Bowling Green State University Athletics
Saturday, September 2
Lynchburg, Va.
12 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
at
Liberty
Photo by: Scott W. Grau
BGSU Opens 105th Season of Football on Saturday at Liberty
August 28, 2023 | Football
BGSU Opens 105th Season of Football
• Bowling Green State University opens its 105th season of football at Liberty on Saturday.
• The Falcons open a season against a Conference USA opponent for the first time since heading to Bowling Green, Ky., to open the 2014 season against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Like Liberty in 2023, that 2014 opener at WKU was the first game for the Hilltoppers as a Conference USA member.
• The game will kick at 12 p.m. and will be televised live on CBS Sports Network.
Bowling Green vs. Liberty
• BGSU leads the all-time series with the Flames, 1-0.
• These two teams were scheduled to meet in 2020 at BGSU's Doyt Perry Stadium, but the contest was
canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• BGSU and Liberty first met 20 years ago at Bowling Green (Sept. 13, 2003) when the Falcons topped the Flames, 62-3. BGSU went on to finish 11-3 and beat Northwestern in the Motor City Bowl. LU was an FCS team at the time. BGSU also beat Purdue and hosted
ESPN's College GameDay show during that 2003 season.
• Omar Jacobs tossed three touchdowns and P.J. Pope rushed for 162 yards and one score.
• BGSU is scheduled to host Liberty at Doyt Perry
Stadium again in 2028 (Sept. 23).
Five Top Storylines
• WR Odieu Hiliare has a catch in 35-straight games, which includes his career at Alabama A&M (2019-21). It is the sixth-best active streak in the nation. The Belle Glade, Fla., native has 160 career receptions for 2,112 career receiving yards and 19 receiving touchdowns.
• BGSU offensive linemen Tunde Fatukasi and Armon Bethea both attended Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, N.Y., which is the same high school that former Liberty and Cleveland Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano attended.
• RB Terion Stewart returns to action for BGSU in 2023 after sitting out the 2022 season. He enters the season with 707 career rushing yards and nine touchdowns. His 6.6 yards per carry for his career currently ranks No. 1 in program history.
• OLB Demetrius Hardamon is the MAC's leading sack returnee with 6.0 sacks. Hardamon, as the only LB, shares the honors with Braden Fiske (WMU) and Corey Suttle (Miami (OH)).
Hardamon was No. 2 in the MAC and No. 28 nationally among linebackers in 2022 in sacks.
• Bowling Green notched 38 team sacks in 2022, which based on program records dating back to 1990, was tied for most in program history with the 1992 and 2012 teams.
MORE: Bowling Green vs. Liberty
• Seven Falcons from the BGSU roster in 2003 during that 2003 meeting with LU played went on to play in the NFL. The list includes: QB Josh Harris, QB Omar Jacobs, C Kory Lichtensteiger, C Scott Mruczkowski, RB P.J. Pope, WR Steve Sanders and K Shaun Suisham.
• Liberty's Samkon Gado, who also played in the game, made it eight total players from both teams' rosters ended up playing in the NFL.
• Lichtensteiger redshirted the 2003 season and did not play in the game.
• BGSU offensive linemen Tunde Fatukasi and Armon Bethea both attended Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, N.Y., which is the same high school that former Liberty and Cleveland Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano attended. It comes full circle back to BGSU because the Browns copied BGSU's colors after holding its first training camp on the Bowling Green campus in 1946. More on page three about this connection.
Bowling Green's Commonwealth Connections
• There are several of BGSU connections with the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• OLB Marquette Harris hails from Woodbridge, Va., and attended Wise High School in Maryland. He comes to BGSU after spending one season at Ventura College in California.
• BGSU's co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Greg Nosal is a native of Virginia Beach, Va., attending Kellam High School. A two-year starter at left guard, Nosal played for Virginia Tech from 2007-11. He was a member of three ACC Championship teams and squads that went to a bowl game in each season. He was Virginia Tech's Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2010 and an honorable mention All-ACC player in 2011.
• BGSU head coach Scot Loeffler served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Frank Beamer's staff at Virginia Tech from 2013-15.
• BGSU co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Max Warner was an offensive quality control assistant at Virginia Tech in 2015.
• Gregg Brandon, who was the BGSU head coach when the Falcons last played Liberty, went on to be the offensive coordinator at Virginia in 2009 when he left Bowling Green.
• Bowling Green will play Old Dominion in 2024 and is set to visit ODU in 2031.
Omar Jacobs Shined vs. Liberty
• Former BGSU great Omar Jacobs made his collegiate debut in 2003. He only played in four games that season but had his first "career" game the last time BGSU played Liberty.
• With the game going BGSU's way early, Josh Harris gave way to Jacobs for most of the snaps.
• Jacobs went 10-of-15 for 180 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 35 yards and another score in his second career game.
• In 2004, his sophomore season, Jacobs set the record for the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in NCAA Division I-A history (10.25:1). In 2005, Jacobs was expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, but an injury to his non-throwing shoulder considerably reduced his productivity.
• Jacobs skipped his senior season at Bowling Green to enter the NFL draft. Jacobs left Bowling Green State University as the school's all-time leader in touchdown passes (71) and third in career passing yards (6,938).
• Jacobs was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
Bowling Green - LU connections
• Bowling Green offensive tackle Kameren Stewart appeared in 29 career games (2019-21) for Coastal Carolina with eight starts when Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell served in the same position for the Chanticleers. Stewart graduated from Coastal Carolina in May 2022.
• Liberty offensive line coach Bill Durkin was Stewart's position coach at Coastal Carolina. Durkin also coached at Bowling Green from 2010-13, including during BGSU's 2013 MAC Championship. In 2012, Bowling Green was one of the least sacked teams in the country, allowing just 15 sacks in 13 contests.
• Liberty's special teams coordinator and outside linebacker coach Kyle Krantz served as an offensive (2013) and defensive (2014) quality control assistant at Florida when BGSU running backs coach Brian White was the Gators running backs coach.
• Bowling Green State University opens its 105th season of football at Liberty on Saturday.
• The Falcons open a season against a Conference USA opponent for the first time since heading to Bowling Green, Ky., to open the 2014 season against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Like Liberty in 2023, that 2014 opener at WKU was the first game for the Hilltoppers as a Conference USA member.
• The game will kick at 12 p.m. and will be televised live on CBS Sports Network.
Bowling Green vs. Liberty
• BGSU leads the all-time series with the Flames, 1-0.
• These two teams were scheduled to meet in 2020 at BGSU's Doyt Perry Stadium, but the contest was
canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• BGSU and Liberty first met 20 years ago at Bowling Green (Sept. 13, 2003) when the Falcons topped the Flames, 62-3. BGSU went on to finish 11-3 and beat Northwestern in the Motor City Bowl. LU was an FCS team at the time. BGSU also beat Purdue and hosted
ESPN's College GameDay show during that 2003 season.
• Omar Jacobs tossed three touchdowns and P.J. Pope rushed for 162 yards and one score.
• BGSU is scheduled to host Liberty at Doyt Perry
Stadium again in 2028 (Sept. 23).
Five Top Storylines
• WR Odieu Hiliare has a catch in 35-straight games, which includes his career at Alabama A&M (2019-21). It is the sixth-best active streak in the nation. The Belle Glade, Fla., native has 160 career receptions for 2,112 career receiving yards and 19 receiving touchdowns.
• BGSU offensive linemen Tunde Fatukasi and Armon Bethea both attended Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, N.Y., which is the same high school that former Liberty and Cleveland Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano attended.
• RB Terion Stewart returns to action for BGSU in 2023 after sitting out the 2022 season. He enters the season with 707 career rushing yards and nine touchdowns. His 6.6 yards per carry for his career currently ranks No. 1 in program history.
• OLB Demetrius Hardamon is the MAC's leading sack returnee with 6.0 sacks. Hardamon, as the only LB, shares the honors with Braden Fiske (WMU) and Corey Suttle (Miami (OH)).
Hardamon was No. 2 in the MAC and No. 28 nationally among linebackers in 2022 in sacks.
• Bowling Green notched 38 team sacks in 2022, which based on program records dating back to 1990, was tied for most in program history with the 1992 and 2012 teams.
MORE: Bowling Green vs. Liberty
• Seven Falcons from the BGSU roster in 2003 during that 2003 meeting with LU played went on to play in the NFL. The list includes: QB Josh Harris, QB Omar Jacobs, C Kory Lichtensteiger, C Scott Mruczkowski, RB P.J. Pope, WR Steve Sanders and K Shaun Suisham.
• Liberty's Samkon Gado, who also played in the game, made it eight total players from both teams' rosters ended up playing in the NFL.
• Lichtensteiger redshirted the 2003 season and did not play in the game.
• BGSU offensive linemen Tunde Fatukasi and Armon Bethea both attended Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, N.Y., which is the same high school that former Liberty and Cleveland Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano attended. It comes full circle back to BGSU because the Browns copied BGSU's colors after holding its first training camp on the Bowling Green campus in 1946. More on page three about this connection.
Bowling Green's Commonwealth Connections
• There are several of BGSU connections with the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• OLB Marquette Harris hails from Woodbridge, Va., and attended Wise High School in Maryland. He comes to BGSU after spending one season at Ventura College in California.
• BGSU's co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Greg Nosal is a native of Virginia Beach, Va., attending Kellam High School. A two-year starter at left guard, Nosal played for Virginia Tech from 2007-11. He was a member of three ACC Championship teams and squads that went to a bowl game in each season. He was Virginia Tech's Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2010 and an honorable mention All-ACC player in 2011.
• BGSU head coach Scot Loeffler served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Frank Beamer's staff at Virginia Tech from 2013-15.
• BGSU co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Max Warner was an offensive quality control assistant at Virginia Tech in 2015.
• Gregg Brandon, who was the BGSU head coach when the Falcons last played Liberty, went on to be the offensive coordinator at Virginia in 2009 when he left Bowling Green.
• Bowling Green will play Old Dominion in 2024 and is set to visit ODU in 2031.
Omar Jacobs Shined vs. Liberty
• Former BGSU great Omar Jacobs made his collegiate debut in 2003. He only played in four games that season but had his first "career" game the last time BGSU played Liberty.
• With the game going BGSU's way early, Josh Harris gave way to Jacobs for most of the snaps.
• Jacobs went 10-of-15 for 180 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 35 yards and another score in his second career game.
• In 2004, his sophomore season, Jacobs set the record for the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in NCAA Division I-A history (10.25:1). In 2005, Jacobs was expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, but an injury to his non-throwing shoulder considerably reduced his productivity.
• Jacobs skipped his senior season at Bowling Green to enter the NFL draft. Jacobs left Bowling Green State University as the school's all-time leader in touchdown passes (71) and third in career passing yards (6,938).
• Jacobs was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
Bowling Green - LU connections
• Bowling Green offensive tackle Kameren Stewart appeared in 29 career games (2019-21) for Coastal Carolina with eight starts when Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell served in the same position for the Chanticleers. Stewart graduated from Coastal Carolina in May 2022.
• Liberty offensive line coach Bill Durkin was Stewart's position coach at Coastal Carolina. Durkin also coached at Bowling Green from 2010-13, including during BGSU's 2013 MAC Championship. In 2012, Bowling Green was one of the least sacked teams in the country, allowing just 15 sacks in 13 contests.
• Liberty's special teams coordinator and outside linebacker coach Kyle Krantz served as an offensive (2013) and defensive (2014) quality control assistant at Florida when BGSU running backs coach Brian White was the Gators running backs coach.
Players Mentioned
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