 50.8% (65-of-128) of his passes for the season for 912 yards and six scores.
RECEIVERS CONTINUE TO PLAY WELL: Sophomore split end Robert Redd (Dayton, Ohio/Wayne) and sophomore flanker Kurt Gerling (Sterling Heights, Mich./Henry Ford) continue to give the Falcons one of the best combinations in the MAC. Redd became the first Bowling Green receiver to catch passes for 100 or more yards in three straight games with a 115-yard day against Miami after a 128-yard day against Toledo the week before, and a 126-yard game the previous week against Kent. In those three games, Redd had 22 receptions for 369 yards (123.0/game) and five touchdowns. Redd is second on the team with 39 receptions for 552 yards (14.2 avg.) and six touchdowns. His 36 points this season is second on the team to place-kicker Jason Strasser. He also leads the team averaging 91.4 all-purpose yards per game. He has a reception in every game this season in which he has played and 15 of the 16 games in his career. Gerling ran his string to 21 games in which he has a reception in a contest with one catch for 10 yards in the Ball State game. His nine-catch, 183-yard day against Akron earlier this season established career highs in both categories with his yardage total third on the all-time BG single-game list, just six yards shy of the school record. The MAC Freshman of the Year last season leads the team with 46 receptions for 656 yards (14.3 avg.) and five touchdowns. Gerling became the 19th player in school history to catch passes for 1,000 yards in the Akron game and now ranks 14th on the career list with 1,312 receiving yards. A third BG receiver, red-shirt sophomore Aaron Alexander (Kokomo, Ind.) had his break-out game with eight receptions, his career high, for 87 yards in the Miami contest, and he came back to catch seven passes for 105 yards, his career high, in the Akron game. Alexander and Gerling are only the fifth BG receiving combo to catch passes for 100 or more yards in a game with both topping the century mark in the Akron contest. Alexander had 12 receptions for 195 yards in his career prior to his performance in the Miami game. He has 34 catches for 457 yards (13.4 avg.) and one score this season, 26 of his receptions coming in the last five contests.
ALLS EMERGES: With strong performances in each of his last three games, red-shirt freshman Joe Alls (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson) has taken over the #1 spot at the tailback position. Alls rushed for a career high 155 yards on 25 carries in the win over Ball State which came after he had rushed for 134 yards on 29 carries in the win over Central Michigan in the previous contest. He also led the team with 91 yards on 11 carries in the loss at Ohio. He has run for 386 yards in the last three games (128.7 avg.) averaging 5.9 yards per carry with a pair of touchdowns. Alls had rushed for 125 yards (4.3 avg.) in the first seven games of the season.
INDIVIDUAL FAST FACTS: Red-shirt freshman Pat Fleming (Ottawa, Ontario/Earl of March) continues to give the Falcons a strong punting game in his first season as the starter...Fleming is averaging 40.5 yards per punt...sophomore free safety Chad Long (Clyde, Ohio) was credited with 11 tackles in the win over Ball State to lead the team...he also is the team leader for the season with 108 stops...senior middle linebacker Joe O'Neill (Twinsburg, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) had nine tackles in the Ball State game and is second with 85 this season...sophomore strong safety Sergio Lund (Palatine, Ill.) was also credited with nine tackles in the win last week, his third successive week with nine tackles since moving into the starting lineup...the Falcons have three players with 30 or more receptions the first time that has happened since 1994 and it is the first time since1977 that all three players are wide receivers...the Falcon defense has allowed just 96 yards rushing in the last two games (43 to Central Michigan and 53 to Ball State)...in the first eight games of the season, BG was allowing almost 188 yards per game on the ground.
BG PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Offense - Joe Alls (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson), Defense - Will Sullivan (Wichita, Kansas/Southeast H.S./Hutchinson C.C.) and Brandon Hicks (Fairborn, Ohio), Special Teams - Jason Strasser (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis), Scout Defense - Tom DeLuca (Norwalk, Ohio), Scout Offense - Elvin Shaw (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes).
BG PLAYERS AMONG MAC LEADERS: Receptions - 9. Kurt Gerling (4.6/game), Punt Returns - 10. Robert Redd (5.8 avg.), Punting - 5. Pat Fleming (40.5 avg.), Scoring (Kickers) - 5. Jason Strasser (5.9/game), Field Goals - t4. Jason Strasser (1.1/game).
BG PLAYERS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Field Goals - t-39. Jason Strasser (1.10/game)
CENTRAL FLORIDA NOTES: Head coach Mike Kruczek is in his second season having guided the Golden Knights to a 13-8 record...even though UCF lost record-setting quarterback Daunte Culpepper after last season, they continue to be one of the top passing teams in the country...junior Vic Penn has taken over at quarterback and ranks 12th in the nation in total offense averaging 288.7 yards per game while he has led the offense to a #16 national ranking in passing offense averaging 278.5 yards per game...Penn is coming off his best combined day running and passing as he had 208 yards passing (20-of-35) and 122 rushing (which included a 61-yard run) in their 39-14 win over Middle Tennessee State...he has completed 56.5% (216-of-382) of his passes this season for 2,496 yards and 13 touchdowns...he has thrown 10 interceptions, but just three in the last five games...he passed for 379 yards in their loss to Florida earlier this season and 374 yards in their loss to Auburn on Nov. 6...his favorite target is senior wide receiver Charles Lee who has 77 receptions for 1,025 yards and five scores...Lee is eighth in the nation in pass receptions (7.7/game) and 11th in yardage (102.5/game)...junior Tyson Hinshaw has 51 receptions, junior Kenny Clark has 48, and sophomore Tavirus Davis has 30 catches...the tailback tandem of juniors Terrance Williams (366 yds.) and Edward Mack (421 yds.) have combined to give the Golden Knights a solid running game...UCF has two red-shirt freshman starting on its offensive line...UCF is 23rd in the nation in total offense averaging 416.5 yards per game with 345 yards their lowest output of the season...on defense, UCF ranks 22nd in the nation against the run allowing only 114.0 yards per game...they are giving up an average of 262.9 yards through the air...junior strong safety Damian Demps leads the team with 68 tackles while sophomore tackle Josh McKibban has 53 stops and senior middle linebacker Deaubrey Devine has 52 tackles...UCF has recorded 25 sacks this season with 16 different players having a hand in at least one of those...UCF started the season playing four nationally-ranked teams (Purdue, Florida, Georgia Tech, Georgia)...since then they have won four of their last six games with the two losses to Auburn and Louisiana Tech...UCF is 14-2 in its last 16 home games with both those losses this season (Purdue, Louisiana Tech).
Compare The Teams
() - MAC Rank BGSU Total Offense: 352.2 (8) Rushing Offense: 148.9 (5) Passing Offense: 203.3 (6) Scoring Offense: 26.3 (6) Total Defense: 369.5 (5) Rushing Defense: 159.9 (5) Passing Defense: 209.6 (7) Scoring Defense: 28.2 (7) Turnover Margin: -0.80 (t-11) 3rd Down (Off.) - 60/158 (8) 3rd Down (Def.) - 48/143 (3) 4th Down (Off.) - 9/17 Avg. Time of Poss. - 31:43 (3) Kickoff Return - 18.1 (12) Punt Return - 8.5 (7) Net Punting - 35.3 (4)CENTRAL FLORIDA Total Offense: 416.5 Rushing Offense: 138.0 Passing Offense: 278.5 Scoring Offense: 24.7 Total Defense: 376.9 Rushing Defense: 114.0 Passing Defense: 262.9 Scoring Defense: 28.5 Turnover Margin: -0.30 3rd Down (Off.) - 60/154 3rd Down (Def.) - 57/144 Avg. Time of Poss. - 28:31 Kickoff Return - 20.7 Punt Return - 10.4 Net Punting - 33.1
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.) 82 Jason Dailey (6-7, 250, r-So.) 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 15 Andy Sahm (6-6, 220, r-Fr.) 13 C.J. Banks (6-3, 220, r-So.) FB 43 Brent Martin (6-1, 240, r-Sr.) 46 Eric Jones (5-11, 230, r-Sr.) TB 22 Joe Alls (5-10, 185, r-Fr.) 25 Godfrey Lewis (5-9, 190, So.)Defense (4-3) OLB 2 Khary Campbell (6-1, 210, r-So.) 28 Marcus Allen (6-0, 195, r-Fr.) E 90 Ryan Wingrove (6-3, 235, r-So.) 51 Larry Witherspoon (6-3, 230, r-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 44 D.J. Durkin (6-2, 240, r-Jr.) 88 D.J. Owchar (6-3, 265, r-Fr.) OLB 10 Garry Fisher (5-10, 210, r-So.) 33 Geno Burden (6-1, 205, r-Fr.) MLB 32 Joe O'Neill (6-2, 225, r-Sr.) 50 Chris Haneline (6-1, 215, r-Fr.) BC 24 Ken Dobbs (5-10, 170, Jr.) 38 Justin Turk (5-10, 190, r-Fr.) SS 9 Sergio Lund (6-0, 185, So.) 3 Karl Rose (6-0, 185, So.) FS 26 Chad Long (6-0, 185, r-So.) 34 Andre Davis (6-2, 185, Fr.) FC 8 Will Sullivan (5-10, 175, Sr.) 6 Emmanuel Hendrix (5-10, 180, Fr.)
Specialists PUNT 48 Pat Fleming (6-2, 190, r-Fr.) 11 Jason Strasser (6-3, 170, Sr.) PK 11 Jason Strasser (6-3, 170, Sr.) 89 Mike Knapp (5-9, 150, r-Fr.) HOLD 15 Andy Sahm (6-6, 220, 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.) 18 Matt Bunsey (5-9, 180, Jr.) PR 26 Chad Long (6-0, 195, r-So.) 18 Matt Bunsey (5-9, 180, Jr.)
