Falcons Invade Big Ten Country Saturday At Maryland

Saturday, September 12

College Park, Md.

12:00 p.m. ET

Bowling Green State University

Maryland

Tickets

September 08, 2015 | Football

By: by Scott Swegan, BGSU Athletic Communications

Bowling Green State University Falcons
vs.
University of Maryland Terrapins

College Park, Md. (Byrd Stadium)
Saturday | Sept. 12 | 12:00 pm ET
BGSU Game Notes | Maryland Game Notes | MAC Weekly Notes
GAMEDAY CENTRAL | MEDIA CENTRAL
Weekly Press Conference

WATCH: Big Ten Network (Joe Beninati, Scott McBrien)
LISTEN: Falcon Radio Network (Todd Walker, John Gibson)
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Falcons Head To Maryland For Showdown With Terrapins
Coming off a season-opening loss at No. 25 Tennessee, the Bowling Green State University football team will look to break into the win column on Saturday at Maryland. The BGSU offense posted 557 yards and 30 points against UT's defense in week one. Maryland is coming off a 50-21 win over Richmond in their season opener. It will be the first-ever matchup between the two schools.

A Win Against Maryland Would...
• Be the first win of the 2015 season for the Falcons
• Mark the second straight season that the Falcons have defeated a Power Five Conference opponent as well as a Big Ten Conference opponent
• Be the Falcons' fifth straight season that they have won their second game of the season
• Give Bowling Green their first road victory over a Power Five school since 2008 when they defeated Pittsburgh in the season opener

Falcon Facts
• Bowling Green racked up 557 yards of total offense against No. 25 Tennessee in the season opener - the third-highest mark in the Dino Babers' era.
• The Falcons were led by quarterback Matt Johnson, who passed for a career-high 424 yards in the loss. The 424 yards were the eighth-most in school history for a single game and the second-most in the country during opening weekend.
• Six Falcons made their first career start against Tennessee, while eight other players saw their first action of their careers in a Falcon uniform.
• Fred Coppet surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards in Saturday's game, making him the 36th player all-time to do so.
• The Falcons now have three active receivers with more than 1,000 yards and two active running backs over 1,000 yards.
• Gehrig Dieter caught seven passes for a career-high 133 yards in week one. He also caught a touchdown.
• Bowling Green's three tight ends combined to catch five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. Last season Bowling Green's tight ends had just two receptions all season.

Head Coach Dino Babers
• Dino Babers is in his second season at the helm of the Orange and Brown, and his fourth season overall as a head coach. He has a career record of 27-14 and has won a championship in all three seasons thus far.
• Babers has impressed in his Bowling Green tenure thus far, winning eight games in his first season. In those eight wins were a victory over a Big Ten foe (Indiana), a MAC East Division championship, and Bowling Green's first bowl win since the 2004 season.

Quoting Babers
"We just need to get better this week. We are searching for perfection all the time. We may never find it, but that's what we are chasing. Maryland is a good program that is going to be another challenge this week. Their running game is really good, that running back is probably their best offensive player. On defense they are very good and (William) Likely is not only a dangerous punt returner, but a very good corner."

#FalconFast Ready To Explode In 2015
• The Falcons' offense has been good in each of the past two seasons, but it is primed for greatness in 2015. The Falcons return every offensive starter from last season's team.
• During a six season stretch (2007-12), Bowling Green's offense had just 19 100-yard rushing performances. But, the Falcons have had nine such performances in each of the past two seasons (2013-14).
• 11 times last season a BGSU receiver had more than 100 yards receiving in a game, which tied a school record. During the 2012 & 2013 seasons, Bowling Green had just nine such performances.
• In the first game of the season against No. 25 Tennessee, the Falcons racked up 557 yards of total offense. It was the seventh 500-yard performance in Babers' 15 games on the Falcon sideline.

Watch List Falcons
• Eight members of the 2015 Bowling Green football team were named to preseason watch lists, announced by the national College Football Awards Association over the summer.
• Ronnie Moore (Sanford, Fla.) was named to the Paul Hornung Watch List as one of the nation's most versatile players
• Tim McAuliffe (Lemont, Ill.) was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List as one of the country's best centers
• Tyler Tate (Carroll, Ohio) is on the Lou Groza Award Watch List as one of the best placekickers in the country
• Alex Huettel (Pickerington, Ohio) was named to the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List as one of the best interior linemen in the nation
• Both Ryan Burbrink (Shady Side, Md.) and Roger Lewis (Pickerington, Ohio) were named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List as some of the country's best wide receivers
• Christian Piazza (Ann Arbor, Mich.) was named to the Wuerffel Trophy Preseason Watch List
• Travis Greene (Carol City, Fla.), one of the best running backs in school history, was named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List

Knowledge Is Power
• Did you know? Two Falcons - Ryan Burbrink and Robert Jackson Jr. - hail from the state of Maryland.

2015 #GutGang
• Bowling Green features one of the most experienced offensive line units in the entire country, and it showed on Saturday in the season opener at Tennessee. The OL unit held their own against a very tough SEC defense, allowing just three sacks while pushing the Falcon offense ahead to the tune of 557 total yards.
• The Falcons' have 130 offensive line career starts on the roster, second-most in FBS football. Alex Huettel (42), Logan Dietz (29), Jacob Bennett (29), Tim McAuliffe (15), Ben Steward (14) and Ryan Hunter (1) make up the 130.
• Bowling Green was one of just nine schools in the entire country to start the same five players on the offensive line every game last season. The Falcons were joined by Fresno State, UL-Lafayette, Northern Illinois, Ohio State, Rutgers, Tulane, Wisconsin and Rice. BGSU is the only one of those nine that returns all five starters in 2015.

Tight Ends Showing Off Hands At Tennessee
• Bowling Green desparately missed a pass-catching tight end during the 2014 season, as Chris Pohlman was targeted just a few times throughout the season and caught just two passes.
• That changed on Saturday against the Vols, as the Falcons now have three pass-catching tight ends on the roster.
• Chris Gallon led the way with three catches for 45 yards. Despite being listed as a wide receiver, Gallon will be used in multiple formations this season after missing the last year and a half due to two knee injuries.
• Both Hunter Folkertsma and Derek Lee also caught a pass in the game.

Tate Shows NFL Worth In Season Opener
• On top of his normal placekicking duties, Tyler Tate filled into a new role very nicely on Saturday against Tennessee. Filling in for the injured Anthony Farinella, Tate kicked off seven times for an average of 60.7 yards. Of his seven kickoffs, four went for touchbacks.
• Tate was also impressive with his regular duties, making three field goals against Tennessee. He scored 12 total points, as he added three extra points to his field goals of 25, 37, and 40 yards.
• Already one of the best placekickers in school history entering his senior season, Tate became the first Falcon to ever make 50 field goals in his career with three on Saturday.
• Tate now has 265 career points, just 96 behind all-time Falcon great, and current Pittsburgh Steeler, Shaun Suisham for most in school history (361).

Falcon Captains Against Tennessee
As is tradition under head coach Dino Babers, Bowling Green will have game captains for the 2015 season.
• For the season-opener against Tennessee, Babers named Ryan Burbrink (offense), Darrell Hunter (defense) and Ronnie Moore (special teams) captains.

Johnson Has Career Day In Return To Field
• In his first game back after missing the final 13 games of the 2014 season, Matt Johnson turned in a career performance which ultimately earned him honors as the Mid-American Conference East Division Offensive Player of the Week.
• Making his first appearance since Aug. 29, 2014, Johnson completed 27-of-49 passes for a career-high 424 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee of the SEC.
• The 424 yards were not only a career-high for Johnson, but were the eighth-most in school history for a single game.
• His 424 yards marked the fourth time in his career he has surpassed 300 yards passing, the seventh time the Falcons have done so under Babers, and the 12th time since the 2010 season.
• The 424 yards were tied for the second-most in the country during week one of the college football season, just one yard behind the nation's leader through one game.

Dieter Dominates At Tennessee
• Redshirt junior Gehrig Dieter (South Bend, Ind.) dominated Tennessee's corners off the line of scrimmage much of Saturday afternoon, matching his career-high with seven receptions in the game.
• Dieter had a career-high 133 receiving yards in the game, including a 31-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.
• It was Dieter's second career 100-yard receiving performance, and also his second straight game. He surpassed 100 yards (with 108) in the bowl win over South Alabama.

Coppet Ready To Break Out In 2015
• Fred Coppet entered 2015 with 978 career rushing yards, but quickly surpassed the 1,000-yard plateau in the season opener at Tennessee.
• Coppet rushed 12 times for 63 yards (5.2 ypc) against the No. 25 team in the country, with a long of 31 yards. He also caught one pass for eight yards.

Greene Set To Wrap Up Historic Career In 2015
Redshirt senior Travis Greene is in his third season at running back for the Falcons in 2015, after coming to BGSU and playing wide receiver his first two years on campus. Greene has set the school record for most rushing yards in a season and nearly broke 1,000 yards a season ago despite missing two games because of injury. What will his third year bring? He is chasing several milestones in the Orange and Brown in 2015, including:
• Currently sits 4th all-time with 2,587 rushing yards...just 836 yards shy of the all-time career record currently held by Dave Preston (1973-76)
• Could become just the second Falcon player ever, behind Paul Miles, to lead Bowling Green in rushing in three consecutive seasons
• Comes into 2015 with 14 career 100-yard rushing games...the school record is 20 held by Dave Preston.

Grad School Falcons
• Several Falcons who will be on the field this season have already graduated with their bachelor degrees and will be pursuing higher education this fall while completing their eligibility.
• Christian Piazza, a candidate for this season's Wuerffel Trophy, graduated with a degree in business this past spring. He will pursue a Masters in Business Administration this fall.
• Zach Colvin, who graduated last spring with his degree in exercise science, will continue his education this fall along with Darrell Hunter, who graduated with a degree in human development and family studies.
• Eilar Hardy, who graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in sociology, will also pursue a masters degree this fall while playing his fifth season with the Falcons.

In Rare Company
• Fred Coppet had 63 rushing yards on Saturday against Tennessee, becoming the 36th player in school history to surpass 1,000 career rushing yards.
• The Falcons have two active 1,000 yard rushers and three active 1,000 yard receivers. Chris Gallon is just 10 receiving yards away from being the fourth active player with over 1,000 career receiving yards.

'15 For '15: Falcons Recognized By NFL.com
• Throughout the summer, NFL.com writers analyzed several measurable categories within the college game from strongest players, to smartest players, and seemingly everything in between. With approximately 130,000 college football players at the FBS level, the chances of a Falcon appearing on the list would seem slim. But, with the quality of student-athlete inside the program, it was no surprise to see several Falcons recognized throughout the summer.
• College football's most freakish athletes: 13. Ronnie Moore, WR, Bowling Green ... Moore is another smallish guy whose strength numbers wow you. He can bench-press 315 pounds, squat 505 pounds and hang clean 240 pounds. Moore doesn't have elite speed -- he runs in the high 4.4s -- but he has excellent quickness and can stop and start on a dime.
• College football's strongest players: 8. Zach Colvin, DL, Bowling Green ... The 400-pound bench, 700-pound squat club is a small one. Colvin (405 and 705) can also hang clean 385 as the top performer in the Falcons' weight room. His career is on the rebound from an illness that cut his season short after just one game last year. At 6-3, 287 pounds, he should re-take his role as a starting defensive tackle this fall.
• College football's most explosive athletes: 15. Roger Lewis, WR, Bowling Green ... Lewis burst on the scene in a big way as a true freshman last season, being named first-team All-MAC after catching 73 passes for 1,093 yards and seven TDs. Eleven of his receptions went for at least 30 yards, with nine going for at least 40, five at least 50 and three at least 60. His seven TD receptions averaged 46 yards, and two were game-winners in the final minute.
• College football's smartest players: 14. Nate Locke, LB, Bowling Green ... With a 4.0 GPA as a psychology major, Locke has plenty to look forward to if football isn't in his future after college. The MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete logged 30 tackles for the Falcons last season and recovered a fumble against Big Ten power Wisconsin.

Former Falcons In The NFL
• Eight former Falcons were on preseason NFL rosters this season, including four who have played a significant role with NFL teams over the past several years.
• Chris Jones, a defensive lineman for the New England Patriots, played a huge part in the Super Bowl a season ago. The 2012 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, Jones has 79 tackles and 9.0 sacks in the last two years. He was placed on the PUP list to begin the 2015 season.
• Kory Lichtensteiger is the starting center for the Washington Redskins, having started 67 games for them since the 2010 season.
• Shaun Suisham is the placekicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Signed through the 2018 season and a captain, Suisham will miss the 2015 season with a torn ACL suffered in the preseason.
• Alex Bayer, after playing last season with the St. Louis Rams, was picked up by the San Diego Chargers and will begin the season on the practice squad.
• Jude Adjei-Barimah (Tampa Bay Bucs) and Gabe Martin (Arizona Cardinals) are signed to their respective practice squads, while Kendall Montgomery (Miami) and D.J. Lynch (New England) were in preseason camps.

Knowledge Is Power, Part II
• Did you know? Former Falcon player and assistant coach, Greg Strudrawa, is an assistant coach for the Maryland Terrapins.

Falcons On National TV This Season
• The Orange and Brown are currently scheduled to appear on National TV six times this season, with every game expected to be broadcast to a national audience.
• With the announcement of the Mid-American Conference's deal with ESPN last season, every MAC game and home Falcon game will be, at a minimum, carried on ESPN3.com.
• The season opener at Tennessee was carried on the SEC Network, while this week's matchup at Maryland is scheduled to air on the Big Ten Network.
• After an American Sports Network/ESPN3 broadcast against Memphis in the home opener, the Falcons will travel to Purdue in a game expected to be live on either the Big Ten Network or the ESPN networks.
• All MAC games will be shown on ESPN3, while the Ohio (ESPN2), Western Michigan (ESPN2 or ESPNU), Toledo (ESPN2 or ESPNU) and Ball State (ESPNU or ESPN3) games are expected to be available on National TV.

Folkertsma Finds Paydirt
• Hunter Folkertsma (Grand Rapids, Mich.) scored his first career touchdown on Saturday against No. 25 Tennessee.
• On the play, Folkertsma caught a pass near the sideline and turned it upfield, going untouched into the end zone for an 11-yard score.
• Not only was it his first career touchdown, but also his first career catch in the Orange and Brown.

Head Coaches On The Rise
• During the month of June, Athlon Sports named several head coaches who were rising stars in the profession. In just his fourth season as a head coach, Dino Babers made the list.
• Babers is 27-13 in his three year career as a head coach, including an 8-6 record during his first season on the sideline at Bowling Green.
• Despite losing his starting quarterback in the season opener last year, the Falcons still managed to claim the MAC East Division and win the inaugural Camellia Bowl over South Alabama.

Florida Falcons Flocking North
• Bowling Green has made a habit of recruiting the talent-rich state of Florida in recent years. The 2015 roster is expected to feature 18 players from the Sunshine State.
• The Falcons have especially had luck recruiting Dwyer High School in the Palm Beach, Fla. area. Four players - Darrell Hunter, Mike Minns, Malik Brown, and Clint Stephens - on the 2015 roster are graduates of Dwyer.
• The four players from one high school are tied with Washington (South Bend, Ind.) and Pickerington Central for most on the team.

MAC Announces Deal With Two New TV Partners
• The Mid-American Conference continues to expand their national footprint, which will only improve with the announcement of a deal with CBS Sports Network starting this fall. The MAC also announced a sub-licensing deal with American Sports Network for select games which are scheduled for an ESPN3 broadcast.
• The Falcons home opener against Memphis is scheduled to air on American Sports Network and ESPN3.
• While the Falcons are not currently scheduled to appear on CBS Sports Network this season, 12 MAC games per year through the 2018-19 season are scheduled to air each season.
• The deal also includes men's basketball, with 12 MAC men's basketball games being shown annually on CBS Sports Network.

Six Falcons Make First Career Starts Against Tennessee
• Six members of the BGSU football team made their first career start in the Orange and Brown on Saturday against nationally-ranked Tennessee.
• On the offensive side of the ball, Ryan Hunter (LG) and Derek Lee (TE) got the start.
• On the defensive side, Mike Minns (NT), Terrance Bush (DE), Trenton Greene (OLB) and Eilar Hardy (S) started their first career games for the Falcons.
Trio Of Falcon Receivers Are Streaking
• Three Bowling Green receivers have all caught passes in at least 15 consecutive games dating back, in two cases, to the 2013 season.
• Ronnie Moore leads the trio with a reception in 17 straight games. Despite missing the first half on Saturday, Moore finished with five catches for 95 yards.
• Sure-handed Ryan Burbrink has caught a pass in 16 consecutive games dating back to the MAC Championship in 2013. Burbrink had four receptions for 70 yards against Tennessee.
• Roger Lewis also has an impressive streak going, having caught a pass in all 15 career games he has played in. He caught two passes for 49 yards last week.

Eight Players See First Action In BG Uniform
• Eight more players on the 2015 roster were on the field for the first time in their careers Saturday.
• Harrison Roberts, Nico Lautanen, Robbie Rhodes, Jamari Bozeman, Jack Walz, Donovan Wilson, De'Angelo Ware, and Kyle Junior all saw action against Tennessee.

Seeing Double at BGSU
• The 2015 roster features two sets of brothers on the team in Travis/Trenton Greene and Gehrig/Nolan Dieter.
• Many fans know Travis Greene, who sits fourth all-time in career rushing yards at BGSU. His brother, Trenton, was recently awarded a scholarship and made his first career start on Saturday against Tennessee, racking up a career-best 12 tackles.
• For the Dieters, both transferred to BGSU after starting their careers somewhere else. Gehrig began his career at SMU, but transferred and has been at Bowling Green for three seasons. On Saturday against No. 25 Tennessee, Dieter caught seven passes for a career-high 133 yards. Nolan, a redshirt-senior, is a quarterback on the Falcons roster.

A Long Road Back
• Three Falcons returned from injury in the season-opener at Tennessee after all three had missed all, or virtually all, of last season.
• Chris Gallon had the longest hiatus due to injury, missing the final six games of 2013 and all of 2014 due to knee injuries. He had three catches for 45 yards in the loss.
• Matt Johnson returned after breaking his hip in the season opener and looked to be in mid-season form. He passed for a career-high 424 yards and two touchdowns in the setback.
• Zach Colvin, after missing most of last season due to an illness, started on Saturday. He had two tackles in the game, including a sack.

Circled On The Calendar
• For two Falcons, Sept. 12, 2015 has been circled on the calendar for quite some time. Robert Jackson Jr. (Ft. Washington, Md.) and Ryan Burbrink (Shady Side, Md.) will both return to their home state when the Falcons travel to play the Terrapins this weekend.
• For Burbrink, he has had this day on his calendar since January of 2011 when he ultimately decided to commit to the Orange and Brown.
• With the hopes of redshirting so that he would get the opportunity to return to Byrd Stadium - less than a mile from DeMatha Catholic - Burbrink finally gets his chance to take on his hometown team this Saturday afternoon.