Aug. 28, 2003
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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
Some notes and numbers from the Falcons' 63-13 win over Eastern Kentucky in the season opener for both teams...
The game marked the collegiate head-coaching debuts for both BGSU's Gregg Brandon and EKU's Danny Hope.
Seven players made their first career starts for the Brown and Orange, including five on defense ... first-time defensive starters included DE Devon Parks, LB Ted Piepkow, NG Mike Thaler, DT Monty Cooley and LB Daniel Sayles ... on offense, OL Rob Warren and OL Andy Grubb started for the first time in their respective BGSU careers.
BGSU won its eighth consecutive home game, dating to the 2001 season ... in those eight home games, the Falcons have scored a total of 432 points, an average of 54.0 points per game.
Sophomore RB P.J. Pope rushed 13 times for a total of 48 yards and a career-high three touchdowns ... his only other multi-TD game came last year vs. Ball State, when he scored twice on rushes.
Senior QB Josh Harris completed 18 of his 26 attempts through the air for 265 yards and a pair of touchdowns ... redshirt freshman QB Omar Jacobs also saw extensive action, and was 8-of-11 for 157 yards and a TD in his first collegiate appearance.
Jacobs ran for 20 yards on his first collegiate play, coming midway through the second quarter ... on his first-ever drive, Jacobs led the Falcons 37 yards in four plays for a touchdown.
EKU's Terry Ennis rushed for 63 yards on the game's first play from scrimmage ... over the rest of the first half, Ennis had five carries for 10 yards ... after that opening play, the Colonels had a team total of 20 yards and 82 yards of total offense in the first half ... Ennis did go over the 100-yard mark for the game, finishing with a total of 111 rushing yards on 14 carries.
The Falcons' jerseys featured the players' last names on the back, for the first time since the 2000 season.
Fifth-year senior Rick Mauer had a career-high three sacks for a total of 21 yards in losses, and also forced a fumble.
Junior WR James Hawkins had a total of seven receptions for a career-high 128 yards ... Hawkins' 100-yard game was the second of his career ... he had 112 receiving yards in last year's win over Missouri.
Redshirt sophomore Charles Sharon had a career-long 28-yard punt return ... on the night, he had three returns for 41 yards.
Junior WR Cole Magner had a career-high six catches for a total of 71 yards ... he was one of three Falcons to catch a TD pass in the win, joining Sharon and redshirt sophomore WR Derrick Lett.
Lett hauled in a career-long 66-yard TD pass from Jacobs in the fourth quarter ... it was his third career reception, and marked the first TD of his collegiate career ... that play also was the first scoring pass for Jacobs as a Falcon.
Redshirt freshman RB Raishaun Stover, in his first collegiate action, had seven carries for 45 yards and his first career TD.
Brandon becomes the eighth consecutive BGSU head coach to win his debut, following Urban Meyer (20-13 at Missouri, 2001), Gary Blackney (17-6 vs. Eastern Michigan, 1991), Moe Ankney (21-16 vs. Ohio, 1986), Denny Stolz (17-6 at Grand Valley State, 1977), Don Nehlen (62-8 vs. Ball State, 1968), Bob Gibson (21-0 vs. Cal St. Los Angeles, 1965) and the legendary Doyt Perry (40-0 vs. Defiance, 1955) ... the last time a BGSU head coach did not win his opening game came in 1941, when Robert H. Whittaker's Falcon team tied Wooster, 14-14, in 1941 ... Harry Ockerman was the last head coach to lose his BG debut, a 12-0 setback to Capital in 1935.
Shaun Suisham set a school record by connecting on all 9 PATs. He breaks his own mark of 8 (Toledo, 2001) that he shared with Brian Leaver (Navy/Ball State, 1994), Al Silva (Ball State, 1968) and Jim Perry (Temple, 1966). His nine attempts ties the single-game mark that Silva set in 1968 in the Ball State game. He needs just six PATs made and attempted to break Leaver's school record of 115 extra points made in 118 tries from 1991-94.
