Falcons Host West Division Leader, Central Michigan, on Saturday

Bowling Green (3-4, 2-1 MAC) vs. Central Michigan (6-1, 4-0 MAC)
Bowling Green, Ohio • Doyt Perry Stadium
Oct. 24, 2009 • Noon

TV
ESPNPlus/ESPN360.com • Michael Reghi (Play-by-Play) and Doug Chapman (Analyst)
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Falcon Radio Network (99.1 FM) • Todd Walker (Play-by-Play) and John Gibson (Analyst)
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BGSU Leads 21-17-0

BGSU Football Game Notes Versus Central Michigan (35 pages)
GameDay Central
FreddieBarnes.com

The Bowling Green State University football team welcomes the Central Michigan Chippewas to Doyt Perry Stadium for a crucial Mid-American Conference on Saturday, Oct. 24. Opening kickoff is set for noon and the game will be carried live by ESPNPlus/GamePlan.

Scouting the Falcons
The Falcons are led by first year head coach Dave Clawson, who comes to BGSU after a successful career at Fordham and Richmond. Clawson, who is 3-4 in his brief Falcon career, is 61-53 overall in 10 seasons as a head coach.

The Falcon offense is led by third-year signal caller, Tyler Sheehan, who will be making his 33rd consecutive start on Saturday. Through his first 32 games as a Falcon he has thrown for 8,402 yards (second-best in school history) and 57 touchdowns. Sheehan and the Falcons are first in the MAC and fifth nationally, averaging 341.1 yards per game through the air and are coming off a 376 yard performance last weekend at Ball State.

Sheehan's main offensive weapon is fellow classmate Freddie Barnes, who after seven games this season, has already amassed 85 receptions (12.1 per game) and 882 yards (126.0 per game), and eight touchdowns, all tops in the conference. Last weekend Barnes caught 10 passes for 160 yards and three scores which is minor compared to what he did versus Kent State back on Oct. 10. The Chicago Heights, Ill., native recorded 22 grabs for 278 yards and three touchdowns. His 22 receptions were one shy of the NCAA record.

Defensively the Falcons are led by linebacker Jerett Sanderson, who is second on the team in tackles (47), first in tackles for loss (5.5) and has chipped in with a sack, quarterback hurry and a forced fumble. He is joined by strong safety Keith Morgan, who has a team-high 52 tackles and four pass breakups. Fellow safety Jahmal Brown is fourth on the team with 43 tackles and has a forced fumble and has added one fumble recovery.

Scouting Central Michigan
Central Michigan will come into Doyt Perry Stadium with a 6-1 overall and 4-0 record in Mid-American Conference play.

Offensively they are led by senior quarterback Dan LeFevour, who leads the team in passing and rushing. LeFevour averages 221.3 yards through the air and 56.4 yards on the ground. Combined, the senior has 23 total touchdowns through seven games.

Antonio Brown, the top passing target for the Chippewas, comes into Saturday's action with 43 catches for 476 yards and six touchdowns.

Defensively, Nick Bellore leads the team with 66 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks. As a unit, the Chippewas allow just 15.9 points per game, tops in the league.

Falcons Make it Two in a Row; Air it Out in 31-17 Win at Ball State
Bowling Green State University rolled to a 24-point halftime lead en route to a 31-17 win over Ball State University Saturday afternoon (Oct. 17).

Quarterback Tyler Sheehan threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns, with 299 of those yards coming in the first half. Freddie Barnes, the nation's leading receiver, had 10 catches for 160 yards, and was on the other end of all three scoring passes.

BGSU took a 24-0 lead into the half, and Chris Bullock added a 26-yard run for the Falcons' final touchdown of the game.

The Falcons had two 100-yard receivers in the first half alone, as Chris Wright had all six of his catches and all 104 of his yards before the intermission. Barnes had eight first-half catches for 140 yards before halftime.

The Falcons had a 24-18 advantage in first downs and a 455-404 edge in total yardage. BG had 324 yards in the opening half, while holding Ball State to only 128 yards in the first 30 minutes of play.

Sheehan finished with 28 completions in 41 attempts for those 376 yards. He had the three TDs and did not throw an interception. In fact, the Falcons did not have a turnover in the game.

They Did it Again; Barnes and Sheehan Earn CFPA Honor
For the second consecutive week the College Football Performance Awards named Freddie Barnes National Wide Receiver of the Week and Tyler Sheehan Honorable Mention for National Quarterback for their efforts versus Ball State.

Barnes, a native of Chicago Heights, Ill., caught 10 passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns and added two carries for 12 yards in the win. Sheehan was 28-of-41 passing for 376 yards and three scores. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native completed eight throws of over 20 yards and had Barnes and Chris Wright (6-104) each go over 100 yards receiving.

Last week, when both Barnes and Sheehan earned this same award, Barnes went off for a school record 22 catches for 278 yards and three touchdowns. His 22 catches were one shy of the NCAA record.

Sheehan, like Barnes, set career-highs as well, throwing for 505 yards on 44-of-63 passing and four touchdowns, while adding a nine-yard touchdown run with five seconds remaining in the Falcons' 36-35 win at Kent State.

Overall, the past two weeks Sheehan has completed 72-of-104 passes for seven touchdowns and 881 yards, while Barnes has posted 32 catches for 438 yards and six scores.

Aerial Attack; Three Week Bombardment
Since the beginning of MAC play the Falcons' passing attack has been one of the nation's best. In the last three weeks Tyler Sheehan has thrown for 1,271 (423.7/game), the most ever by a BGSU quarterback in a three-game stretch. Overall, he has completed 100-of-156 passes (64.1 percent) and nine touchdowns.

In the same span Freddie Barnes has 39 catches for 522 yards and six touchdowns, while sophomore Adrian Hodges has 20 grabs for 199 yards and one score.

Overall, the Falcon offense is averaging 492.3 yards and 34.7 points per game in MAC play.

Ice That Arm
Bowling Green is first in the Mid-American Conference and fifth nationally, averaging 341.1 yards per game through the air. Helping that number is the fact that the Falcons have thrown it 352 times through seven games, most in the country. In fact, the Orange and Brown are currently averaging 50.3 attempts and 32.1 completions which would average out to 604 attempts and 385 completions, both which would be new school records. The current record of 345 completions was set in 2003 and the 522 attempts was just set in 2007.

Sheehan Named MAC East Offensive POW
For the second time in 2009 and the seventh time in his career the Mid-American Conference honored Tyler Sheehan by naming him the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week.

Sheehan, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, completed 28-of-41 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns. The senior signal-caller connected on eight passes of over 20 yards to help the Falcons earn a MAC road win over Ball State (31-17). In the process Freddie Barnes (10-160) and Chris Wright (6-104) each eclipsed the 100-yard plateau as the Falcons got their second straight MAC road win of the season.

At the half Sheehan looked to be on pace for another 500-yard performance (threw for 505 last week versus Kent State), completing 21-of-30 passes for 299 yards and three scores.

Sheehan's Offensive MAC Player of the Week Awards
at Minnesota (2007) 34-51, 388 yards, 2 TDs (had one receiving TD as well)
vs. Temple (2007) 30-47, 351 yards, 4 TDs
at Buffalo (2007) 20-29, 248 yards, 2 TDs (had one receiving TD)
at Wyoming (2008) 22-35, 287 yards, 2 TDs (had one rushing TD as well)
vs. Akron (2008) 26-41, 239 yards, 3 TDs (had one rushing TD as well)
at Marshall (2009) 43-62, 383 yards, 1 TD
at Ball State (2009) 28-41, 376 yards, 3 TDs

Barnes and Sheehan Do Something Never Done Before
Tyler Sheehan 1,271 yards passing the last three games are the most-ever by a BGSU quarterback in three straight games. After throwing for 390 yards versus Ohio, 505 versus Kent State and 376 versus Ball State the senior signal-caller is averaging 423.7 yards per game over that span.

In that same span, Barnes' 39 catches are more than any other BGSU wide receiver in a three game span, except for one. That one being Barnes himself, who had 42 grabs in the year's first three games (15 versus Troy, 10 versus Missouri and 17 versus Marshall) of 2009.

Take Me to Your Leader
The Falcon air attack has always had its pilot in Tyler Sheehan, but there is no question who the co-pilot is in 2009. Wide receiver Freddie Barnes, who has 85 catches through seven games in 2009, currently has a stranglehold atop the nation's leaderboard in catches, and in fact it's not even close right now.

Player (School)                           Catches     Yards
Freddie Barnes (BGSU)                   85          882
Keith Smith (Purdue)                        54          710
Kerry Meier (Kansas)                       54          580
Emmanuel Sanders (SMU)              53          581
Naaman Roosevelt (Buffalo)            52          705

Helps When You Set A New School Record, Three Times
Obviously, when a player has 85 catches in six games he is posting some serious numbers. Well, when it comes to Freddie Barnes, he is doing just that. After posting just 40 receptions in 2008 due to injuries, most expected Barnes to return to his 82 reception performance from 2007, but no one could have predicted this.

In 2002 Robert Redd had 14 catches versus Northern Illinois, a mark that most felt would be tough to beat (Corey Partridge matched the 14 catches in 2006 versus Toledo). To open 2009 Barnes caught a school record 15 catches in a win over Troy, a record most believed would once again be tough to beat. That record stood for two weeks before Barnes posted 17 catches at Marshall, establishing a new BGSU record. Just when you thought that was a untouchable number, Barnes had an incredible performance, hauling in 22 catches at Kent State.

NCAA Record Breaker?
Freddie Barnes, who is currently averaging 12.1 catches a game, is currently on pace to finish 2009 with 145 catches (in 12 games), which would break the current NCAA record, held since 1989 by Manny Hazard (Houston) with 142.

Moving On Up
When marching up a record book like Freddie Barnes is doing, 85 catches in seven games will help out in a hurry. The senior, who began 2009 with 142 career receptions, has climbed from 11th all-time all the way to second in the record books.
1. Charles Sharon (2002-05)        232
2.   Freddie Barnes (2005-PR)       227
3. Cole Magner (2001-04)            215
4. Robert Redd (1998-02)            211
5. Mark Szlachcic (1989-92)        182
6. Corey Partridge (2005-08)       182
7. Stan Hunter (1982-85)             176
8. Reggie Thornton (1986-89)      158
9.   Steve Sanders (2002-05)         156
10. Kurt Gerling (1998-01)              152

There Are Other Wide Receivers Too
While Freddie Barnes has been getting most of the attention (and coverages too), other Falcon pass catchers are putting up some solid numbers in 2009. Sophomore Adrian Hodges is second on the team with 38 catches, 365 yards and two touchdowns. Hodges has 20 catches the last three weeks after recording just five grabs in all of 2008.

Chris Wright is third on the team with 25 grabs for 372 yards and two scores after recording just 22 grabs for 249 yards last season.

Sophomore Justus Jones has come out of nowhere to play a major role for the Falcon passing game. While he has just 10 catches on the year, he was thrown into the lineup at Kent State and came away with a career-high six catches for 70 yards in the win.

Believe it or Not
Conventional wisdom says that a strong running game is the way to control the clock, but believe it or not BGSU ranks tops in the MAC and sixth nationally in time of possession. The Falcons, who throw it more than any other team in the league, are controlling the ball for 33:42 a game.

Top Time of Possession Teams
1. Notre Dame      37:08
2. Kansas St.        34:41
3. Navy                  34:11
4. Fresno State     34:03
5. Army                 33:59
6. BGSU               33:42

Get Off The Field
Helping with that strong time of possession is the defense's ability to get stops on third down. BGSU ranks first in the MAC and 13th in the country in opponent third down conversions (30.1%). In fact, when you look at the numbers even closer the Falcon defense has been extremely effective on third downs longer than three yards. Overall, when the opponent has to get three or fewer yards for a first down they have been successful 59.1 percent of the time. On all other third downs the Falcons have allowed just 13 first downs on 70 attempts (18.5%) when the yardage to get is at least four yards.

Very Few Are Better
Tyler Sheehan, who will be making his 33rd consecutive start this Saturday, has put up some huge numbers in his career, and in fact, very few quarterbacks have done it better. Below are just a few of how Sheehan ranks among active NCAA leaders.
• Ranks sixth in pass attempts (1,256)
• Fourth in completions (813)
• 10th in yards (8,402)
• 13th in passing touchdowns (57)
• 12th in completions percentage (64.7)
• 13th in touchdowns responsible for (73)
• 12th in total yards (8,697)

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