Falcons Travel West for 2009 Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl Versus Idaho

Bowling Green (7-5, 6-2 MAC) vs. Idaho (7-5, 4-4 WAC)
Boise, ID • Bronco Stadium (33,500)
Dec. 30, 2009 • 4:30 p.m.

TV
ESPN: Eric Collins (Play-by-Play) and Brock Huard (Analyst)

Radio
Falcon Radio Network (99.1 FM) • Todd Walker (Play-by-Play) and John Gibson (Analyst)
Listen on Online

Series
Series: First Meeting

Humanitarian Bowl Game Notes (81 pages)

The Bowling Green State University football team will be playing in its fourth bowl game since 2003, this time featuring the 2009 Roady's Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho, versus the Idaho Vandals. Opening kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. EST and will be carried live on ESPN.

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 is 7-5 in his first year as the Falcons' head coach.

The Falcon offense is led by third-year signal caller, Tyler Sheehan, who will be making his 38th consecutive start on Wednesday. Through his first 37 games as a Falcon he has thrown for 9,730 yards (second-best in school history) and 66 touchdowns (also second-best in school history). This year alone the senior has thrown for 3,664 yards (305.3/game) and 23 touchdowns, while adding four more scores on the ground. Sheehan and the Falcons are first in the MAC and eighth nationally, averaging 310.2 yards per game through the air and have thrown for over 300 yards in six of their last eight contests.

Sheehan's main offensive weapon is fellow classmate Freddie Barnes, who after 12 games this season, has amassed 138 receptions (11.5 per game), 1,551 yards (129.2 per game) and 16 touchdowns. His receptions and touchdowns are tops in the country. Barnes, a Biletnikoff finalist, has eight games of at least 10-plus receptions and eight 100-yard receiving games this season. Barnes' top performance of the year was 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. Barnes is the BGSU and MAC record holder for catches in a season and is four shy of the all-time NCAA mark of 142, set by Manny Hazzard in 1989.

Defensively the Falcons are led by a handful of seniors, including by Cody Basler (81 tackles, 3.0 sacks), James Schneider (79 tackles, 3.5 sacks), Jerett Sanderson (77 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss), Jahmal Brown (73 tackles, three forced fumbles), Roger Williams (70 tackles, four interceptions) and P.J. Mahone (62 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss).

Falcons Go Bowling For Ninth Time In School History
The 2009 Humanitarian Bowl will be Bowling Green's ninth bowl in school history and fourth since 2003. Overall the Falcons are 4-4 in bowl games and have won four of its last five contests.
1961 - Mercy Bowl - L, 36-6 (vs. Fresno State)
1982 - California Bowl - L, 29-28 (vs. Fresno State)
1985 - California Raisin Bowl - L, 51-7 (vs. Fresno State
1991 - California Raisin Bowl - W, 28-24 (vs. Fresno State
1992 - Las Vegas Bowl - W, 35-34 (vs. Nevada)
2003 - Motor City Bowl - W, 28-24 (vs. Northwestern)
2004 - GMAC Bowl - W, 52-35 (vs. Memphis)
2008 - GMAC Bowl - L, 63-7 (vs. Tulsa)

Falcons Streaking Nationally
Bowling Green will enter the contest with Idaho, carrying a four-game win streak to the table, the eighth longest in the country.
1.    Texas, 17
2.    TCU, 14
3.    Boise State, 13
4.    Alabama, 13
5.    Cincinnati, 12
6.    Middle Tennessee, 6
7.    Ohio State, 5
8.    Bowling Green, 4

Not Many Can Say It
Twenty-two new head coaches took the field in 2009 and only six of those coaches are playing in a bowl contest, including BGSU's Dave Clawson. In fact, only Clawson and Wyoming's Dave Christensen are members of non BCS schools with first-year head coaches that will be participating in bowl games in 2009. The other four head coaches include: Dabo Swinney (Clemson), Chip Kelley (Oregon), Frank Spaziani (Boston College) and Lane Kiffin (Tennessee).

Four Falcons Earn All-MAC Honors
Four Falcons earned Mid-American Conference postseason honors, announced by the league office this morning (Dec. 2). Freddie Barnes earned first-team honors, Jimmy Scheidler was named to the second-team and Tyler Sheehan and Shane Steffy earned third-team honors.

Barnes, a Biletnikoff finalist, given to college football's most outstanding wide receiver, earns first-team honors for the first time in his career. Barnes was named to the All-MAC third-team in 2007. This season the fifth-year senior leads the nation in receptions (138) and touchdowns (16) and is third in the country in yards (1,551). His top performance came on Oct. 10 when Barnes recorded 22 catches for 278 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-35 win at Kent State. A week later the Chicago Heights, Ill., native caught 10 balls for 160 yards and three scores versus Ball State, earning National Wide Receiver honors in back-to-back weeks by the College Performance Award.

Scheidler played in 11 games this season, posting 25 catches for 304 yards, earning second-team honors for the first time in his career. In the season opener versus Troy he had four catches and a career-high 72 yards in the 31-14 win. Versus Ohio he had a career-high five catches and added 67 yards.

Sheehan earns third-team honors for the second time in his career after being named to the same team in 2007. He completed 340-of-528 passes, both BGSU school records and threw for 3,664 yards, the third-most in school history while adding 23 touchdowns, the fifth-most in school history. On the season he averaged a touchdown passes once every 22.9 passes and threw an interception every 88-pass attempts (23:6 ratio). He has also thrown at least one touchdown pass in 21 straight games, the third longest active streak in the country.

Steffy earns third-team honors for the first time in his career. In 2009 Steffy started all 12 games, nine of them at left guard and moved to center for three games when Ben Bojicic suffered an injury. As a unit, the Falcon offensive line allowed just 26 sacks, despite the Falcons throwing the ball more than any other team in the conference.

Comeback Kids
The Falcons have rallied back from a double-digit fourth quarter deficit twice in 2009 to pull out a victory. The Falcons scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for a 30-29 win at Buffalo on Nov. 3 and back on Oct. 10 the Falcons scored a pair of touchdowns in the game's final six minutes to win 36-35 at Kent State.

Nearly Had Three More
Even with two fourth quarter comebacks this season the Falcons have had the ball late in the fourth quarter down one score in four other games in 2009.
at Missouri - Down 27-20, 1:36 remaining - Drove to the BGSU40 before turning it over on downs.
at Marshall - Down 17-10, 2:13 remaining - Drove to the Marshall26 before turning it over on downs.
vs. Ohio - Down 44-37, 1:40 remaining - Drove to the Ohio14 before turning it over on downs.

Record Doesn't Tell The Entire Story
While the Falcons finished 7-5 overall and 6-2 in conference play, you can't say the Falcons aren't challenging their team when it comes to the schedule. Overall, the Falcons have played six of their 12 games against teams with .500 or better record, and in fact the combined winning percentage of those seven teams is not even close to .500. Boise State (12-0), Central Michigan (10-2), Troy (9-3), Marshall (6-6), Ohio (9-3) and Missouri (8-4) have a combined 54-19 record (.739).

MAC Road Warriors; Finish 2009 4-0 on road
The Falcons are 12-2 since 2007 in MAC road contests. They have wins over Kent State (31-20), Eastern Michigan (39-32) and Buffalo (31-17) in 2007, wins over Akron (37-33), Ohio (28-3) and Toledo (38-10) in 2008 and are 4-0 in MAC road games in 2009, downing Kent State (36-35), Ball State (31-17), Buffalo (30-29) and Miami (35-14). The Falcons lone road MAC road losses in that time are versus Miami in 2007 (47-14) and Northern Illinois in 2008 (16-13).

Another November to Remember!
For the second time in three seasons the Falcons entered the month of November knowing they would have to win their last four games to reach postseason play. In 2007 BGSU won its last four contests to finish 8-4 and advance to the GMAC Bowl. Like 2007, the Orange and Brown entered November needing to win its last four contests after opening the season just 3-5. With wins over Buffalo (30-29), Miami (35-14), Akron (36-20) and Toledo (38-24) BGSU rallied to a 7-5 record. In fact over the past three seasons the Falcons are 11-1 in the month of November.

They Did it Again
In the win over Akron on Nov. 20 Tyler Sheehan threw for 338 yards and Freddie Barnes finished with 12 receptions for 197 yards and two scores. It was Sheehan's eighth 300-yard game of the season and Barnes' eighth game of surpassing the 100-yard plateau. In fact when Sheehan surpasses 300 yards and Barnes goes over 100 yards in the same game the Falcons are 6-2 in those eight games.

Aerial Attack
Bowling Green's passing attack ranks first in the Mid-American Conference and eighth nationally in yards per game, averaging 310.2 yards through the air. Eight times have the Falcons gone over the 300-yard plateau, including a 505 yard effort at Kent State, the most passing yards ever for a Falcon quarterback. Other 300-yard games include Troy (339), Marshall (383), Ohio (390), Ball State (376), Central Michigan (341), Buffalo (313) and Akron (338).

Ice That Arm
Helping that national ranking is the fact that the Falcons have thrown it 548 times, third-most in the country. The pass attempts and completions (347) are both new school records. The previous records of 345 completions was set in 2003 and the 522 attempts was just set in 2007.

Run Falcons Run
While the Falcons have managed just 975 yards and a 2.9 average per carry throughout the 2009 season, the last three weeks when the Falcons had to run the ball to protect a lead they have done just that. In the fourth quarter of each of the last three games the Falcons' running game has been at its best. Versus Miami, BGSU posted 15 carries for 111 yards, versus Akron they ran it 10 times for 90 yards and versus Toledo, they posted 12 carries for 92 yards. Overall BGSU has run the ball 37 times for 293 yards (7.9 avg.) in the fourth quarter alone in the last three contests.

May the Force Be With You
BGSU, who has 19 forced turnovers on the year, have forced 12 of those turnovers in the last three games. The Orange and Brown forced five turnovers versus Miami, two versus Akron and five versus Toledo.

You Decide? - 2009
Much has been made about the Falcons passing offense, but who wins the debate on who is more valuable to the team? Is it quarterback Tyler Sheehan, who is fifth in the country in yards per game, or is it wide receiver, Freddie Barnes, who leads the country in receptions and touchdowns. To help you decide, each candidate has five arguments on why you should vote for them.

Tyler Sheehan
• Is fifth in the country with 305.3 yards per game.
• This season alone is averaging a touchdown pass every 22.9 pass attempts and throws an interception every 88.0 pass attempts.
• Is having his best year statistically in almost every category: yards (3,664), touchdowns (23) and pass efficiency (134.8).
• Has eight 300-yard passing games and owns the school record for yards in a single game, with 505 yards versus Kent State.
• Has a chance to become the all-time school recorder holder for yards passing in a season. Sheehan's 3,664 yards trails only Josh Harris (3,813 yards) and Omar Jacobs, who posted 4,002 yards in 2004.

Freddie Barnes
• Was a Biletnikoff Finalist and a first-team All-American honor by the FWAA.
• Is the nation's leader in receptions (138) and touchdowns (16) and is third in yards (1,551).
• Had 22 catches for 278 yards and three touchdowns versus Kent State. His 22 catches were one shy of the NCAA record.
• Has eight games in 2009 with at least 10 catches.
• Has eight games of over 100 yards receiving and has gone over the 150-yard mark five times.

Barnes Named Finalist for Biletnikoff Award and Earns FWAA First-Team All-America Honors
Bowling Green State University senior Freddie Barnes did not win the Biletnikoff Award (Notre Dame's Golden Tate did), but what he accomplished in 2009 can not be over looked

Barnes currently leads the country in receptions (138), receptions per game (11.5) and touchdowns (16). The senior has eight double-digit reception performances, has gone over the 100-yard mark eight times and has six games of at least two touchdowns. For his efforts the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) named Barnes to its All-America First-Team.

Barnes, one of five captains on the 2009 Falcons' squad, currently has seven straight games in which he scored a touchdown.

Big plays have been a huge factor in Barnes' success as well, having caught five receptions over 50 yards, and has 22 catches of 20 yards or more in 2009.

The Chicago Heights, Ill., native's 138 catches are tied for third all-time in the history of the NCAA, four receptions shy of the NCAA mark of 142, held by Manny Hazard (Houston), established in 1989. His 11.5 receptions per game is the fifth-highest average ever by a NCAA wide receiver and has 31 more catches than his nearest competitor.

How Barnes Ranks Among Other Finalists
Name (School)                  Receptions     Yards     TD
Freddie Barnes (BGSU)              138           1,551     16
Jordan Shipley (Texas)                106           1,363     11
Golden Tate (Notre Dame)             93           1,496    15

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 138 catches 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
1. Freddie Barnes (BGSU)             138         1,551
2. Danario Alexander (Missouri)     107         1,644
3. Greg Salas (Hawaii)                   106          1,590
4. Jordan Shipley (Texas)               106         1,363
5. Kerry Meier (Kansas)                  102            985

Helps When You Set A New School Record, Three Times
Obviously, when a player has 138 catches in a single season 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 11.5 catches a game, is currently on pace to finish 2009 with 150 catches, which would set a new NCAA record, held since 1989 by Manny Hazard (Houston) with 142.

All-Time NCAA Leaders for Catches in a Season
1.     Manny Hazard (Houston, 1989), 142
2.     Troy Edwards (La. Tech, 1998), 140
3.     Freddie Barnes (BGSU, 2009), 138
        Nate Burleson (Nevada, 2002), 138

NCAA Leaders For Catches Per Game
1.     Howard Twilley (Tulsa, 1965), 13.4
2.     Manny Hazard (Houston, 1989), 12.9
3.     Trevor Insley (Nevada, 1999), 12.2
4.     Alex Van Dyke (Nevada, 1995), 11.7
5.     Freddie Barnes (BGSU, 2009), 11.5

Moving On Up
When marching up a record book like Freddie Barnes is doing, 138 catches for 1,551 yards in a season will help out in a hurry. The senior, who began 2009 with 142 career receptions for 1,520 yards, has climbed from 11th all-time all the way to the top of the BGSU in the record books for catches in a career and began the year 17th in career receiving yards and has moved all the way up to second all-time.

Career Receptions List
1.    Freddie Barnes (2005-PR), 280
2.     Charles Sharon (2002-05), 232
3.     Cole Magner (2001-04), 215
4.     Robert Redd (1998-02), 211
5.     Mark Szlachcic (1989-92), 182

There Are Other Wide Receivers Too
While Freddie Barnes has been getting most of the attention, other Falcon pass catchers are putting up some solid numbers in 2009. Sophomore Adrian Hodges is second on the team with 45 catches, 410 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Wright is third on the team with 39 grabs for 510 yards and one score after recording just 22 grabs for 249 yards last season.

Cincinnati Kid
Tyler Sheehan, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, could be closing in on several single season records by the end of the year. Sheehan, who has thrown for 3,664 yards on 340-of-528 passes, is currently on pace to throw for 3,969 yards on 368-of-572 passing. He has already become the school record holder for completions and attempts in a season (Josh Harris was the previous record holder, completing 325 of 494 pass). Sheehan trails just Harris (3,813) and Omar Jacobs (4,002) for the most yards in a single season.

Sheehan Streaking
Tyler Sheehan has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 21 straight games, dating back to Sept. 13, 2008 when Boise State shut him out. His current 21 game streak is third-best in the country, behind just Colt McCoy (29 games) and Casey Keenum (28 games). In his 37 career starts he has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 34 of those games.

Current Touchdown Streaks
Colt McCoy, Texas, 29
Case Keenum, Houston, 28
Tyler Sheehan, BGSU, 21
Tony Pike, Cincinnati, 18
Ryan Lindley, San Diego State, 18

More Good Streaking
Sheehan, who has thrown only six interceptions in 528 passes this year is currently on a streak of 112 passes without throwing an interception. His last pick came on the last play of the third quarter versus Buffalo (Nov. 3). Since then he has thrown 16 passes versus the Bulls, 33 versus Miami, 32 versus Akron and 31 versus Toledo without giving it to the other team.

If Sheehan Were A Bowler...
Tyler Sheehan came into 2009 with just two career 300-yard games, despite throwing for over 6,000 yards his first two years as a Falcon. Through 12 games this season he has eight 300-yard games, including six of his last eight contests. Sheehan opened the year with 339 yards versus Troy. He also had over 300 yards versus Marshall (383), Ohio (390), Kent State (505), Ball State (376), Central Michigan (341), Buffalo (313) and Akron (338).

Speaking of 300-Yard Games
Tyler Sheehan is one of just three quarterbacks in BGSU history to have at least 10, 300-yard games in their career. Omar Jacobs and Brian McClure are tops on that list with 12, followed by Sheehan. Josh Harris had six in his career and Rich Dackin had six 300 yard games in 1989. Jacobs had eight of his 12 games in 2004, meaning Sheehan has a chance to break another school record this week. Another 300-yard performance from Sheehan would give him nine 300-yard games this season, the most ever in a single season by a BGSU quarterback.

Staying Active
Tyler Sheehan, who will be making his 38th consecutive start, 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 fifth in pass attempts (1,447)
• Fifth in completions (933)
• Ninth in yards (9,730)
• 12th in passing touchdowns (66)
• 12th in completions percentage (64.5)
• 11th in touchdowns responsible for (83)
• 12th in total yards (10,123)

And Even More on Sheehan
• Is first in school history in completions (933) and pass attempts (1,447) and is second in yards passing (9,730)
• Has 10 career 300-yard games, including six of his last eight contests
• Has been named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week seven times throughout his career.
• Has 83 career touchdowns (66 passing, 14 rushing, three receiving)
• Has completed 64.5 percent of his passes, best in school history
• Is first in the MAC in total offense (302.6) and yards passing (305.3)
• Has not thrown an interception in the fourth quarter in all of 2009

Sheehan By The Down - Completion % - 2009
On First Down - 125-202 (61%)
On Second Down - 134-182 (73%)
On Third Down - 76-132 (57%)
On Fourth Down - 5-12 (41%)

Sheehan by the Quarter - 2009
In First Quarter - 79 of 132 (60%), 753 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
In Second Quarter - 88 of 134 (66%) 1,155 yards, 9 TD, 3 INT
In Third Quarter - 93 of 128 (73%) 886 yards, 7 TD, 2 INT
In Fourth Quarter - 83 of 138 (60%) 870 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT

Simply The Best
Roger Williams became the all-time leader for kick returns and kick return yards earlier this year. Williams, who suffered a broken finger early in 2008 was limited as a return man, but made a name for himself in 2007 when he set school records in returns (39) and yards (954), while also returning a kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown in the GMAC Bowl, the first-ever in that bowl's history.

Career Kickoff Returns
1.     Roger Williams (2006-pr), 97
2.     Reggie Thornton (1986-89), 65
3.    Joe Alls (1999-02), 55
4.     Darryl Story (1983-86), 51
5.     Terry Wilson (1988-92), 49

Career Kickoff Return Yards
1.     Roger Williams (2006-pr), 2,109
2.     Reggie Thornton (1986-89), 1,222
3.     Joe Alls (1999-02), 1,147

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 second in the MAC and 23rd nationally in time of possession. The Falcons, who throw it more than any other team in the league, are controlling the ball for 31:27 a game.

Get Off The Field
Helping with that strong time of possession is the defense's ability to get stops on third down. BGSU ranks third in the MAC and 33rd in the country in opponent third down conversions (35.8 percent). 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 64.3 percent of the time. On all other third downs the Falcons have allowed just 29 first downs on 118 attempts (24.6%) when the yardage to get is at least four yards.

Down and Dist.    Conv. Rate
Third and 1-3          27-42 (.643)
Third and 4-6          12-43 (.279)
Third and 7-9          10-38 (.263)
Third and 10+           7-37 (.189)

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