Falcons And Bulls Set For Homecoming Clash

Saturday, October 4

Bowling Green, Ohio

3:30 PM

Bowling Green State University

Buffalo

Tickets

September 29, 2014 | Football

By: by Scott Swegan, BGSU Athletic Communications

BGSU Falcons (3-2, 1-0 MAC)
vs.
Buffalo Bulls (3-2, 1-0 MAC)
ESPN3/ESPN GamePlan/BCSN
BGSU Radio Network (Todd Walker, John Gibson)
Complete Game Notes (.pdf)
Live Stats | Live Audio

Television
* Saturday's game will be available live on ESPN3, ESPN GamePlan and the WatchESPN app. The game is also expected to be available regionally on BCSN.

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 (Lima, Ohio), WXKR 100.7 FM (Toledo, Ohio), WONW 1280 AM (Defiance, Ohio), WHKW 1220 AM (Cleveland, 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.

Websites
* BGSUFalcons.com is the internet home of Bowling Green State University athletics
* Coverage of University at Buffalo athletics is available at UBBulls.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 enter Saturday's game with Buffalo at 3-2 overall, and tied atop the Mid-American Conference standings with a 1-0 mark in conference play. The Falcons defeated UMass 47-42 on Sept. 27 in Amherst.
* Buffalo enters this weekend's game with an identical 3-2 (1-0 MAC) record to the Falcons. The Bulls are coming off a 35-27 victory against Miami University this past weekend.

Series Info
* Saturday's matchup between Bowling Green and Buffalo will mark the 12th all-time meeting between the two schools, but the first at Doyt L. Perry Stadium since 2010.
* The Falcons lead the all-time series with an 8-3 record, including three straight wins over the Bulls. The two teams have met every season since 2005.

Falcons Host Buffalo Saturday For Homecoming
• Following a 47-42 win at UMass last Saturday, the Bowling Green State University football team will return home to host Buffalo this Saturday (Oct. 4).
• Saturday's game against the Bulls will mark Homecoming for the Falcons, and will be the first home game in Mid-American Conference play.
• The Falcons enter the contest with an overall record of 3-2, including a 1-0 ledger in MAC play. Bowling Green defeated UMass last weekend, spoiling the Minutemen's Homecoming.
• Buffalo comes into the game with a record of 3-2, also 1-0 in MAC play. The Bulls defeated Miami 35-27 last weekend in Buffalo.
• Last season, the Falcons traveled to Ralph Wilson Stadium and defeated the Bulls 24-7 to claim the MAC East Division title in the regular season finale.

What a Win Would Mean
• A win on Saturday against Buffalo would mark a 2-0 start for the Falcons in Mid-American Conference play. It would be the second consecutive season in which the Falcons have started 2-0 in conference play.
• A victory over Buffalo would be the Falcons' fourth straight in the all-time series.
• With a win on Homecoming, the Falcons would move to 3-0 inside Doyt L. Perry Stadium in 2014. Since the beginning of the 2013 season, BGSU is 7-1 inside the friendly confines of the Doyt.
• A win on Homecoming would mark the third consecutive season in which the Falcons have won a Homecoming contest.

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 3-2 record at Bowling Green, but holds a career record of 22-9. 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.

Knapke Given Keys To Offense
• Quarterback James Knapke (Fort Wayne, Ind.) took over the offense following a season-ending injury to opening game starter Matt Johnson at Western Kentucky.
• Through four games as the starter, Knapke is 119-of-191 for 1,238 yards and seven touchdowns.
• In the win over UMass, Knapke passed for 443 yards and three touchdowns. His 443 yards were the fourth-most in school history for a single game.
• In Bowling Green's win over Indiana, Knapke completed 46 passes on 73 attempts for 395 yards and three touchdowns -- all career highs.
• His 46 completions and 73 passing attempts were both school records.
• With his 46-of-73 day passing, Knapke became just the third player to ever complete more than 40 passes in a game at BGSU.
• The previous school record for pass attempts in a game was 63, set by Tyler Sheehan in 2009. Knapke's 73 attempts shattered that mark.
• In his debut as a starter, Knapke completed 22-of-31 passes for 237 yards.His 22 completions were the most for a first career start in a Bowling Green uniform since quarterback Matt Schilz went 22-of-43 at Troy on Sept. 4, 2010.
• Omar Jacobs was the last quarterback at BGSU to complete more passes than Knapke during a first career start. Jacobs completed 24-of-41 passes in a loss at Oklahoma on Sept. 4, 2004.

Lewis Leading Falcons
• Roger Lewis (Pickerington, Ohio) has been impressive to begin his career, recording 44 catches in his first five games.
• Lewis has 582 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the first five weeks of the season.
• Following a 16-reception, 149-yard game against Indiana, Lewis was added to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, which annually recognizes the country's best receiver.
• On Sept. 13 against Indiana, Lewis set a Doyt Perry Stadium record with 16 receptions, and a career-high with 149 yards.
• With nine seconds left, Lewis caught the game-winning touchdown to help the Falcons defeat Indiana, 45-42.
• Lewis is first in the MAC (and inside the top 10 nationally) for receiving yards and receptions per game.

Greene Means Go
• Travis Greene (Carol City, Fla.) has rushed for 466 yards and six touchdowns through the first five weeks of the season.
• Against UMass, Greene surpassed 100 yards for the 12th time in his career. He was converted from a wide receiver to running back for the beginning of the 2013 season -- just 19 games ago.
• Greene has 2,070 rushing yards in his career good for 10th all-time at Bowling Green. He became just the 12th player to ever surpass 2,000 career rushing yards in BGSU history.
• Greene set a school record in 2013 with 1,594 rushing yards.
• He also set a school record last season with nine games of 100-plus rushing yards.

Tate Is Great
• Tyler Tate (Carroll, Ohio) was named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday (Sept. 29), the second time he has won the weekly award this season.
• Last weekend at UMass, Tate converted both of his field goals, and five extra points, helping the Falcons to a 47-42 triumph.
• Tate is now 8-for-10 on the season in field goals and has made 20 extra points, good for a team-high 44 points on the season.

Three Receivers Run Free
• On Saturday at UMass, Bowling Green had three receivers record at least 100 yards and a touchdown.
• It was the first time since Sept. 3, 2005 at Wisconsin that the Falcons have had three receivers go over 100 yards in the same game.
• On Saturday, Ryan Burbrink caught a team-high 11 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.
• Roger Lewis led the team in Saturday's game with 148 yards on nine catches. He also recorded a touchdown.
• Ronnie Moore joined Burbrink and Lewis with 100-plus yards, turning nine catches into 109 yards and a touchdown.

Putting Up Points #FalconFast
• Bowling Green has scored 188 points through the first five weeks of the season, good for an average of 37.6 per game. That mark is tied for the best in the MAC.
• The 188 points through the first five games of the season marks the most since 2005, when the Falcons scored 210 points during the first five weeks of the season. That team was also 3-2.
• In that 2005 season, the Falcons put up 42, 40, 20, 70, and 38 points, respectively, during the first five games.
• Last season, the Falcons scored just 164 points during the first five games, an average of 32.8.

Special Teams Do Special Things
• Over the last several years, BGSU's special teams unit has proved to be one of the best in the Mid-American Conference.
• That trend has continued throughout the first five games of the season.
• Bowling Green scored two special teams touchdowns against VMI, after scoring just three during the entire 2013 season.
• Bowling Green has been honored four of this season's five weeks thus far for their special teams play -- earning MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week.
• In fact, the Falcons have won that award in four consecutive weeks. Ryan Burbrink (Sept. 8), Tyler Tate (Sept. 15, 29), and Joe Davidson (Sept. 22) have all earned the award for the Orange and Brown.

Big Plays Mean Big Things
• Bowling Green's offense has been able to exploit opposing defenses this season to record 42 plays of 20-plus yards already. Of the 14 plays last Saturday that went for 20-or-more yards, four of them were touchdowns.
• The Falcons have had four plays of 50-plus yards so far, and all four of them have gone for touchdowns.
• James Knapke has found Roger Lewis twice for pass touchdowns of over 50 yards (51 and 52 yards, respectively). Andre Givens had a rushing touchdown of 60 yards at Wisconsin, while Ryan Burbrink had a punt return touchdown of 75 yards against VMI.

Burbrink Breaks Out With Career Day
• Coming into Saturday's game against UMass, Ryan Burbrink (Shady Side, Md.) had just 11 catches through the first four weeks of the 2014 season.
• However, on Saturday, Burbrink broke out for a career-high day of 11 catches for 132 receiving yards. He also added a 35-yard touchdown reception.
• Burbrink's previous career highs were eight catches (at Florida, 2012) and 102 yards (at Kent State, 2013). He surpassed both of those totals in the first half alone.

We Want Moore
• True sophomore Ronnie Moore (Sanford, Fla.) has been known as an explosive player throughout his first 19 games at BGSU.
• Moore led the team with seven receiving touchdowns in 2013 and already has three this season. He also added a rushing touchdown on Saturday at UMass.
• Moore has already been a part of 13 plays of 20-or-more yards this season, most on the team.

Back-To-Back In The MAC
• Bowling Green will look to become the first team in the Mid-American Conference to repeat as champion since Miami University in 2003 and 2004.
• In fact, no team from the MAC East Division has even appeared in the Marathon MAC Championship Game in back-to-back seasons since Miami in '03 and '04.

Martin The Menace
• After missing the final six games of the 2013 season, Gabe Martin (Grand Blanc, Mich.) has returned to form in 2014.
• Martin is second on the team with 37 total tackles (18 solo, 19 assisted). He has also added 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack, three pass breakups, quarterback hurry, and a forced fumble.
• On Saturday at UMass, Martin had nine tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack. He also had two pass breakups to lead the Falcons.

Sanford Seals Win At UMass
• James Sanford (Xenia, Ohio) had an exceptional game at UMass on Saturday. But, perhaps his biggest play of the game came in the final minutes, when he stood up UMass' J.T. Blyden, forcing a fumble which was recovered by Bowling Green's Clint Stephens. The Falcons took three knees to seal the win following that play.
• In Saturday's game, Sanford had nine total tackles -- a career high. His previous career high was four.
• The redshirt sophomore also added two sacks (the firsts of his career), a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery.

Schwieterman Making An Impact
• Gus Schwieterman (Tipp City, Ohio) has filled in nicely during Zach Colvin's absence on the defensive line.
• The redshirt freshman has recorded 25 tackles through the first five games of the season, including 4.5 tackles for loss. He also has one sack.
• Schwieterman has also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble during the early portion of the season.

Turner Taking Advantage Of Time
• Dernard Turner (Miami, Fla.) has seen significant playing time so far in 2014. He has started each of the past two weeks at safety in place of the injured Ryland Ward.
• Turner, who earned a scholarship following fall camp, has taken full advantage of his opportunity to be thrown into action.
• The junior has recorded 23 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss thus far.
• On Saturday at UMass, Turner was a force with the Minutemen, recording nine tackles with 2.0 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

Need A Pick, Look Towards Nick
• Nick Johnson (Canton, Ohio) has become a ball hawk early in his career, recording a team-high two interceptions through the first five games of the season.
• Johnson recorded his first career interception on Sept. 20 at Wisconsin, returning it 22 yards. This past Saturday (Sept. 27) at UMass, Johnson recorded another interception along the Bowling Green sideline. The true freshman went up to catch the ball, and came down with both feet in bounds to register the pick.
• Johnson has 19 tackles this season (13 solo, 6 assisted) to go along with his two interceptions.

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. On Sunday (Sept. 7), Suisham made three field goals and was a perfect 3-for-3 on extra point attempts. Suisham's 41-yarder as time expired gave the Steelers a 30-27 win over the Cleveland Browns. For the season, Suisham is 9-for-10 on field goal attempts, and 10-of-10 on extra point attempts. The Steelers are 2-2.
• Kory Lichtensteiger, a member of the Washington Redskins, made the move to center for the 2014 season. Last year, Lichtensteiger started every game at guard. He has started every game since the beginning of 2012 for the Redskins.
• 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 four tackles in two games played, including three on Sept. 21.
• Alex Bayer, an undrafted free agent, made the St. Louis Rams' 53-man roster. He led the Rams during preseason play with 10 catches. Bayer was active on Sunday (Sept. 21) for the first time, as the Rams lost to the Cowboys.

Falcons Getting Balanced Effort From Entire Unit
• Through the first five weeks of the season, the Falcons have gotten a balanced effort from the entire defense.
• At UMass this past weekend, 13 players recorded four-or-more tackles, while 25 different players recorded at least one tackle. No Falcon had more than nine tackles at UMass.
• On the season, 19 players have recorded at least 10 tackles for the Falcons. 41 total players have recorded a tackle through the first five weeks of the season.

Defense Makes Plays When It Counts At UMass
• The Bowling Green defense made plays when it mattered most on Saturday, forcing a fumble in the game's final minutes to seal victory for the Orange and Brown.
• BGSU's defense recorded a season-high five sacks in the game, and 14.0 tackles for loss.
• The Falcons' defense also forced a season-high four turnovers, recovering three fumbles and intercepting one Blake Frohnapfel pass.

Several Falcons See First Action
• 10 Falcons have made their first career start through the first five weeks of the 2014 season.
• 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) and Dernard Turner (DB) have all started games for the Falcons this season.
• In addition to those 10, 16 other Falcons have seen the first playing action of their careers during the first five games of the season.
• Nick Johnson (CB), 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 five weeks of the season.

The Falcons By Class
• While the Falcons return a lot of experience in 2014, they are still fairly young. 63% of the roster enters the year with at least three years of eligibility remaining.
• 43 players enter the season with four years of eligibility remaining. The Falcons have 21 true freshmen and 22 redshirt freshmen.
• 20 players enter the year as sophomores eligibility-wise. The Falcons have just five true sophomores and 15 redshirt sophomores.
• The junior class has just 21 players, with 14 of them having redshirted.
• The 2014 senior class will consist of 16 players, while only four of them have not redshirted during their careers.

The Falcons By State
• Bowling Green has done a great job of recruiting their backyard in recent years. 70% of the roster hails from Ohio or states that immediately border the state of Ohio.
• 45 players on the 2014 roster are from Ohio. Florida (15) and Michigan (14) have the most student-athletes on the roster besides Ohio.
• The Falcons also have players from Illinois (6), Indiana (6), Pennsylvania (5), Texas (2), California (2), Massachusetts (1), Wisconsin (1), New York (1), Maryland (1), and Canada (1).

Falcons In The Spotlight
• All but one BGSU football game will air on the ESPN family of networks in 2014, with the recently announced MAC television contract extension with ESPN.
• This weekend's game against Buffalo will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
• The Wisconsin game was aired on ESPN2. The Falcons have had three national TV appearances in five weeks so far. All five games have been available via national broacasts.
• The season opener at WKU aired nationally on CBS Sports Network.
• The VMI and UMass games were aired on ESPN3, while the Indiana game was on ESPNU.

Offense Sets Record Against UMass
• Bowling Green ran 108 plays for a total of 668 yards in Saturday's win over UMass. The 668 yards recorded against the Minutemen were the most they have ever given up in their program's history.