Battle Of I75 Takes Center Stage Wednesday

BGSU Falcons (7-3, 5-1 MAC)
vs.
Toledo Rockets (6-4, 5-1 MAC)
ESPN2 (Dave Lamont, Desmond Howard, Quint Kessenich)
Falcon Radio Network (Todd Walker, John Gibson)
Complete Game Notes (.pdf)
Live Stats | Live Audio

Television
* Wednesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app.
* Dave Lamont will handle the play-by-play duties, while Desmond Howard will provide analysis. Quint Kessenich will be on the sideline to provide in-game insight.

Radio
* Falcon Radio Network with Todd Walker (PxP) 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 WCIT 940 AM/WWSR 93.1 FM (Lima, Ohio), WLQR 106.5 FM/1470 AM (Toledo, Ohio), WONW 1280 AM (Defiance, Ohio), and WHKW 1220 AM (Cleveland, Ohio).
* The Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO) broadcasts home games and select road games on 88.1 FM in Bowling Green.

Websites
* BGSUFalcons.com is the internet home of Bowling Green State University athletics
* Coverage of University of Toledo athletics can be found at UTRockets.com

Social Media
* Falcon fans can follow Falcon football all season long through several social media outlets which will provide in-game updates throughout the year.
* On Twitter, fans can follow @BGAthletics or @BG_Football (in-game updates), while on Instagram Falcon Athletics can be found at bgfalcons.

Online Coverage
* Live stats can be found at BGSUFalcons.com under the football schedule page
* Live audio can be heard via the Falcon Radio Network on BGSUFalcons.com
* Live video can be accessed online via WatchESPN.com

The Teams
* Bowling Green is MAC East champions for the second straight season after clinching with a 30-20 win over Kent State on Wednesday (Nov. 12) night. The Falcons are 5-1 in the MAC and 7-3 overall.
* Toledo enters the contest with an overall mark of 6-4. The Rockets are 5-1 in the MAC after falling to Northern Illinois last week, 27-24, in a crucial West Division game.

Series Info
* Bowling Green leads the all-time series against their arch-rival, Toledo, 39-35-4. The Falcons have not won since 2009. Prior to that, the Falcons had won three consecutive in the series from 2007-09.

Bowling Green Is MAC East Champion
• The Bowling Green State University football team (7-3, 5-1 MAC) is set to take on arch-rival Toledo on the road on Wednesday (Nov. 19) night.
• With their 30-20 win over Kent State on Wednesday (Nov. 12) night, Bowling Green clinched the Mid-American Conference East Division for the second straight season.
• The Falcons are the first team from the MAC East Division to repeat as division champion since Miami did so in 2003 and 2004.
• Bowling Green is looking to become the first team from the Mid-American Conference East Division to repeat as overall MAC champion since Marshall in 1997-2000.

A Win Against Toledo Would...
• Make the Falcons 8-3 overall and 6-1 in Mid-American Conference action
• Mark Bowling Green's first win in the series since 2009
• Extend BGSU's November winning streak to eight games
• Make the Falcons' road record 4-2 on the season, finishing the season with four consecutive road wins within the Mid-American Conference
• Be Bowling Green's third consecutive win

Head Coach Dino Babers
• Dino Babers is in his first season at Bowling Green in 2014, and his third as a head coach overall.
• He has a 7-3 record at Bowling Green, but holds a career record of 26-10. Babers has won a conference title in each of his first two seasons as a head coach.
• Babers has also been named conference coach of the year in both seasons as a head coach, after taking a last-place team and winning two Ohio Valley Conference crowns.
• Babers has an impressive pedigree of mentoring NFL-caliber players. His quarterback at EIU, Jimmy Garoppolo, was drafted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. In total, Babers has coached more than 30 NFL players.
• On top of individual player success, Babers knows how to get the most out of his teams. Babers' teams have been to the postseason eight times in the past 10 seasons.

Familiar Territory
• 2014 marks the third consecutive season in which Bowling Green football has started 7-3 (5-1 MAC) through their first 10 games of the season. But, each season has taken a very different course to get to that record.
• This season, the Falcons went 2-2 in non-conference play with wins in both weeks two and three. After winning the first three games of the MAC schedule, the Orange and Brown suffered a defeat before beating Akron and Kent State to improve to 7-3 (5-1 MAC).
• Last season, the Falcons won five of their first six games, before losing two straight to drop to 5-3 (3-1 MAC). The 2013 Falcons would win five straight from that point forward to claim the MAC championship.
• In 2012, the Falcons struggled to a 1-3 start, but won the next six games to improve to 7-3 (5-1 MAC). That season, the Orange and Brown finished 8-5 with an appearance in the Military Bowl.

To Win The East You Have To Win Against The East
• Since the beginning of the 2012 season, Bowling Green has been dominant against competition from the East Division. It is no coincidence, that for the third straight season, the Falcons were once again in position to win the East Division in November.
• Bowling Green has gone 16-1 against East Division competition since the start of the 2012 campaign. The Falcons' lone loss proved costly, as a 2012 loss vs. Kent State decided the MAC East division.
• Last season, the Falcons went 6-0 against teams from the East to win the division, and this year the Falcons finished 5-0 against teams from their division.
• The Orange and Brown have now won 12 consecutive games against teams from the MAC East.

Falcon Defense Stifling Opponents
• Over the past 18 quarters, Bowling Green's defense has played up to their potential, holding opponents to 76 points.
• Allowing just 4.2 points per quarter since halftime of the Buffalo game, the BGSU defense is a big reason why the Falcons sit 5-1 in the MAC and as East Division champions with two weeks left in the regular season.
• The Falcons defense knows how to turn up the pressure in November. The win at Akron marked the sixth straight November game in which BGSU had allowed one touchdown or less to opponents.

Forcing Turnovers
• Bowling Green has become prolific at forcing turnovers this season, registering 24 takeaways through the first nine games of 2014.
• The Falcons forced a season-high five turnovers in each of the past two games. The Falcons have had seven interceptions and three fumble recoveries in the last two games.
• Against Kent State, Ryland Ward, Clint Stephens, Gabe Martin, and Taylor Royster all had interceptions while Brian Sutton recovered a fumble.

Given Them The Business
• For the second straight game, Andre Givens (Youngstown, Ohio) surpassed 100 yards on the ground, as he rushed for a career-high 157 yards in a win over Kent State (Nov. 12).
• His 38 carries in the game were tied for fourth-most in school history for a single game, and the most since 1995.
• Givens also rushed for two touchdowns in the game - his second-straight multi-touchdown performance inside of The Doyt.
• The 157 yards for Givens on the ground were the most by a Falcon this season.

Dominating November
• Bowling Green has been dominate in the month of November since the end of 2012, winning seven consecutive games in the month.
• During that seven-game winning streak, the Falcons' defense has only allowed more than 10 points one time.
• Bowling Green is outscoring opponents 254-54 during the November hot streak.

Choose Your Path
• Since Bowling Green and Toledo played to a thrilling 28-25 finish in the 2013 version of the Battle of I-75, the two programs have taken different paths.
• The Falcons have gone 12-4 (.750) since Oct. 26 of last season, winning two consecutive MAC East Division championships. The Orange and Brown will make their second straight appearance in the Marathon MAC Championship Game on Dec. 5 and played in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl last season.
• Toledo, on the other hand, is just 8-6 (.571) since that Oct. 26 matchup last season. The Rockets missed the postseason entirely last season.

Pick Johnson
• True freshman Nick Johnson recorded two interceptions in the Falcons' win at Akron on Nov. 4, the first multi-interception game for the Falcons this year.
• Johnson now has four interceptions on the season, tied for most in the MAC and 27th in the country.
• For his efforts at Akron, Johnson was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week.

The Ohio Difference
• After playing games in four different states during the first five weeks of the season, Bowling Green plays the final seven games of the regular season inside the state of Ohio -- including four at the Doyt.
• The Falcons have a combined record of 13-2 in games played inside the state of Ohio since the start of the 2013 season.

Babers Protecting Home Turf
• Despite losing to Western Michigan at home on Oct. 18, head coach Dino Babers has an impressive record at home.As a head coach, Babers is now 15-2 at home overall, and 14-1 in home regular season contests.

A #FalconFast Start
• The Falcons got out to a 20-0 lead against Kent State on Wednesday night, eventually winning 30-20.
• BGSU is now 5-1 on the season when scoring first, leading after the first quarter, and leading at halftime.
Lewis Chasing 1,000
• Bowling Green true freshman wideout Roger Lewis is looking to become the first freshman in school history to surpass 1,000 yards receiving in a season.
• Just six players have had seasons of 1,000 yards receiving in program history.
• The Pickerington, Ohio native currently has 858 yards on the year. He leads the team with 60 receptions.
• Lewis is top four in the MAC in receiving yards, yards per game, and receptions per game.

An Experienced Group
• Through the first 10 weeks of the season, Bowling Green has had 10 players start every game thus far.
• On the offensive side of the ball, 6-of-11 players have started all 10 games, while 4-of-11 defensive players have made the start in every game thus far.
• 11 current players have started 20-or-more games in their career. Ryland Ward (44), Alex Huettel (37), Bryan Thomas (33), Charlie Walker (31), Gabe Martin (29), Darrell Hunter (24), Jacob Bennett (24), Logan Dietz (24), Ryan Burbrink (21), D.J. Lynch (21) and Travis Greene (20) have all started at least 20 games during their Falcon careers.
• 14 players for the Orange and Brown have started at least eight consecutive games, a stretch which has seen the Falcons go 6-2.

Tate Is Great
• Tyler Tate (Carroll, Ohio) has been named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week three times already this season through the first nine games of the season.
• A redshirt junior, Tate has made 17-of-21 field goals and 35-of-38 extra points.
• Against Kent State, Tate made 3-of-4 field goal attempts and converted all three extra points in a 30-20 win.
• He has now made 42 career field goals, just three shy of the all-time record.
• His 17 field goals made this year are just one shy of his 2013 mark and five shy of tying the all-time record for a single season.

Early To Clinch
• BGSU is just the second team in the country to clinch their spot in a conference championship game by virtue of clinching their division.

Bringing The Heat
• The Falcons' defense has been tough to crack over the past few years, and this year the aggressive style has made it difficult as of late for opponents to produce offensively.
• Four Falcons have recorded at least 5.0 tackles for loss this season, led by Bryan Thomas' 11.5. Gabe Martin (9.5), Gus Schwieterman (6.5), and Brian Sutton (5.0) also have 5+ TFLs. Thomas leads the Falcons with 6.0 sacks this year.

Spreading It Around
• Bowling Green is one of just seven FBS programs to have at least six receivers with 20-or-more receptions this season.
• The Falcons are one of just a handful of teams in the country to have at least three receivers with 30-or-more catches this season.
• BGSU is one of just three teams in the country to have at least six players that have caught 20-or-more passes thus far and three with 40-or-more receptions.

Winning The Turnover Margin
• The Falcons have won the turnover margin six times this season, which is no surprise given that the defense has forced 24 turnovers to date.
• BGSU is 5-1 when winning the turnover battle, including the last two games when they have a plus-7 turnover margin.

Falcons Get Off To Quick Start
• Bowling Green scored 17 points in the first quarter against Kent State, which propelled the Falcons to a 30-20 win.
• The 17 points scored in a quarter marked the third-highest scoring total for the Falcons in a quarter this season.
• BGSU's biggest scoring quarter this season came in the fourth quarter against Indiana, when the Falcons scored 21 points to defeat the Hoosiers.
• The Falcons also scored 20 points in the second quarter against VMI.

Stephens Stepping Up
• True freshman Clint Stephens has stepped up in the last two games, recording an interception in each of the last two contests.
• A ball hawk in the secondary, Stephens has two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a six passes broken up this season.

Winning The Close Games
• One sign of a winning football team is when that program can win the close games - the games that come down to the team that can make one more play than the opponent.
• The Falcons, who have done exactly that this season, are 4-0 in games decided by 10 points or less.
• Three of the four wins have come at home, while the Orange and Brown defeated UMass on the road in the game's final minutes.
• BGSU defeated Indiana in the game's final seconds on Sept. 13 at home, 45-42. The Orange and Brown have also won close games at home against Buffalo (W, 36-35) and Kent State (W, 30-20).

Royster In The Right Place
• Taylor Royster has stepped up all season on the defensive line, proving his worth to the Falcons with his nose for the ball. A native of Lima, Ohio, Royster is a redshirt junior this season.
• Through 10 games, Royster has recovered four fumbles and also recorded an interception. He has 2.5 tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry.
• The four fumble recoveries are first in the Mid-American Conference and also first in the country.
• Against Akron (Nov. 4), Royster recovered two fumbles, including one in the end zone for his first career touchdown.
• Royster's interception against Kent State earned him the No. 1 play on SportsCenter's Top Ten plays (Nov. 12). On the play, Royster peeled back after rushing the passer, hustling back to make a diving interception off of a tipped pass before the ball hit the ground.

BT In The Backfield
• Bryan Thomas (Washington, Pa.) has been disruptive, to say the least, in the opponent's backfield this season. Thomas is currently top four in the Mid-American Conference statistical rankings in fumbles forces, tackles for loss, and sacks.
• Thomas' five forced fumbles this season are currently first in the MAC and fifth in the country.
• His 11.5 tackles for loss are second in the MAC. Over 40% of his tackles this season have been for a loss.
• He also has 6.0 sacks this season, which is currently fourth in the MAC.

Knapke Just Wins
• James Knapke (Fort Wayne, Ind.) has started the last nine games for the Falcons, following a season-ending injury to opening game starter Matt Johnson.
• As a starter, Knapke is 7-2 this season having thrown at least one touchdown pass in all seven of his wins.
• A redshirt sophomore, Knapke has had several notable performances during the first nine starts of his career:
• Knapke has four 300-yard games so far this season.
• His 443 yards passing at UMass (Sept. 27) were the fourth-most in school history for a single game.
• Against Indiana (Sept. 13), he completed 46-of-73 passes (both school records) in the win - the Falcons first win over a Big Ten opponent since 2007.

#FalconFast Scores At A Frenetic Pace
• Bowling Green's offense is the fastest in the country, based on the amount of time between each offensive snap.
• The Falcons have had 22 touchdown drives which have been two minutes or less this season, including all three of their touchdown scoring drives the other night vs. Kent State.
• Of their 37 touchdown drives this season, 22 of them (60-percent) have taken less than 120 seconds.
• BGSU has seven touchdown drives of less than a minute this year.

Falcons In The NFL
• The Falcons currently have four former players on NFL rosters.
• Shaun Suisham signed a long-term contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers during the offseason. He will remain their placekicker through the 2018 season. Suisham is 16-for-18 on field goal attempts, and a perfect 29-of-29 on extra point attempts.
• Kory Lichtensteiger, a member of the Washington Redskins, made the move to center for the 2014 season. He has started every game over the past three seasons. The Redskins currently sit 3-6 overall on the season and will host Tampa Bay this weekend.
• Chris Jones is in his second season in the NFL as a member of the New England Patriots. Jones was named the Patriots Defensive MVP following last season. So far this season, Jones has recorded 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks in seven starts.
• Alex Bayer, an undrafted free agent, made the St. Louis Rams' 53-man roster. He led the Rams during preseason play with 10 catches.

Several Falcons See First Action
• Through the first 10 weeks of 2014, 12 Falcons have made their first career start.
• Gehrig Dieter (WR), Roger Lewis (WR), Tim McAuliffe (C), Nate Locke (LB), James Knapke (QB), Gus Schwieterman (DL), Jhalil Croley (DL), Paul Senn (LB), Austin Valdez (LB), James Sanford (LB), Dernard Turner (DB), and Nick Johnson (DB) have all started games for the Falcons this season.
• 15 other Falcons have stepped onto the field for the first time in the Brown and Orange.
• Monti Phillips (LB), Joe Davidson (P), Ryan Hunter (OL), John Klingerman (WR), Shannon Smith (DL), Cody Callaway (QB), Hunter Folkertsma (TE), Trevahn Beery (DB), Matt Robinson (DB), Dominique Carter (LB), Malik Brown (DL), Trevor Roop (WR), Brandon English (RB), Nilijah Ballew (DB), and Ben Hale (DB) have all made appearances during the first 10 weeks of the season.

Falcons In The Spotlight
• Falcon fans all around the country will have the chance to watch every BGSU Football game in 2014. All 12 regular season games will appear via national broadcast on various platforms.
• The games against Western Kentucky (CBS Sports Network), Indiana (ESPNU), Wisconsin (ESPN2), Buffalo (ESPN GamePlan), Western Michigan (ESPN GamePlan), Akron (ESPN2), and Kent State (ESPN2) have all appeared on National TV.
• This week's game vs. Toledo will also air nationally on ESPN2.
• ESPN3 has broadcast games versus VMI, UMass, and Ohio thus far, and will broadcast the regular-season finale at home against Ball State.

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Players Mentioned

Nilijah Ballew

Alex Bayer

Trevahn Beery

Jacob Bennett

Malik Brown

Ryan Burbrink

Cody Callaway

Dominique Carter

Joseph Davidson

Gehrig Dieter

Logan Dietz

Brandon English

Hunter Folkertsma

Andre Givens

Travis Greene

Ben Hale

Alex Huettel

Ryan Hunter

Matt Johnson

Nick Johnson

James Knapke

Roger Lewis

Nate Locke

D.J. Lynch

Gabe Martin

Tim McAuliffe

Monti Phillips

Matt Robinson

Trevor Roop

Taylor Royster

James Sanford

Gus Schwieterman

Paul Senn

Shannon Smith

Clint Stephens

Brian Sutton

Tyler Tate

Bryan Thomas

Dernard Turner

Austin Valdez

Charlie Walker

Ryland Ward

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