Bowling Green State University Athletics
Thursday, September 3
Bowling Green, Ohio
7:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
vs
Troy
Falcons Begin New Era; Host Troy on Thursday
August 31, 2009 | Football
COMPLETE RELEASE IN PDF FORMAT (26 pages)
GAME DAY CENTRAL
The Bowling Green State University football team, led by first-year head coach Dave Clawson, will host the Troy Trojans on Thursday, Sept. 3 inside Doyt Perry Stadium as it opens the 2009 campaign. Opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be carried on BCSN.
Ways To Watch/Listen To Falcon Games
The Bowling Green Falcon fan base will have more ways than ever to tune into Falcon football in 2009. The Falcon radio broadcast has moved to 99.1 FM this year. For those out of the listening areas, all radio broadcasts can be heard live on www.bgsufalcons.com, free of charge. Todd Walker will have the call and will be joined by former Falcon John Gibson in the booth.
In cooperation with BCSN and the B2 Networks, selected Falcon games will be available on video, live at www.bgsufalcons.com for $7.00. You can also watch the BGSU live stats program at http://www.sidearmstats.com/bgsu/football.
BGSU Radio Affiliates
WFRO (99.1 FM) * - Fremont (Flagship)
WCWA (1230 AM) - Toledo
WIMA (1150 AM) - Lima
WONW (1230 AM) - Defiance
WHKW (1120 AM) - Cleveland
WHK (1420 AM) - Cleveland
What Has Changed?
Dave Clawson replaces Gregg Brandon who went 44-30 in six years at the helm of the Falcon program. In a very limited time Clawson has hired eight new assistant coaches, a new director of football operations, two new graduate assistant coaches and signed 24 players to National Letters of Intent. Not bad, considering he has only been at Bowling Green for 266 days.
Brief 2008 Recap
After opening the season with a 27-17 upset over No. 25 Pittsburgh, the Falcons looked to be back to their 2007 form when they finished 8-5 and advanced to their third bowl game in five years, but turnovers and missed opportunities throughout the year doomed BGSU in 2008. The Falcons squandered fourth quarter leads versus Eastern Michigan, Miami, Northern Illinois and Buffalo, with three of those losses coming at home and had a chance to beat Minnesota and Boise State, but had eight turnovers in those two games combined.
Going Streaking
First year Falcon head coaches have not lost a season opener since Harry Ockerman and the Falcons lost 12-0 in 1935. Robert Whittaker (1941), Doyt Perry (1955), Bob Gibson (1965), Don Nehlan (1968), Denny Stolz (1977), Moe Ankney (1986), Gary Blackney (1991), Urban Meyer (2001) and Gregg Brandon (2003) are 8-0-1 in games that begin their Falcon careers.
Six Falcons Named to Phil Steele's All-MAC Team
Freddie Barnes, Nick Iovinelli, P.J. Mahone, Jerett Sanderson, Tyler Sheehan and Shane Steffy, six members of the Bowling Green State University football team, were named in Phil Steele's 2009 All-MAC Preseason Team. Barnes and Mahone earned third team honors, while Iovinelli, Sheehan and Steffy were named to the fourth team and Sanderson earned honorable mention.
Falcons to Play at Michigan in 2010
The Bowling Green State University football team will make the short trip north to take on a Big Ten Conference opponent in 2010. The Falcons will head to Ann Arbor, Mich., to face the University of Michigan on Sept. 25, 2010, at Michigan Stadium.
The game will mark the second time the Falcons and Wolverines will meet on the gridiron. The teams' initial meeting was a 42-7 U-M win in Ann Arbor on Sept. 2, 2000.
The 2010 game also will mark the seventh time the Falcons have met a Big Ten opponent in a five-year span. BGSU played Wisconsin in both 2005 and 2006, Ohio State in 2006, Michigan State in 2007 and Minnesota in both 2007 and 2008.
Falcons Announce 2009 Captains
Seniors Freddie Barnes, Cody Basler, Jahmal Brown, Jimmy Scheidler and Tyler Sheehan will serve as captains for the 2009 campaign. All are first-year captains for the Orange and Brown.
A Look at the Falcon Offense
Senior quarterback Tyler Sheehan will lead the Falcon offense that averaged 27.7 points per game in 2008. Sheehan, who was an All-MAC performer as a sophomore (2007), threw for 2,610 yards and 20 touchdowns this past season. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native also completed 66.8 percent of his passes, second-best in school history and added a team-high seven rushing touchdowns.
Protecting Sheehan will be three Falcons that started all 12 games in 2008 and a pair of Falcons that will be seeing starts for the first time in their Falcon careers. Left guard Shane Steffy has 24 career starts, left tackle Brady Minturn has 16 starts and sophomore center Ben Bojicic started all 12 games last season. Along the right side will be Scott Albert (RG) and Tyler Donahue (RT), both making their first career starts versus Troy.
Lining up in the backfield will be a pair of veteran running backs in Chris Bullock and Willie Geter. Bullock, who has 1,434 career rushing yards, ranks 19th in school history and is just 600 yards away from cracking the top-10 list in career rushing yards. Geter, a junior from Miami, Fla., has 733 yards in two seasons with the Orange and Brown, while averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
When Sheehan decides to drop back and pass he will have a handful of receivers to throw to including seniors Freddie Barnes (142 career receptions) and tight end Jimmy Scheidler (seven touchdowns in 2008). Other pass catchers expected to play a large role in 2009 include Adrian Hodges, Chris Wright, Tyrone Pronty and junior college transfer Kamar Jorden.
Bojicic Named to Rimington Watch List
The Rimington Trophy committee has released its 2009 Watch List and Bowling Green State University football team member Ben Bojicic has been named to that list. Bojicic is just one of five sophomores on the entire watch list and just one of three players from the Mid-American Conference named to this honor.
In all, there are 44 players on the Watch List. The SEC checks in with the most candidates, with six players being named. The ACC, Big-12, Big Ten and WAC are represented by five players each on the Watch List.
Bojicic, a native of Farmington Hills, Mich., started all 12 games for the Falcons last season as a red-shirt freshman at center.
Percentage Leader
Senior quarterback Tyler Sheehan, the career leader in BGSU history in completion percentage at 64.5 percent, is currently edging out Omar Jacobs (64.4 percent). Sheehan leads by .04 percent. Sheehan completed 66.8 percent of his passes last season, which is second all-time for completion percentage for a season, trailing just Jacobs, who completed 66.9 percent of his passes in 2004.
Sheehan Career Tidbits
• Has completed 64.5 percent of his passes in his career (593 of 919), while throwing for 6,066 yards and 43 touchdowns, while rushing for 10 more. His completion percentage is first all-time in school history.
• He has three career receiving touchdowns.
• Has been responsible for 55 touchdowns in his last 25 games (46 passing, 10 rushing, 3 receiving)
• Has been named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week five times.
• His 919 career passes are fifth all-time in BGSU history.
• His 593 career completions rank third all-time.
• He averages a touchdown pass every 21.4 passes and an interception every 38.3 passes.
Sheehan on Manning Watch List
The Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, announced its 2009 preseason Watch List, with Bowling Green's Tyler Sheehan finding his way onto that list, which included 38 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2009 season. The winner will be announced after the bowls in January and will be honored at a February banquet in New Orleans.
Sheehan, a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, is 14-11 in his two years as a starting quarterback for BGSU. For his career he has thrown for 6,066 yards and 43 touchdowns and added 10 rushing and three receiving scores, while finding his name throughout the school record books. The signal caller is first in completion percentage (64.5 percent), third in completions (593), four in passing attempts (919) and touchdown passes (43) and fifth in passing yards (6,066), total plays (1,133) and yards gained (6,493).
The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that takes into consideration the candidates' bowl performances.
All He Does Is Catch Touchdowns
Senior tight end Jimmy Scheidler entered 2008 with one career reception for minus-4 yards. In the season opener versus Pittsburgh, Scheidler emerged as a top receiving threat, recording three catches for 30 yards and two touchdowns. His touchdown receptions were from three and five yards, while he also recorded a 22 yard catch that helped set up the Falcons winning score over the No. 25 team in the country. He finished 2008 with 17 receptions for 150 yards, but scored seven touchdowns, highest on the team.
Moving On Up
Freddie Barnes, who will enter his senior year with 142 career catches, is currently 10th all-time in the Falcon history in total receptions.
1. Charles Sharon (2002-05) 232
2. Cole Magner (2001-04) 215
3. Robert Redd (1998-02) 211
4. Mark Szlachcic (1989-92) 182
5. Corey Partridge (2005-PR) 182
5. Stan Hunter (1982-85) 176
7. Reggie Thornton (1986-89) 158
8. Steve Sanders (2002-05) 156
9. Kurt Gerling (1998-01) 152
10. Freddie Barnes (2005-PR) 142
A Look at the Falcon Defense
The Falcons return just three defensive starters from a defense that finished fourth in the MAC in points (23.2) and yards allowed (343.4) in 2008. Up front they have to find a way to replace all four starters, including Diyral Briggs, who graduated after finishing his career with 24.5 sacks. Angelo Magnone (five quarterback hurries), Andrew Johnson (3.0 sacks) and Kevin Alvarado (16 tackles) along with a handful of other defensive lineman will be asked to fill the void.
At linebacker only Jerett Sanderson (68 tackles, two INTs) returns as a starter from 2008, but Cody Basler saw significant action last season, including one week versus Wyoming where he was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week after recording six tackles a fumble recovery and an interception. Senior James Schneider, who had six tackles last season, looks to be the other starting linebacker heading into 2009.
At the cornerback position, the Falcons will be playing two guys that have zero combined starts, while the Falcon safeties have played together most of their career. Senior Roger Williams, who has made a name for him as a kick returner, will begin his first year as a starting corner and will be joined by sophomore Adrien Spencer, who will also be making his first career start versus Troy.
The safeties, on the other hand, have 55 combined starts between the two of them, led by senior Jahmal Brown. Brown has started each of the last 35 games, while fellow classmate P.J. Mahone has been beside him in each of the last 20 contests.
Catch Me if You Can
Senior safety P.J. Mahone is closing in on placing his name in the BGSU record books as the Falcons begin 2009. Mahone, who played sparingly as a freshman in 2006 emerged as a starter midway through the 2007 campaign. In that limited time he has recorded 10 interceptions and 242 return yards on those 10 picks (24.2 avg.), both ranking near the top of the record books.
Career Interceptions
27 Martin Bayless, 1980-83
18 Janssen Patton, 2000-03
14 Dave Bielinski, 1989-92
13 Jac Tomasello, 1978-82
10 P.J. Mahone, 2006-PR
Career Interception Return Yards
264 Martin Bayless, 1980-83
242 Melvin Marshall, 1982-85
242 P.J. Mahone, 2006-PR
A Look at the Falcon Special Teams
Senior punter Nick Iovinelli and kick returner Roger Williams return to help lead the Falcon special teams in 2009. They will be joined by redshirt freshman Jerry Phillips, who will handle the kicking duties.
Iovinelli, who was a third-team All-MAC member in 2008, averaged 40.4 yards a punt as a junior. He had 12 punts inside the opponents 20-yardline and had seven kicks of over 50 yards, including a 79-yard punt versus Pittsburgh, the third longest in school history.
Roger Williams will look to regain his 2007 form after suffering a broken finger in 2008, limiting his kick return responsibilities. As a sophomore, Williams 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. Williams also has a chance to establish himself atop most kick returning school records this season.
Career Kickoff Returns
1. Reggie Thornton (1986-89) 65
2. Joe Alls (1999-02) 55
2. Roger Williams (2006-pr) 55
4. Darryl Story (1983-86) 51
5. Terry Wilson (1988-92) 49
Career Kickoff Return Yards
1. Reggie Thornton (1986-89) 1,222
2. Roger Williams (2006-pr) 1,214
3. Joe Alls (1999-02) 1,147
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