Saturday, September 10
Bowling Green, Ohio
4 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
vs
Eastern Kentucky
Photo by: Emma Sharon/BGSU Athletics
Bowling Green Hosts Eastern Kentucky on Saturday in Home Opener
September 05, 2022 | Football
Falcons Welcome EKU for Home Opener
• Bowling Green State University hosts the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in the home opener on Saturday.
• The game will be a "White-Out" at Doyt Perry Stadium.
• It is also "Phil Villapiano Bobblehead Day." Villapiano, a three-year starter at defensive end for the Falcons, was a first-team All-MAC selection as a junior and senior.
• Bowling Green is 68-30-5 all-time in home openers.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.Â
Bowling Green vs. Eastern Kentucky
• Saturday is the sixth all-time meeting between Bowling Green and Eastern Kentucky in a series that began in 1940.
• EKU won three-straight games to start the series, which all took place between 1940-50.
• The series experienced a hiatus until 2003 when the Falcons hosted the Colonels and enjoyed a 63-13 triumph in which BGSU punted once (in the fourth quarter). The Falcons rolled up 422 passing yards and 222 yards rushing while scoring nine touchdowns in the 2003 win.
• BGSU is 2-0 against FCS opponents in the Scot Loeffler era, which includes a 2019 victory over Morgan State and a 2021 win over Murray State.
Five Top Storylines
• ILB Joseph Sipp Jr. notched 10 tackles in his collegiate debut on Saturday at UCLA. Sipp is the only true freshman this season to record 10+ tackles in their collegiate debut.
• WR Odieu Hiliare has a catch in 23-straight games, which includes his career at Alabama A&M. It is tied for the 14th-best active streak in the nation.
• PaSean Wimberly, who was put on scholarship just prior to the first game, blocked a UCLA punt after the first Bruin possession of the game and Charles Rosser picked it up and returned it 11 yards for the score. It was the first blocked punt for a BGSU touchdown since 2014 (Herve Coby vs. VMI).
• ILB DJ Taylor notched his first career interception at UCLA in the season opener. He returned it 24 yards. Taylor also tied his career high with eight tackles. Taylor is a transfer from Wake Forest.
• Preseason All-American Darren Anders was No. 8 in the nation in 2021 with 10.33 tackles per game. He is one of three players in all of FBS over the past two seasons to rank in the Top-15 nationally in tackles and the only one who returns to the college football ranks in 2022.Â
More on the EKU Series
• P.J. Pope ran for three touchdowns and Josh Harris threw for two as Bowling Green beat Eastern Kentucky 63-13 in the 2003 meeting.
• Backup quarterback Omar Jacobs went 8-for-11 for 157 yards and also led six ball carriers with 54 yards rushing on four carries, including a 24-yard scoring run.
• The Falcons rolled up 422 passing yards and 222 yards rushing while scoring nine touchdowns.
• Harris completed 18-of-26 passes for 265 yards and was intercepted once. He also rushed seven times for 29 yards.
• Pope had scoring runs of 1 yard in the first quarter, and 3 and 13 yards in the second as Bowling Green built a 35-7 halftime lead.
• Bowling Green punted just once - in the fourth quarter.
• The Colonels opened the scoring with 13:52 to go in the first quarter on a 3-yard run by Terry Ennis, who finished with 111 yards on 14 carries. Eastern Kentucky did not score again until a 23-yard pass from Adam Ellis to Aaron Murray with 10:41 left to play.
Bowling Green vs. the Atlantic Sun
• EKU is the only active member of the A-Sun the Falcons have played as the league fields an FCS conference for the first time. Bowling Green - EKU connections
• EKU's wide receiver coach and co-recruiting coordinator Caleb Cox was an offensive assistant at Tennessee in 2017 when BGSU defensive coordinator Eric Lewis was a quality control assistant for the Vols. EKU's tight end coach and special teams coordinator Kevin McKeethan was a special teams analyst on the same Tennessee staff in 2017.
• EKU safeties coach Mike Dietzel was on staff with Lewis at Buffalo in 2014. Lewis was the secondary coach. Dietzel was also a GA on the 1988 Michigan Rose Bowl team, which wide receivers coach Erik Campbell was a student assistant the same season for the Wolverines.
Seven Falcons Made Collegiate Debuts at UCLA
• Seven Falcons made collegiate debuts at the Rose Bowl against UCLA in the season opener.
• LS George Carlson, TE Harold Fannin Jr.**, OT Tunde Fatukasi, CB Jalen Huskey**, HOLD Jack Sauder, ILB Joseph Sipp Jr.** and P Sami Sir. **-denotes true freshman
• Fannin caught a 16-yard pass on his first collegiate play.
Special Teams Show up Big at UCLA
• No more than 1:14 into the season-opening game against UCLA at the Rose Bowl did Bowling Green make a special teams play.
• PaSean Wimberly blocked a UCLA punt and Charles Rosser picked it up and dashed 11 yards for the touchdown. Later, Patrick Day covered a fumbled punt by UCLA.
• Mason Lawler connected on a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter. It was his first field goal made or attempted since Nov. 19, 2019 against Ohio. Lawler is 2-of-3 for his career and is replacing Nate Needham, who was a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).
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• Bowling Green State University hosts the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in the home opener on Saturday.
• The game will be a "White-Out" at Doyt Perry Stadium.
• It is also "Phil Villapiano Bobblehead Day." Villapiano, a three-year starter at defensive end for the Falcons, was a first-team All-MAC selection as a junior and senior.
• Bowling Green is 68-30-5 all-time in home openers.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.Â
Bowling Green vs. Eastern Kentucky
• Saturday is the sixth all-time meeting between Bowling Green and Eastern Kentucky in a series that began in 1940.
• EKU won three-straight games to start the series, which all took place between 1940-50.
• The series experienced a hiatus until 2003 when the Falcons hosted the Colonels and enjoyed a 63-13 triumph in which BGSU punted once (in the fourth quarter). The Falcons rolled up 422 passing yards and 222 yards rushing while scoring nine touchdowns in the 2003 win.
• BGSU is 2-0 against FCS opponents in the Scot Loeffler era, which includes a 2019 victory over Morgan State and a 2021 win over Murray State.
Five Top Storylines
• ILB Joseph Sipp Jr. notched 10 tackles in his collegiate debut on Saturday at UCLA. Sipp is the only true freshman this season to record 10+ tackles in their collegiate debut.
• WR Odieu Hiliare has a catch in 23-straight games, which includes his career at Alabama A&M. It is tied for the 14th-best active streak in the nation.
• PaSean Wimberly, who was put on scholarship just prior to the first game, blocked a UCLA punt after the first Bruin possession of the game and Charles Rosser picked it up and returned it 11 yards for the score. It was the first blocked punt for a BGSU touchdown since 2014 (Herve Coby vs. VMI).
• ILB DJ Taylor notched his first career interception at UCLA in the season opener. He returned it 24 yards. Taylor also tied his career high with eight tackles. Taylor is a transfer from Wake Forest.
• Preseason All-American Darren Anders was No. 8 in the nation in 2021 with 10.33 tackles per game. He is one of three players in all of FBS over the past two seasons to rank in the Top-15 nationally in tackles and the only one who returns to the college football ranks in 2022.Â
More on the EKU Series
• P.J. Pope ran for three touchdowns and Josh Harris threw for two as Bowling Green beat Eastern Kentucky 63-13 in the 2003 meeting.
• Backup quarterback Omar Jacobs went 8-for-11 for 157 yards and also led six ball carriers with 54 yards rushing on four carries, including a 24-yard scoring run.
• The Falcons rolled up 422 passing yards and 222 yards rushing while scoring nine touchdowns.
• Harris completed 18-of-26 passes for 265 yards and was intercepted once. He also rushed seven times for 29 yards.
• Pope had scoring runs of 1 yard in the first quarter, and 3 and 13 yards in the second as Bowling Green built a 35-7 halftime lead.
• Bowling Green punted just once - in the fourth quarter.
• The Colonels opened the scoring with 13:52 to go in the first quarter on a 3-yard run by Terry Ennis, who finished with 111 yards on 14 carries. Eastern Kentucky did not score again until a 23-yard pass from Adam Ellis to Aaron Murray with 10:41 left to play.
Bowling Green vs. the Atlantic Sun
• EKU is the only active member of the A-Sun the Falcons have played as the league fields an FCS conference for the first time. Bowling Green - EKU connections
• EKU's wide receiver coach and co-recruiting coordinator Caleb Cox was an offensive assistant at Tennessee in 2017 when BGSU defensive coordinator Eric Lewis was a quality control assistant for the Vols. EKU's tight end coach and special teams coordinator Kevin McKeethan was a special teams analyst on the same Tennessee staff in 2017.
• EKU safeties coach Mike Dietzel was on staff with Lewis at Buffalo in 2014. Lewis was the secondary coach. Dietzel was also a GA on the 1988 Michigan Rose Bowl team, which wide receivers coach Erik Campbell was a student assistant the same season for the Wolverines.
Seven Falcons Made Collegiate Debuts at UCLA
• Seven Falcons made collegiate debuts at the Rose Bowl against UCLA in the season opener.
• LS George Carlson, TE Harold Fannin Jr.**, OT Tunde Fatukasi, CB Jalen Huskey**, HOLD Jack Sauder, ILB Joseph Sipp Jr.** and P Sami Sir. **-denotes true freshman
• Fannin caught a 16-yard pass on his first collegiate play.
Special Teams Show up Big at UCLA
• No more than 1:14 into the season-opening game against UCLA at the Rose Bowl did Bowling Green make a special teams play.
• PaSean Wimberly blocked a UCLA punt and Charles Rosser picked it up and dashed 11 yards for the touchdown. Later, Patrick Day covered a fumbled punt by UCLA.
• Mason Lawler connected on a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter. It was his first field goal made or attempted since Nov. 19, 2019 against Ohio. Lawler is 2-of-3 for his career and is replacing Nate Needham, who was a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).
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Players Mentioned
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