Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Aiming To Win The West
August 26, 2003 | Football
Aug. 26, 2003
By JACK CARLE, Sentinel Sports Editor - It's pretty simple.
Gregg Brandon, Bowling Green's first-year head coach, wants to win the Mid-American Conference West Division title.
"We've got to win the West, that's what our goal is," Brandon said. "There are solid teams in the West, no question. UT has been great the last two years and Northern Illinois has been very strong."
The MAC West winner hosts the conference championship game on Dec. 4. The conference championship is guaranteed a berth in either the Motor City Bowl or the GMAC Bowl.
"We have our eyes on hosting a game in December," said BG quarterback Josh Harris.
Harris is the fuel which fires the Falcon offense.
A 6-foot-3, 235 pound senior, Harris is 12-3 as a starting quarterback over the last two years. In that time, he has rushed for 28 touchdowns, passed for 28 touchdowns and caught three scoring passes.
Last fall he was 198-of-353 passing for 2,425 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Harris also finished with 737 yards rushing and 20 scores and two touchdown receptions.
Harris is just one of several standout quarterbacks in the league, including Miami's Ben Roethlisberger and Kent State's Joshua Cribbs.
"It's very encouraging to be in a league with a quarterback tradition," Harris said. "It makes you want to compete even more, so you don't get left behind by either of them."
James Hawkins, a 6-2, 220 junior, and Cole Magner, a 6-2, 183 junior, head a talented corps of wide receivers. Hawkins caught 44 passes for 546 yards and five TDs a year ago. Magner, who also played basketball for the Falcons, had 26 receptions for 374 yards and two scores in 2002. Magner also rushed for a touchdown and threw three scoring passes.
P.J. Pope, 5-9, 210 sophomore, is the most experienced running back returning. Last season he rushed for 577 yards and four scores.
Scott Mruczkowski, a 6-4, 315 junior, returns to anchor the offensive line. He's made a total of 23 career starts.
If Andrew Hart, 6-5, 302 junior, Rob Warren, 6-6, 290 sophomore, and Jimmy Williams, 6-5, 286 senior, can return to form after each missed playing time last season because of injuries, the Falcons will have a great deal of experience on the offensive line.
Tight end Craig Jarrett, 6-2, 251 senior, is also coming back from an injury.
Defensively, the Falcons return eight starters and Brandon is looking for that group to provide solid play from the opening game.
"Our defense is pretty salty. We'll have to ride their coattails through the Ohio State game (Sept. 20) so we can let our offense jell," Brandon said.
"We have three seniors in the back end and we have to rely on those guys to keep the ball in front of them," Brandon added.
Georgia-natives Janssen Patton, 6-0, 180 senior and Keon Newson, 6-0, 184 junior are back at cornerback. Patton has 29 career starts and 11 interceptions while Newson has made 17 starts.
At safety are Michael Malone, 5-10, 195 senior and Jason Morton, 6-0, 200 senior. Morton made 85 tackles a year ago.
This is an emphasis of speed at linebacker with Mitch Hewitt, 6-1, 215 senior and Jovon Burkes, 6-1, 234 junior returning. Hewitt made 84 tackles a year ago while Burkes had 51. Daniel Sayles, 5-11, 213 junior, is the other starting linebacker heading into fall drills.
There was almost a revolving door on the defensive line last season as injuries played a toll.
Mitchell Crossley, 6-3, 250 sophomore, returns at defensive end after leading the team with 13 tackles for loss and seven sacks a year ago.
Matt Leininger, 6-3, 281 sophomore, started the final seven games last season at tackle.
Devon Parks, a 6-3, 233 freshman, enrolled at Bowling Green in January and after playing well in spring drills is No. 1 on the depth chart opposite Crossley at defensive end.
"If we're going to be the force that I think we can be on defense, our defensive line has got to play hard for us," Brandon said. "We've finally got some numbers and have created some depth."
Shaun Suisham, 6-0, 200 junior, returns at place-kicker to give the Falcons a lethal weapon. He made a MAC record 57 extra-points (in 59 attempts) and was 12-of-14 on field goals.
The Falcons must replace Pat Fleming, a four-year standout at punter. Nate Fry, a 5-10, 205 sophomore, has the inside track heading into fall drills.
Bowling Green must also replace Robert Redd, who in addition to being an all-conference receiver, was a threat as a punt returner.
The Falcons open the season on Aug. 28 with a home game against Eastern Kentucky.
BG's MAC home opener and the Homecoming game is Oct. 4 against Central Michigan.
