Nov. 13, 2004
Recap |
Final Stats |
Quotes
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
The Bowling Green State University football team posted a 56-35 victory over Marshall University Saturday afternoon (Nov. 13) at Perry Stadium. Some notes and numbers from the Falcons' win...
The Falcons are now 8-2 overall and 6-1 in Mid-American Conference play ... BGSU has won eight games or more for the fourth consecutive season, the first such streak in school history.
BGSU scored a touchdown on the opening drive for the fifth consecutive game.
Over the last seven games (all wins), BGSU has outscored the opponents by a combined 119-13 in the first quarter.
Vern Smith Award and MAC Player of the Year candidate Omar Jacobs had a career-high five TD passes in the win ... the redshirt sophomore threw for 389 yards, tying his career high in that category (he also threw for 389 yards in the Falcons' win at Ohio) ... Jacobs completed 24-of-37 passes in Saturday's win.
Jacobs also broke the BGSU single-season record for touchdown passes, and now has 32 scoring strikes this season ... the old record of 27 was set last season by Josh Harris.
Jacobs did throw one interception, as Willie Smith picked off a pass in the end zone just before halftime ... for Jacobs, that pass ended a school-record streak of 224 consecutive passes without an interception ... his last interception had come in the first quarter of the Oct. 2 game at Temple ... additionally, it was the first career interception in a MAC game for Jacobs ... in his career, Jacobs has thrown 36 TD passes and three interceptions.
The 56 points allowed by the Marshall defense is the most given up by the Thundering Herd since rejoining the MAC in 1997 ... the previous high had been 45 points vs. Miami in both 1997 and 2003.
Senior Shaun Suisham kicked eight PATs Saturday ... he now needs only four to break the NCAA record of 217 PATs ... Kris Brown of Nebraska (1995-98) currently holds that mark ... Suisham is now 214-of-221 on point-after tries in his career.
Junior P.J. Pope scored three touchdowns in the Marshall game ... Pope now has 30 total TDs in his career, ranking fourth on the BGSU list ... Pope, who had a four-yard TD catch and scoring runs of 27 yards and one yard, now has a team-leading 12 rushing scores this season, along with four TD catches ... Pope has 26 career rushing TDs and four catches for scores during his BGSU tenure.
Pope ran for 117 yards on 25 carries vs. the Herd ... the 100-yard rushing effort was his third in as many games, his fourth this season and the eighth of his career.
Junior Charles Sharon had five receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns Saturday afternoon ... Sharon now has 12 receiving TD this season, setting a new school single-season record ... he tied the old mark of 11 (set by Jim Ladd in 1952) with an eight-yard TD catch from Jacobs in the first half ... then, Sharon broke the record with a 45-yard TD catch in the third quarter.
Sharon had his third 100-yard receiving game this season and the sixth of his career.
Senior Steve Sanders had his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season, catching six balls for a total of 116 yards ... Sanders had a 13-yard TD catch, his sixth of the season and the seventh of his career.
Senior James Hawkins scored his second TD of the season, a 17-yard catch from Jacobs ... for Hawkins, it was the 10th TD reception of his career.
Sophomore Terrel White had the first forced fumble of his career, while senior Cornelius McGrady had the first fumble recovery of his career on special teams ... both came on the same play, at White hit Ahmad Bradshaw on a kickoff return late in the first quarter, and McGrady fell on the ball at the Marshall 13-yard line ... BG scored two plays later to take a 21-7 lead.
McGrady was injured late in the second quarter, and was taken off the field on a stretcher ... he suffered a concussion and was released from Wood County Hospital later Saturday afternoon.
Senior Keon Newson had the fourth blocked kick of his career, as he deflected a punt by Ian O'Connor late in the second quarter ... that punt went for 15 yards and gave the Falcons the ball at the Herd's 30-yard line ... BG scored four plays later to take a 35-20 lead.
Newson also added a 42-yard interception return for a TD in the third quarter ... the pick returned for a score was his second of the season, as he also took an interception back for a TD in the season-opening game at Oklahoma ... Newson now has four picks this season and eight in his career.
Junior Mike Crumpler had his first career interception ... Teddy Piepkow also had an interception in the game, his second of the season and of his career ... Piepkow returned his interception 61 yards.
Saturday marked the final home game for 15 BGSU seniors: LB Jovon Burkes, DB T.J. Carswell, TE Todd DiBacco, OL Andy Grubb, OL Andrew Hart, WR James Hawkins, WR Cole Magner, WR Cornelius McGrady, OL Scott Mruczkowski, DE Ryan Newble, DB Keon Newson, LS Gavin Powell, LB Daniel Sayles, K Shaun Suisham and OL Andy Wenstrup.
This class has posted a 36-11 record in four seasons, the best of any senior class in the MAC.
For the second time in three years, BGSU finishes with an undefeated record at Perry Stadium (5-0) ... the Falcons also have gone undefeated at home in 2002, 1993, 1992, 1985, 1984 and 1982.
The Falcons enter the final week of the season tied for first place in the MAC at 6-1 with Northern Illinois and Toledo ... BGSU plays at Toledo on Tuesday, Nov. 23, with the game set for a 7:00 p.m. and a national broadcast on ESPN2 ... BG has clinched at least a tie for the best overall record in the MAC with eight wins.
BGSU has won its last 17 games when holding an opponent below 100 yards rushing ... the Falcons also have won 17 consecutive games when posting 500 yards or more of total offense ... BG held Marshall to 98 yards rushing, the fifth-straight game that a Falcon opponent has not cracked the century mark in rushing ... BGSU had 543 yards of total offense.
Jacobs' 58-yard pass to Sharon was the longest of the QB's career.
BGSU has picked off six passes in the last two games, and the Falcons now have 11 this season.
