The Battle Of I-75: Falcons Host Toledo For Celebration Of 100 Years Of BG Football

Saturday, October 12

Bowling Green, Ohio

12:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Toledo

Tickets

Photo by: Isaiah Vazquez/BGSU Athletics

The Battle Of I-75: Falcons Host Toledo For Celebration Of 100 Years Of BG Football

October 08, 2019 | Football

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

SETTING THE SCENE

• Bowling Green and Toledo are set to renew their rivalry Saturday (Oct. 12) at Doyt L. Perry Stadium. The game will kickoff at 12:00 pm and will air on CBS Sports.
• Toledo holds a narrow edge in the all-time series 40-39-4. Among Mid-American Conference schools, only Toledo and Miami hold leads in the all-time series against BGSU.
• BGSU will be celebrating 100 years of Falcon Football Saturday, recognizing many individuals who have paved the path for the first century of BGSU Football. BGSU's first game was against Toledo on Oct. 3, 1919.
• BGSU and Toledo have played every season since 1948. The two programs did not play from 1936-47, but since picking the series back up have played for 72 straight seasons (including 2019).
• Bowling Green's current second-longest annual series is against Ohio, which has been played every season since 2004.

COMPLETE GAME NOTES
WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE

100 YEARS OF FOOTBALL
• BGSU will be celebrating 100 years of Falcon Football Saturday, recognizing many individuals who have paved the path for the first century of BGSU Football.
• Ten individuals will be inducted into the Cast of Honor and will have their name and number hung 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 543-395-52 (.575) all-time, including 284-185-11 (.604) in MAC play. The Falcons have a winning record all-time against every current MAC school except for Miami and Toledo (though BGSU has the opportunity to even the all-time series against Toledo Saturday).

BABY STEPS ON DEFENSE
• BGSU's regular season non-conference schedule concluded against Notre Dame this past Saturday 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.
• BGSU has already posted 12 quarterback sacks in 2019, just three shy of the team's 15 sacks for all of the 2018 campaign.

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.

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.

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.

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 FUTURE MINI GOLF PRO
• Running Backs Coach Chris Hedden has a successful track record in football, but maybe he will head to the mini golf senior tour in the distant future.
• Hedden won the third annual BGSU Athletic Department Mini Golf Tournament during the summer of 2019, posting the winning score at Perry Falls Mini Golf Course.
• Hedden stunned defending champion and BGSU men's golf coach John Powers to win the title over approximately 80 other BGSU Athletic Department staffers.

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.

RUSHING ATTACK SURPASSES 100-YARD MARK AGAIN
• Bowling Green rushed for 118 yards on the ground at Notre Dame Saturday, marking the fourth time in five games the Orange and Brown have surpassed the century mark for rushing.
• Davon Jones carried the rock 16 times for 59 yards and Bryson Denley added 13 carries for 57 yards.
• Bowling Green ran for 154 yards at Kent State and 119 yards versus Louisiana Tech, while rushing for a season-high 326 yards in a win over Morgan State.

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.
• 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 112 career tackles, including 12.5 for loss and 6.0 sacks.
• Konowalski was part of the most memorable moment 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.
• In the contest against Louisiana Tech, Konowalski continued his emphatic return to the field with his first sack of the season, first fumble recovery, and six tackles. Konowalski now owns eight career sacks and four fumble recoveries.

THREE-HEADED MONSTER AT RB
• Head coach Scot Loeffler has not hidden the fact that BGSU's running back unit may be the most talented on the team.
• Bowling Green ranks sixth in the MAC at 155.6 rushing yards per contest.
• Davon Jones leads the running back group in total rushing yards (264) and average per carry (4.5).
• Quarterbacks Darius Wade and Grant Loy have also been efficient running the ball. The pair of signal callers are averaging 2.8 and 4.3 yards per carry, respectively. Loy has run the ball 20 times for 87 yards and a touchdown.
• Clair is averaging 4.1 yards per carry, having registered 158 yards on 39 touches. Bryson Denley has added 154 rushing yards on 40 attempts.

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.
• 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.

THE SPOTLIGHT ON THE TIGHT ENDS
• The tight end position plays a massive role in head coach Scot Loeffler's offensive scheme. The production and impact that BGSU's tight ends have made so far in 2019 was reminiscent of Dave Clawson's (2009-13) offense that heavily featured the likes of Alex Bayer and Tyler Beck.
• Of BGSU's 92 receptions so far in 2019, 38 have been caught by tight ends. Four different tight ends have caught a pass and the Falcons' leading receiver, Quintin Morris, plays the position.
• In the Falcons' 43-point win over Morgan State on Aug. 29, Bowling Green's tight ends combined for nine catches for 105 yards and three touchdowns.
• Junior Quintin Morris led the charge with five catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns. His two touchdowns tied a career high. True freshman Christian Sims caught two passes, including an 18-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. Indiana graduate transfer Austin Dorris added two catches for 13 yards.
• Additionally, true freshman Joey Carroll and redshirt junior Presley Motes saw action for the Orange and Brown. Three of BGSU's five tight ends used in the game had not played for the Falcons prior to the contest, while Motes appeared in just one game in 2018. Morris, the player on the unit with most experience wearing the Orange and Brown, was playing in his first contest as a tight end.
• Morris had a career-high 10 catches for 92 yards, just shy of his career-best of 93, against Notre Dame. He leads all BGSU pass catchers in receptions (26), yards (310), touchdowns (2), yards per game (62.0) and longest catch (59 yards). He needs just 58 more yards to become the 39th player in program history with 1,000 receiving yards.

PROVIDING CLAIR-ITY
• Junior Andrew Clair has proven to be one of the most dangerous multi-purpose backs in the country and is climbing the charts in the BGSU record book.
• Clair sits 20th all-time in career rushing yards with 1,585 career rushing yards. His seven career 100-yard rushing games ranks 12th in program history.
• Against Oregon in the 2018 season opener, Clair carried for 113 yards. He has a 100-yard rushing game against every MAC East Division school except for Buffalo.
• Clair averaged 6.8 yards per carry as a freshman to break a school record that stood since 1951, when Fred Durig averaged 6.7 yards per touch. Willie Geter tied Durig's mark in 2008.
• According to Pro Football Focus, Clair averaged 4.5 yards after contact in 2017, the fifth-best average in the country among returning running backs.
• The St. Louis native finished the 2017 season with a team-best 1,184 all-purpose yards, ranking fifth in the country among true freshmen with 107.6 all-purpose yards per game.
• Clair followed up his rookie season with an equally productive 2018 campaign, rushing for 702 yards and adding 19 catches for 102 more yards.
• Pro Football Focus ranked Clair as the most explosive running back in the MAC with a 47.4 percent breakaway percentage, highest among all ball carriers with at least 115 rushes.

BYE BYE BYE
• Bowling Green is one of nine teams in the country who will not face an opponent coming off of a bye week.
• BGSU and Eastern Michigan are the only Mid-American Conference schools with that favorable schedule. Georgia Tech, Tulsa, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Old Dominion, BYU and New Mexico State are the other seven.
• Notre Dame plays an NCAA-high seven teams (including Bowling Green) coming off of bye weeks. No other school in the country plays more than five such games.

SACKING THE COMPETITION (AND NOT ALLOWING SACKS)
• In recent years, BGSU has struggled to create pressure on opposing quarterbacks but the Falcons already have 12 sacks in 2019.
• The Falcons recorded just 15 sacks through the entirety of the 2018 season and, heading into the game against Toledo, had not posted 12 sacks through the first five games of a season since equaling that total in 2011.
• Just as impressively, BGSU has allowed just six sacks in 2019 after allowing 29 a year ago and 17 through the first five games of the 2018 season. The six sacks allowed are the fewest in the MAC in 2019 and the second-fewest per game average.
• In fact, BGSU has not allowed six sacks or fewer through the first five games of a season since the 2004 squad gave up just two sacks through five games.

ICE THAT LEG
• Matt Naranjo has punted at least seven times in each of the past four games and is averaging 41.0 yards per punt on the season.
• Naranjo averaged 44.0 yards on nine punts at Kansas State and then 43.2 yards on eight punts Saturday at Notre Dame. He has nine 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.
• Eleven of Naranjo's 34 punts have been downed inside the 20 and 10 have been fair caught. Just two have been touch backs.
• Since taking over punting duties midway through the 2018 season, Naranjo has a career average of 41.1 yards per punt, which ranks sixth all-time at BGSU.

WOMEN RULE THE WORLD
• The Bowling Green football program has a pair of women in critical positions within the football program, a rarity at the FBS level.
• Liv Passey is just the second female Director of Football Operations in Mid-American Conference history. A graduate of Boston College, she is in her first year working with the program.
• Dani Coppes is one of just 11 females who serves as the primary care provide (sports medicine) for an FBS football program. After getting her undergraduate degree at Ohio State, she earned her master's degree at Bowling Green and is beginning her third year working with the BGSU Football team.
• BGSU is one of only two schools in the country to have females in both of these positions, along with Kansas State.

TRENDING TOWARDS SUCCESS
• College football expert Phil Steele tracks the success of teams that lost at least 34 games to injury the previous season. Of teams that had to manage injury-plagued campaigns since 2006, 68 percent have equaled or exceeded their record the next year.
• Bowling Green lost 36 starts to injury in 2018, tied for the 11th most in the country. Virginia Tech lost the most games to injury, 63, while Boston College lost the fewest -- three.

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.

PRO FALCONS
• Two BGSU alums earned spots on 53-man NFL rosters.
• Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Ryan Hunter was an undrafted free agent in 2018. He is a native of Canada where he was a high draft pick in the CFL. After spending 2018 on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad, he earned a spot on the team's 53-man roster.
• Scott Miller begins his rookie season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019. He was drafted in the sixth round, following four productive seasons with BGSU, ranking third in school history with 2,867 career receiving yards.
• Three other Falcons took part in NFL camps during the preseason, including Gehrig Dieter, Roger Lewis and Teo Redding.

COLLEGE PRESSBOX
• CollegePressBox.com is the official media website for Division I football. Access and download weekly game notes, quotes, statistics, media guides, headshots, logos and more for each conference and its member schools. Register for access at collegepressbox.com/register.

CHALLENGING THE POWER FIVE
• Bowling Green plays just one game against a Power Five opponent in 2019 (Kansas State), though the Falcons also play at Notre Dame, an independent program that plays in the ACC for all other sports and has a scheduling agreement with the league.
• All 12 Mid-American Conference schools will take on at least one school from a Power Five conference (ACC, Big 12, Big 10, SEC, PAC-12) during the non-conference portion of the 2019 college football season.
• In total, the 12 schools within the MAC will combine to play 22 games against Power Five competition. Kent State and Northern Illinois will play three Power Five schools each in 2019.
• Eight of the league's 12 teams are set to play multiple games against the Power Five. Ball State, Bowling Green (including the Notre Dame game), Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Miami, and Western Michigan will each play such games twice.
• Of those 22 games, 21 are true road games. Ball State played a neutral site game against Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.