Bowling Green State University Athletics
Pittsburgh To Visit BGSU
September 03, 2000 | Football
Sept. 3, 2000
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Bowling Green, Ohio - Pittsburgh (1-0) at Bowling Green (0-1) 12 p.m. Saturday, September 9 Doyt L. Perry Stadium (30,599) Series Record: Pittsburgh leads 1-0. Last Meeting: Pittsburgh 30, BGSU 10 (9/4/99) Radio: WBVI-FM (96.7) Internet: www.bgsufalcons.com TV: Big East Game of the Week (ESPN-Plus)
2000 BGSU SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time 9/2 at Michigan (ESPN Regional) L. 7-42 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 IN 82ND GRIDIRON CAMPAIGN Bowling Green State University is in 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 IN 10TH SEASON BGSU head coach Gary Blackney is in his 10th season of guiding the Falcons. He is 58-42-2 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.
HOME OPENER The Falcons are 7-2 in home openers since Gary Blackney became head coach. Last year, the Falcons defeated Tennessee Tech, 40-15, in the first game of the 1999 season at Perry Stadium.
RARE NON-CONFERENCE HOME GAME This will be just the ninth home non-conference game during the Blackney era. BGSU is 6-2 against non-MAC opponents in the Black Swamp. By contrast, the Falcons have played 20 road games against non-conference opponents (6-14) during that same span.
UNCHARTERED TERRITORY This will be the first-ever visit to a MAC facility for the Panthers. Pittsburgh will be looking for a win in its road opener for the first time since the 1993 season, when they won at Southern Mississippi, 14-10.
SIX GAMES TO BE TELEVISED THIS YEAR The Falcons will play on live television six times this season. ESPN Plus will pick up home games against Pittsburgh and Marshall, and road games against Temple and Michigan. 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).
MAC STANDINGS East Division Team DIV MAC OALL Marshall 0-0 0-0 1-0 Miami 0-0 0-0 1-0 Akron 0-0 0-0 0-1 Bowling Green 0-0 0-0 0-1 Buffalo 0-0 0-0 0-1 Kent State 0-0 0-0 0-1 Ohio 0-0 0-0 0-1
West Division Team DIV MAC OALL Eastern Michigan 0-0 0-0 1-0 Toledo 0-0 0-0 1-0 Ball State 0-0 0-0 1-0 Central Michigan 0-0 0-0 0-1 Northern Illinois 0-0 0-0 0-1 Western Michigan 0-0 0-0 0-1
This Week's Games (September 9, Times are Eastern) Pittsburgh at Bowling Green, Noon (ESPN Regional) Marshall at Michigan State, Noon (ESPN) Akron at Central Michigan, 1 p.m. Miami at Eastern Michigan, 1 p.m. Kent State at Purdue, 1 p.m. Western Michigan at Iowa, 2 p.m. (ESPN Regional) Ohio at Minnesota, 2:30 p.m. Buffalo at Rutgers, 6 p.m. Weber State at Toledo, 7 p.m. Illinois State at Northern Illinois, 7:35 p.m.
Last Week's Games at Michigan 42, Bowling Green 7 at Pittsburgh 30, Kent 7 at Wisconsin 19, Western Michigan 7 at Marshall 63, SE Missouri State 7 at Northwestern 35, Northern Illinois 17 at Iowa State 25, Ohio 15 Toledo 24, at Penn State 6 at Virginia Tech 52, Akron 23 at Purdue 48, Central Michigan 0 Miami 33, at Vanderbilt 30 at Florida 40, Ball State 19 at Eastern Michigan 32, Connecticut 25 at Syracuse 63, Buffalo 7
Upcoming Games (September 16, Times are Eastern) Bowling Green at Temple, 6 p.m. Miami at Ohio State, Noon Central Michigan at Wyoming, 2 p.m. Ball State at Kansas State, 6 p.m. Youngstown State at Kent State, 6 p.m. Indiana State at Western Michigan, 6 p.m. Central Florida at Akron, 7 p.m. Connecticut at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Eastern Michigan at South Carolina, 7 p.m. Tennessee Tech at Ohio, 7 p.m. Eastern Illinois at Toledo, 7 p.m.
PANTHERS TOP FALCONS IN FIRST MEETING Pittsburgh scored 27 unanswered points to win the 1999 season opener for both teams. BG dominated the first half, but went to the locker room down 10-7 ... Pitt's go-ahead score came after Hank Poteat returned a punt 40 yards to the BG 32-yard line ... the Panthers scored six plays later on a one-yard Nick Goings run ... the Falcons had a 12-4 edge in first downs in the first half, a 220-61 edge in total offense, and a seven-minute edge in time of possession ... but, BG had two drives end on downs, one at the Pittsburgh 35-yard line and the other at the Pitt 26-yard line ... the hosts increased the lead by driving 66 yards in nine plays with the first possession of the second half ... they then put the game away with a pair of short touchdown drives 2:30 apart late in the third quarter, in both instances converting Bowling Green turnovers into scores ... the Falcons had a substantial edge on most statistics for the game - 21-11 edge in first downs, 335-220 edge in total offense, and a 36:13-23:47 edge in time of possession ... the BG defense limited the Panthers to just 107 yards on the ground and 113 passing yards.
Pittsburgh 30, Bowling Green 10 BGSU 0 7 0 3 - 10 Pittsburgh 0 10 20 0 - 30 UP - Lotz 24 field goal, 10:44, 2nd qtr. BG - Redd 22 pass from Schneider Strasser kick), 7:16, 2nd qtr. UP - Goings 1 run (Lotz kick), 2:21, 2nd qtr. UP - Turman 1 run (Lotz kick), 12:01, 3rd qtr. UP - Bryant 26 pass from Turman (kick failed), 5:02, 3rd qtr. UP - Goings 4 run (Lotz kick), 2:32, 3rd qtr. BG - Strasser 19 field goal, 0:54, 4th qtr. Attendance - 30,560
BG UP First Downs 21 11 Rushes/Yards 45/161 35/107 Passing Yardage 174 113 Comp/Att./Int. 17/33/1 8/22/0 Punts/Avg. 4/39.0 6/43.8 Fumbles/Lost 4/3 0/0 Penalties/Yards 5/45 7/52 Time of Possession 36:13 23:47
Individual Leaders: Bowling Green - Rushing (Godfrey Lewis 10-62, John Gibson 17-61), Passing (Ricky Schneider 17-33-174), Receiving (Kurt Gerling 7-88, Robert Redd 4-39).
Pittsburgh - Rushing (Nick Goings 14-61), Passing (John Turman 7-17-107, David Priestley 1-5-6), Receiving (Antonio Bryant 4-84).
CAREER STARTS (1999 STARTERS IN ALL CAPS) TE: Ross Durham (2), Dennis Wendel (1) LT: *ROB FEHRMAN (34) LG: *Dennis Wendel (2) C: * Jon Mazur (1), ERIC CURL (24), RG: *Greg Kupke (4), Mike Bodnar (1) RT: *MALCOLM ROBINSON (12, 11 at DT) SE: *Aaron Alexander (4) FL: *KURT GERLING (23), *David Bautista (1) QB: *ANDY SAHM (8), Ricky Schneider (10) FB: *Eric Clark (1), John Gibson (1) TB: *Joe Alls (4), GODFREY LEWIS (5)
Defense DE: *RYAN WINGROVE (12) DT: *D.J. Owchar (1), Rodney Dawson (1) NG: *BRANDON HICKS (14) DE: *D.J. DURKIN (23), James Williams (2) OLB: *Mitch Hewitt (1), KHARY CAMPBELL (18) OLB: *GARRY FISHER (13), Geno Burden (2) MLB: *Chris Della Vella (6) Marcus Allen (3), Chris Haneline (2), CB: *KEN DOBBS (10), Andre Davis (2) CB: *KARL ROSE (14), Emmanuel Hendrix (4) SS: *CHAD LONG (23), FS: *Sergio Lund (7), Jerry Wagner (1) * Last week's starters
FALCON OFFENSIVE NOTES The Falcon offense gained 213 of its 271 yards against Michigan through the air.
BGSU converted on seven of nine third down conversions in the second half against Michigan.
Sophomore quarterback Andy Sahm was 16 of 36 for 189 yards and a TD. Sahm started the last seven games of 1999. 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 completed two of six passes for 24 yards in one series against the Wolverines. 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 1121160.1 114.62
A total of nine players accounted for the 18 receptions and 213 receiving yards. Junior flanker Kurt Gerling extended his consecutive receptions streak to 23 games and led the Falcons with six catches for 78 yards. However, a broken right collarbone will likely keep him out of action for the next four weeks.
Active Consecutive Games with a Reception Player Games 1. Mel Long (Sr.), Toledo 36 Arnold Jackson (Sr.), Louisville 36 9. Kurt Gerling (Jr.), Bowling Green 23
Junior college transfer David Bautista had four catches for 65 yards in his first start for the Falcons. Bautista came to BGSU from Cerritos College in California. Redshirt freshmen Andre Pinchem caught his first two career passes, including a 24-yard TD strike from Sahm in the fourth quarter.
1999 Receiving Statistics Player Att. Yds. TD Avg. Gerling 53 775 5 14.6 Alexander 35 462 1 14.2
Senior left tackle Rob Fehrman, a second-team All-MAC selection in 1999, made his 34th consecutive start for the Falcons. The other four offensive linemen, sophomore left guard Dennis Wendel (2), sophomore center Jon Mazur (2), sophomore right guard Greg Kupke (4), and junior right tackle Malcolm Robinson (1) have started a combined nine games in their career and were outstanding in their pass protection. Fehrman and Mazur played every snap on offense, while the Wolverines rotated 15 defensive linemen.
FALCON SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES Fifth-year senior quarterback Ricky Schneider found out in pre-game warmup that sophomore punter Pat Fleming would not be able to play due to flu-like symptoms. Schneider performed like a pro, averaging 40 yards per punt on nine kicks in his emergency role. He also pinned the Wolverines inside their own 20-yard line three times.
1999 Punting Statistics Player No Yds. Avg. Long Fleming 54 2177 40.3 68
True freshman Kyle Turano handled Fleming's kickoff responsibilities. Junior kicker Mike Knapp made his first career start, but missed on his first-ever field goal attempt, a 34-yarder. He did convert his only PAT opportunity.
Junior defensive back Karl Rose blocked a 48-yard field goal attempt by Michigan's Hayden Epstein in the third quarter.
FALCON DEFENSIVE NOTES Twenty players saw action for the Falcons on the defensive side of the ball. The Wolverines played 38 players on offense, including nine running backs.
Junior free safety Sergio Lund had a career-high 11 tackles to lead the Falcons. Junior linebacker Khary Campbell added 10 tackles, while junior strong safety Chad Long added 10 stops, including eight solo tackles.
Redshirt freshman, linebacker Mitch Hewitt had seven tackles in his first career start, while redshirt freshman cornerback Michael Malone added eight tackles.
Senior co-captian D.J. Durkin recorded the team's first sack of the season, when he belted Michigan quarterback John Navarre for a fumble and subsequent 17-yard loss.
Another first-time starter, sophomore defensive lineman D.J. Owchar recorded his first career sack.
Senior defensive tackle Brandon Hicks also recorded a sack. Hicks had four sacks last season.
Three Falcons forced fumbles including Durkin, sophomore linebacker Marcus Allen, and sophomore defensive lineman Alex Glantzis.
Senior linebacker Chris Della Vella and junior linebacker Garry Fisher each had seven tackles.
Junior cornerback Karl Rose had four tackles, a blocked kick and afumble recovery. Sophomore linebacker Geno Burden also recovered a fumble.
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
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
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
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 Fla., SC, WV, Ill ., Pa., NJ 1
WATCH THE BG/PITTSBURGH GAME The Pittsburgh game will be televised on a regional network of stations, including TV-5 (WB) in Toledo, and will be the ESPN Regional Television BIG EAST Conference Game of the Week. The lengthy list of stations planning to air the contest also includes:
* WABC (New York) * WPVI (Philadelphia) * WCVB (Boston) * WHOT (Atlanta - independent) * WFTS (Tampa/St. Petersburg) * WPLG (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale) * WTAE (Pittsburgh) * WAV (Indianapolis - independent) * WTXX (Hartford/New Haven - UPN) * WPBF (West Palm Beach/Fort Pierce) * WNGS (Buffalo - UPN) * WSWB (Wilkes Barre/Scranton - WB) * WJXX (Jacksonville/Brunswick) * WWRD (Dayton - independent) * WCHS (Charleston/Huntington) * WRIC (Richmond/Petersburg) * WNYS (Syracuse - UPN) * Time Warner Cable (Rochester) * WMTW (Portland/Auburn) * WBVT (Burlington/Plattsburgh - WB) * WOAY (Bluefield/Beckley/Oak Hill) * WIVT (Binghamton) * WBGR (Bangor - WB) * WBOY (Clarksburg/Weston - NBC) * WCJB (Gainesville) * WPNY (Utica - UPN) * WENY (Elmira) * WWT (Watertown) * WPMG (Harrisonburg - independent) * WBOY (Parkersburg - NBC) * WPXQ (Providence/New Bedford - PAX) * WJPR/WFXR (Roanoke/Lynchburg - FOX) * Time Warner Cable (Albany/Schenectady/Troy) * WXIV (Greensboro/High Point/Winston Salem) * ESPN GamePlan (all are ABC affiliates unless noted)
BGSU PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Andy Sahm Offense Kurt Gerling Offense D.J. Owchar Defense Ricky Schneider Special Teams Andrew Hart Offensive Scout Team Jovon Burkes Defensive Scout Team
INJURY REPORT (9/3) 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. Junior wide receiver Kurt Gerling is out with a broken right collarbone.
DID YOU KNOW That BGSU's school colors, orange and brown, were chosen to be the colors for the Cleveland Browns by former head coach Paul Brown after watching a game at BGSU.
FALCONS AND ACADEMICS 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 Comm.
FOLLOW BGSU ON THE WEB A greater emphasis will be placed on using the website as a means to release important information regarding BGSU athletics. Game notes, statistics, feature stories, and other items regarding Falcon football can be accessed at www.bgsufalcons.com. All football, basketball and hockey games may be heard via the internet at this site.
FOR THE MEDIA Coach Blackney will be available for his weekly press conference each Monday in his office at 11 a.m., (9 a.m. on Labor Day). The next week's game notes will be posted on the web no later than Monday morning. You may find them at www.bgsufalcons.com. We also will e-mail or fax them to regular BGSU media who cover the Falcons.
Request for Tuesday player interviews should be submitted to J.D. Campbell at this time or earlier if possible. the media is invited to lunch at 1 p.m. with players beiung available shortly thereafter until meetings start at 2 p.m. Alternate arrangements will be made if the student athletes class schedule conflicts.
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 Packages(4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 Pepsi's,) 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 began 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 location every Monday during the season at 7 p.m., 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.
BLACK SWAMP WEEKEND The annual Black Swamp Arts Festival will take place this weekend in Bowling Green. A shuttle service will be available for those fans wishing to attend the events in downtown Bowling Green, following the game.
