Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Open Season at Idaho
August 26, 2011 | Football
Bowling Green Falcons (0-0, 0-0 MAC)
at Idaho Vandals (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Thursday, Sept. 1 • 9 p.m. EST
Kibbie Dome (18,000) • Moscow, Idaho
Series vs. Idaho: Idaho leads, 1-0
Series Streak: Idaho - 1
Last Meeting: Dec. 30, 2009
Television: Altitude Network (Dish - 410; DirectTV - 681)
Radio: Falcon Sports Radio Network • Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (analyst)
Live Stats: www.govandals.com
Live Twitter Updates: @DaveMeyerBG // @BGAthletics
BGSU Game Notes (25 pages)
Watch the Week One Press Conference
Quick Hits
• The Bowling Green State University football team will begin its 93rd season of football with an all-time record of 492-339-51 (.587).
• Thursday's contest with Idaho will feature a rematch from the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho. The Vandals came away with a 43-42 victory, scoring on a two point play with just seconds remaining.
• BGSU is coming off a 2-10 campaign in 2010.
• The Falcons return 12 starters from last season's team (six offense and six defense).
• 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.
• 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, eight juniors, 15 sophomores and 13 freshmen.
• BGSU has 21 non-conference wins since 2001, the most in the Mid-American Conference.
• The Falcons have four players on preseason watch teams: Kamar Jorden (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.
Scouting the Falcons
The BGSU football team is coming off a 2-10 campaign after finishing the 2009 season 7-6 and advancing to a bowl game. BGSU will once again be led by head coach Dave Clawson, who begins his third season with the Falcons.
A Look at the Falcon Offense
Matt Schilz and Trent Hurley have been battling throughout camp for the quarterback duties, but coach Clawson named Schilz the starter on Aug. 25, 2011. Schilz, who was last season's starter as well, threw for 2,223 yards and eight touchdowns (10 games) while battling a throwing shoulder injury most of the season. Hurley has never taken a snap for BGSU (redshirted in 2009).
Schilz will have a handful of weapons at his disposal. All-MAC first-teamer Kamar Jorden posted 96 catches for over 1,100 yards in 2010, his first year with the Orange and Brown.
The running back position saw Willie Geter finish his career in 2010 after running for over 2,000 yards with the Falcons. Replacing Geter will be several running backs. Jordan Hopgood is the returner from last season after scoring a team-leading six touchdowns. John Pettigrew, Jamel Martin and freshman Anthon Samuel are expected to contribute as well. Pettigrew had one carry for five yards last season, while Martin and Samuel have never seen game action as a Falcon.
A Look at the Falcon Defense
Defensively the Falcons return six starters, most notably on the front four with Kevin Moore (formerly Alvarado) and Chris Jones. Combined the two have 37 starts over the past two seasons.
Linebacker Dwayne Woods, who was named second-team All-MAC, was one of the top tacklers in the nation in 2010 with 134 stops.
On the two-deep the Falcon secondary will feature six players who are freshmen or sophomores and two seniors. The Falcons, who feature a 4-2-5 defense, also play a Rover, with Booboo Gates expected to start at that position. Gates is also a sophomore.
A Look at Special Teams
The kicking and punting duties have been a battle all camp. Kyle Burkhardt came away with the kicking job, cementing his position in the final scrimmage, connecting on all three field goal attempts. Burkhardt is the lone kicker to see action in his Falcon career, converting on 1-of-4 field goals last season.
Brian Schmiedebusch beat out Jerry Phillips for the punting job. Schmiedebusch is a transfer from the University of Findlay (20 miles from Bowling Green) where he averaged 42.1 yards per punt in 2009.
Expect Eugene Cooper to handle the punt returns after being named to the All-MAC second-team in 2010 as a punt returner. Cooper averaged 11.5 yards a return, including touchdowns versus Troy and Toledo.
Gates and Steven Dunlap will handle the kick return job. Gates averaged 24.4 yards a return in 2010.
Series with Idaho
Idaho leads the all-time series 1-0-0, with the lone win coming in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho on Dec. 30, 2009. The Vandals came away with a 43-42 victory that season.
Recapping the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl
The 2009 Humanitarian Bowl went down as one of the most exciting bowl games of the entire season.
Tyler Sheehan hooked up with Freddie Barnes on a 51-yard touchdown with 32 seconds remaining in the game to give the Falcons a 42-35 lead.
The Vandals marched down the field with the help of a 50-yard bomb on the first play following the kick return. Two plays later Idaho completed a 16-yard touchdown pass and elected to go for the two-point conversion, which they completed with four seconds remaining in the game.
We Remember
Six starters remain from that 2009 bowl game: Ben Bojicic, Adrian Hodges, Ray Hutson, Chris Jones, Adrien Spencer and Jordon Roussos (started at defensive tackle and now is a right tackle on the offensive line).
Woods Named to Butkus Watch List
Bowling Green State University's Dwayne Woods was named to the Butkus Award Watch List on July 15. The award is given to the nation's top linebacker.
Woods, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, started all 12 games in 2010, recording a MAC-leading 134 tackles, which were the sixth-most in the nation at the conclusion of the regular season. The second-team All-MAC honoree chipped in with six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and seven pass breakups.
Jorden Named to Biletnikoff Watch List
Stop us if you have heard this before ... a Bowling Green State University wide receiver was mentioned in the same sentence as the Biletnikoff Award. The Falcons' Kamar Jorden was announced as one of 75 members to the preseason Biletnikoff Award watch list, given to the nation's top wide receiver.
In 2009 former Falcon, Freddie Barnes, was one of three finalist for the same award, but lost out to Golden Tate, of Notre Dame. Barnes led the country that season with 155 receptions, setting a new NCAA mark for catches in a season.
The most notable of all of this was that Jorden accomplished something Barnes did not. Barnes was never even named to the Biletnikoff preseason watch list.
Jorden finished 2010, his first year with the Orange and Brown, with 96 catches for 1,109 yards and four touchdowns, earning first-team All-MAC honors. His 96 catches and 1,109 receiving yards are both third-most in BGSU history.
Bojicic Named to Rimington List ... Again
Ben Bojicic, a member of the Bowling Green State University football team was named to the Rimington Award Watch List on May 19, 2011. This is the third consecutive year Bojicic was named to the watch list, an award given annually to the nation's top center.
The Farmington Hills, Mich., native is one of 42 players on the list and is one of just 14 players that were nominations a year ago.
Gates Opens Door to Hornung Watch List
Jerry “Booboo” Gates was named to the Paul Hornung Preseason Watch List, given to the nation's most versatile player. Gates spent time at rover and kick returner in 2010. Gates was one of 50 members named to the list.
Gates, a native of Middletown, Ohio, recorded 35 tackles, one forced fumble, one interception and a fumble recovery on defense and added 14 returns for 341 yards (24.4 avg.) as a kick returner.
Gates had a 75-yard touchdown return versus Kent State and his lone interception of the season was returned for 29 yards, also a touchdown.
Clawson Enters Third Year
BGSU head coach Dave Clawson begins his third year at the helm of the Falcon football program. In his first year Clawson lead the Falcons to a 7-6 record and an appearance in the Humanitarian Bowl. In 2010 the Falcons slipped, going 2-10. In two seasons Clawson is 9-16 overall and 7-9 in MAC play.
Clawson Rebuilding Project
Take 2009 out of the argument, 2010 was the first year of the Clawson rebuild. The 2009 team had 18 seniors, with 12 of them starting in the Humanitarian Bowl. 2010 was a very young team, a concept that Clawson is not unfamiliar with, but it is something Clawson has shown he can turn around.
at Fordham (1999-2003)
First Year 0-11
Second Year 3-8
Third Year 7-4
Fourth Year 10-3
Fifth Year 9-3
at Richmond (2004-2007)
First Year 3-8
Second Year 9-4
Third Year 6-5
Fourth Year 11-3
at Bowling Green (2009-PR)
First Year 7-6
Second Year 2-10
Non-Conference Wins
Since 2001 the Falcons have 21 non-conference wins, the most in the Mid-American Conference. Not only are they out of conference wins, but BGSU has several major wins.
2001 - at Missouri, 20-13
2001 - at Northwestern, 43-42
2002 - Missouri, 51-28
2002 - at Kansas, 39-16
2003 - at #16 Purdue, 27-26
2003 - Northwestern, 28-24*
2004 - Memphis, 52-35#
2006 - at Florida International, 33-28
2007 - at Minnesota, 32-31 (OT)
2008 - at Pittsburgh, 27-17
2009 - Troy, 31-14
2010 - Marshall, 44-28
*Motor City Bowl
# GMAC Bowl
Youth is Served
As mentioned before, 54 players on this season's team are either redshirt freshman or true freshmen with another 27 players either being sophomores or redshirt sophomores. That means 72.9 percent of the Falcons' roster has at least three years of eligibility remaining entering 2011.
Six Falcons Named to Phil Steele Preseason Team
Alex Bayer, Ben Bojicic, Eugene Cooper, Chris Jones, Kamar Jorden and Dwayne Woods, six members of the Bowling Green State University football team, were honored as members of Phil Steele's Preseason All-MAC Team.
Woods earned first-team honors, while Bayer, Cooper, Jones and Jorden made second-team and Bojicic was named to the fourth-team.
BGSU Traffic Pattern Changes for Football and Stroh Center Events
With the completion of the Stroh Center and the access to adjacent parking lots for events, the University's Department of Public Safety, in conjunction with the City of Bowling Green, have requested a revised traffic pattern for patrons entering parking lots 24, 20, and 13. All traffic from I-75 will be routed westbound on E. Wooster Street to Mercer Road to Alumni Drive. Those traveling eastbound from downtown Bowling Green will turn left on to Mercer Road to access Alumni Drive. The entrance at Alumni Drive and Campbell Hill Road intersection will be closed on event days.
The change improves queuing of traffic on Wooster Street. The old traffic pattern created congestion from traffic exiting from I-75.
The revised traffic pattern will be in effect for all football games, stadium events, and when pay for parking is required for an event in Stroh.
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