Falcons Face Arch-Rival Toledo on Saturday

Saturday, October 15

Bowling Green, Ohio

Noon

Bowling Green State University

Toledo

October 10, 2011 | Football

By: by BGSU Athletic Communications

Bowling Green Falcons (3-3, 1-1 MAC)
vs. Toledo Rockets (3-3, 2-0 MAC)
Game 7: Sat., Oct. 15 • Noon
Doyt L. Perry Stadium (24,000)
Bowling Green, Ohio
Series vs. Toledo: BGSU leads 39-32-4
Series Streak: UT - 1
Last Meeting: at Toledo, 33-14 (Nov. 17, 2010)
Television: ESPN Regional • Michael Reghi (Play-by-Play) and Doug Graber (Analyst)
Radio: Falcon Sports Radio Network
Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (analyst)
WBGU 88.1 FM: TBA
Live Stats: www.bgsufalcons.com

Game Notes

Falcon Quick Hits
• The Bowling Green State University football team is in the middle of its 93rd season of football with an all-time record of 495-342-51 (.589).
• Saturday's contest with Toledo will be the 76th contest between the two teams, with BGSU holding a 39-32-4 series advantage.
• Head coach Dave Clawson returns for his third season at the helm of the football team and returns all but one of his assistant coaches from 2010. Clawson has an all-time record of 70-68 and is 12-19 at BGSU.
• BGSU is off to a 3-3 start, the same record they had after six games in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The last time BGSU was over .500 after seven games was 2007.
• The Orange and Brown will also be in search of its second home win of the 2011 season, which would be more than all of last year.
• A win versus Toledo would be the second time in three years under Clawson that BGSU opened MAC play at 2-1.
• The Falcons have already surpassed last year's win total (2-10 in 2010).
• BGSU boasts one of the youngest teams in football with 54 players that are freshmen or redshirt freshmen and another 27 players that are sophomores or redshirt sophomores.
• Sticking with the youth, on the two-deep alone, the Falcons feature 10 seniors, seven juniors, 17 sophomores and 18 freshmen.
• The Falcons have five players on preseason watch teams: Kamar Jorden (Biletnikoff), Eugene Cooper (Biletnikoff), Ben Bojicic (Rimington), BooBoo Gates (Paul Hornung) and Dwayne Woods (Butkus).
• The Falcons do not have season captains in 2011. They will elect game captains each week.

Radio Broadcast
All BGSU football games will be carried by the affiliates below. Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (analyst) will once again serve as the radio broadcast team.
WFRO (99.1 FM) * - Fremont, Ohio
WWSR (93.1 FM) - Lima, Ohio
WCIT (940 AM) - Lima, Ohio
WLQR (1470 AM and 106.5 FM) - Toledo, Ohio
WONW (1280 AM) - Defiance, Ohio
WHKW (1220 AM) - Cleveland, Ohio
WFXN (102.3 FM) - Mansfield, Ohio
WXXF (107.7 FM) - Ashland, Ohio
*Flagship

Watch On-Line
In cooperation with BCSN and the America One Network, selected Falcon games will be available on video at www.bgsufalcons.com for a small charge.

Scouting the Falcons
The BGSU football team enters Saturday's contest with a 3-3 record after dropping a 45-21 decision last weekend at Western Michigan.

BGSU will be led by head coach Dave Clawson, who is 70-68 all-time in his career and 12-19 as the head coach of the Falcons. He is 8-10 in Mid-American Conference play.

A Look at the Falcon Offense
The Falcon offense ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference in scoring (30.8), fifth in total offense (412.0), fourth in pass offense (265.3) and seventh in rushing (146.7).

BGSU is led by sophomore quarterback Matt Schilz, who is third in the conference in passing (246.2) and fifth in passing efficiency (152.4). He is also tied for fourth in the country with 16 touchdown passes (first in the MAC). Schilz has a pair of wide receivers that are one of the top duos in the nation in Kamar Jorden and Eugene Cooper. Combined the two have 65 catches for 861 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The rushing attack is much improved from a year ago as well and is averaging 146.7 yards per game. Last season the Falcons ranked last in the nation at 62.8 yards per game on the ground. Freshmen Anthon Samuel and Jamel Martin, along with sophomore Jordon Hopgood, give the Falcons three running backs they can count on. Samuel is third in the MAC at 97.4 yards per game. Martin filled in nicely for Samuel in the West Virginia game (out due to an ankle injury), rushing for 111 yards on 23 carries. Hopgood is second on the team with three rushing touchdowns.

A Look at the Falcon Defense
Defensively the Falcons rank eighth in the MAC in scoring defense (29.8), 11th in total defense (399.7), eighth in rushing defense (181.8) and 10th in passing defense (217.8).

Linebacker Dwayne Woods leads the team with 47 tackles and has chipped in with 7.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. Fellow classmate Chris Jones anchors the front line and has 4.0 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss in 2011.

The secondary features one of the youngest in the country. The Falcons, who play a 4-2-5 defense, regularly feature three sophomores and two freshmen. Safety Aaron Foster is second on the team with 36 tackles.

A Look at The Falcon Special Teams
The Falcons' special teams have had some ups and downs in 2011. With the Falcons trailing 28-27 (with 2.1 seconds remaining in the game) four weeks ago versus Wyoming they had an extra point blocked and then missed their first extra point the following week versus Miami. In stepped junior Steve Stein, who has since made all eight of his extra points and is two-for-two on field goals since earning the starting placekicker job.

BGSU's Brian Schmeidebusch ranks sixth in the country with a 47.0 punting average. Of his 27 punts, 11 have gone for at least 50 yards, while another 11 have landed inside the opponents' 20.

Home Sweet Home
The contest with Toledo will start a stretch of four home games in a five game span. BGSU, which is 1-1 at home this season, will also face Temple (Oct. 22), Northern Illinois (Nov. 8) and Ohio (Nov. 16) in the next month at home.

Series With Toledo
The Falcons lead the all-time series with Toledo 39-32-4, but the Rockets are coming off a 33-14 win a year ago inside the Glass Bowl. The Falcons have won each of the last two contests at home versus UT by a combined 75-34 margin. BGSU is 22-11-1 all-time at home versus Toledo.

Battle For I-75
The University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University jointly announced the introduction of a new Battle of I-75 Trophy to be presented annually to the winner of the football game between the two schools.

The trophy, sponsored by Taylor Kia Automotive Group, will replace the Peace Pipe Trophy that had been used in the football rivalry since 1980. The new Battle of I-75 Trophy was designed by Jeff Artz, who also designed the Biletnikoff Award Trophy, which is given annually to the top collegiate wide receiver in the country. The Peace Pipe Trophy will be permanently housed in the UT football trophy case as the Rockets won the most recent battle for the Peace Pipe, a 33-14 victory in 2010.

The two Mid-American Conference rivals have been playing each other in football since 1919. The two campuses are located just 25 miles apart, with most of that distance covered by I-75, the highway that runs from northern Michigan to Miami, FL.

The schools agreed to change the trophy after conversations with members of the Native-American community. Taken into consideration was the spiritual symbolism of the peace pipe to the Native-American community, as well as the NCAA's initiative to remove inappropriate Native American nicknames and symbols associated with member's athletic teams.

Won't You Be My Neighbor
The BGSU/Toledo contest will mark the eighth closest contest between two rival schools, with the Falcons and Rockets being just 27.5 miles apart.
Schools/Miles Apart
Rice & Houston = 6.1 miles
Duke & NC State = 8.3 miles
Washington State & Idaho = 8.7 miles
North Carolina & Duke = 10 miles
North Carolina & NC State = 10.1 miles
Akron & Kent State = 11.6 miles
Southern California & UCLA = 14.1 miles
Bowling Green & Toledo = 25.0 miles

Western Michigan Recap
WMU's Alex Carder used both his arm and his legs to lift host Western Michigan University to a 45-21 win over the Bowling Green State University football team on Oct. 8.

Carder threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran for a career-high 95 yards and another score. He completed 18 passes in 26 attempts on the day. Jordan White had 12 receptions for 156 yards, and caught two of Carder's three TD tosses.

As a team, the Broncos rolled up 578 yards of total offense, including 351 on the ground. The Falcons' 381 total years included 263 threw the air and 118 on the ground.

The Falcons trailed 21-14 late in the second quarter, before they failed to convert on a 4th-and-1 inside the redzone. The Broncos drove down the field for a touchdown and converted a field goal to start the third quarter to take a commanding 31-14 lead.

Ball Security
After opening the season with a plus-3 turnover margin in the win over Idaho, the Falcons are a minus-10 in the turnover department since the Idaho contest.

Opponent   Turnover Margin        Result
at Idaho                    +3                    W, 32-15
vs. Morgan State      -1                    W, 58-13
vs. Wyoming             -5                    L, 28-27
at Miami                    +1                   W, 37-23
at WVU                    -5                    L, 55-10
at WMU                    Even                L, 45-21

Five Weeks, Five Awards (Streak Snapped)
For the first time this season the Falcons did not receive a weekly award by the MAC office following the loss at Western Michigan. Chris Jones (week 1), Eugene Cooper (week 2), Dwayne Woods (week 3), Ray Hutson (week 4) and BooBoo Gates (week 5) each won weekly awards in the first five weeks of the season.

Pacing for Records
In 2010, Matt Schilz threw for 2,223 yards and eight touchdowns, with some of those numbers already broken in 2011. Through six games the sophomore has thrown for 1,477 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had a four game streak of at least two touchdown passes snapped versus WVU (threw one).

The sophomore is on pace for 2,954 yards and 32 touchdowns. His yardage total would be the sixth-most in school history and the 32 touchdown passes would be the second-most in school history.

Dynamic Duo
Senior wide receivers Eugene Cooper and Kamar Jorden have combined for 65 catches, 861 yards and 11 touchdowns through six games. The 65 catches and 861 yards are third-most by a duo in the MAC, while the 11 touchdowns are tops in the league.

Cooper has 30 catches for 446 yards and six touchdowns (second-best in the MAC), while Jorden, an all-MAC first-team performer in 2010, has 35 catches for 415 yards and five scores. Jorden recorded 96 catches for 1,100 yards last season, but hauled in just four touchdowns (has five already this season). Both Cooper and Jorden are on the Biletnikoff Preseason Watch List.

Cooper Tire
Eugene “Binky” Cooper came into the 2011 season with 17 catches and 130 yards and no touchdowns in his Falcon career. Through five games (did not play versus WVU) in 2011 the senior has smashed all of his personal records (see numbers above).

In the first game of 2011 Cooper had four catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns versus Idaho. The following week he had six catches for 134 yards and four touchdowns versus Morgan State. Versus Wyoming he had eight receptions for 79 yards, but did not score. Against Miami he had just three catches for 51 yards, but those numbers would have been season-highs for him in 2010. This past week the senior had a season-high nine catches for 72 yards versus Western Michigan.

Baby Legs
Freshman Anthon Samuel's 97.4 per game average on the ground is the second-highest yards per game rushing among freshmen in the country. Only North Carolina's Giovani Bernard (109.5) has a better per game average by a freshman running back.

In Samuel's first career game he rushed for 141 yards on 22 carries in the win versus Idaho. He was the first Falcon freshman to rush for over 100 yards in his first career game since Freddie Barnes, who ran for 158 yards on 29 carries versus Wisconsin on Sept. 2, 2006. In week two the freshman went over 100 yards again (122 yards on 11 carries), becoming the first Falcon to post back-to-back 100-yard games since P.J. Pope did it back in 2004. Versus Miami Samuel had 121 yards on 16 carries in the win at Miami. Samuel is the first BGSU running back to have three 100-yard games in a season since P.J. Pope had five in 2004.

Most 100-yard Games in a Season (BGSU)
Dave Preston (1974) * - 8
Fred Durig (1951) * - 8
Zeb Jackson (1993) - 7
Dave Preston (1976) * - 7
Paul Miles (1971) * - 7
Fred Durig (1952) * - 5
Paul Miles (1973) * - 5
Dave Preston (1975) * - 5
Bryant Jones (1982) - 5
P.J. Pope (2004) - 5
Joe Alls (2002) - 4
Anthon Samuel (2011) - 3
*BGSU Hall of Fame Member

Running Wild
Helping Samuel to his 100-yard performance versus Miami was a 96-yard run in the fourth quarter. With the Falcons pinned back on their own 4-yardline Samuel went untouched for a 96-yard touchdown, the longest run in school history. The previous long was a 93-yard run for Mike McGee versus Central Michigan in 1987.

Running From Last
The new-found Falcon rushing attack has been led by a trio of tailbacks in freshmen Anthon Samuel and Jamel Martin along with sophomore Jordan Hopgood (old guy of the bunch). Samuel is third in the Mid-American Conference, averaging 97.4 yards per game on the ground. Martin and Hopgood (33.5) and Martin (36.4) have also chipped in.

As a team the Falcons are averaging 146.7 yards per game on the ground, which is seventh-best in the MAC. Not bad considering a year ago the Falcons were last in the nation, averaging just 62.4 yards per game rushing.

Through five games the Falcons have four 100-yard games, all by freshmen running backs. Samuel has three, and Martin ran for over 100 yards this past week versus WVU.

What A Difference Two Weeks Make
Over the past two weeks the Falcons have given up 100 points and 1,200 yards. Prior to those games the Falcons had one of the best defenses in the MAC.

First 4 Games                    Last 2 Games
19.8                    Points             50.0
294.2            Total Defense    610.5
95.0            Rushing Defense   355.5
199.2            Pass Defense       255.0

Drive Stopper
Even with those numbers above the Falcons still have the top third down defense in the Mid-American Conference. BGSU is allowing just 32.1 percent on third downs and have allowed better than 50 percent only twice this season. (7-12 vs. WVU and 6-12 vs. WMU).

Laying the Wood
Dwayne Woods was one of the top tacklers in the nation in 2010, finishing sixth in the country with 134 tackles in 12 games. This season, his tackle numbers are down due to the defense getting off the field sooner, but his impact has been just as strong.

The junior leads the team with 47 tackles, has 7.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. The middle linebacker was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week after recording 12 tackles and two tackles in a loss versus Wyoming.

Jones'n For Sacks
Defensive tackle Chris Jones led the team with 6.0 sacks in 2010, and has continued to lead the way with 4.0 sacks this season. His four sacks are tied for 26th in the country.

He was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week following the week one win over Idaho after recording three tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a safety. Jones has 21 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in 2011.

Opening Gates
The Falcon kick return game has been explosive this season, led by its main returner, BooBoo Gates. The sophomore has 14 returns for 385 yards, a 27.5 yard return average, third-best in the conference.

Versus West Virginia, Gates set a school record for return yards in a game, posting 233 yards in the loss to the top-25 squad. Gates was named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week following the game with the Mountaineers, which included a career-best 77-yard return.