Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Massachusetts
Falcons Ready For Homecoming Bash With UMass
October 01, 2013 | Football
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013; 3:30 p.m.
Doyt L. Perry Stadium (24,000) / Bowling Green, Ohio
BCSN/ESPN3 (Greg Franke/Tom Cole)
Falcon Radio Network (Todd Walker/John Gibson)
LIVE STATS
LIVE AUDIO / FALCON RADIO NETWORK
LIVE VIDEO / ESPN3
COMPLETE GAME NOTES (.PDF)
| 2013 MAC STANDINGS | ||
| EAST DIVISION | MAC | OVERALL |
| Bowling Green | 2-0 | 4-1 |
| Ohio | 0-0 | 3-1 |
| Buffalo | 0-0 | 2-2 |
| Kent State | 1-1 | 2-3 |
| Miami | 0-0 | 0-4 |
| UMass | 0-0 | 0-4 |
| Akron | 0-1 | 1-4 |
| WEST DIVISION | MAC | OVERALL |
| Ball State | 2-0 | 4-1 |
| Northern Illinois | 0-0 | 4-0 |
| Toledo | 1-1 | 2-3 |
| Eastern Michigan | 0-1 | 1-3 |
| Central Michigan | 0-1 | 1-4 |
| Western Michigan | 0-1 | 0-5 |
|
Saturday, Sept. 28 Illinois 50, Miami (Ohio) 14 Northern Illinois 55, Purdue 24 Bowling Green 31, Akron 14 Ball State 31, Toledo 24 NC State 48, Central Michigan 14 Buffalo 41, Connecticut 12 Kent State 32, Western Michigan 14 Saturday, Oct. 5 Ball State at Virginia, 12 pm Eastern Michigan at Buffalo, 12 pm Central MIchigan at Miami (Ohio), 1 pm Ohio at Akron, 2 pm Western Michigan at Toledo, 3 pm UMass at Bowling Green, 3:30 pm Northern Illinois at Kent State, 3:30 pm |
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TELEVISION
* Saturday's game is a BCSN broadcast with Greg Franke (play-by-play) and Tom Cole (analyst) on the call.
RADIO
* Falcon Radio Network with Todd Walker (play-by-play) and John Gibson (analyst). Radio coverage can be heard on the flagship station for BGSU Football WFRO 99.1 FM in Fremont, Ohio as well as WWSR 93.1 FM (Lima, Ohio), WCIT 940 AM (Lima, Ohio), WXKR 100.7 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) and WHKW 1420 AM (Cleveland, Ohio).
* The Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO) broadcasts home games and select road games on 88.1 FM in Bowling Green.
TICKETS
* Tickets are available through the BGSU Ticket Office by calling 877-BGSU TICKET or going to the BGSU Ticket Office, located inside the Stroh Center. Fans can also visit the BGSU tickets page and order online at BGSUFalcons.com/tickets.
WEBSITES / SOCIAL MEDIA
* BGSUFalcons.com (Bowling Green), UMassAthletics.com (Massachusetts)
* Follow BGSU Football on Twitter through the official account of BGSU Athletics
@BGAthletics or the official account of BGSU Football @BGFalconFootbal
* On Facebook search for BGSU Athletics
POLLS
* Neither BGSU or UMass is receiving votes in the Associated Press or USA Today Coaches polls.
LIVE STATS / LIVE AUDIO / LIVE VIDEO
* Live stats are available online at BGSUFalcons.com.
* Live audio is available (via Falcon Radio Network) online at BGSUFalcons.com.
* Live video is available online at BGSUFalcons.com as well as on ESPN3.com.
SERIES INFO
* Bowling Green won the only meeting between the two programs a year ago.
* The Falcons shut out UMass on the road last year, 24-0.
* This is the first contest between BGSU and UMass in Doyt L. Perry Stadium.
THE COACHING STAFF
* Head coach Dave Clawson is in his fifth season at the helm of the football team with a career record of 84-78, which includes a 26-29 mark at BGSU.
* For the fifth consecutive year the Falcons will have all three coordinators returning. Warren Ruggiero, Mike Elko and Adam Scheier will coach offense, defense and special teams.
* BGSU is the only program in the MAC that can boast having the same head coach and coordinators for five years running.
THE REBUILD IS COMPLETE
* Following a trip to the Humanitarian Bowl in 2009, BGSU Head Coach Dave Clawson knew he had an arduous rebuilding job ahead of him. The Falcons slumped to 2-10 in 2010 but have rebounded by winning three more games than the previous season in each of the past two years. The Falcons are one of just four BCS teams to have made a three-win increase or better in each of the past two seasons and the only one of those teams to start 2013 at 4-1.
THE CAPTAINS
* BGSU Head Coach Dave Clawson has named eight captains for the 2013 season -- Alex Bayer, Jairus Campbell, Dominic Flewellyn, BooBoo Gates, Ronnie Goble, Chief Kekuewa, Gabe Martin and Paul Swan.
* The group represents three players on the offensive side of the ball (Bayer, Flewellyn and Kekuewa) and five on defense (Campbell, Gates, Goble, Martin and Swan).
* Three of this year's captains were also captains a year ago -- Flewellyn, Goble and Swan.
DIVING INTO 4-1 AND 2-0
* In jumping out to a 4-1 start, Bowling Green defeated a pair of teams that each won 11 games a year ago.
* The Falcons handed Kent State its first regular season MAC loss since Nov. 25, 2011 at Temple.
* Bowling Green is 4-1 to start the season for the first time since the 2003 team opened the year 7-1 and went on to finish 11-3, including a 28-24 win over Northwestern in the Motor City Bowl.
* At 2-0 in Mid-American Conference play, the Falcons have won their first two league games for the first time since 2005.
WHAT A WIN WOULD MEAN
* With a win Saturday, Bowling Green would improve to 5-1 and would keep pace with the 2003 team that started 7-1.
* The victory would also make the Falcons 3-0 in conference action to keep pace with the 2005 team that started 4-0.
BREAKING THE #MACTION MOLD
* When fans hear the phrase #MACtion, most think of the offensive fireworks by Mid-American Conference schools featured in weeknight games on national television. But Bowling Green has broken that mold with a stifling defense.
* The Falcons return nine starters in 2013 from a defense that ranked sixth in the country in total defense in 2012, allowing just 296 yards per game.
* Through the first five weeks of the 2013 season, BGSU is again dominating defensively. The Falcons lead the MAC in scoring defense, total defense, first downs allowed, fourth-down conversion rate allowed and red zone defense.
* BGSU ranks second in the country in red zone defense (allowing opponents to score points on just 8-of-17 possessions) and 11th in fourth-down conversion percentage allowed (opponents have converted only 1-of-7 attempts).
* In allowing only 28 points in their first three home games, the Falcons have allowed their fewest point total in three home games to start the year since 2003.
NO PICKS
* While the Falcons have the best defense in the Mid-American Conference, it is even more amazing that Bowling Green has shut down opponents without recording a single interception in 2013.
* Dating back to a Jude Adjei-Barimah interception against Kent State a year ago, the Falcons have gone seven straight games without an interception. Opposing quarterbacks have thrown 241 consecutive passes without having one picked off.
* No other team in the MAC has less than three interceptions this year, but the Falcons are still +2 in turnover margin on the year.
REVISITING 2012
* BGSU posted its first eight-win season since 2007.
* Bowling Green went 6-2 in Mid-American Conference play, the program's best league record since going 6-2 in 2009.
* The Falcons played in their 10th bowl game in program history, including the fifth in the past 10 years.
* The BGSU defense ranked No. 6 in the country in yards allowed per game.
AN EXPERIENCED CREW
* Bowling Green returns nine starters on defense and eight more on offense from the 2012 team. In fact, it is the second year in a row in which the Falcons return 17 starters between the two units.
* Entering 2013, BGSU's returners accounted for 182 career starts on offense and 214 on defense for a grand total of 396 career starts.
* Four Falcons entered 2013 with at least 30 career starts (Matt Schilz, Dominic Flewellyn, Alex Bayer and Cameron Truss) and three more had at least 20 (Ryland Ward, BooBoo Gates and Paul Swan).
HOME SWEET HOME
* Saturday's game against UMass is final game in a three-game homestand for the Falcons, the first such home stretch since 2004.
* Since 1956 -- the first year with Doyt Perry as head coach -- BGSU has played 14 three-game homestands and a four-game homestand in 1960 (going 3-1).
* The Falcons went 3-0 in six of the 14 homestands, 2-0-1 in another, 2-1 three times and 1-2 in the other four.
* Including last week's win over Murray State, BGSU is 35-12-1 during three or four-game homestands since 1956.
FIRST TIME TO PAYDIRT
* In the first five games of the season, Bowling Green has scored 21 touchdowns and 16 of them have come from players who had not scored prior to the start of 2013.
* While the Falcons are viewed as a veteran team, redshirt junior Jared Cohen, redshirt sophomores Chris Gallon, Ryan Burbrink, Travis Greene, Andre Givens and Matt Johnson and true freshmen William Houston and Ronnie Moore have all scored offensive touchdowns this year.
* Burbrink and junior Paul Senn have added special teams touchdowns.
* In fact, except for senior Shaun Joplin's touchdown reception against Akron, every player responsible for point-scoring plays this year (either throwing, rushing, receiving, kicking or on special teams) is a non-senior.
MAC LEADERS
* BGSU leads the Mid-American Conference in nine different team statistical categories.
* Defensively, the Falcons lead the league in scoring defense, total defense, first downs allowed, red zone defense (third nationally) and opponent's fourth down conversion percentage.
* Along with leading the conference in first-downs allowed, the Falcons also lead the MAC in first downs offensively, ranking fourth in the country
* BGSU ranks first in the MAC and second in the country in time of possession.
* The Falcons also lead the league in punt return average and third down conversion percentage.
THE SIGNAL CALLER
* Redshirt sophomore Matt Johnson was inserted into the season-opener against Tulsa at quarterback to start the Falcons' third possession of the game and guided the Falcons to the 34-7 victory.
* Johnson then got the first start of his career against Kent State, going 19-for-25 for 357 yards and two touchdown passes, earning MAC East Offensive Player of the Week honors and was one of eight Manning Award Stars of the Week.
* In the third quarter against Kent State, Johnson found Ryan Burbrink for a 92-yard touchdown, the third-longest pass completion in BGSU history.
* In the win over Murray State, Johnson was 19-of-22 passing. His .864 completion percentage was the fifth-best single-game percentage in BGSU history. He again earned MAC East Offensive Player of the Week honors.
* After struggling in the first half a week ago against Akron, Johnson completed all 11 of his second-half pass attempts.
THE SCHILZ FACTOR
* BGSU has one of the most experienced back-up quarterbacks in the country in Matt Schilz.
* Schilz has 36 career starts and ranks third in program history in completions and passing yards. He is also fifth with 50 career passing touchdowns.
HOUSTON, THEY'VE GOT A PROBLEM
* Walk-on freshman William Houston made a splash in his first collegiate game, scoring three times from just a yard out against Tulsa.
* The team's short-yardage back, Houston (who weighs 262 pounds) carried the ball 10 times against Tulsa, gaining positive yardage on nine of those carries.
* For his efforts, Houston was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week.
* Houston added touchdowns against Kent State, Murray State and Akron and he leads the MAC in touchdowns scored.
WE WANT MOORE
* True freshman Ronnie Moore found the endzone for the first time in his career, catching a 17-yard pass from James Knapke late in the 48-7 win over Murray State.
* That came after Moore made a quick impact on the offense in the season opener with 42 yards rushing and an 18-yard pass reception against Tulsa.
* Moore had two of the team's four "explosive" plays (plays of 20+ yards) against Tulsa with a 37-yard run on the Falcons' first touchdown-scoring drive and a 29-yard kick return.
* He added a third explosive play with a 29-yard kick return against Kent State.
* Moore got his first career start at Indiana, catching one pass for five yards and rushing twice for 15 yards. He also picked up the start against Murray State.
TATE IS GREAT
* With kicks of 30 and 41 yards at Kent State, Tyler Tate made two field goals in a game for the third consecutive contest.
* Tate had made six consecutive field goal attempts before missing from 47 yards out against Indiana. He did, however, make a career-long 45-yarder later in the game.
* Against Akron, Tate made his only field goal attempt, a 29-yarder, and was 4-for-4 on extra points.
THE RED ZONE
* In its four wins, Bowling Green has been 22-of-23 scoring on trips in the red zone, only coming up short when the Falcons kneeled down on the final possession of the Akron game. In the loss to Indiana, however, the Falcons were 0-for-3 inside the 20.
* Defensively, Bowling Green has climbed to second in the country, allowing just eight scores in 17 red zone trips. Of the nine stops, four have come by virtue of missed field goals, three by recovered fumbles and two by fourth-down stops.
SPECIAL TEAMS DOMINANCE
* BGSU's special teams have provided key sparks in the early going this year.
* BGSU kicker Tyler Tate is 6-for-8 on field goal attempts and 20-of-21 on extra points.
* Ryan Burbrink had a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown against Tulsa.
* Cameron Truss stuffed a fake punt on fourth-and-1 against Tulsa.
* BGSU recovered a muffed punt in the fourth quarter against Tulsa.
* Brian Schmiedebusch has landed six of his 18 punts inside the 20-yard line, including having one downed at the two-yard line in a critical situation against Akron in the first half.
* Paul Senn blocked a punt against Indiana and returned the ball for a 56-yard touchdown, earning the No. 1 play on SportsCenter's Top 10 for Saturday, Sept. 14.
LOOK WHO'S TALKING
For years Bowling Green was known as a team that could light up the scoreboard offensively and Dave Clawson was known as an offensive guru. But Clawson's team became one of the most stout defensive units in the country in 2012 and carried that into 2013, currently leading the MAC in scoring defense and total defense while ranking second in rush defense.
SENN-MASTER
* In a two-game stretch against Indiana and Murray State, Paul Senn became a big-play threat on defense and special teams for the Falcons.
* Senn had a blocked punt return for a touchdown (a play that ranked No. 1 on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10) and a fumble recovery on special teams against Indiana.
* He followed up that performance by stripping Murray State's Maikhai Miller at the two-yard line and the Falcons recovered the fumble. Bowling Green would go 99 yards for a touchdown and a 13-0 lead following the forced fumble.
FIRST TIME STARTERS
* Three Falcons earned their first career starts against Tulsa -- all on the offensive side of the ball. Offensive tackles Logan Dietz and Jacob Bennett, along with running back Travis Greene, had their names in the starting lineup for the first time.
* Quarterback Matt Johnson picked up his first career start in the win over Kent State.
* Ronnie Moore and Brian Sutton picked up their first career starts at Indiana.
* Justin Ford posted his first career start against Murray State.
GETTING THEIR CAREERS STARTED
* In the season opener, 16 Falcons stepped on the field wearing the Bowling Green uniform for the first time in their collegiate careers.
* Four true freshmen saw action including Fred Coppet, Isaiah Gourdine, William Houston and Ronnie Moore.
* Nine of the first timers were redshirt freshmen in JJ Beggan, Jacob Bennett, Terrance Bush, Scott Davis, Logan Dietz, Greg Hohenstein, James Knapke, Izaah Lunsford and Ben Steward.
* Others who saw action for the first time were redshirt junior Jared Cohen (junior college transfer), redshirt sophomore Diontre Delk and junior Paul Senn (junior college transfer).
* Alphonso Mack and Jahlil-Nashid Croley both saw their first collegiate action in the win over Murray State.
ALL-MAC RETURNERS
* BGSU returns seven players who were named All-MAC a year ago. Gabe Martin and BooBoo Gates were first team all-league honorees, while punter Brian Schmiedebusch made the second team. Alex Bayer, Dominic Flewellyn, Ted Ouellet and Cameron Truss were named to the third team.
* In all, the Falcons had 10 All-MAC players a year ago, the most for the team since 2004.
THE CHIEF OF THE O-LINE
* David "Chief" Kekuewa spent two years at Arizona Western Junior College before coming to Bowling Green just prior to the 2012 season. Kekuewa has started every game over the past two seasons at center.
* Chief's last name comes from Keli'ikuewa (which is also his middle name) and means the wandering chief. In old Hawaii, Kekuewa's family were chiefs of Honaunau, the city of refuge, on the island of Hawaii. Once foreigners went to the islands and especially after the Great Mahele chiefs in the Hawaiian Kingdom lost land and power, his family became wanderers, hence the wandering chiefs.
RUNNING FOR THE WINS
Over the past two years, Bowling Green has been at its best when pulverizing the opposition in the running game, a fact that was in direct contrast to Dave Clawson's first three seasons at BGSU. From 2009-11, the Falcons rushed for 200 yards in a game just one time. But the Falcons have now reached that total seven times in the past two years (including three times in 2013). Below are all the 200-yard rushing games (and a 197-yard effort) in the past two seasons, all BGSU wins.
CLASSY
A year ago, 67 percent of Bowling Green's roster consisted of freshmen or sophomores. This year, that number has dropped slightly to 63 percent. The Falcons have 47 freshmen or redshirt freshmen on the roster this year, which is actually three more than a year ago.
STOPPING THE RUN
Prior to the week two win over Kent State, the Falcons had held their opponent under 100 yards rushing in every win over the past two seasons. Kent State, though, rushed for 138 yards and Murray State posted 166 in Bowling Green's 48-7 win.
THE GREENE LIGHT
* Redshirt sophomore Travis Greene was named the starting running back for 2013, filling a hole left with the departure of former high school teammate Anthon Samuel.
* Greene converted from wide receiver to running back during the spring and continued to climb the depth chart until finally being moved to the top of the two-deep after the team's second fall scrimmage.
* Making his ascendence even more surprising is the fact that the Falcons have a talented and deep pool of backs that include senior Jordan Hopgood, junior Jamel Martin, sophomore Andre Givens and a pair of explosive freshmen in Fred Coppet and Marcus Levy.
* Greene carried the ball 22 times for 88 yards in the season opener and then followed that up with 24 carries for 145 yards against Kent State.
* He posted his second 100-yard rushing game with 133 yards on 17 carries against Murray State, an average of 7.8 per rush, and then went back-to-back with 24 carries for 142 yards against Akron.
* Greene ranks second in the MAC and 20th in the country with 110.2 yards rushing per game.
HOME SWEET HOME
As expected, Bowling Green football draws far more student-athletes from Ohio (44) than from any other state. But after the Buckeye State, the Falcons have pulled 15 players each from the states of Michigan and Florida. Seven players on the roster hail from Illinois, the same number that come from Indiana. Pennsylvania is the hometown of six Falcons and four players have traveled across the country from California. Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Ontario are each represented by one Falcon.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
* BGSU earned six Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week honors over the first five weeks of the season.
* Travis Greene was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 142 yards and adding 71 more yards receiving in a 31-14 win over Akron. Greene also had a rushing touchdown and a receiving score.
* Matt Johnson earned his second MAC East Offensive Player of the Week honor after going 19-of-22 for 244 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another, in a 48-7 win over Murray State.
* Paul Senn earned MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week after blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown against Indiana. He also recovered a fumble on a kick-off after the Falcons took a 10-7 lead in the second quarter.
* Matt Johnson was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week after going 19-of-25 for 357 yards and two touchdowns in the 41-22 win over Kent State. He was also named one of eight Manning Award "Stars of the Week".
* William Houston was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week after scoring three touchdowns in his first collegiate game against Tulsa.
* Ryan Burbrink was named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week after a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown against Tulsa.
* Burbrink was also named College Football Performance Awards National Punt Returner of the Week.
ALL ALONE
Senior BooBoo Gates has two kick returns for touchdowns, one punt return for a score and has two interception returns for TD in his career, becoming the first Falcon in school history to own touchdown returns via kick, punt and interception returns.
VERY SPECIAL TEAMS
Since head coach Dave Clawson arrived at Bowling Green, he and assistant coach Adam Scheier have found a way to get the most out of the BGSU special teams. In five years, Scheier's special teams have:
* three kick returns for touchdowns.
* four punt returns for scores.
* blocked 15 kicks.
* returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.
* converted on two fake punts.
* produced two All-MAC returners (BooBoo Gates and Eugene Cooper).
* produced two All-MAC punters (Brian Wright and Brian Schmiedebusch twice).
HEY BOOBOO
Senior BooBoo Gates was named to the Paul Hornung Preseason Watch List, an award given annually to the most versatile player in the country. Gates was named first team All-MAC as a safety a year ago and is also a dangerous kick returner, producing an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown against Rhode Island in 2012.
HAIL TO THE CHIEF
David "Chief" Kekuewa was named to the Rimington Fall Watch List, an award given annually to the top center in college football. Kekuewa started all 13 games at center a year ago and was part of a unit that helped produce more than 150 rushing yards per game.
BAYER FOR MACKEY AWARD
Senior tight end Alex Bayer was named to the John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List, an award given annually to the most outstanding tight end in college football. Bayer was a third-team All-MAC selection a year ago after catching 36 passes for 410 yards and three touchdowns.
TWO NAMED TO LOMBARDI WATCH LIST
Dominic Flewellyn and Gabe Martin were each selected to the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List, an award given annually to the best down lineman in the country, either on offense or defense. Flewellyn was a third-team All-MAC performer on Bowling Green's offensive line in 2012, while Martin earned first-team All-MAC honors as a linebacker.
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Almost every preseason poll in the country has picked the BGSU football team to finish first or second in the MAC East, splitting most of the votes with Ohio. The Falcons were picked first by Athlon, The Sporting News and Phil Steele. The MAC media and USA Today picked Bowling Green to finish second in their respective preseason polls.
SWEET SEVENTEEN
One of the most respected college football writers in the country, Phil Steele, picked 17 Falcons among his preseason All-MAC teams, the most of any team in the conference. The Falcons had four representatives on the first team, three second-team members, four players on the third team and six more Falcons were named fourth-team preseason All-MAC. Toledo had the second-most picks in the conference with 14.
ON THE TUBE
BGSU has had six games selected to be televised on the ESPN Family of Networks. Games against Tulsa and Indiana were televised on ESPNU and the Kent State game was aired on ESPN Regional. The Murray State and Akron games were slated for ESPN3, while the Nov. 5 contest at Miami is an ESPN2/ESPNU telecast. Games Nov. 12 vs. Ohio (ESPNU/ESPN3) and Nov. 29 at Buffalo (ESPNU/ESPN3) will also be televised. Any home game that is not selected for ESPN coverage can be seen locally on BCSN and webstreamed live on BGSUFalcons.com.
THE NFL DRAFT
BGSU alumnus Chris Jones joined a select fraternity in April when the defensive tackle was picked in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Jones was the first Falcon drafted since Kory Lichtensteiger in 2007. Jones, the MAC Defensive Player of the Year, was joined in NFL camp by classmate Jordan Roussos, who was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent.
