Bowling Green State University Athletics
It's a 12-Game Season
September 02, 2006 | Football
Sept. 2, 2006
By JACK CARLE, Sentinel Sports Editor - All this month Bowling Green's coaching staff has stressed getting ready for the entire 12-game season, rather than just pointing to the season-opener against Wisconsin.
The Falcons face the Badgers on Saturday in Cleveland Browns Stadium with kickoff at 7 p.m.
"A couple of years ago (2004) we opened at Oklahoma and I spent the entire camp talking about Oklahoma and how we're going to have a chance to beat them and blah, blah, blah," said BG head coach Gregg Brandon on Tuesday. "And then we played the next week at Northern Illinois on a Friday night and lost. That was a huge game. That game effectively knocked us out of the championship that year.
"We've approached camp (this year) that yeah we open against Wisconsin In Cleveland, but that the next game is more important for this program." The Falcons host Buffalo on Sept. 9 in their Mid-American Conference opener.
"It's a conference game ... it's a huge game for us," Brandon said.
YOUNGSTERS: Jacob Hardwick, a redshirt freshman, has won the starting job at defensive end replacing Dyrial Briggs, who is coming back from a broken foot.
Briggs is also expected to play.
True freshmen who are expected to start or make major contributions on Saturday include, Jerrett Sanderson and P.J. Mahone at safety; Zach Charles and Tyrone Pronty at wide receiver; punter Alonso Rojas, place-kicker Sean Ellis; kick returner Vincent Corner; and Tarell Lewis and Jahmal Brown in the secondary and on special teams;
"A couple of these guys just played their last high school game a couple of months ago in some of these all-star games. Now they're going to go into Cleveland Browns Stadium and play against one of the premier teams in the Big Ten," Brandon said.
READY FREDDIE: Brandon is looking forward to watching redshirt freshman Freddie Barnes play quarterback against the Badgers. Anthony Turner, the only quarterback on the roster with college experience, is suspended for the game.
"He's really stepped up and embraced the role as a starter," Brandon said. "He's a dynamic player. He's fun to watch and he's a great kid to be around.
"I'm excited for him. I think it's going to be a great opportunity for him to showcase his skills."
GOING HOME: The fans cheering for Bowling Green will include the family and friends of 18 players who attended high school in Northeast Ohio.
Included in that number are expected starters Erique Dozier, John Haneline, Dan Macon, Mahone and Terrel White.
"It's going to be a great experience," Haneline said. "They will have their fair share of fans, but with how many students we have from Cleveland who are going to be home that weekend, we'll have a domination of orange and brown in the stands."
Haneline, who attended Cleveland St. Ignatius, is expecting to have between 30 and 40 fans who have a vested interest in his play.
"My phone has been ringing constantly asking me to get tickets," he said. Brandon hopes the BG fans out-number the Wisconsin fans.
"We need their support," Brandon said. "The Browns fans, they wear orange and brown, they could show up and they don't even have to buy any Bowling Green stuff."
PISTOL: Last season Nevada successfully used a formation with the quarterback about three yards behind the center and then the running back run seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, calling it the `Pistol'. Look for Bowling Green to use that formation this season.
"I like it," Brandon said. "It's a little different.
"We studied some tape on it. They were gracious enough to visit (by phone) with us about that offense."
The play-action pass is a big weapon out of the Pistol.
EAGLE WALK-ONS: Craig Rutherford and Kyle Wright from Eastwood High School are two of 13 first-time walk-ons with the Falcons this season.
Rutherford, No. 56, is listed as a tight end, but could be BG's long snapper of the future.
Wright, No. 93, is a punter.
