Bowling Green State University Athletics
Saturday, October 29
Kent, Ohio
1 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
at
Kent State
Falcons Travel to Face Kent State on Saturday
October 24, 2011 | Football
Bowling Green Falcons (4-4, 2-2 MAC)
vs. Kent State Golden Flashes (1-6, 0-3 MAC)
Game 9: Sat., Oct. 29 • 1 p.m.
Dix Stadium (20,500)
Kent, Ohio
Series vs. Kent State: BGSU leads 55-17-6
Series Streak: Kent State - 1
Last Meeting: Kent State 30, BGSU 6 (at BGSU, 10/23/10)
Television: None
Radio: Falcon Sports Radio Network
Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (analyst)
WBGU 88.1 FM: TBA
Live Stats: www.kentstatesports.com
vs. Kent State Golden Flashes (1-6, 0-3 MAC)
Game 9: Sat., Oct. 29 • 1 p.m.
Dix Stadium (20,500)
Kent, Ohio
Series vs. Kent State: BGSU leads 55-17-6
Series Streak: Kent State - 1
Last Meeting: Kent State 30, BGSU 6 (at BGSU, 10/23/10)
Television: None
Radio: Falcon Sports Radio Network
Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (analyst)
WBGU 88.1 FM: TBA
Live Stats: www.kentstatesports.com
Game Notes (29 pages)
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 496-343-51 (.589).
• Saturday's contest with Kent State will be the 79th contest between the two schools, with BGSU holding a 55-17-6 edge.
• 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 71-69 and is 13-20 at BGSU.
• The Orange and Brown will be in search of its third road win of the season. Bowling Green had one in 2010 and four in 2009 under Clawson.
• Kamar Jorden has 143 career receptions, 11th most in school history.
• Chris Jones' 7.0 sacks lead the MAC and are the ninth-most in the country.
• Chris Jones was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week.
• The Falcons have allowed no points in each of the last two games in the first half.
• 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 11 seniors, eight juniors, 15 sophomores and 18 freshmen.
• The Falcons have six players on preseason/mid-season watch teams: Kamar Jorden (Biletnikoff), Eugene Cooper (Biletnikoff), Ben Bojicic (Rimington), BooBoo Gates (Paul Hornung), Dwayne Woods (Butkus) and Matt Schilz (Manning).
• Defensive tackle Chris Jones and offensive lineman Ben Bojicic will serve as team captains.
Scouting the Falcons
The BGSU football team enters Saturday's contest with a 4-4 record after picking up a 13-10 win last week versus Temple. The Falcons' other wins have been against Idaho (32-15), Morgan State (58-13) and Miami (37-23).
BGSU will be led by head coach Dave Clawson, who is 71-69 all-time in his career and 13-20 as the head coach of the Falcons. He is 9-11 in Mid-American Conference play.
A Look at the Falcon Offense
The Falcon offense ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference in scoring (27.4), fifth in total offense (391.6), fifth in pass offense (252.0) and eighth in rushing (139.6).
BGSU is led by sophomore quarterback Matt Schilz, who is fifth in the conference in passing (237.6) and seventh in passing efficiency (139.0). He is also tied for 12th in the country with 18 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 88 catches for 1,119 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The rushing attack is much improved from a year ago as well and is averaging 139.6 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 Jordan Hopgood, give the Falcons three running backs they can count on. Samuel is third in the MAC at 100.6 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 tied for the team lead with four rushing touchdowns.
A Look at the Falcon Defense
Defensively the Falcons rank sixth in the MAC in scoring defense (27.1), seventh in total defense (392.2), ninth in rushing defense (197.1) and sixth in passing defense (195.1).
Linebacker Dwayne Woods leads the team with 69 tackles and has chipped in with 9.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. Fellow classmate Chris Jones anchors the front line and has 7.0 sacks and 10.5 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 two sophomores and three freshmen. Rover BooBoo Gates is third on the team with 46 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) six 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 12 of his extra points and is five-of-six on field goals since earning the starting placekicker job.
BGSU's Brian Schmeidebusch ranks sixth in the country with a 46.5 punting average. Of his 39 punts, 15 have gone for at least 50 yards, while another 14 have landed inside the opponents' 20.
Series With Kent State
The Falcons hold a 55-17-6 all-time series advantage over Kent State, despite dropping a 30-6 decision last season at home versus the Golden Flashes. BGSU is 30-5-2 all-time at Kent State and are currently on a five-game road winning streak versus KSU. The last time the Golden Flashes beat BGSU in Dix Stadium was Nov. 1, 1997 (KSU, 29-20).
Anniversary Award
Bowling Green and Kent State will battle it out for the annual Anniversary Award, a traveling award that goes to the winner of this contest. Established in 1985 by the respective alumni departments at BGSU and KSU, the Anniversary Award commemorates the founding of BGSU and KSU in 1910.
Name That Player
The last two times the Falcons have traveled to Dix Stadium a BGSU player put his name on the map. In 2007, then freshman running back Willie Geter ran for 203 yards on 22 carries, helping the Orange and Brown to a 31-20 victory. In 2009 Freddie Barnes caught 22 passes (one shy of the NCAA record) for 278 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-35 come-from-behind BGSU victory.
Temple Recap
The BGSU football team got a 21-yard touchdown reception from Shaun Joplin midway through the fourth quarter for the final 13-10 score.
BGSU held Temple to just 284 yards of total offense, including just 66 through the air. BGSU had 318 yards of offense, the most yards Temple has allowed this season.
Freshman running back Anthon Samuel had 112 yards on the ground, his fifth 100-yard game of the season, while quarterback Matt Schilz was 20-of-34 for 204 yards and the game winning fourth quarter touchdown pass. Chris Jones had three sacks and the BGSU defense had eight tackles for loss. Steve Stein was 2-of-2 on field goals, converting from 33 and 29 yards.
Captain Comeback
The win versus Temple was the second time in his career that Matt Schilz led the Falcons on a fourth quarter scoring drive to win the game. His first came at Central Michigan in 2010 with the Falcons trailing 14-10 with 2:39 remaining in the fourth quarter at its own 36-yardline. Schilz and the Falcons drove 64 yards, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Jordan Hopgood with 21 seconds remaining in the contest.
Ball Security
The Falcons are 3-1 this season when they win/tie in the turnover battle and are 4-2 overall when they finish just minus-1 in turnovers. The Falcons are 0-2 this year when they lose the turnover battle by two or more.
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
vs. Toledo -1 L, 28-21
vs. Temple Even W, 13-10
Eight Weeks, Seven Awards
Only once this season have the Falcons not received a weekly award from the Mid-American Conference office. From weeks 1-5, BGSU earned five awards by five different players: Chris Jones (week 1), Eugene Cooper (week 2), Dwayne Woods (week 3), Ray Hutson (week 4) and BooBoo Gates (week 5). After no award week six the Falcons have had BooBoo Gates (week 7) and Chris Jones (week 8) walk away with weekly awards.
Ten Falcons Named to Phil Steele's Mid-Season All-MAC Squads
Ten members of the Bowling Green State University football team were named to Phil Steele's 2011 All-MAC Mid-Season team, the second-most among Mid-American Conference schools.
Chris Jones, Dwayne Woods and Brian Schmiedebusch were named to the first team, Eugene Cooper, Kamar Jorden and BooBoo Gates (kick returner) were named to the second team and Anthon Samuel, Alex Bayer, Ben Bojicic and Dominic Flewellyn were placed on the third team.
Schmiedebusch was named to the fourth-team Mid-Season All-American Team. Only Cooper, Jorden and Bojicic are seniors among those 10 players.
Schilz in the Record Books
Schilz has thrown for 4,124 yards and 26 touchdowns, while completing 60.7 percent of his passes in 17 career starts. The sophomore is starting to find his name in the record books. His 60.7 completion percentage is fifth in BGSU history (386-of-637 passing). By the end of the 2011 season Schilz could be in the top-5 in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and touchdown passes.
Dynamic Duo
Senior wide receivers Eugene Cooper and Kamar Jorden have combined for 88 catches, 1,119 yards and 12 touchdowns through eight games. The 88 catches and 1,119 yards are third-most by a duo in the MAC, while the 12 touchdowns are tops in the league.
Cooper has 41 catches for 546 yards and six touchdowns, while Jorden, an all-MAC first-team performer in 2010, has 47 catches for 573 yards and six scores. Jorden recorded 96 catches for 1,100 yards last season, but hauled in just four touchdowns (has six already this season). Both Cooper and Jorden are on the Biletnikoff Preseason Watch List.
Kamar The Star
While playing in just his second season with the Orange and Brown (redshirted in 2009), senior Kamar Jorden ranks 11th in school history with 143 career receptions.
Freddie Barnes, 2006-09 - 297
Charles Sharon, 2002-05 - 232
Cole Magner, 2001-04 - 215
Robert Redd, 1998-02 - 211
Corey Partridge, 2005-08 - 182
Mark Szlachcic, 1989-92 - 182
Stan Hunter, 1982-85 - 176
Reggie Thornton, 1986-89 - 158
Steve Sanders, 2002-05 - 156
Kurt Gerling, 1998-01 - 152
Kamar Jorden, 2010-11 - 143
Baby Legs
Freshman Anthon Samuel's 100.6 per game average on the ground is the third-highest yards per game rushing among freshmen in the country. Only North Carolina's Giovani Bernard (101.4) and Connecticut's Lyle McCombs (100.7) have a better per game average by a freshman running back in the country.
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 and had 105 yards versus Toledo. Samuel is the first BGSU running back to have four 100-yard games in a season since P.J. Pope had five in 2004.
Handing Out 100's
Through eight games the Falcons have six 100-yard games, all by freshmen running backs. Samuel has five, and Martin ran for over 100 yards versus West Virginia when Samuel was out with an ankle injury.
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
Anthon Samuel (2011) - 5
*BGSU Hall of Fame Member
Going For a Grand
Anthon Samuel has 704 rushing yards this season, despite missing one game due to injury. The freshman is 296 yards shy of 1,000 for the year, something that has only been done 10 times (only seven different players have reached 1,000) in BGSU history.
Fred Durig - 1,444
Dave Preston - 1,414
Paul Miles - 1,185
Dan Saleet - 1,114
P.J. Pope - 1,098
Bryant Jones - 1,051
Bernard White - 1,036
Paul Miles - 1,030
Paul Miles - 1,024
P.J. Pope - 1,005
Anthon Samuel - ???
Top Freshman
If you noticed on the previous list no Falcon freshman has ever broken the 1,000 yard mark. In fact, no Falcon freshman has ever even surpassed 800 yards in a season. BGSU's current freshman, Anthon Samuel's 704 rushing yards are the third-most by a Falcon freshman.
Chris Bullock (2006) - 769
Godfrey Lewis (1998) - 753
Anthon Samuel (2011) - 704
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.
Catch a Star
In thw past two games the Falcons have had to face two of the top stars in the Mid-American Conference in Toledo's Eric Page and Temple's Bernard Pierce. The Falcons held both stars well below their seasonal average.
Eric Page
Season Avg. - 8.3 rec./83.1 yards
vs. BGSU - 6 rec./37 yards
Bernard Pierce
Season Avg. - 118.9 rush/2.3 TDs
vs. BGSU - 107 rush/1 TD
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 69 tackles, has 9.5 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. His 9.5 tackles for loss rank sixth in the MAC.
Jones Named MAC East Defensive POW
Chris Jones was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Falcons to a 13-10 win over Temple on Saturday.
Jones, a native of Brownsburg, Ind., had six tackles and three sacks in the win over Temple. Jones and the Falcon defense held the Owls to 284 yards of offense, including just 66 through the air.
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 7.0 sacks this season. He was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week twice this season. He had three sacks in a 13-10 win versus Temple and opened the season at Idaho with two sacks, a forced fumble and a safety. Jones has 32 tackles, 7.0 sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in 2011. His 7.0 sacks lead the conference and are tied for ninth in the country.
BGSU Season Sack Leaders
Kevin O'Brien (1992) - 19.0
Diyral Briggs (2008) - 9.5
Devon Parks (2006) - 9.0
Mitch Crossley (2003) - 9.0
Paul Harris (1991) - 8.0
Joe Foley (1986) - 8.0
Brandon Hicks (2000) - 7.5
Chris Jones (2011) - 7.0
BGSU Career Sack Leaders
Kevin O'Brien (1989-92) - 31.0
Diyral Briggs (2005-08) - 26.0
Devon Parks (2003-06) - 22.0
Brandon Hicks (1998-2001) - 20.0
Mitch Crossley (2001-04) - 18.0
Ryan Wingrave (1998-2001) - 15.0
Chris Jones (2009-PR) - 14.0
Gates Swings for the Fences
With the 88-yard kick return for a score versus Toledo, sophomore BooBoo Gates has two kick returns for scores in his career. His first came as a freshman versus Kent State, where he ran 75 yards for a touchdown. Gates is the first Falcon in school history to ever have two kick returns for scores in his career. Gates in second in the conference with a 30.0 return average, with 600 return yards on 20 attempts.
Zach is Back
Zach Akenberger, a fullback and special teams player for the Orange and Brown played versus Toledo on Oct. 15, 2011. Big deal, right? Well, the fifth-year senior broke both the tibia and fibula in his right leg versus Temple on Oct. 16, 2010 and was told he would probably never play football again. Flash forward 364 days and the Bowling Green, Ohio native got back onto the football field. Below is his time-line to recovery.
• Injury occurred on Oct. 16, 2010 vs. Temple.
•Surgery was on Oct. 19, 2010 - Metal rod was inserted into his leg during surgery
•Mid-Novemeber, 2010 - he was able to put partial weight on his leg with the help of one crutch
• Jan., 2011 - discussion between Zach, his family, athletic trainers and BGSU team doctors that Zach would not be able to play football again.
• Feb., 2011 - Zach came to the BGSU athletic training staff stating he would do whatever it took to get back onto that field.
• May, 2011 - began jogging on land
• Aug., 2011 - began sport agility drills
• Oct. 15, 2011 - Plays against Toledo
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 496-343-51 (.589).
• Saturday's contest with Kent State will be the 79th contest between the two schools, with BGSU holding a 55-17-6 edge.
• 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 71-69 and is 13-20 at BGSU.
• The Orange and Brown will be in search of its third road win of the season. Bowling Green had one in 2010 and four in 2009 under Clawson.
• Kamar Jorden has 143 career receptions, 11th most in school history.
• Chris Jones' 7.0 sacks lead the MAC and are the ninth-most in the country.
• Chris Jones was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week.
• The Falcons have allowed no points in each of the last two games in the first half.
• 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 11 seniors, eight juniors, 15 sophomores and 18 freshmen.
• The Falcons have six players on preseason/mid-season watch teams: Kamar Jorden (Biletnikoff), Eugene Cooper (Biletnikoff), Ben Bojicic (Rimington), BooBoo Gates (Paul Hornung), Dwayne Woods (Butkus) and Matt Schilz (Manning).
• Defensive tackle Chris Jones and offensive lineman Ben Bojicic will serve as team captains.
Scouting the Falcons
The BGSU football team enters Saturday's contest with a 4-4 record after picking up a 13-10 win last week versus Temple. The Falcons' other wins have been against Idaho (32-15), Morgan State (58-13) and Miami (37-23).
BGSU will be led by head coach Dave Clawson, who is 71-69 all-time in his career and 13-20 as the head coach of the Falcons. He is 9-11 in Mid-American Conference play.
A Look at the Falcon Offense
The Falcon offense ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference in scoring (27.4), fifth in total offense (391.6), fifth in pass offense (252.0) and eighth in rushing (139.6).
BGSU is led by sophomore quarterback Matt Schilz, who is fifth in the conference in passing (237.6) and seventh in passing efficiency (139.0). He is also tied for 12th in the country with 18 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 88 catches for 1,119 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The rushing attack is much improved from a year ago as well and is averaging 139.6 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 Jordan Hopgood, give the Falcons three running backs they can count on. Samuel is third in the MAC at 100.6 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 tied for the team lead with four rushing touchdowns.
A Look at the Falcon Defense
Defensively the Falcons rank sixth in the MAC in scoring defense (27.1), seventh in total defense (392.2), ninth in rushing defense (197.1) and sixth in passing defense (195.1).
Linebacker Dwayne Woods leads the team with 69 tackles and has chipped in with 9.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. Fellow classmate Chris Jones anchors the front line and has 7.0 sacks and 10.5 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 two sophomores and three freshmen. Rover BooBoo Gates is third on the team with 46 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) six 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 12 of his extra points and is five-of-six on field goals since earning the starting placekicker job.
BGSU's Brian Schmeidebusch ranks sixth in the country with a 46.5 punting average. Of his 39 punts, 15 have gone for at least 50 yards, while another 14 have landed inside the opponents' 20.
Series With Kent State
The Falcons hold a 55-17-6 all-time series advantage over Kent State, despite dropping a 30-6 decision last season at home versus the Golden Flashes. BGSU is 30-5-2 all-time at Kent State and are currently on a five-game road winning streak versus KSU. The last time the Golden Flashes beat BGSU in Dix Stadium was Nov. 1, 1997 (KSU, 29-20).
Anniversary Award
Bowling Green and Kent State will battle it out for the annual Anniversary Award, a traveling award that goes to the winner of this contest. Established in 1985 by the respective alumni departments at BGSU and KSU, the Anniversary Award commemorates the founding of BGSU and KSU in 1910.
Name That Player
The last two times the Falcons have traveled to Dix Stadium a BGSU player put his name on the map. In 2007, then freshman running back Willie Geter ran for 203 yards on 22 carries, helping the Orange and Brown to a 31-20 victory. In 2009 Freddie Barnes caught 22 passes (one shy of the NCAA record) for 278 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-35 come-from-behind BGSU victory.
Temple Recap
The BGSU football team got a 21-yard touchdown reception from Shaun Joplin midway through the fourth quarter for the final 13-10 score.
BGSU held Temple to just 284 yards of total offense, including just 66 through the air. BGSU had 318 yards of offense, the most yards Temple has allowed this season.
Freshman running back Anthon Samuel had 112 yards on the ground, his fifth 100-yard game of the season, while quarterback Matt Schilz was 20-of-34 for 204 yards and the game winning fourth quarter touchdown pass. Chris Jones had three sacks and the BGSU defense had eight tackles for loss. Steve Stein was 2-of-2 on field goals, converting from 33 and 29 yards.
Captain Comeback
The win versus Temple was the second time in his career that Matt Schilz led the Falcons on a fourth quarter scoring drive to win the game. His first came at Central Michigan in 2010 with the Falcons trailing 14-10 with 2:39 remaining in the fourth quarter at its own 36-yardline. Schilz and the Falcons drove 64 yards, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Jordan Hopgood with 21 seconds remaining in the contest.
Ball Security
The Falcons are 3-1 this season when they win/tie in the turnover battle and are 4-2 overall when they finish just minus-1 in turnovers. The Falcons are 0-2 this year when they lose the turnover battle by two or more.
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
vs. Toledo -1 L, 28-21
vs. Temple Even W, 13-10
Eight Weeks, Seven Awards
Only once this season have the Falcons not received a weekly award from the Mid-American Conference office. From weeks 1-5, BGSU earned five awards by five different players: Chris Jones (week 1), Eugene Cooper (week 2), Dwayne Woods (week 3), Ray Hutson (week 4) and BooBoo Gates (week 5). After no award week six the Falcons have had BooBoo Gates (week 7) and Chris Jones (week 8) walk away with weekly awards.
Ten Falcons Named to Phil Steele's Mid-Season All-MAC Squads
Ten members of the Bowling Green State University football team were named to Phil Steele's 2011 All-MAC Mid-Season team, the second-most among Mid-American Conference schools.
Chris Jones, Dwayne Woods and Brian Schmiedebusch were named to the first team, Eugene Cooper, Kamar Jorden and BooBoo Gates (kick returner) were named to the second team and Anthon Samuel, Alex Bayer, Ben Bojicic and Dominic Flewellyn were placed on the third team.
Schmiedebusch was named to the fourth-team Mid-Season All-American Team. Only Cooper, Jorden and Bojicic are seniors among those 10 players.
Schilz in the Record Books
Schilz has thrown for 4,124 yards and 26 touchdowns, while completing 60.7 percent of his passes in 17 career starts. The sophomore is starting to find his name in the record books. His 60.7 completion percentage is fifth in BGSU history (386-of-637 passing). By the end of the 2011 season Schilz could be in the top-5 in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and touchdown passes.
Dynamic Duo
Senior wide receivers Eugene Cooper and Kamar Jorden have combined for 88 catches, 1,119 yards and 12 touchdowns through eight games. The 88 catches and 1,119 yards are third-most by a duo in the MAC, while the 12 touchdowns are tops in the league.
Cooper has 41 catches for 546 yards and six touchdowns, while Jorden, an all-MAC first-team performer in 2010, has 47 catches for 573 yards and six scores. Jorden recorded 96 catches for 1,100 yards last season, but hauled in just four touchdowns (has six already this season). Both Cooper and Jorden are on the Biletnikoff Preseason Watch List.
Kamar The Star
While playing in just his second season with the Orange and Brown (redshirted in 2009), senior Kamar Jorden ranks 11th in school history with 143 career receptions.
Freddie Barnes, 2006-09 - 297
Charles Sharon, 2002-05 - 232
Cole Magner, 2001-04 - 215
Robert Redd, 1998-02 - 211
Corey Partridge, 2005-08 - 182
Mark Szlachcic, 1989-92 - 182
Stan Hunter, 1982-85 - 176
Reggie Thornton, 1986-89 - 158
Steve Sanders, 2002-05 - 156
Kurt Gerling, 1998-01 - 152
Kamar Jorden, 2010-11 - 143
Baby Legs
Freshman Anthon Samuel's 100.6 per game average on the ground is the third-highest yards per game rushing among freshmen in the country. Only North Carolina's Giovani Bernard (101.4) and Connecticut's Lyle McCombs (100.7) have a better per game average by a freshman running back in the country.
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 and had 105 yards versus Toledo. Samuel is the first BGSU running back to have four 100-yard games in a season since P.J. Pope had five in 2004.
Handing Out 100's
Through eight games the Falcons have six 100-yard games, all by freshmen running backs. Samuel has five, and Martin ran for over 100 yards versus West Virginia when Samuel was out with an ankle injury.
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
Anthon Samuel (2011) - 5
*BGSU Hall of Fame Member
Going For a Grand
Anthon Samuel has 704 rushing yards this season, despite missing one game due to injury. The freshman is 296 yards shy of 1,000 for the year, something that has only been done 10 times (only seven different players have reached 1,000) in BGSU history.
Fred Durig - 1,444
Dave Preston - 1,414
Paul Miles - 1,185
Dan Saleet - 1,114
P.J. Pope - 1,098
Bryant Jones - 1,051
Bernard White - 1,036
Paul Miles - 1,030
Paul Miles - 1,024
P.J. Pope - 1,005
Anthon Samuel - ???
Top Freshman
If you noticed on the previous list no Falcon freshman has ever broken the 1,000 yard mark. In fact, no Falcon freshman has ever even surpassed 800 yards in a season. BGSU's current freshman, Anthon Samuel's 704 rushing yards are the third-most by a Falcon freshman.
Chris Bullock (2006) - 769
Godfrey Lewis (1998) - 753
Anthon Samuel (2011) - 704
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.
Catch a Star
In thw past two games the Falcons have had to face two of the top stars in the Mid-American Conference in Toledo's Eric Page and Temple's Bernard Pierce. The Falcons held both stars well below their seasonal average.
Eric Page
Season Avg. - 8.3 rec./83.1 yards
vs. BGSU - 6 rec./37 yards
Bernard Pierce
Season Avg. - 118.9 rush/2.3 TDs
vs. BGSU - 107 rush/1 TD
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 69 tackles, has 9.5 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. His 9.5 tackles for loss rank sixth in the MAC.
Jones Named MAC East Defensive POW
Chris Jones was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Falcons to a 13-10 win over Temple on Saturday.
Jones, a native of Brownsburg, Ind., had six tackles and three sacks in the win over Temple. Jones and the Falcon defense held the Owls to 284 yards of offense, including just 66 through the air.
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 7.0 sacks this season. He was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week twice this season. He had three sacks in a 13-10 win versus Temple and opened the season at Idaho with two sacks, a forced fumble and a safety. Jones has 32 tackles, 7.0 sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in 2011. His 7.0 sacks lead the conference and are tied for ninth in the country.
BGSU Season Sack Leaders
Kevin O'Brien (1992) - 19.0
Diyral Briggs (2008) - 9.5
Devon Parks (2006) - 9.0
Mitch Crossley (2003) - 9.0
Paul Harris (1991) - 8.0
Joe Foley (1986) - 8.0
Brandon Hicks (2000) - 7.5
Chris Jones (2011) - 7.0
BGSU Career Sack Leaders
Kevin O'Brien (1989-92) - 31.0
Diyral Briggs (2005-08) - 26.0
Devon Parks (2003-06) - 22.0
Brandon Hicks (1998-2001) - 20.0
Mitch Crossley (2001-04) - 18.0
Ryan Wingrave (1998-2001) - 15.0
Chris Jones (2009-PR) - 14.0
Gates Swings for the Fences
With the 88-yard kick return for a score versus Toledo, sophomore BooBoo Gates has two kick returns for scores in his career. His first came as a freshman versus Kent State, where he ran 75 yards for a touchdown. Gates is the first Falcon in school history to ever have two kick returns for scores in his career. Gates in second in the conference with a 30.0 return average, with 600 return yards on 20 attempts.
Zach is Back
Zach Akenberger, a fullback and special teams player for the Orange and Brown played versus Toledo on Oct. 15, 2011. Big deal, right? Well, the fifth-year senior broke both the tibia and fibula in his right leg versus Temple on Oct. 16, 2010 and was told he would probably never play football again. Flash forward 364 days and the Bowling Green, Ohio native got back onto the football field. Below is his time-line to recovery.
• Injury occurred on Oct. 16, 2010 vs. Temple.
•Surgery was on Oct. 19, 2010 - Metal rod was inserted into his leg during surgery
•Mid-Novemeber, 2010 - he was able to put partial weight on his leg with the help of one crutch
• Jan., 2011 - discussion between Zach, his family, athletic trainers and BGSU team doctors that Zach would not be able to play football again.
• Feb., 2011 - Zach came to the BGSU athletic training staff stating he would do whatever it took to get back onto that field.
• May, 2011 - began jogging on land
• Aug., 2011 - began sport agility drills
• Oct. 15, 2011 - Plays against Toledo
BG Football Press Conference 10.6
Monday, October 06
BG Football Postgame 9.27 at Ohio
Saturday, September 27
FB: Louisville Game Cinematic Highlight
Tuesday, September 23
BG Football Press Conference 9.22
Monday, September 22