Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU Football Hosts Buffalo
September 03, 2001 | Football
Sept. 3, 2001
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
BUFFALO (0-1) at Bowling GREEN (1-0) 6 p.m. Saturday, September 8 Perry Stadium (30,599) Series Record: UB leads 1-0 Last Meeting: at Buffalo 20, BGSU 17 Radio: WBVI-FM (96.7)/WFOB-AM (1430) Internet: www.bgsufalcons.comA NEW ERA
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. He has served on staffs guided by Earle Bruce, Sonny Lubick, Lou Holtz and Bob Davie. After playing shortstop in the Atlanta Braves organization right after high school, Meyer played collegiately at the University of Cincinnati where he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1986. He later earned a master's degree in sports administration from Ohio State in 1988.
AHEAD OF HIS TIME
Coach Meyer entered the 2001 campaign as the second youngest head coach on the NCAA I-A level. Buffalo, which faced Rutgers last week, now has the distinction of going up against the two youngest coaches in the nation in the first two weeks of the season.
Greg Schiano, Rutgers (36) 6/1/66 Urban Meyer, BGSU (37) 7/10/64 Fitz Hill, San Jose State (37) 3/28/64 Chris Scelfo, Tulane (37) 9/30/63 Brian Knorr, Ohio (37) 12/20/63 Rich Rodriguez, WVU (38) 5/24/63 Jack Bicknell, La. Tech (38) 2/7/63
SECOND MEETING BETWEEN THE TEAMS This will be the second meeting between the two teams. Last year, Buffalo rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to hand the Falcons a 20-17 setback. The Falcons are 9-1 in MAC home openers since 1992, losing only to Akron, 27-21, a year ago.
PATTON EARNS CONFERENCE HONOR
Sophomore cornerback Janssen Patton was named MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week after picking off two key passes in the fourth quarter of Saturday's win at Missouri. Patton's first pickoff led to the eventual winning score and his second INT ended a Tiger comeback in BGSU territory. It is the second time in his career he has won this award.
A LONG TIME
A win against Buffalo would give the Falcons a 2-0 record for the first time since 1985. The Falcons also won their season opener for the first time since 1992, won their first road game of the season since 1995, and won their first season opener on the road since 1990. BGSU will be looking for its first win against a MAC East Division opponent at Perry Stadium (4 games) since defeating Akron, 58-21 in 1998.
NIGHT FLIGHTS
For just the seventh time in school history, the Falcons will play a night game at Doyt L. Perry Stadium. BGSU is 4-2 in home night games, including a 20-6 victory over Eastern Michigan a year ago. With permanent lighting recently installed, BGSU is scheduled to play under the lights four times this season.
Night Games at Perry Stadium (Attendance) 1989-Akron 38, BGSU 24 (25,057) 1990-BGSU 20, Eastern Michigan 15 (16,477) 1992-BGSU 29, Western Michigan 19 (17,824) 1995-Louisiana Tech 28, BGSU 21 (22,222) 1999-BGSU 34, Toledo 23 (23,981) 2000-BGSU 20, Eastern Michigan 6 (8,042)
FALCON COACHING DEBUTS
Each of the last seven Falcon coaches have walked away victorious in their BGSU debut.
Doyt Perry (1955) defeated Defiance, 40-0 Bob Gibson (1966) defeated Cal-State-LA, 21-0 Don Nehlen (1968) defeated Ball State, 62-8 Denny Stolz (1977) defeated Grand Valley, 17-6 Moe Ankney (1986) defeated Ohio, 21-16 Gary Blackney (1991) defeated E. Michigan, 17-6 Urban Meyer (2001) defeated Missouri, 20-13
MISSOURI WRAPUP
The Falcon offensive line did not allow a sack against the Tigers.. BGSU was sacked a MAC-high 51 times in 2000.
The Tigers' 234 yards of total offense was the Falcons best defensive effort since giving up 220 yards at Pittsburgh in 1999.
The Falcons 194 yards rushing was the most since they gained 293 against Ball State in 1999.
BGSU had five first downs on the 13-play, 80-yard TD drive in the first quarter ... in the Falcons' last trip to Mizzou (a 37-0 Tiger win on Sept. 5, 1998), BGSU had just four first downs and 56 total yards of offense in the entire game.
Senior Kurt Gerling's 17-yard reception in the second quarter extended his streak to 30 games with at least one catch.
The 65-man BGSU travel roster featured 10 true freshman and seven redshirt frosh ... including Luis Llamas, Joe Gutierrez (junior-college transfers) and Robert Redd, the travel squad featured 20 players who were not with the team last season.
Freshman James Hawkins had his first career reception in the third quarter ... Cole Magner, like Hawkins a true freshman, caught passes on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter for his first career catches... Sophomore Craig Jarrett also had his first career catch, a 15-yard effort late in the final quarter.
Sophomore Janssen Patton's interceptions in the fourth quarter were the fifth and sixth of his career ... he is the team's active career leader in that category ... Patton's multiple-interception game was his second as a Falcon, the first coming at Kent State last year (three picks in that win).
Junior Joe Alls broke the 100-yard mark for the third time in his career and for the first time since going for 155 against Ball State in November of 1999...he rushed for 107 yards against Missouri after gaining just 191 in 2000.
FIRST TIME STARTERS AT MISSOURI
Sophomore tight end D'Monn Baker RS-freshman left guard Scott Mruczkowski RS-freshman right guard Andrew Hart Senior defensive tackle Chris Glantzis Junior defensive end Alex Glantzis Sophomore cornerback Jason MortonThey Played For The First Time
Non-freshman LS Joe Gutierrez WR Cornelius McGrady
Redshirt freshman LG Scott Mruczkowski RG Andrew Hart LB Jovon Burkes RB Todd DiBacco DL Andy Grubb K Sean Suisham
True freshman K Nate Fry WR James Hawkins WR Cole Magner DB T.J. Carswell DB Keon Newson LB Daniel Sayles
FALCON TRADITION
The Falcons, who enter their 50th season as a Mid-American Conference member, rank second in MAC history in both conference wins (201) and championships (10). BGSU has finished either first or second in the conference standings in 21 of their previous 49 seasons in the league.
