Falcons Head To Oxford To Face East-Leading RedHawks On National TV Wednesday

Wednesday, November 13

Oxford, Ohio

8:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Miami

Photo by: BGSU Marketing and Communications

Falcons Head To Oxford To Face East-Leading RedHawks On National TV Wednesday

November 07, 2019 | Football

By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications

SETTING THE SCENE
• Bowling Green (3-6, 2-3 MAC) looks for its first road win of the season Wednesday when the Falcons travel to Oxford to face rival Miami (5-4, 4-1 MAC). The game is set to begin at 8:00 pm and will air on ESPNU.
• Miami is the only team in the Mid-American Conference that holds an all-time winning record against Bowling Green, boasting a 44-24-5 lead in the all-time series. BGSU has won the last four meetings in Yager Stadium, including a 37-29 victory two years ago.
• Bowling Green won in dramatic fashion for that 37-29 win in 2017. The Falcons led 30-29 but Miami sat just one-yard from the game-winning touchdown with less than 90 seconds remaining. The RedHawks, though, fumbled the snap and Brandon Harris recovered the ball and returned it 93 yards for the game-clinching score.
• BGSU is 19-7 in games in November going back to 2012, including the 35-6 win over Akron in the team's last outing. In three of the past four years, BGSU lost just one game in November and the Falcons went a perfect 4-0 in 2013 leading into a MAC Championship victory over undefeated Northern Illinois.
• Coming off of a 24-21 victory over Ohio Wednesday, Miami is in the driver's seat in the East Division, needing to win just two of its final three games to advance to the MAC Championship. BGSU will have the opportunity to play the role of spoiler down the stretch with games against Miami and Ohio back-to-back.

COMPLETE GAME NOTES

100 YEARS OF FOOTBALL
• BGSU celebrated 100 years of Falcon Football by defeating Toledo on Oct. 12, recognizing many individuals who paved the path for the first century of BGSU Football.
• Ten individuals were inducted into the Cast of Honor and now have their name and number hanging at Doyt L. Perry Stadium.
• Bowling Green's first ever game was against Toledo on Oct. 3, 1919. The Rockets won by a narrow 6-0 score.
• BGSU's first win came in a 7-0 victory at Kent State on Nov. 6, 1920 and the Falcons have rarely looked back.
• BGSU has won 17 conference titles (12 in the Mid-American Conference) and played in 13 bowl games.
• Through 100+ seasons, Bowling Green is 545-397-52 (.574) all-time, including 286-186-11 (.604) in MAC play. The Falcons have a winning record all-time against every current MAC school except for Miami and Toledo (though BGSU evened the all-time series with the Rockets at 40-40-4 in a 20-7 win).

ENTER SCOT LOEFFLER
• BGSU Director of Athletics Bob Moosbrugger named veteran coordinator Scot Loeffler as the 20th head coach in Bowling Green history on Nov. 28, 2018.
• Loeffler became the program's second consecutive first-time head coach. Prior to Mike Jinks, the program had not named a first-time head coach to the position since Gregg Brandon was promoted from offensive coordinator in 2003. Brandon was BGSU's fourth consecutive first-time head coach, following in the footsteps of Urban Meyer, Gary Blackney and Moe Ankney.
• While Loeffler's experience in the lead chair is limited, he is a veteran coach who has served as the offensive coordinator at Boston College, Virginia Tech, Auburn and Temple. He has also coached at Florida, his alma mater Michigan, and Central Michigan -- as well as the Detroit Lions.
• Loeffler has coached seven quarterbacks who went on to play in the NFL, including Tom Brady and Tim Tebow. His team's have qualified for 17 bowl games, including coaching for Michigan's 1997 Rose Bowl team that won the national championship.

LOEFFLER BEATS TOLEDO
• Scot Loeffler became the 10th head coach in program history to beat Toledo in his debut game as head coach against the Rockets. He is the first to do so since Dave Clawson in 2009.
• Loeffler becomes the second BGSU coach to win his debut game against Toledo by a score of 20-7. Doyt Perry had the largest blowout with a 39-0 victory over the Rockets in 1955.
• Here are the 10 coaches in BGSU history to win their debut games against Toledo:

2019 - Scot Loeffler (20-7)
2009 - Dave Clawson (38-24)
2003 - Gregg Brandon (31-23)
2001 - Urban Meyer (56-21)
1991 - Gary Blackney (24-21)
1977 - Denny Stolz (21-13)
1965 - Bob Gibson (21-14)
1955 - Doyt Perry (39-0)
1948 - Robert Whittaker (21-6)
1921 - Earl C. Krieger (20-7)

LOEFFLER ERA STARTS WITH A BANG
• Bowling Green opened the Scot Loeffler era on Aug. 29 with a 46-3 victory over the Morgan State Bears. Loeffler is the first BGSU coach to win his first game since Dave Clawson in 2009.
• The 43-point win marked the third-largest margin of victory for a BGSU head coach in his debut game, topping Doyt Perry's 40-0 win over Defiance to open the 1955 campaign. Gregg Brandon picked up a 63-13 win over Eastern Kentucky in 2003, while Don Nehlen defeated Ball State by a score of 62-8 in the 1968 opener.
• With Bowling Green's win, BGSU coaches moved to 10-1 all-time in their first games inside Doyt L. Perry Stadium.

THE COACHING STAFF
• Scot Loeffler's first task upon being hired in late November was to assemble the most experienced coaching staff he could. He did not disappoint.
• Bowling Green's coaching staff has mentored more than 150 players who went on to play in the NFL and the staff has competed for both national championships and Super Bowl rings.
• Athlon Sports' Mark Ross named Terry Malone as the Top Coordinator Hire for the MAC during the offseason. Malone has 36 years of coaching experience, including nine years in the NFL and 14 years with Power Five confernce schools. He was a member of staffs that won the 1997 National Championship (Michigan), the 2009 Super Bowl (New Orleans), two MAC Championships (Bowling Green) and five Big Ten titles (Michigan).
• Defensive Coordinator Brian VanGorder is a former winner of the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach in the country. A veteran of more than 30 years in coaching, VanGorder has been the DC at Louisville, Notre Dame, Auburn, Georgia, Western Carolina, Central Michigan and his alma mater Grand Valley State.
• Associate Head Coach Steve Morrison has held full-time coaching positions at Syracuse, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan. He holds Michigan's single-game record with 23 tackles and went on to play in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts.
• The remainder of the new coaching staff is a mix of veterans (Erik Campbell and Chris Hedden) and young, pedigree-rich individuals (Max Warner, Louie Addazio, Julian Campenni).
• Loeffler retained two coaches from the previous staff in Jacob Schoonover and LaMarcus Hicks.

SEVEN IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
• When Scot Loeffler took the field to lead Bowling Green against Morgan State, he became the seventh individual to coach a game for the Falcons since the 2013 MAC Championship game on Dec. 6, 2013. Three held interim titles in that time frame.
• Nationally, BGSU is the only program to have seven different individuals coach a game since 2013. Only Houston has seen six different people coach a game in that span of time.
• In the 2013 MAC Championship game, current Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson concluded a five-year career with the Falcons, leading the program to a 47-27 victory over undefeated No. 14 Northern Illinois.
• Special teams coordinator Adam Scheier (now a senior special teams consultant at Mississippi State) took over on an interim basis for the 2013 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, a 30-27 loss to Pittsburgh that served as James Conner's coming out party.
• Dino Babers was named head coach of the Falcons beginning in the 2014 season and he went 18-9 in two seasons, coaching his final game at BGSU in the 2015 MAC Championship game, a 34-14 win over Northern Illinois. He is currently the head coach at Syracuse.
• Defensive coordinator Brian Ward, now the DC at Syracuse, was named interim head coach for the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl, a 58-27 loss to Georgia Southern.
• Mike Jinks, currently the running backs coach at USC, was then hired to lead the Falcons beginning with the 2016 season.
• Jinks was fired following a 1-6 start to the 2018 season and Carl Pelini, now the associate head coach at Youngstown State, closed the campaign with a 2-3 mark.
• Enter Scot Loeffler. The former Michigan quarterback and veteran coordinator became the seventh individual to coach the Falcons in a span of 2,092 days.

EARLY SEASON COACHING NUGGETS
• With Bowling Green's win over Morgan State, BGSU coaches are now 10-1 all-time in their first games in Doyt L. Perry Stadium. This record includes Bob Gibson, who began his second season at BGSU when Doyt L. Perry Stadium opened in 1966.
• Loeffler was the fourth head coach in the last five to debut on a weeknight. Gregg Brandon opened his career with a 63-13 win over Eastern Kentucky on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2003. Dave Clawson defeated Troy 31-14 on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. Dino Babers' team hit the road to play on Friday, Aug. 29, 2014 in a 59-31 loss to Western Kentucky.
• Five of the last seven head coaches at BGSU have begun their careers with at least two straight home victories. Dino Babers is the last to do it as his 2014 squad defeated VMI (48-7), Indiana (45-42) and Buffalo (36-35) in succession to open his tenure.

THE NATION'S LEADING TIGHT END
• Junior Quintin Morris has transitioned from wide receiver to tight end in 2019 and has become one of the most productive tight ends in the country.
• Against Central Michigan, Morris became the 39th player in BGSU history with 1,000 career receiving yards. His career stats include 94 receptions and 1,1147 yards.
• His 1,147 career receiving yards places him 36th all-time at BGSU. He is less than 100 yards from passing both PJ Pope (1,148 yards), Chris Wright (1,201 yards), Kyle Hockman (1,210 yards) and Damron Hamilton (1,242 yards) for 32nd.
• Morris is averaging 4.9 receptions per game, tied for the most in the country by a tight end, along with Florida Atlantic's Harrison Bryant. Those two are also tied for most total receptions by a tight end with 44.
• In terms of receiving yards, Morris ranks fifth nationally with 515 yards and sixth in receiving yards per game at 57.2.

DENLEY'S ALL-PURPOSE PRODUCTION
• Redshirt junior running back Bryson Denley continues to be one of the more versatile playmakers in the country. He has 906 all-purpose yards this season.
• Against Central Michigan, Denley topped BGSU rushers after carrying the ball 11 times for 67 yards. With his three receptions for 48 yards and one kickoff return for 23 yards, he totaled 138 all-purpose yards on 15 touches and averaged 9.2 yards per touch. The 67 yards rushing are a single-game high for Denley.
• The previous week, in Bowling Green's win over Toledo, Denley accounted for a career-best 173 all-purpose yards. He also set career highs with six receptions for 100 yards and one touchdown. Denley also had 27 rushing yards and 46 return yards in the contest.
• On the season, Denley ranks seventh in the MAC, averaging 100.7 all-purpose yards per game. However, he is the only player in the conference to have at least 200 yards rushing, receiving and in the return game. In fact, he is one of only seven players nationally to reach those thresholds, joining Kentucky's Lynn Bowden, UConn's Arth Thompkins, Arizona's JJ Taylor, UCLA's Demetric Felton, Nebraska's Wan'Dale Robinson, and Tulane's Amare Jones.

TRUE FROSH IN THE BACK END
• In each of the past four games, Bowling Green has started at least two true freshmen in the secondary. Against Western Michigan, the Falcons started three true freshmen.
• Davin Wilson got his first career start against Western Michigan, which came just two weeks after Jordan Anderson earned his first start against Toledo. JaJuan Hudson started all of the first eight games at cornerback for the Falcons.
• Wilson earned the start as Caleb Biggers was unavailable for the contest. But even Biggers is just a true sophomore after converting to cornerback from safety during the offseason.
• Anderson picked up his first career interception with he picked off Central Michigan's Quintin Dormady. He also has six pass break-ups in 2019 and ranks fourth in the MAC with 1.00 passes defended per game.
• Wilson got his first career interception against Akron's Kato Nelson, a play that gave the Falcons a short field and an eventual touchdown to go ahead 14-6.
• Hudson has 37 tackles in 2019 to go with three pass break-ups and a tackle for loss.
• Combined, the trio of true freshmen have 14 starts this year, 70 tackles, 14 passes defended and three tackles for loss.

BIGGERS SCORES FROM 100
• In BGSU's home game against Central Michigan, Caleb Biggers tied the BGSU record for longest play in school history with his 100-yard fumble return for a first-quarter touchdown. It was BGSU's first touchdown on a fumble return since Kyle Junior posted one last November at Central Michigan. Biggers totaled four tackles and now has 29 in 2019.
• Biggers' big play tied a mark that was set in 1996, when Courtney Davis returned a punt 100 yards against Kent State.

RUSHING ATTACK SURPASSES 100-YARD MARK AGAIN
• Bowling Green rushed for 156 yards on the ground against Akron, marking the eighth time in nine games the Orange and Brown have surpassed the century mark for rushing.
• The Falcons registered 240 yards rushing in the win over Toledo. Grant Loy had the first individual 100-yard rushing game of the season in the contest, going for 137 yards on 19 carries. It was the most rushing yards for a BGSU quarterback since Freddie Barnes ran for 158 in a 2006 game against Wisconsin.
• Bowling Green is 2-0 when rushing for at least 200 yards this year. Along with the 240 yards on the ground against Toledo, BGSU ran for 326 in the season-opening win over Morgan State.
• Loy added a 58-yard carry for Bowling Green against Western Michigan. It was the longest run of his career and BGSU's longest rush of the season.

"SPECIAL" TEAMS
• Bowling Green's special teams have been improving throughout the year and in the win against Toledo, they were, well, frankly, special.
• Senior Jamari Bozeman blocked a punt in the second quarter.
• Senior David Konowalski blocked a field goal to maintain a 17-7 lead going into the locker room for halftime.
• BGSU twice forced Toledo to down kickoffs inside its own two-yard line.
• Punter Matt Naranjo booted a fourth quarter punt out of bounds at the four-yard line.
• Kicker Nate Needham made both of his field goal attempts (from 26 and 32 yards) and both of his extra points.
• The special teams played a huge determining factor in field position as Toledo's average drive started at its own 18, while Bowling Green's started at its own 36.

THE CAPTAINS
• By vote of their peers, seniors Jack Kramer and David Konowalski have been named the team captains for the 2019 season.
• Kramer is the starting center for the Falcons and has played in 36 games in his career, starting all 12 a year ago.
• Konowalski started all 24 games during the 2016 and 2017 seasons before an achilles injury kept him out of the 2018 campaign. He has returned for a sixth-year of eligibility this year.

TNT
• Head coach Scot Loeffler believes explosive plays (running plays of at least 12 yards or passing plays of at least 16 yards) are one of the key components to winning football.
• So far in 2019, Loeffler has proven to be accurate as the team that has posted the most explosive games has won each game.
• Bowling Green had 22 explosive plays (11 running and 11 passing), while holding Morgan State to just one explosive play in the season-opening victory.
• In the Falcons' victory over Toledo, BGSU had eight explosive plays (five on the ground), compared to only six for Toledo.
• The Falcons had only four explosive plays against Akron, but the Zips did not have a single rush of 12+ yards or pass completion of 16+ yards during the contest. Akron's longest single-play of the game went for just 11 yards.

YOU CAN'T SPELL GRANT LOY WITHOUT "GOAT"
• Quarterback Grant Loy made his first of the season, and his second career start, leading BGSU to a 20-7 win over Toledo.
• Along with helping to snap Bowling Green's nine-game losing streak to its arch-rival, Loy did things not seen in a while at BG.
• Loy accounted for both Bowling Green touchdowns, throwing a 66-yard strike to Bryson Denley and rushing for a 15-yard score.
• Loy ran for 137 yards to become the first Falcon over the century mark in 2019. His 137 yards rushing were the most for a quarterback since Freddie Barnes, who transitioned into a record-setting wide receiver, rushed for 158 in 2006 against Wisconsin.
• On BGSU's first play from scrimmage versus the Rockets, Loy ran the ball on a power rush for a 56-yard gain. That run was the longest from a Falcon quarterback since Matt Johnson registered an identical 56-yard rush in a MAC East-clinching win at Buffalo in 2013. On that play, Johnson tucked the ball on a read option and went up the near sideline before being pushed out of bounds.
• Loy one-upped that carry against Western Michigan a week ago, posting a 58-yard rush from scrimmage in the contest to set up Bowling Green's only touchdown of the contest.
• BGSU is 2-2 with Loy as the starting quarterback during the 2019 season.

KONO RETURNS TO MAKE AN IMPACT
• The spiritual and emotional leader for the Falcons, David Konowalski has returned for his sixth season in the Orange and Brown. Just this week, he was named as a nominee for the Burlsworth Award, given annually to the best player in the country who began his career as a walk-on.
• Konowalski redshirted as a true freshman in 2014 and then played for the Falcons from 2015-17. Set to be one of the leaders on the defensive line, he tore his achilles in the team's first fall scrimmage of the 2018 season.
• Konowalski started all 24 games for the Falcons in 2016 and 2017 and has racked up 153 career tackles, including 18.5 for loss and 8.0 sacks.
• Konowalski was part of one of the most memorable moments of the past three years. With BGSU leading Miami 30-29 in 2017, the RedHawks sat just one yard from scoring the winning touchdown. On a botched snap, Konowalski crawled and fought his way into the backfield, batting the loose ball away from a Miami player and into the hands of teammate Brandon Harris, who returned it 93 yards for the clinching touchdown.
• Again, Konowalski made a huge impact in the biggest of moments for the Falcons in the win over Toledo. He blocked a field goal on the final play of the first half to keep the Falcons ahead 17-7. With Toledo trying to rally in the fourth quarter, he added a sack that backed up the UT offense and led to a turnover on downs.

BABY STEPS IN NON-CONFERENCE
• BGSU's regular season non-conference schedule concluded against Notre Dame three weeks ago and the Falcons did make strides in 2019 against non-conference opponents.
• The Falcons allowed 142 points against its four non-conference foes, the fewest point total allowed since 2013, when the team gave up just 77 points.
• BGSU allowed 1,717 yards of total offense in its four non-conference games, also the fewest since 2013, when the team gave up 1,488 yards.
• A year ago, BGSU allowed 201 points in non-conference play and 2,099 yards of offense.
• In week one, BGSU arguably posted its best statistical performance since 1956.
• Morgan State recorded just four first downs, one shy of BGSU's school record of three first downs allowed in a victory over Defiance in 1956. The Bears' two rushing first downs were also one shy of the Falcons' school record.
• BGSU also allowed just 24 passing yards and 70 total yards. Both totals are the fewest by a Falcon defense since holding Eastern Michigan to four yards passing and 65 total yards in a 58-7 win during the 2013 season.

FIRST-TIME FALCONS
• The Falcons had 20 first-time players appear in Bowling Green's 46-3 win over Morgan State to start the season. Furthermore, BGSU had eight first-time starters – four on each side of the ball.
• On defense, linebackers Brandon Perce, Jerry Roberts and Evan Brown, along with defensive back JaJuan Hudson, made the first starts of their BGSU careers. Making their first starts on offense for the Orange and Brown were quarterback Darius Wade, receiver Julian Ortega-Jones, tight end Austin Dorris and lineman Sam Neverov.
• In game two, Rodell Rahmaan earned his first start in the Orange and Brown, playing at wide receiver. He had the team's longest reception of the day, a 34-yarder. In game three, it was defense back Melvin Jackson that earned the first start of his career. Jackson had four tackles and recorded his second sack of the season.
• Against Toledo, true freshman Jordan Anderson became the second true freshman this season to move into a starting role, doing so as a safety. Davin Wilson became the third true freshman starter when he was inserted as a cornerback Saturday against Western Michigan.
• Redshirt sophomore Walter Haire earned his first career start against Akron, filling a gap at nose tackle.
• Bowling Green has 35 true freshmen and 10 redshirt freshmen on the 2019 roster. With just over 43 percent of the roster maintaining freshman eligibility, BGSU is the 28th youngest team in the country.
• BGSU's 35 true freshmen are 19th-most in the nation. Navy leads the way with 57, followed by Nebraksa with 47. Among Mid-American Conference schools, Bowling Green is second, just behind Akron with 36.

SACKING THE COMPETITION (AND NOT ALLOWING SACKS)
• In recent years, BGSU has struggled to create pressure on opposing quarterbacks but the Falcons already have 23 sacks in 2019.
• The Falcons recorded just 15 sacks in each of the past two seasons and had not posted 17 sacks through the first eight games of a season since recording 25 in nine games to begin the 2012 season.
• More impressively, BGSU has allowed only 12 sacks in 2019 after allowing 29 a year ago and 23 through the first nine games of the 2018 season. The 12 sacks allowed are second-fewest in the MAC in 2019 and is 20th nationally.
• In fact, BGSU has not allowed 12 or fewer through the first nine games of a season since the 2012 squad also gave up just 12 sacks through nine games.

ICE THAT LEG
• Already having a strong season, Matt Naranjo posted three 50-yard punts against Western Michigan, averaging 46.2 yards per punt. Three of his punts landed inside the 20 as well. It was his career-best single-game punting average. He was named one of #RAYS8 for the week as one of the top eight punting performances in the country by the Ray Guy Award.
• Naranjo averaged 44.0 yards on nine punts at Kansas State and then 43.2 yards on eight punts at Notre Dame. He has 13 punts of 50 or more yards with five of those coming against those two opponents.
• He had 396 yards punting against Kansas State, which was the most for a Falcon since All-American Joseph Davidson had 407 yards on nine punts against Northwestern in 2017.
• Twenty of Naranjo's 54 punts have been downed inside the 20 and 14 have been fair caught. Just three have gone for touchbacks.
• Since taking over punting duties midway through the 2018 season, Naranjo has a career average of 40.9 yards per punt, which ranks sixth all-time at BGSU.

GRADUATING CHAMPIONS
• Five active players have already earned their undergraduate degrees – Austin Dorris, Jack Kramer, Nico Lautanen, Davon Jones, and Darius Wade.
• Jack Kramer and Nico Lautanen were true freshmen on the 2015 MAC Championship team.
• Austin Dorris earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana, while Davon Jones and Darius Wade are both graduates of Boston College.