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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Football Game Notes For Michigan
August 25, 2000 | Football
Aug. 25, 2000
Complete Release in PDF Format
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Bowling Green at #4 Michigan
12:10 p.m. Saturday, September 2
Michigan Stadium (107,501)
Series Record: First Meeting
Radio: WBVI-FM (96.7)
TV: WTVG-13, ESPN Regional
2000 SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time 9/2 at Michigan (ESPN Regional) 12:10 p.m. 9/9 PITTSBURGH (ESPN Plus) Noon 9/16 at Temple (ESPN Plus) 6 p.m. 9/23 at Buffalo (HTTV, Buffalo) 7 p.m. 9/30 at Kent State 6 p.m. 10/7 AKRON 1:30 p.m. 10/14 at Miami 2 p.m. 10/21 E. MICHIGAN 7 p.m. 11/4 MARSHALL (ESPN Plus) 1:30 p.m. 11/11 OHIO 1:30 p.m. 11/22 at Toledo (ESPN 2) 6:30 p.m.
FALCONS BEGIN 82ND GRIDIRON CAMPAIGN
Bowling Green State University begins its 82nd season of competition in football. The Falcons have captured 14 league titles since 1919, including 10 in the Mid-American Conference. Overall, BGSU is 420-277-52 (.595) in 81 seasons.
BLACKNEY ENTERS 10TH SEASON
BGSU head coach Gary Blackney starts his 10th season of guiding the Falcons. He is 58-41-2 overall and 45-25-2 against MAC foes. He earned MAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the orange and brown to league titles and bowl victories in 1991 and 1992. Blackney is a member of the American Football Coaches Association Board of Trustees. He and Toledo coach Gary Pinkel have the longest tenure among MAC coaches as they enter their 10th season at their respective schools.
(1991 - 11-1 - California Raisin Bowl Champions) (1992 - 10-2 - Las Vegas Bowl Champions) (1993 - 6-3-2 - Third Place in the MAC) (1994 - 9-2 - Second Place in the MAC) (1995 - 5-6 - Sixth Place in the MAC) (1996 - 4-7 - Tied for sixth in the MAC) (1997 - 3-8 - Tied for fourth in MAC East) (1998 - 5-6 - Tied for third in MAC East) (1999 - 5-6 - Fifth Place in MAC East)
Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year (1991, 1992) AFCA Region 3 Coach of the Year (1991, 1992) Football News National Coach of the Year Finalist (1991) TD Club of Columbus Award of Distinction (1991) Ohio Collegiate Coach of the Year (1992) Member of Board of Trustees - AFCA (1996)
FALCON FOCUS
The Falcons were picked to finish fifth in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. The winner of the MAC Championship game (Dec. 2 at Huntington, WV) will earn a berth in the Motor City Bowl at the Silverdome, Dec. 27. The MAC champion will play a representative from Conference USA. BGSU returns 14 starters (5 on offense, 9 on defense) and 42 lettermen.
MAC VS. THE BIG 10
The Falcons battle with the Wolverines is one of 10 games this year pitting MAC members against the Big 10. Other games include Western Michigan at Wisconsin, Northern Illinois at Northwestern (8/31), Central Michigan at Purdue, Toledo at Penn State (9/2), Kent State at Purdue, Marshall at Michigan State, Western Michigan at Iowa, Ohio at Minnesota (9/9), Miami at Ohio State (9/16).
LARGEST CROWD LIKELY TO SEE FALCONS
The Falcons expect to play in front of the largest crowd to watch a BGSU football game. The current record is 94,808 set in 1992 at Ohio State. The Wolverines have led the nation in attendance 25 of the last 26 years and boast a streak of 154 games with at least 100,000 fans at home.
SIX GAMES TO BE TELEVISED THIS YEAR
The Falcons will play on live television six times this season. ESPN Regional will televise the Michigan game, ESPN Plus will pick up home games against Pittsburgh and Marshall, HTTV in New York will televise the conference opener against Buffalo, while ESPN2 will give the Falcons their first national TV appearance since 1992 when they play Thanksgiving Eve at Toledo. BGSU last performed in front of a national audience in the 1992 Las Vegas Bowl, when they defeated Nevada, 35-34.
NEW FACES ON THE COACHING STAFF
Blackney welcomes a number of new coaches to the Falcon fold for his 10th season. Former Ohio University head coach Tom Lichtenberg comes on board as the 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 Jim Bridge (tight ends/offensive line), Brian Jenkins (running backs), Ron Hudson (offensive line) and former BGSU strength and conditioning coach 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).
RETURNING LETTERMEN/1999 STARTSOffense (17 returning, 5 starters) TE: Ross Durham (2), Dennis Wendel (1), Jason Dailey LT: ROB FEHRMAN (11) C: ERIC CURL (9 at RG), Jon Mazur, Matt Tyla RG: Greg Kupke (3), Mike Bodnar (1) RT: MALCOLM ROBINSON (11 at DT) SE: Aaron Alexander (1) FL: KURT GERLING (11) QB: ANDY SAHM (7), Ricky Schneider (4) FB: John Gibson (1) TB: GODFREY LEWIS (5), Joe Alls (3)
Defense (22 returning, 9 starters) DE: RYAN WINGROVE (11), Casey Williams, Alex Glantzis DT: Rodney Dawson (1) NG: BRANDON HICKS (11), D.J. Owchar DE: D.J. DURKIN (7), James Williams (2) OLB: KHARY CAMPBELL (7), Jarrad Phillips OLB: GARRY FISHER (6), Geno Burden (2) MLB: Marcus Allen (3), Chris Haneline (2), Chris Della Vella CB: KEN DOBBS (2), Andre Davis (2) CB: KARL ROSE (6), Emmanuel Hendrix (4) SS: CHAD LONG (11), FS: Sergio Lund (4), Jerry Wagner (1)
Specialists: Returning: 3, Lost: 1 P: PAT FLEMING (11) H: ANDY SAHM (11) LS: RYAN DIEPENBROCK (11)
Letterwinners Returning: 42, Lost: 15
Starters in all CAPS.
BGSU AND THE MAC PRESEASON POLL
East Division
Team (1st place votes) 1999 Record Points Marshall (45) 13-0, 8-0 403 Akron (7) 7-4, 5-3 310 Miami (4) 7-4, 6-2 305 Ohio (5) 5-6, 5-3 281 Bowling Green 5-6, 3-5 188 Kent State 2-9, 2-6 126 Buffalo 0-11, 0-8 111
West Division
Team (first place votes) 1999 Record Points Toledo (45) 6-5, 5-3 408 Western Michigan (13) 7-5, 6-2 328 Northern Illinois (3) 5-6, 5-3 293 Central Michigan 4-7, 3-5 240 Eastern Michigan 4-7, 4-4 214 Ball State 0-11, 0-8 154
MAC Championship Game Winner: Marshall (34), Toledo (15), Western Michigan (5), Ohio (3), Akron (2), Miami (2).
FALCONS IN THE MAC IN 1999
Team Scoring Offense 5th, 26.9 Scoring Defense 6th, 28.4 Pass Offense 6th, 200.8 Pass Defense 8th, 224.5 Rushing Offense 5th, 150.5 Rushing Defense 4th, 149.9 Total Offense 8th, 351.3 Total Defense 6th, 374.5 4th Down Conversions 1st, 63.6
Individual (Returnees) Rushing Joe Alls, 9th, 53.8 Receptions Kurt Gerling, 9th, 4.82 Receiving Yards Gerling, 9th, 70.5 Pass Efficiency Andy Sahm, 6th, 122.0 Punting Pat Fleming, 5th, 40.3 Tackles Chad Long, 11th, 10.11999 MAC HONOREES (Returnees)
All-Conference Second Team Rob Fehrman, OL
Academic Honor Roll
Eric Curl 3.37, Education/ Social Studies Ryan Diepenbrock 3.45, Biology Ken Dobbs 3.16, Business Administration Rob Fehrman 3.07, Comm. Disorders Pat Fleming 3.25, Education/Sport Management Andy Sahm 3.00, Technology/Architecture Ricky Schneider 3.11, Interpersonal Communication
Players of the Week
POSITION CHANGES
Malcolm Robinson moved to right offensive tackle after starting 11 games at defensive tackle in 1999.
Jeremee Butts has moved from quarterback to tight end.
Beau Carmon has moved from tight end to right tackle.
SEASON OPENERS UNDER BLACKNEY
This year's opener at Michigan marks the eighth straight year the Coach Blackney has guided the Falcons on the road in their season opener.
1991 Eastern Michigan, W, 17-6 1992 Western Michigan, W, 29-19 1993 at Virginia Tech, L, 33-16 1994 at N. Carolina State, L, 15-10 1995 at Louisiana Tech, L, 28-21 1996 at Alabama, L, 21-7 1997 at Louisiana Tech, L, 30-23 1998 at Missouri, L, 37-0 1999 at Pittsburgh, L, 30-10
OFFENSE: The Falcons appear to be in good shape at quarterback, where a pair of players have starting experience. Sophomore Andy Sahm started the last seven games of 1999, and heads into the fall as the number-one signal-caller. In his first career start, Sahm ripped arch-rival Toledo for 302 yards in the air as BG posted a 34-23 win, earning MAC Player of the Week honors. For the year, Sahm completed 77 of 152 passes for 1,088 yards, tossed seven touchdowns and was only picked off three times.
Senior Ricky Schneider also returns, and Schneider is not your typical backup. He has started several games in each of the last three years, and made four starts a year ago. Schneider completed 22 passes for 271 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in the Kent game last September, and totalled 11 TD throws on the season.
1999 Quarterback Statistics
Player Att/C/Int. Pct. TD Yds. Avg. Eff. Sahm 152/77/3 50.7 7 1088 108.8 122.03 Schneider 181/95/9 52.5 11 1121 160.1 114.62
When the Falcon quarterback - be it Sahm or Schneider - takes the snap and turns to make the handoff, there will be no shortage of capable backs waiting to carry the ball. Sophomore Joe Alls and juniors Godfrey Lewis, John Gibson and Eric Clark all possess talent and experience. Alls led the team with 592 yards rushing and an average of 5.1 yards per carry in his initial season. He came into his own late in the year, rushing for 467 yards over the last four games, including a season-high 155 vs. Ball State. Lewis, who was BG's top rusher as a freshman in 1998, gained an even 500 yards and scored a team-high six rushing touchdowns last year. Alls and Lewis are ranked nationally among the top returning rushing tandems for the 2000 season. The duo combined for 1,092 yards last year, the 10th-most of any returning rushing duo in the country. Gibson proved to be a reliable back when he got his chances last season, totalling 109 yards. He had three rushing scores as a freshman in 1998 and has moved to fullback where he is battling Clark for the starting spot.
1999 Rushing Statistics
Player Att. Yds. TD Avg. Alls 117 592 4 5.1 Lewis 132 500 6 3.8 Gibson 37 109 0 2.9
The Falcons also return a pair of talented receivers, led by junior wideout Kurt Gerling. Coming off a 1998 campaign in which he was named the MAC's Freshman of the Year, Gerling put to rest any notions of a sophomore slump. Gerling led the team with 53 catches and 775 yards, and scored five touchdowns. Gerling has caught at least one pass in all 22 of his games as a Falcon, the ninth-longest current streak in the nation.
Aaron Alexander is ready to take over at split end after a solid 1999 season. Alexander caught 35 balls for nearly 500 yards a year ago, and combined with Gerling for 288 yards receiving in the Akron game. That duo became only the fifth BG receiving combo to have at least 100 yards each in the same game. Reserves Cleon Ghant, Joe Fisher and Andre Pinchem should provide additional speed and depth at the receiver spots.
Ross Durham and Jason Van Dam will compete for the starting tight-end job. Durham saw time on special teams last fall, while Van Dam sat out as a redshirt. At 6-foot-6, both tight ends give Sahm (or Schneider) a huge target, and will provide big bodies to utilize in blocking situations.
1999 Receiving Statistics
Player Att. Yds. TD Avg. Gerling 53 775 5 14.6 Alexander 35 462 1 14.2
Active Consecutive Games with a Reception
Player Games 1. Mel Long (Sr.), Toledo 35 Arnold Jackson (Sr.), Louisville 35 9. Kurt Gerling (Jr.), Bowling Green 22
Research: University of Houston SID Office
Another question mark to Falcon followers is the offensive line, but Blackney feels that the ingredients for success are there. A pair of experienced players return to anchor the line in senior co-captains Rob Fehrman and Eric Curl. Fehrman, an All-MAC candidate, has started 33 consecutive games heading into the 2000 season, and will return to his familiar left-tackle spot.
Curl, after starting 22 consecutive games at right guard, will miss the first three-to-four games with a broken left foot. He will move to center this season. Curl actually started the first two games of his freshman season before breaking his right foot. A number of younger players have been awaiting a chance to step into the starting lineup, and that chance is now.
Among those players are seniors Matt Tyla, juniors Mike Bodnar and Malcolm Robinson and sophomores Jon Mazur, Dennis Wendel, Greg Kupke and Ryan Yeager. Mazur appears to have the inside track for the left-guard position, with Bodnar giving him a run for his money. Kupke and Yeager enter the fall listed one-two at right guard. Robinson, a defensive starter last year, could start at right tackle, but will be pushed by fifth-year senior Eric Gilbo. Wendel should see time at the tackle spots as well.
DEFENSE: A total of nine starters from last season are back, led by senior end D.J. Durkin. Blackney calls Durkin the "heart and soul" of the defense. Junior Ryan Wingrove will return at the other end, while senior nose guard Brandon Hicks also is back. Wingrove is a very athletic player, while Hicks shared team Defensive MVP honors with Joe O'Neill in 1999. Yet another returnee, but the lone new starter, on the line is D.J. Owchar. A sophomore, he saw action in eight games behind Malcolm Robinson last year. With Robinson's move to the offensive side of the ball, and Hicks suffering from mono, Owchar got a ton of playing time in the spring.
Also battling for time on the line will be Rodney Dawson and the Glantzis brothers, Alex and Chris. Dawson, a junior-college transfer, saw time on the line in '99, and made his first BGSU start in the win over Toledo. Alex Glantzis, a sophomore, played in five games in his initial collegiate campaign. His brother, a junior, sat out the 1999 season after transferring from Youngstown State. Chris Glantzis helped the Penguins to an NCAA Division I-AA championship in 1997 and totalled 42 tackles in nine games the following year. According to Blackney, both players are capable of playing inside or outside on the line. Blackney feels that it all adds up to a promising future for the D-line.
1999 Defensive Statistics (Defensive Line)
Player Tackles TFL Sacks Int Hicks 53 12 4 0 Wingrove 39 9 3 0 Dawson 19 1 0 0 Durkin 12 3 1 0
At linebacker, a pair of juniors will man the outside spots. Both Khary Campbell and Garry Fisher will be in their third year as starters, and should benefit from the experience gained. Senior Chris Della Vella looks to be the starter at middle linebacker, and should play a key role for the Falcons. Sophomores Geno Burden and Chris Haneline and freshman Mitch Hewitt all should see their share of time in the lineup as well.
1999 Defensive Statistics (Linebackers)
Player Tackles TFL Sacks Int Campbell 50 3 0 0 Haneline 31 5 0 0 Burden 28 1 0 0 Fisher 25 6 1 0
Juniors Chad Long and Karl Rose have combined to start 36 games over the last two years, with Long starting all 22 contests during that time. Long, who looks to be the starter at strong safety, led the team with 111 tackles a year ago. He is considered one of the nation's most underrated players, according to CBS Sportsline. Long actually made two starts in 1997 before breaking his thumb and earning a medical hardship season. Rose is pencilled in at one starting cornerback spot, with senior Ken Dobbs at the other corner. Junior Sergio Lund is the leader in the competition at free safety, with junior Jerry Wagner as his backup. Dobbs started the final two games a year ago, and has made nine career starts, while Lund started the final four games of '99. Wagner was one of BG's top special-teams players a year ago.
1999 Defensive Statistics (Defensive Backs)
Player Tackles TFL Sacks Int Long 111 1 0 0 Rose 50 1 0 2 Lund 31 2 1 0 Dobbs 8 0 0 0
SPECIAL TEAMS: One of BGSU's key losses came in the special teams department, where Jason Strasser has exhausted his eligibility. Strasser hit 24-of-28 field-goal attempts over the past two seasons, and capped a four-year reign as starter with an appearance in the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Former walk-on junior Mike Knapp has earned the placekicking job. He has battled freshman Shaun Suisham. At the punter spot, Pat Fleming returns for hissophomore season. Fleming was solid a year ago, averaging 40.3 yards per boot and placed 10 kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line during his initial year.
Another returnee in the special-teams area is long snapper Ryan Diepenbrock, a senior.
1999 Punting Statistics
Player No Yds. Avg. Long Fleming 54 2177 40.3 68
FALCONS BY THE NUMBERS
Fifth-year seniors - 8 Fourth-year seniors - 2 Juniors - 24 Sophomores - 24 Redshirt Freshmen - 19 True Freshmen - 25 High School - 97 Junior College - 5 From Ohio - 63 From Michigan - 18 From Canada - 10 From Indiana - 3 From California - 2 From Florida - 1 From South Carolina - 1 From West Virginia - 1 From Illinois - 1 From Pennsylvania - 1 From New Jersey - 1
INJURY REPORT (8/24)
Senior center Eric Curl is out with a broken left foot. He will return to action in three-to-four weeks. He had started 22 straight games and missed a great deal of the 1997 season with a broken right foot.
DID YOU KNOW
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets are available for $60 (chair reserved), $50 (bench reserved), $40 (general admission and faculty/staff bench reserved). For further information, contact 1-877-BGSU Ticket or 372-0000.
TICKETS FOR THE PITTSBURGH GAME
Single-game tickets for the Pittsburgh game are $15 (chair and bench reserved), $12 general admission. The Pepsi Family Zone (4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 Pepsi's,) and are available for $55.
MEDIA TEAMLINK/INFO-CONNECTION
Media members can access Falcon football information via MediaTeamlink and InfoConnection. Releases, standings, statistics and other sports information are available by accessing www.mediateamlink.com. You can have documents delivered directly to your e-mail and/or fax the moment they are updated. Documents are still available via InfoConnection. To access, please dial (770) 558-6000 from the handset of your fax machine and enter your 10-digit PIN number. If you do not have a PIN number, please call Pivotal Communications at (770) 399-0096.
RADIO PLAY-BY-PLAY
The flagship station of Bowling Green State University football is WBVI-FM (96.7) in Findlay. Select Falcon games will also be carried by WFOB-AM (1430) in Fostoria. Dave Horger returns again this season as the play-by-play voice for the Falcons. Horger has been doing BGSU football games in one capacity or another since the 1980 season. Former BGSU quarterback Mark Miller will again join Horger this season as the analyst. Miller is beginning his 11th season in that capacity.
GARY BLACKNEY SHOWS
TELEVISION: The Gary Blackney Show will air each Sunday at 12:30 on WTVG-TV (channel 13) in Toledo. The half-hour show will consist of a recap of the completed game, a preview of the upcoming opponent, and special features. The show, in its eighth season, is taped at WBGU-TV which also airs the show sometime during the week. The show begins on Sept. 3 and airs each Sunday through Nov. 26.
RADIO: The Gary Blackney Radio Show will air live from Bowling Green's Fricker's locations every Monday during the season, beginning on Sept. 4 and ending on Nov. 27. The show will air on WBVI-FM (96.7), and will feature a recap of the previous game, a preview of the upcoming opponent, and questions from the audience and the department website.
