Falcons Travel to Face #22/23 West Virginia

Bowling Green Falcons (3-1, 1-0 MAC)
vs. #22/23 West Virginia (3-1, 0-0 Big East)
Game 5: Sat., Oct. 1 • 3:30 p.m.
Milan Puskar Stadium (60,000)
Morgantown, W. Va.
Series vs. West Virginia: WVU leads 2-0-0
Series Streak: WVU - 2
Last Meeting: WVU, 24-17 (Sept. 5, 1991)
Television: Big East Network • Rob King (Play-by-Play) and John Thornton (Analyst) // Also available on ESPN GamePlan and ESPN3
Radio: Falcon Sports Radio Network
Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (analyst)
WBGU 88.1 FM: Justin Thomas and Brad Woznicki
Live Stats: www.msnsportsnet.com

Game Notes (25 pages)

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 495-340-51 (.591).
• Saturday's contest with West Virginia will be the third contest between the two teams, with WVU holding a 2-0-0 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 70-66 and is 12-17 at BGSU.
• BGSU is off to its first 3-1 start since the 2007 season. That year BGSU went 8-5 and advanced to the GMAC Bowl down in Mobile, Ala.
• The Orange and Brown will also be in search of its third road win of the season. The last time BGSU opened a season 3-0 on the road was in 2002 under former head coach Urban Meyer.
• The Falcons have already surpassed last year's win total (2-10 in 2010).
• Ray Hutson was named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week.
• 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.
• BGSU has 23 non-conference wins since 2001, the most in the Mid-American Conference.
• 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.

Scouting the Falcons
The BGSU football team enters Saturday's contest with a 3-1 record after capturing a road win over the rival Miami RedHawks (37-23). The Falcons also have wins over Idaho (32-15) and Morgan State (58-13)

BGSU will once again be led by head coach Dave Clawson, who is 70-66 all-time in his career and 12-17 as the head coach of the Falcons. He is 8-9 in two seasons in the Mid-American Conference.

A Look at the Falcon Offense

The Falcon offense ranks first in the Mid-American Conference in scoring (38.5), total offense (468.5) and pass offense (303.8). They also rank fifth in the conference in rushing (164.8).

BGSU is led by sophomore quarterback Matt Schilz, who is 15th in the country in passing yards per game (292.25) and first in touchdown passes (14). Over the past three weeks the second-year starter has thrown 12 touchdowns.

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 47 catches for 640 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The rushing attack is much improved from a year ago as well and is averaging 164.8 yards per game. Last season the Falcons ranked last in the nation at 62.8 yards per game on the ground.

Freshman Anthon Samuel has been a huge reason why. Through four games Samuel is averaging 107.0 per game and has three 100-yard games in 2011. Last weekend at Miami the freshman busted off a 96-yard run, the longest run in BGSU history.

A Look at the Falcon Defense
Defensively the Falcons rank fourth in the MAC in scoring defense (19.8), second in total defense (294.2) and second in rushing defense (95.0), all with just one senior starter (Kevin Moore).

Last season it wasn't uncommon to see middle linebacker Dwayne Woods have 15-20 tackles in a game. This season, the 2010 second-team All-MAC honoree, is tops on the team with 29 tackles, but in 2011 the Falcon defense has faced 60 less offensive plays through four games compared to 2010.

Woods still leads the team with those 29 tackles, but has added 6.0 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.

Fellow classmate Chris Jones anchors the front line and has 3.0 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss in 2011. Last week versus Miami, Jones and the Falcon defense had six sacks and 8.0 tackles for loss, both season-highs.

The secondary features one of the youngest in the country. The Falcons, who play a 4-2-5 defense, featured two sophomores and three freshmen in the win at Miami last Saturday.

A Look at Special Teams
The Falcons' special teams have had some ups and downs in 2011. With the Falcons trailing 28-27 two weeks ago versus Wyoming they had an extra point blocked and then missed their first extra point this past week versus Miami. In stepped junior Steven Stein, who made all four of his extra points and nailed a 35-yard field goal late in the third quarter.

BGSU's Brian Schmeidebusch has been one of the best punters in the nation this season. He is averaging 49.1 yards a punt, tops in the country. Of his 17 punts, eight have gone over 50 yards.

Series With WVU
The Falcons are 0-2-0 all-time versus West Virginia. The last time these two teams squared off was on Sept. 5, 1991 in a game won by WVU 24-17. The only other meeting between the two schools was on Sept. 3, 1998 where the Mountaineers won 62-14.

Falcons Versus Ranked Teams
The Falcons have beaten a nationally-ranked team just four times in school history. BGSU downed No. 25 Pittsburgh (2008), No. 12 Northern Illinois (2003), No. 16 Purdue (2003) and No. 18 Purdue (1972). Only the Northern Illinois win came inside Doyt Perry Stadium.

Holding Their Own
Since 2003 the Falcons have squared-off with eight teams ranked in the top-25 and have come away with three wins.
at #16 Purdue (2003) - W, 27-26
at #4 Ohio State (2003) - L, 24-17
vs. #12 Northern Illinois (2003) - W, 34-18
vs. #14 Miami (OH) (2003) - MAC Champ. - L, 49-27
at #2 Oklahoma (2004) - L, 40-24
at #1 Ohio State (2006) - L, 35-7
at #25 Pittsburgh (2008) - W, 27-17
vs. #4 Boise State (2009) - L, 49-14
at #21 Michigan (2010) - L, 65-21

Versus the Big East
The Falcons are 3-0 against teams from the Big East since the start of the 2000 season with wins over Pittsburgh and Temple (twice). The last time a Big East team defeated Bowling Green was Sept. 4, 1999 at Pittsburgh (30-10).

Wins vs. Big East Since 2000
at Pittsburgh (2008) - W, 27-17
at Temple (2004) - W, 70-16
Temple (2001) - W, 42-23

Non-Conference Wins
Since 2001 the Falcons have 23 non-conference wins, the most in the Mid-American Conference. Not only are they out of conference wins, but BGSU has several major upset wins as well.
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

Miami Recap

**BGSU Projected Starters**
LT	Kyle Bryant
LG	Chip Robinson or Dom Wharton
C	Ben Bojicic
RG	Dominic Flewellyn
RT	Jordon Roussos
SL	Eugene Cooper
X	Kamar Jorden
Z	Adrian Hodges
QB	Matt Schilz
TE	Alex Bayer
RB	Jordan Hopgood
FB	Tyler Beck

DE	Kevin Moore
DT	Chris Jones
NT	Ted Ouellet
DE	Ronnie Goble
LB	Paul Swan
MLB	Dwayne Woods
R	BooBoo Gates
CB	DeVon McKoy
S	Aaron Foster
S	Ryland Ward
CB	Cam Truss or Darrell Hunter

The Bowling Green State University football team created momentum-swinging plays in all phases of the game, capped off by a school-record 96-yard touchdown run by Anthon Samuel, as the Falcons defeated the Miami University RedHawks, 37-23 last Saturday.

The biggest swings came in the second half.

The Falcons carried a slim 20-17 lead into halftime, but Miami returned the second-half kickoff to the BGSU-22. Six plays later, Miami was at Bowling Green's 1-yardline and threatened to take the lead. On fourth down, Zac Dysert pitched to Erik Finklea. DeVon McKoy and Keith Morgan immediately chased Finklea backwards and caught him at the 10-yardline to give Bowling Green the ball on downs.

Matt Schilz followed the stout defensive play with a steady 16-play, 89 yard drive for a touchdown that gave BGSU a 14 point lead.

Following a Miami TD, BGSU fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but the Falcons managed to recover the fumble at its own 3-yardline. Two plays later Samuel ran 96 yards for a touchdown to put the game out of reach.

Down to the Last Play
In the last 17 games the Falcons are 0-6 in games that come down to the final play.
Idaho (2009)$        L, 43-42 (Idaho 2-pt. conv.)
at Troy (2010)        L, 30-27 (Troy FG)
Buffalo (2010)        L, 28-26 (Missed BG FG)
at Temple (2010)    L, 28-27 (failed BG 2-pt conv.)
Miami (2010)          L, 20-17 (Miami FG)
Wyoming (2011)     L, 28-27 (Missed BG Extra Pt.)
$Humanitarian Bowl

National Rankings
The Falcons' rank 21st in the country in total offense (468.5), passing offense (303.75) and scoring (38.5) and are 15th in time of possession (33:24).

Schilz In The Nation
Matt Schilz ranks in the top-25 in five national categories. He is 23rd in total offense (283.5), 15th is passing (292.25), 14th in passing efficiency (168.72), eighth in points responsible for (21.0) and first in touchdown passes (14).

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 four games the sophomore has thrown for 1,169 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has 12 touchdowns in his last three games, throwing five versus Morgan State, four in the loss to Wyoming and three this past week at Miami.

The sophomore is on pace for 3,510 yards and 42 touchdowns. His yardage total would be the fourth-most in school history and the 42 touchdown passes would set a new BGSU record.

Dynamic Duo
Senior wide receivers Eugene Cooper and Kamar Jorden have combined for 47 catches, 640 yards and 10 touchdowns through four games. The 47 combined catches are the second most in the conference while the yards and touchdowns lead the MAC.

Cooper has 21 catches for 374 yards and six touchdowns, while Jorden, an all-MAC first-team performer in 2010, has 26 catches for 266 yards and four scores. 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 four games 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 set a career-high with 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.

Who is that Newbie?
In his first career game, running back Anthon Samuel 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. This past week 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 that 100-yard performance this past week was a 96-yard run in the fourth quarter versus Miami. 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 pair of tailbacks in freshman Anthon Samuel and sophomore Jordan Hopgood. Samuel is third in the Mid-American Conference, averaging 107.0 yards per game on the ground. Hopgood is just outside the top-10 in the MAC, averaging 48.8 yards per game.

As a team the Falcons are averaging 164.8 yards per game on the ground, which is fifth-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.

Don't Forget the Defense
While everyone is talking about this new Falcon offense, the defense has been just as impressive in 2011. Through four games the Falcon defense is allowing 19.8 points per game, fourth-best in the MAC. They also rank second in the league, allowing 294.2 yards per game, second in rushing defense (95.0) and eighth in pass defense (199.2). Many of these numbers have almost been cut in half compared to 2010.

2011                                    2010
18.7            Points                33.6
294.2    Total Defense        432.0
95.0    Rushing Defense    207.8
199.2    Pass Defense        224.2

Drive Stopper
The biggest factor to those great defensive numbers is the fact that BGSU's third down defense has been one of the best in the nation ... well actually, second-best in the nation. Through four games the Falcons have allowed just 13-of-57 (22.8 percent) third down conversions. Only Florida (21.2 percent) has been better.

Under 100 = WIN
The Falcons are 5-0 all-time under Dave Clawson when they allow under 100 yards rushing in the game.

Team                     Rush Yds.     Score
vs. Troy (2009)            41            W, 31-14
at Miami (2009)           36            W, 35-14
at CMU (2010)             99           W, 17-14
at Idaho (2011)            52            W, 32-15
at Miami (2011)           43            W, 37-23

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 3.0 sacks this season.

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 12 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in 2011.

Hutson Named MAC East Special Teams POW
Ray Hutson was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Special Teams Player of the Week, following his game versus Miami.

Hutson blocked a punt and recovered a fumble in the Falcons' 37-23 win on the road at Miami.

The block came late in the second quarter, setting up a 1-yard touchdown pass from Matt Schilz to Kendall Montgomery to give BGSU a 20-14 lead.

The fumble recovery was the turning point of the game with the RedHawks. Miami had just scored to cut the Falcons' lead to 30-23 with 11:03 left in the game. The Falcons fumbled the ensuing kickoff before Hutson out-muscled two Miami players for the ball at the BGSU 3-yardline. Two plays later Anthon Samuel went 96 yards for a score to put BGSU up 37-23.

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