Twelve Falcons Named Midseason All-MAC

Bowling Green, Ohio - Phil Steele Magazine, one of the nation's most informative college football publications, has named 12 members of the Bowling Green State University football team to its mid-season All-MAC squad, tied for the most players in the conference honored.

Offensively, Travis Greene, Alex Bayer and Dominic Flewellyn earned first-team honors with Ryan Burbrink being named first-team punt returner. Chief Kekuewa was recognized on the second team at center with Gabe Martin and BooBoo Gates being named on defense. Matt Johnson, Shaun Joplin, Alex Huettel, Bryan Thomas and DJ Lynch were named to the third team.

At running back, Greene is second in the MAC with 810 yards rushing and an average of 115.7 per contest. He also has three touchdowns and is on pace to become the first Falcon rusher to go over 1,000 yards since P.J. Pope in 2004. Greene has rushed for at least 100 yards four times this year, posting a career-best 160 yards against UMass.

Tight end Alex Bayer is one of the top players in the country at his position and was named to the Mackey Award Midseason Watch List as one of the top tight ends in the country. He has 18 receptions for 204 yards, both ranking second in the MAC at the position. Bayer's best game statistically came in a victory over Murray State when he had four receptions for 65 yards.

At offensive guard, Dominic Flewellyn has guided a dominant line that has helped the Falcons to rank second in the MAC in passing offense and third in rushing offense. Bowling Green's 8.5 yards per pass attempt ranks first in the conference and the team's 4.9 yards per rush is third.

As a punt returner, Ryan Burbrink is averaging 12.4 yards per return. He had a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown in the team's season-opening victory over Tulsa and he also ranks second on the team in receiving yards in 2013.

On the second team, Chief Kekuewa has been a steadying influence on the offensive line, helping the unit to control the game in the trenches despite a pair of redshirt freshmen starting offensive tackles.

Defensively, Gabe Martin and BooBoo Gates have anchored the top-ranked unit in the Mid-American Conference. Along with being the top red zone defense in the country, the Falcons are allowing 25 yards per game less than any other team in the conference. Martin has 30 tackles despite missing a game due to injury and is second on the team with four quarterback hurries. Gates is second on the squad with 38 tackles, has forced two fumbles and had a 34-yard interception return against Mississippi State.

Quarterback Matt Johnson was named to the third-team after taking over the starting role in the second game of the year. He is second in the MAC with 231.3 yards per game passing and has thrown nine touchdowns. His 147.2 quarterback efficiency is second in the league as well and his 357 yards passing in a win at Kent State is the most in the MAC this year.

Wide receiver Shaun Joplin has been the team's leader at that unit all year. He has 29 catches for 453 yards, averaging 15.6 yards per catch. Joplin has been critical moving the chains all year as 24 of his receptions have resulted in first downs, eight coming on third-down.

On the offensive line, Alex Huettel has played well at guard, bringing along redshirt freshman Logan Dietz next to him at tackle. Combined with Kekuewa and Flewellyn, the veteran threesome on the interior of the offensive line is as good as any in the MAC.

Defensively, linebacker DJ Lynch leads the team with 41 tackles and 5.0 for loss. He also has a sack and a quarterback hurry. On the line, Bryan Thomas has 16 tackles, 2.5 for loss. He is part of a unit that has worked to replace last year's MAC Defensive Player of the Year Chris Jones.

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Twelve Falcons Named Midseason All-MAC

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