Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Travel to Boise State For ESPN2 Clash
September 13, 2005 | Football
Sept. 13, 2005
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Bowling Green (1-1, 1-0 MAC) at Boise State (0-2) Wednesday, September 21 • 8 p.m. (EDT) Bronco Stadium (30,000) • Boise, Idaho ESPN2 (Dave Barnett, Craig James, Ann Marie Anderson) BGSU Radio Network (Todd Walker, John Gibson and Jason Aldrich) SERIES: First Meeting • NEXT MEETING: 9/23/06 at Bowling Green
The Falcons return 13 starters from a squad which finished 9-3 and won the 2004 GMAC Bowl over Memphis, 52-35. BGSU is one of just 15 teams on the Division I-A level to win bowl games in both 2003 and 2004.
This will be the 11th time in 21 games that BGSU has appeared on national television since 2003. The Falcons will make their 10th appearance on ESPN or ESPN2 and also were shown on ABC at Oklahoma in 2004. BGSU made just one ESPN appearance from 1993-2002 (2000 at Toledo).
For the first time in school history, BGSU has won eight games or more in four consecutive years. The Falcons are picked to win the MAC in 2005. BGSU is 1-0 in the MAC after defeating Ball State on the road, 40-31, last week.
The Falcons will be facing a Boise State team which owns the nation's longest winning streak at home at 25 games. While this is the Falcons' first meeting with the three-time defending WAC Champions, BGSU has played Boise's current conference rivals Fresno State (4 times) and Nevada (once) in five of their seven bowl appearances.
BGSU has been ranked in both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls in each of the last three seasons. The Falcons received votes in both polls in the preseason and were ranked 21st by The Sporting News and 23rd by Sports Illustrated in their preseason publications.
BGSU's 38-13 record since 2001 is the best among all MAC schools over the last four years. BGSU also is the only MAC team with a winning record (9-4) vs. Division I-A non-conference opponents.
Junior All-American quarterback Omar Jacobs, the 2004 MAC Offensive Player of the Year, led the nation in TD passes (41) and points responsible for (22.5). He was second in total offense (358.5) and passing yards (4,002) and third in passing efficiency (165.5). He also set an NCAA record for TD/Interception ratio with the 41 scoring strikes and just four interceptions. He has been named MAC East Player of the Week twice already and leads the nation in TD passes (10), yards (886), and points responsible for (32.0). Jacobs is second in yards per completion (15.4) and fourth in total offense (440.0).
The Falcons boast two big-play senior wide receivers in Charles Sharon (2,659 yards and 31 TDs) and Steve Sanders (1,714 yards and 14 TDs). Their 241 yards per game average (Sanders, 122.5/Sharon, 118.5) this season combined is the most balanced effort in the nation of any tandem which averages more than 100 yards per game receiving.
Sharon now ranks third all-time in receiving yards and trails school record-holder Robert Redd (2,726 from 1998-2002) by only 68 yards. Stan Hunter (1982-85) ranks second with 2,679 yards.
Last year, BGSU finished second nationally in total offense with a MAC-record 506.3 yards per game and were third in passing (338.3 yards per game) and turnover margin (1.25), and fourth in pass efficiency (165.5) and scoring offense (44.3, also a MAC record).
BGSU returns to the MAC's East Division which consists of the Falcons, Akron, Buffalo, Kent State, Miami and Ohio. BGSU spent three years in the MAC West and won a division title in 2003.
