Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Face Rockets Friday
November 19, 2001 | Football
Nov. 19, 2001
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
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TOLEDO (8-1, 5-1) at BOWLING GREEN (7-3, 4-3)
7 p.m., Friday, November 23
Perry Stadium (30,599)
Series Record: BGSU leads 34-27-4
Last Year: at Toledo 51, BGSU 17
Radio: WBVI-FM (96.7)/WFOB-AM (1430)
Internet: www.bgsufalcons.com
MEYER ERA OFF TO GOOD START: First-year Bowling Green State University football coach Urban Meyer is the 15th person to lead the Falcon football program. An Ohio native, he brings 15 years of experience as a Division I assistant and has coached in seven bowl games. He most recently was the receivers coach at Notre Dame after serving on staffs at Ohio State, Illinois State and Colorado State. Meyer was tabbed as the MAC's Midseason Coach of the Year by ESPN.com. The Falcons are the most improved football team in Division IA in 2001 joining Colorado, Washington State, BYU, Maryland and Rice with five more victories than last season.
HARRIS IS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: At Northwestern (his fourth collegiate start), Josh Harris came of age and posted one of the most impressive performances by a quarterback in Mid-American Conference history. Harris became the second Falcon quarterback to throw for 400 yards in a game when he completed 30 of 47 passes for 402 yards and three TD's. All were career-bests. Harris also rushed for 96 yards and two TD's and caught a 14-yard TD pass from Cole Magner to boot. His 498 yards of total offense breaks the old school record of 471 set by Brian McClure against Ohio in 1985. Harris' total offense was the second highest single-game total in the history of the MAC. Jose Davis of Kent State had 534 yards in a 1997 game against Central Florida. The 6 TD's that he was responsible for (3 passing, 2 rushing, 1 receiving) is the third highest single-game output in MAC history and most for a Falcon since Erik White accounted for 7 against Ball State in 1994. During the last two games, Harris has completed 43 of 68 pass attempts (63%) for 558 yards and four TD's and rushed for 244 yards on 44 carries (5.5 yards per carry) and two TD's. For his efforts, he was named MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week and National Player of the Week by ESPN.COM (Nov. 19).
HANELINE ALSO EARNS MAC HONOR: Junior linebacker Chris Haneline forced a fumble at the one-yard line, had three tackles for a loss, a sack and totaled a career-high 18 tackles. He was named the East Division Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 19).
BGSU FIRST: The Falcons have clinched a winning record for the first time since 1994. The Falcons also converted its first two-point conversion of the season on its first attempt to win Saturday.
MAC FIRST: The Falcons are the first team in MAC regular season history to post three victories over BCS conference members having defeated Missouri (Big 12), Temple (Big East) and Northwestern (Big Ten).
NCAA FIRST: Sophomore quarterback Josh Harris is the first NCAA IA player this season to pass for, receive and rush for a touchdown in a single game. Last season, Craig Ochs of Colorado was the last player to accomplish that feat.
ELEVATING THE PROGRAM: In the preseason, most publications ranked BGSU in the low 100's among the 117 Division IA programs. After last week's win, the Falcons stand as one of 32 programs with seven Division IA victories.
FINAL HOME GAME FOR 14 SENIORS: Friday's game will mark the final home game for 14 Falcons seniors.
FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACHES: Urban Meyer and Toledo's Tom Amstutz are two of the four first-year head coaches in the MAC. Meyer previously defeated Jim Hofher of Buffalo, 35-0, and Brian Knorr of Ohio, 17-0.
MORE URBAN MEYER IMPACT: The Falcons have more than tripled their win total from the 2000 season with six victories and quadrupled their East Division wins with four.
BGSU is averaging 7,180 more fans per game at home than last year.
The MAC's worst offense in 2000, BGSU is averaging 109 more yards per game. The Falcons 277 points in 10 games betters the mark of 174 scored all of last season.
The Falcons have allowed just 1.8 sacks per game after allowing a MAC-worst 4.6 per game last season.
FALCON TRADITION: The Falcons, who are in their 50th season as a Mid-American Conference member, rank second in MAC history in both conference wins (205) and championships (10). BGSU has finished either first or second in the conference standings in 21 of their previous 49 seasons in the league.
END OF AN ERA (A SHORT ONE): The game against Ohio marked the Falcons final divisional game as a member of the MAC's East Division. Next year, BGSU will move to the West, while Central Florida will join the East and become the 14th football-playing school in the conference.
EXACTING REVENGE: The Falcons have five wins against teams which defeated them in their most recent meeting prior to the 2001 season.
GERLING TOPS 2000: With his 35-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter against Miami, senior Kurt Gerling became the seventh player in Falcon history to eclipse the 2000-yard mark in receiving. He has caught 148 passes for 2,135 yards as a Falcon.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING:
(Where the Falcons rank in IA football)
Rushing Defense 5th, 85.6 Turnover Margin 9th, 1.10 Scoring Defense 21st, 19.4 Total Defense 26th, 324.20 Interceptions Chad Long, Janssen Patton, 30th, .40 Receptions Robert Redd, 16th, 6.6
A COUPLE OF FIRSTS: Against Miami, Robert Redd had the Falcons first punt return for a touchdown since Courtney Davis returned a punt 100 yards for a TD against Kent State during the 1996 season. Brandon Hicks had the team's first safety against Akron since Joe O'Neill recorded one in 1996 against Ball State.
RECENT TEAM TRENDS: The Falcons had outrushed each of their nine opponents prior to Northwestern and had a season-high 244 yards on the ground at Ohio.
The Falcons set a school-record with 100 plays on offense against Kent State. BGSU posted back-to-back efforts of 400+ yards of total offense with 414 yards against Kent State and 419 against Western Michigan. The Falcons also posted 400 yards against Ohio and 618 yards against Northwestern.
The Falcons had the ball for 18:06 more than Ohio and are 3-0 when they control the ball for a margin of 13 minutes or more in a game. BGSU had the ball for 13:42 more against Buffalo and 27:08 more against Kent. The Falcons have won the battle for ball control in each of their last six games.
THE MAC'S TOP DEFENSE AGAINST THE RUSH: BGSU leads the MAC in rush defense (85.6), turnover margin (1.10), fumbles recovered (13) and interceptions (16). The Falcons are second in the MAC in total defense (324.2).
Nationally, BGSU is fifth in the country against the rush. In game nine, BGSU held the third best rushing team in the nation (Ohio, 266 yards per game) to just 105 yards on 33 carries on the ground. BGSU has held 16 of its last 24 opponents under 100 yards rushing.
THE CROWD IS BETTER: The 22,828 fans to watch BGSU take on Miami was the 15th largest crowd to watch a Falcon football game at Doyt L. Perry Stadium.
BGSU IS...
Overall Record .................. 7-3 MAC East ........................ 4-2 MAC ............................. 4-3 After 6 p.m. .................... 4-1 Before 6 p.m. ................... 3-2 When scoring first .............. 4-1 When the opponent scores first .. 3-2 When leading at halftime ........ 5-1 When trailing at halftime ....... 2-2 On grass ........................ 6-1 On turf ......................... 1-2
INJURY REPORT: Redshirt freshman guard Andrew Hart (ACL) and freshman wide receiver James Hawkins (compartment syndrome) are out.
TRUE FRESHMEN GETTING A CHANCE TO MAKE AN IMPACT: Coach Meyer has been impressed with the play of several true freshmen this season.
Cole Magner has seen extensive time at QB after starting training camp as the #4 quarterback. He also plays wide receiver and had a 51-yard kickoff return against Western Michigan. Prior to his injury, James Hawkins had caught seven passes for 84 yards and has returned a team-high 11 kickoffs. He leads the team in yards per catch (12.4). Cornerback Keon Newson has started the last three games and led the Falcons with nine tackles and added his first interception against Akron in his first career start. He has started the last three games. Defensive back T.J. Carswell is making contributions on special teams and in situational opportunities. Linebacker Daniel Sayles also has been a special teams contributor.
