Falcons Set To Take On South Alabama In Camellia Bowl

Saturday, December 20

Montgomery, Ala.

9:15 p.m. ET

Bowling Green State University

South Alabama

Tickets

December 11, 2014 | Football

BGSU will square off with USA in Montgomery, Ala. (Dec. 20)

By: by Scott Swegan, BGSU Athletic Communications

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
BGSU Falcons (7-6)
vs.
USA Jaguars (6-6)
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.)
Saturday, Dec. 20, 9:15 pm ET
Complete Bowl Notes (.pdf)
Live stats | Live audio
Buy Tickets | Bowl Central
Camellia Bowl website | USA Athletics website

Television
• The Raycom Media Camellia Bowl will be shown nationally on ESPN, ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
• Dave Lamont (play-by-play), Joey Galloway (color analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline) will have the call.

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).
• ESPN Radio will also have a national broadcast of the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl

Websites
• BGSUFalcons.com is the internet home of Bowling Green State University athletics
• Coverage of South Alabama athletics can be found at USAJaguars.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 will be playing in a bowl game for the third straight season when the Falcons take the field in Montgomery, Ala. BGSU enters the game against USA with a record of 7.6 on the season, coming off a loss in the MAC Championship Game to Northern Illinois.
• South Alabama comes into their first-ever bowl game appearance with a record of 6-6 on the season. The Jaguars began 5-2 on the year before losing four of their final five games.

Series Info
• The matchup between Bowling Green and South Alabama in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl will mark the first ever matchup between the two schools.

BGSU Set To Face USA In Inaugural Camellia Bowl
• Bowling Green State University (7-6) will square off with the University of South Alabama (6-6) in the first ever Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. The game is scheduled for Dec. 20 at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. Kickoff is set for 9:15 pm ET on ESPN.
• The Camellia Bowl will mark Bowling Green's 12th bowl appearance in program history, while for the Jaguars it will be their first.
• Both BGSU head coach Dino Babers and USA head coach Joey Jones will be coaching in their first bowl games as head coaches at the FBS level on Dec. 20.

A Win Against South Alabama Would...
• Make the Falcons 8-6 to finish the season, marking their third consecutive season with at least eight wins.
• Improve Bowling Green's all-time record in bowl games to 5-7, and would be their first win in a bowl game since 2004.
• Be the Falcons' second win in a bowl game inside the state of Alabama, improving their all-time record to 2-1 in such games.
• Mark the first time since 2011 in which the Falcons have ended the season with a win, and would be just the third time since 2005 that Bowling Green has finished the season with a win in their final game of the season.

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 7-6 record at Bowling Green, and holds a career record of 26-13.
• Babers was named conference coach of the year in both seasons at Eastern Illinois, 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. This season will mark the ninth time in the last 11 years that a Dino Babers coached team has advanced to postseason play.
• The bowl game will be the 12th time that a Babers-coached squad has reached the postseason at the FBS level, and the 14th time overall. Babers is 6-5 all-time in bowl games as a coach.

Babers Has A Postseason History
• 2014 marks the 14th time that Babers has reached the postseason as a coach, including the 12th time as an FBS coach.
• Babers has made the postseason in five consecutive seasons, including all three seasons as a head coach.
• With an all-time postseason record of 7-7, Babers has compiled a 6-5 record in bowl games.
• In his last bowl game - and last game as an assistant coach - Babers and Baylor defeated Washington 67-56 in the 2011 Alamo Bowl.

Three Straight For First Time In School History
• The Camellia Bowl on Dec. 20 will mark the third consecutive season in which the Falcons have played in a bowl game - a new program record.
• Bowling Green now has the second longest active streak in the MAC for most consecutive years playing in a bowl game, behind Northern Illinois.

Falcons Make Back-To-Back Appearances In MAC Championship
• The 2014 MAC Championship Game marked the second straight year the Falcons have appeared in the game. It was their third appearance all-time in the game.
• The 2014 game featured a rematch of 2013, the first time that there has been a rematch in the MAC Championship Game from the previous season since 2002.

BG Lands Seven On All-MAC Teams
• Bowling Green landed seven players on the All-Mid-American Conference teams this season, including two first team honorees.
• Roger Lewis (WR) and Ryan Burbrink (PR) both earned first team honors for the first time in their career. Lewis was the first freshman at BGSU since 1982 to be recognized on the first team.
• Both Alex Huettel (OL) and Gabe Martin (LB) earned second team honors for the second straight season. Freshman Nick Johnson (CB) joined them on the second team.
• Bryan Thomas (DL) and Tyler Tate (PK) were both named third team. It was the first career All-MAC honor for both.

Top True Freshman In The Nation
• Just three freshmen have four-or-more interceptions in FBS football, and two of them don the Orange and Brown of Bowling Green.
• Nick Johnson (5) and Clint Stephens (4) are the only two TRUE freshmen in the entire country to have four-or-more interceptions in 2014.
• Freshmen in FBS football with four-or-more interceptions in 2014:

   Player   School   INT
1. Parry Nickerson   Tulane   6
2. Nick Johnson   Bowling Green   5
3. Clint Stephens   Bowling Green   4

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 956 yards on the year. He leads the team with 69 receptions and is tied for the team lead with five receiving touchdowns in 2014.
• Lewis became the first freshman at BGSU to be named first team All-MAC since 1982, when quarterback Brian McClure earned the honor.

Bowlin' In 'Bama
• The Camellia Bowl will mark the third time BGSU has played a bowl game in the state of Alabama.
• The Falcons have also played twice in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile (2004, 2007).
Seniors Changed The Program
• Bowling Green's seniors will play their final game on Dec. 20 in the Orange and Brown, looking to go out with a win.
• This senior class has won 30 games during their four years of eligibility, which is the most since the 2006 class also won 30 games.
• With a win against South Alabama, the 2014 senior class at BGSU will become the winningest class since the 2005 senior class won 35 games during their careers.

Threes Company
• Bowling Green is one of just three teams in FBS football to have an elite receiving core with the following numbers:
   • 6 receivers with 20+ catches
   • 4 receivers with 30+ catches
   • 3 receivers with 40+ catches
   • 3 receivers with 50+ catches
• Bowling Green, Washington State and California are the only three schools in such elite company.
• Of those three schools, just BGSU and WSU have multiple receivers with 60 receptions or more.
• Roger Lewis (69) and Ryan Burbrink (60) lead the Falcons, while Ronnie Moore (51) and Heath Jackson (31) all have over 30 catches.
• Gehrig Dieter (28) and Travis Greene (25) both have more than 25 receptions this season.

Pick Johnson
• True freshman Nick Johnson (Canton, Ohio) has five interceptions this season. He is the top true freshman in FBS football with his five interceptions.
• He is the first Falcon since P.J. Mahone in 2007 to have at least five interceptions. In that 2007 season, Mahone had seven picks.
• The only other Falcon freshman to ever record five interceptions in a season was Martin Bayless in 1980. Johnson could set the record for most interceptions by a freshmen in school history at the Camellia Bowl.
• Most interceptions by true freshmen in BGSU program history:

   Player   Year   INT
T1. Nick Johnson   2014   5
T1. Martin Bayless   1980   5
3. Clint Stephens   2014   4

Three-Way Backfield Attack
• Bowling Green enters the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl with three talented running backs. Each back has started at least one game this season and has had at least two 100-yard games on the ground.
• Greene is the Falcons' leading rusher this season. He has 908 yards and 10 touchdowns.
• Coppet has rushed for 694 yards and six touchdowns in 2014, while Givens has 474 yards and eight scores.
• If Givens surpasses 500 total yards (needs 26 more) rushing, it will mark the first time in school history (dating back to 1959) that Bowling Green has had at least three players rush for 500 yards in the same season.

Tate Sets All-Time Record
• Tyler Tate (Carroll, Ohio) became the school's most successful field goal kicker with his 46-yard field goal at the end of the first half in the MAC Championship Game against Northern Illinois -- the 46th make of his career.
• With that kick, he surpassed Shaun Suisham (current Pittsburgh Steeler) for the all-time school record.
• Tate now has 21 field goals made this season, which ties him for most in BGSU history for a single season with Brian Leaver (1994).
• Tate was named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week three times in 2014.

Tate Garners Postseason Attention
• Tate also garnered much postseason attention, starting with a Wednesday (Dec. 3) announcement that he had been named to the All-MAC third team.
• The very next day, Tate was named Capital One Academic All-America® First Team, the first at BGSU since 1990.
• Tate carries a 3.97 grade point average in exercise science.

Greene Closing In On History
• Travis Greene has 908 yards rushing this season and 2,512 for his career. He is fifth all-time in school history.
• He is looking to become the first player since P.J. Pope in 2003-04 to have back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing seasons.
• Greene has 14 career 100-yard rushing games, which is third-most in school history behind Dave Preston (20) and Paul Miles (16).

Scoring 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 27 touchdown drives which have been two minutes or less this season, including both of their touchdown-scoring drives in their last game against Northern Illinois.
• Of their 43 touchdown drives this season, 27 of them (63-percent) have taken less than 120 seconds.
• BGSU has nine touchdown drives of less than a minute this year.

BGSU Against Bowl Eligible Teams
• Bowling Green faced six teams which gained bowl eligibility during the 2014 season, four of them being MAC teams.
• Five of the six games came away from home (Western Kentucky, Wisconsin, Ohio, Toledo, Northern Illinois) while BGSU hosted Western Michigan who is bowl eligible.
• Of the six bowl eligible teams that the Falcons faced this season, five were selected to play in bowl games.

Moore Problems For Opponents
• Ronnie Moore, a sophomore from Sanford, Fla., is known as one of the most explosive players in the Mid-American Conference.
• Of Bowling Green's 96 plays that have gone more than 20 yards this season, Moore has been involved in 23 of them, which leads the team.
• Four of Moore's touchdowns have come on plays of 20 yards or more.
• Moore has had 12 receptions which have gone for more than 20 yards this season. He has added nine kickoff returns and two rushes into the 20-yard mix.

Stephens The Kick Returner
• Clint Stephens has become a dangerous kick returner for the Orange and Brown as of late, returning 18 kicks thus far in 2014.
• He is averaging 24.8 yards per kick return and returned one 96 yards for a touchdown against Ball State (Nov. 28).
• Stephens was named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts.
• The 96-yard kickoff return by Stephens was the longest in school history.

Stephens The Defensive Back
• Stephens is not only a threat as a kick returner, but also as a defensive back for the Orange and Brown.
• The native of West Palm Beach, Fla. has intercepted four passes this season, second-most on the team. He leads the team with eight passes broken up and is tied for the team lead with 12 passes defended.
• Stephens has recorded 11 tackles and also has a 16-yard fumble recovery in 2014.

Falcons Have Explosive Players All Over The Field
• Bowling Green has several explosive players all over the field, as five Falcons have had at least 10 plays of more than 20 yards this season.
• 10 players have made multiple 20-plus yard plays this season, while 15 players have had such a play in 2014.
• Ronnie Moore leads the Falcons with 23 explosive plays this season, followed by Travis Greene's 12. Roger Lewis (11), Ryan Burbrink (10), and Fred Coppet (10) all have at least 10 plays of 20-or-more yards.
• The Falcons have had 96 explosive plays of 20-or-more yards this season, and 20 of them have resulted in touchdowns.

Falcons On National TV
• While every game this season for the Orange and Brown has been available via national broadcast, the Camellia Bowl will mark the seventh game nationally televised this year.
• The games against Indiana (ESPNU), Wisconsin (ESPN2), Akron (ESPN2), Kent State (ESPN2) Toledo (ESPN2), and Northern Illinois (ESPN2) all appeared on National TV. The bowl game will be on ESPN.
• BGSU also played Western Kentucky (CBS Sports Network), Buffalo (ESPN GamePlan), and Western Michigan (ESPN GamePlan) in televised games.

Martin Making Most Of Senior Season
• Redshirt senior Gabe Martin (Grand Blanc, Mich.) has made the most of his senior season, recording a team-high 110 tackles.
• Martin has been named All-MAC in each of the past three seasons, including second team this year.
• Martin leads the MAC with 16.0 tackles for loss to go along with 2.5 sacks. He has recorded two interceptions and a forced fumble.
• He has recorded 6.5 tackles for loss in the last three games combined to lead the Falcons.
• Playing in his final career game in the Orange and Brown, Martin will be looking to improve upon his four pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, and blocked field goal he has recorded this season.

Defense Prolific At Forcing Turnovers
• Bowling Green ranks first in the MAC and seventh in FBS football having forced 29 turnovers this season.
• The Falcons are first in the MAC in both interceptions (14) and fumbles recovered (15) and have a plus-seven turnover margin on the season.
• Several Falcons rank very highly in the national rankings for turnovers forced. Taylor Royster is first in both the MAC and FBS football with four fumbles recovered. Bryan Thomas is eighth in the country with five fumbles forced, while Clint Stephens and Nick Johnson are ranked second and third in the MAC in interceptions.

Offensive Line Provides Offense With Continuity
• The Bowling Green offensive line has provided the offense with much consistency and continuity this season, having the same five starters for all 13 games this season.
• Alex Huettel provides the veteran leadership on the line at right guard, having started all 40 games in his career. He is joined by Logan Dietz and Jacob Bennett at the tackle positions, both have started 27 straight games.
• Ben Steward (LG) and Tim McAuliffe (C) have each started all 13 games this year.

Defensive Seniors Looking To Go Out On Top
• Bowling Green features seven seniors who have started this season, and nine total seniors on the two-deep on the defensive side of the ball.
• Two defensive linemen, two linebackers, and three in the secondary - all who start - will play their final game in the Orange and Brown when the Falcons take the field inside the Cramton Bowl on Dec. 20.
• Those nine seniors have recorded a combined 1,436 tackles, 136.0 tackles for loss, 45,0 sacks, 12 interceptions, 23 forced fumbles, and 15 fumble recoveries in their careers.

Falcons Knock Off Indiana At The Doyt
• Bowling Green had arguably the MAC's biggest win to date when they defeated Indiana, 45-42, at Doyt L. Perry Stadium on Sept. 13.
• The come-from-behind win for the Falcons marked the first time that the program had defeated a Big Ten Conference opponent since 2007, and their first ever victory over a Big Ten foe at home.
• It marked the first win over a Power Five conference opponent since 2008 for Bowling Green, when they defeated Pittsburgh on the road.
• After losing at Bowling Green, Indiana went on the road and knocked off Missouri, who would go on to represent the East Division in the SEC Championship Game.

Falcons Looking To Close 2014 Season With A Win
• The 2014 season has been full of highs and lows for the Bowling Green State University Falcons this season. Among the highlights:
• Bowling Green won the MAC East Division for the second straight season
• The Falcons made their second consecutive appearance in the MAC Championship Game against Northern Illinois
• BGSU went undefeated for the second straight year against MAC East Division foes
• The Orange and Brown defeated Indiana of the Big Ten Conference for their first Power Five win since 2008, and first win over a Big Ten team since 2007
• BGSU will appear in a bowl game for the third consecutive season
• Had seven players named All-MAC and one Academic All-American first teamer (for the first time since 1990)
• Have won at least seven games in nine of the last 13 seasons, and will look to win their eighth game for the eighth time during that stretch

Falcon Freshmen Class Loaded At Receiver
• Bowling Green freshmen receiving core ranks 13th nationally, having caught 77 passes for 1,046 yards.
• The Falcons have had four freshmen contribute to those numbers this season, led by Roger Lewis. He is joined by Teo Redding, John Klingerman, and Trevor Roop.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Alex Bayer, an undrafted free agent, made the St. Louis Rams' 53-man roster. He led the Rams during preseason play with 10 catches. In the Rams' 27-24 loss to San Diego, Bayer recovered a fumble on special teams.

Captains Leading The Falcons
• After having game captains during the first eight weeks of the season, head coach Dino Babers named Gabe Martin and Alex Huettel captains for the remainder of the season. They have been joined by Ryland Ward, Paul Senn, Herve Coby, and Tyler Tate at midfield for the coin toss since then.