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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Football Begins Spring Practice Wednesday
March 21, 2000 | Football
March 21, 2000
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
SPRING PRACTICE BEGINS: The Bowling Green State University football team will begin preparations for the 2000 season with the start of spring drills on Wednesday (March 22). The team will also practice Friday and Saturday this week. In each of the following three weeks, the Falcons will practice on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. The practices will culminate with the Orange/White Game on Saturday, April 15 at 1 p.m. at Perry Stadium. The team will utilize the practice fields adjacent to the stadium, but will also use the Charles E. Perry Field House in the case of inclement weather.
A QUICK LOOK BACK: The Falcons are coming off a 5-6 campaign in 1999, having won the last three games of the season. BGSU ended the year with a pair of Mid-American Conference victories, over Central Michigan and Ball State, as well as a thrilling overtime win on the road vs. Central Florida to end the year. The Falcons finished the season with a 3-5 mark in conference play.
HEAD COACH GARY BLACKNEY: Gary Blackney (Connecticut `67) begins his 10th season, having produced some of the most productive years in school history during his tenure. The MAC and American Football Coaches Association Region 3 Coach of the the Year in both 1991 and 1992, Blackney has led the Falcon program to a sparkling 58-41-2 (.584) record during his tenure and an even better 45-25-2 (.639) mark in MAC play. He spent 24 years as an assistant coach at Connecticut (1967-69), Brown (1970-72), Rhode Island (1973-74), Wisconsin (1975-77), UCLA (1978-79), Syracuse (1980-83) and Ohio State (1984-90) before coming to BGSU. His 21 victories in his first two seasons were more than the program won in the five seasons prior to his arrival. His 58 victories rank him third on the BGSU list for wins. A Board of Trustee member for the American Football Coaches Association, the 29th-winningest active coach in Div. I-A ranks third on the NCAA list for the fastest start to a career with 11 wins in his first season, tied for third with 21 victories after two seasons, and ninth all-time with 36 wins in four seasons.
STAFF CHANGES: A number of new coaches join Blackney for his 10th season in BG. Former Ohio University head coach Tom Lichtenberg comes on board as the Falcons' offensive coordinator. He will also be in charge of the quarterbacks. Al Seamonson will serve as the special teams coordinator while also overseeing the linebackers. Other new additions include Brian Jenkins (runningbacks), Ron Hudson (offensive line coach [tackles and tight ends]) and Mike Ward (defensive line). The returnees include Tim Beckman, who will serve as defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator, as well as Dino Dawson (passing game coordinator/wide receivers) and Tim Banks (defensive backs). Blackney is expected to add one coach to complete his staff in the near future.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON OFFENSE: Bowling Green returns several skilled-position players, including sophomore quarterback Andy Sahm (Indianapolis, Ind./Chatard) and runningbacks Joe Alls (Sterling Hts., Mich./Stevenson), a sophomore, and juniors Godfrey Lewis (Toronto, Ontario/Michael Power), and John Gibson (Columbus, Ohio/Beechcroft). Junior wide receivers Kurt Gerling (Sterling Hts., Mich./Henry Ford) and Aaron Alexander (Kokomo, Ind.) also return. Sahm threw for 300 yards in his first collegiate start, a win over arch-rival Toledo, and started for much of the remainder of the campaign. Alls and Lewis combined for 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Gerling, the MAC's Freshman of the Year in 1998, had 53 catches for 775 yards last year, leading the team in both categories. He was named the team's Offensive MVP in 1999. Alexander came into his own last year, catching 35 balls and giving the Falcons yet another threat. Two question marks, according to Blackney, are fullback and tight end. "Those are very important positions in our offensive scheme. For us to have the kind of versatility we'd like, we have got to find somebody to line up at fullback and at tight end." Another spot where the Falcons suffered some losses is the offensive line. Seniors Rob Fehrman (Byesville, Ohio/Meadowbrook) and Eric Curl (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) return, but the other three starters must be replaced. Blackney is not as concerned about the line, however. "We've recruited well in those areas, and we have some players with experience that are ready to step up and take over those positions. Some of the players we have in the wings are more athletic, it's just a matter of game experience. I think, with the leadership of Curl and Fehrman, we have some guys that are just waiting to blossom." An interesting wrinkle in the Falcon offense could be senior Ricky Schneider (Amherst, Ohio/Steele). Schneider, who began last season as the starting quarterback, could be moved to an H-back position. "We're trying to expand Ricky's role," said Blackney. "We're talking about him being an H-back type of guy. Certainly, with the ability to throw the ball, he gives you another threat out there."
WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON DEFENSE: A plethora of returnees will compete for time on the defensive side of the ball. Linebacker Joe O'Neill is gone after a stellar career, but the bulk of the starters return in 2000. Senior Brandon Hicks (Fairborn, Ohio) and juniors Ryan Wingrove (Parkersburg, W.Va./South) and Malcolm Robinson (Fostoria, Ohio) return on the line, along with D.J. Durkin (Boardman, Ohio), who struggled with injuries for much of the season. Hicks, a noseguard who emerged as a team leader, shared BGSU Defensive MVP honors with O'Neill. Junior linebackers Khary Campbell (Toledo, Ohio/Sylvania Southview) and Garry Fisher (Columbus, Ohio/Briggs) are also back, while sophomores Chris Haneline (North Olmsted, Ohio/St. Ignatius) and Geno Burden (Cleveland Hts., Ohio) should compete for time at the 'backer spots. "I think our defensive front is going to be as talented as we've been in a long time," said Blackney. "If we can stay healthy at the linebacking position, we've got experience and athleticism there, too." A pair of junior safeties, Chad Long (Clyde, Ohio) and Karl Rose (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley) are back with another year of experience under their belts. "Chad Long and Karl Rose have played a lot of football here, and they're only going to be juniors," said the head coach. Blackney views the cornerback spots as the primary areas in need of improvement. "It's no secret that we've had trouble covering people. For us to be good on defense, we have to come out of spring ball with two corners that can cover people. That's been an Achilles heel for us for a long time. It's a tough position to play, and those guys are hard to find."
SPECIAL TEAMS: In the area of special teams, sophomore punter Pat Fleming (Ottawa, Ontario/Earl Of March) returns after a solid initial season, but placekicker Jason Strasser is gone after four years in the starting role. Strasser capped his senior season with an appearance in the East-West Shrine Bowl. Freshman Shaun Suisham (Wallaceburg, Ontario) could be Strasser's replacement. Suisham is enrolled in school for the spring semester and will practice with the team in spring ball. "Shaun is going to be a guy that will get a long look at kicker," said Blackney. "One advantage is that he's been in the program since January, so he will have been here for a while by the time we open the season."
ADDITIONAL KEYS TO THE SEASON: Coach Blackney lists several other factors as instrumental to his 2000 team's success. "One of the things that we did, offensively, in the early years was protect the football. We hurt ourselve a lot last year by not taking care of the ball.
"We also hurt ourselves on defense by not tackling very well. These are fundamental things that are correctable. On defense, we must tackle better, and on offense, we must hang on to the ball. When we made tackles and didn't turn the ball over, we were able to play with a good deal of success and respectability.
"Additionally, when we've been good, we've always been a very physical football team, both offensively and defensively. I would like our team to become more physical so that, when we come out of a game, no matter the score, the other team will say, `those guys come to play, and they play hard,' and they will know they were in a physical football game."
THE SCHEDULE: The Falcons open the season with a trip north, facing Michigan in Ann Arbor on Sept. 2. The following weekend, the Brown and Orange will host Pitt at Perry Stadium, before taking on another Big East Conference foe with a Sept. 16 trip to Philadelphia, Pa., to face Temple. The Mid-American Conference opener is set for the following Saturday (Sept. 23) at Buffalo. "Michigan will be a great challenge," said Blackney. "They will be as good as any team we've played in our non-conference schedule, and we've played as tough a non-conference schedule as any team in the MAC over the years. Then, we have two tough Big East opponents in Pitt and Temple.
"The approach I'm going to take with our team is that we've got two seasons. We have a three-game non-league schedule, and then we've got the real season. Whatever happens in those first three games, we have to be as good a team as we can possibly be when we open conference play at Buffalo, because that's what is really important. Let's face it, we would love to win any of those games on the front end of our schedule, but we can't judge ourselves by the outcome of the Michigan game. What is most important is how fast we come out of the blocks in our first three MAC games. We play Buffalo, Kent and Akron, and two of those are on the road. Those games are what will define our season.
"We don't want to lose that sense of electricity that surrounds our program right now. We've got to convey to our kids what's important, and what's important is winning our division and getting to that MAC Championship game."
