BOWLING GREEN FALCONS NOTES:
OPENING KICK
FALCONS TO SPEND HOLIDAYS IN THE “MOTOR CITY”
• Bowling Green State University stays on I-75 as the Falcons take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the ninth annual Quick Lane Bowl on Tues., Dec. 26.
BOWL SEASON FOR THE ORANGE AND BROWN
• BGSU is playing in the Quick Lane Bowl for the second year in a row and will make its fourth appearance in a bowl game at Ford Field. The Falcons also appeared in the now-defunct Motor City Bowl (2003) and the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl (2013). • All three of BGSU’s previous bowl games at Ford Field were also played on Dec. 26. • The Quick Lane Bowl is BGSU’s 15th bowl all-time bowl.
FIVE TOP STORYLINES
• Bowling Green is the only team in the nation to have a regular season schedule that featured at least three teams that went on to win a conference championship, which includes Michigan (Big Ten), Miami (OH) (MAC) and Liberty (Conference USA). The teams BGSU lost to also have a combined 57-7 record entering Bowl Season. • Bowling Green is No. 1 in the nation in takeaways (27). The Falcons are No. 6 in fumble recoveries (11) and No. 5 in interceptions (16). BGSU is the only team in the nation in the top-10 in both categories. • TE Harold Fannin Jr. is No. 5 in the nation among tight ends with six receiving touchdowns. His 573 receiving yards ranks No. 7 nationally among tight ends. • OLB Cashius Howell is tied for No. 10 in the nation and No. 1 in the MAC with 9.5 sacks. He currently has 7.0 sacks over BGSU’s last five games. • BGSU is the only program in the nation to have returned at least one blocked field goal (Liberty) and one blocked punt (Buffalo) for touchdowns
BOWLING GREEN VS. MINNESOTA
• The all-time series with Minnesota is tied 2-2 after BGSU’s upset in 2021 at Huntington Bank Stadium. BGSU’s other win came at the Metrodome in 2007. The game went to overtime at the Metrodome in 2007. It is still the last overtime game BGSU has played away from Doyt Perry Stadium. The last three were all played at the home venue of the Falcons. • The meeting in 2008 served as the first time a Big Ten Conference team played at BGSU’s Doyt Perry Stadium. • In BGSU’s 2007 win: After building a 21-0 halftime lead over Minnesota the Falcons trailed 24-21 with 2:12 remaining in the fourth quarter the last time BGSU traveled to Minnesota. Tyler Sheehan and the Falcons marched down the field to set up a 35-yard field goal, which Sinisa Vrvilo converted. • After surrendering a touchdown in overtime, the Falcons answered back when Sheehan found a wide open Marques Parks for a nine-yard score. Electing to go for two instead of the extra point, Sheehan found a streaking Freddie Barnes for the score to give BGSU the 32-31 win. • In his first career start Sheehan was 34-of-51 for 388 yards and two scores. He also caught a 24-yard touchdown from Corey Partridge. Barnes finished the game with six catches for 99 yards, while Partridge chipped in with 52 yards on six catches as well. • The 2021 win at Minnesota’s Huntington Bank Stadium ended up being the biggest upset of the year in college football as the Falcons were 31-point pups to the Golden Gophers. • Matt McDonald scored two rushing touchdowns as the BGSU defense forced two late interceptions and locked down the Gophers in a 14-10 victory. • Twenty current Falcons appeared in the 2021 game, including Broke Horne who had a game-high nine tackles, 1.0 sack and forced a fumble. • Darren Anders was tied for second on the team with seven tackles, while Davon Ferguson had five stops and 2.0 key sacks. Anthony Hawkins and Billie Roberts also picked up 1.0 tackles for loss. Austin Osborne had four catches for 28 yards. Osborne’s four receptions was tied for second-most in the game and nearly matched the five overall receptions Minnesota had in the game.
BOWLING GREEN VS. B1G
• Bowling Green is 9-21 all-time against current members of the Big Ten Conference, which includes games against Indiana (1-1), Maryland (1-1), Michigan (0-3), Michigan State (0-3), Minnesota (2-2), Northwestern (2-1), Ohio State (0-5), Penn State (0-2), Purdue (3-0) and Wisconsin (0-3). • BGSU’s most recent game against a Big Ten Conference foe was this season at Michigan on Sept. 16. • A win against Minnesota in the Quick Lane Bowl would make three Big Ten teams the Falcons have a winning record against, joining Purdue (3-0) and Northwestern (2-1). • BGSU has faced a Big Ten team only one other time in a bowl game when the Falcons topped Northwestern in the 2003 Motor City Bowl, 28-24, which was also played at Ford Field. • BGSU was scheduled to return to Minnesota in 2025, but that game has been moved back to 2028. • Bowling Green is also scheduled to play at Penn State in 2024 and at Ohio State in 2027. The 2027 Ohio State game is a reschedule from the game canceled due to the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.
BG QUICK LANE BOWL NUGGETS
• Bowling Green is the first school to play in consecutive Quick Lane Bowls. Minnesota is making its third appearance in the game, which is more than any other school. • With the 2023 game Bowling Green joins Minnesota as the only other school with multiple appearances in the Quick Lane Bowl. • Bowling Green heads to a bowl game in backto-back years for the first time since going to fourstraight from 2012-15. • This current bowl streak marks the fifth time in program history the Falcons had consecutive bowl streak. • BGSU is 1-2 all-time in bowl games at Ford Field, highlighted by a 28-24 win over Northwestern in the 2003 Motor City Bowl, which is the only other time the Falcons faced a Big Ten foe in a bowl game.
BOWLING GREEN AND VENUES OFF I-75 IN 2023
• With Bowling Green’s appearance in the 2023 Quick Lane Bowl, Ford Field becomes the third-different venue the Falcons will play in this season that can be seen easily from I-75. • BGSU’s Doyt Perry Stadium can be seen prominently on the west side if I-75. On Sept. 30 the Falcons played at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium, which can be seen from I-75 in Atlanta where I-75 and I-85 run together in the Downtown Connector. • Ford Field is just east of I-75 in downtown Detroit and 82 miles north of BGSU’s Doyt Perry Stadium.
BGSU ONE OF NATION’S MOST IMPROVED DEFENSIVE TEAMS IN 2023
• Bowling Green enters Bowl Season No. 29 in the nation in total defense, allowing 329.8 yards per game. That is an improvement from 2022 when they allowed 419.6 yards per game and ranked No. 102 in the nation. • BGSU’s improvement of 89.8 yards per game is the sixth-best improvement in 2023. • BGSU held Liberty, the nation’s No. 5 team in total offense at 498.5 yards per game, to 389 yards of total offense. It is the only time this season Liberty was held under 400 yards of total offense. • BGSU held 11 of its 12 opponents under their season average of offense.
A PROGRAM ON THE RISE
• BGSU is 10-6 in MAC play since the start of the 2022 season. • Only Toledo. Miami (OH) and Ohio have better records in conference play over that period. Miami (OH) is 11-5 during that span. Toledo is 13-3 and Ohio is 13-3. • The previous 16-game MAC window for BGSU was 2-14. • The gains during Scot Loeffler’s tenure started to take root in 2021 and by 2022 Bowling Green was back in a bowl game for the first time since 2015 as the Falcons took part in the Quick Lane Bowl. • Bowling Green became one of four FBS programs in 2022 whose win totals improved 4+ games from 2020 to 2021 and then improved 2+ more games from 2021 to 2022. Joining BGSU on the list were Kansas State, Oregon State and Tennessee. • With seven wins this season, the Falcons are the only program in the nation that improved its wins 4+ games from 2020 to 2021, followed by +2 wins from 2021 to 2022 and then again improved +1 from 2022 to 2023.
MINNESOTA GOPHERS NOTES:
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1 – Minnesota (5-7, 3-6 B1G) makes its 24th all-time bowl appearance on Tuesday, Dec. 26, when it faces Bowling Green (7-5, 5-3 MAC) in the 2023 Quick Lane Bowl. The game will be held at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., at 1 p.m. with ESPN televising and radio coverage provided by KFAN.
2 – The Golden Gophers are 11-12 in their history in bowl games, but they have won six straight bowl contests, including all four appearances under head coach P.J. Fleck (2022 Pinstripe, 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl, 2020 Outback, 2018 Quick Lane). The six-game bowl winning streak is the second longest active streak in the country, excluding national championship game appearances. Only Alabama has a longer streak with eight straight wins. See chart at bottom of page. With four bowl wins, Fleck already has the most in Gophers history, while his five bowl game appearances will rank second to seven for Glen Mason (1997-06).
3 – Minnesota is heading to the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit for the third time in program history. The Golden Gophers are 2-0 all-time in the bowl, previously defeating Central Michigan, 21-14, in 2015 and topping Georgia Tech, 34-10, in 2018. A win would mark the first time Minnesota has won the same bowl game three times in its history. The team has also won twice at the Music City Bowl.
4 – An interception on the final play of the first half against Wisconsin marked the fifth interception of the season for Tyler Nubin and the 13th of his career. The Sporting News First-Team All-American now owns the Minnesota school record outright, breaking a three-way tie he shared with Sean Lumpkin and Jeff Wright at 12. A fifth-year senior, Nubin recorded one interception as a sophomore, three as a junior and four a year ago as a senior. His five picks this year are tied for fourth most in a season at Minnesota, and they are tied for third in the Big Ten and fifth in the FBS. Nubin has a pair of multi-interception games in his career, including earlier this year against Nebraska. The 13 career interceptions are tied with Purdue’s Cam Allen for the most by an active player in the FBS.
5 – The 2023 campaign is the seventh for head coach P.J. Fleck at Minnesota, where his record is 49-34. He is fifth in program history for overall wins, Big Ten wins (29) and games coached (83). Fleck’s .590 win percentage is third best among Minnesota coaches with at least 45 games under their helm behind only Henry L. Williams (.786, 1900-21) and Bernie Bierman (.716, 1932-41, ‘45-50). In his 11th season overall as a college head coach, Fleck is 79-56 (.585).
FACING BOWLING GREEN
• Minnesota and Bowling Green meet for the fifth time in the 2023 Quick Lane Bowl. The teams have split the four previous games. • The bowl game will be the first meeting between the schools at a neutral site and the first time they’ve met in the postseason. Three of the four matchups in the series have come in Minneapolis, with the Falcons winning two of three. The Golden Gophers won the only matchup played at Bowling Green in 2008. • P.J. Fleck is 1-2 all-time against Bowling Green, including an 0-1 mark as head coach at Minnesota. He was 1-1 against the Falcons when he was head coach at Western Michigan. • All-time against schools in the Mid-American Conference, the Golden Gophers are 34-5-1, including a 25-6 win over Eastern Michigan earlier this season on Sept. 9. Minnesota has won nine of its last 10 against MAC schools dating back to 2011 with that one loss coming to Bowling Green in 2021. • The Gophers’ 21-14 victory over Central Michigan in the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl marks the only other time that they’ve played a MAC team in a bowl game. • Two players on Minnesota’s roster hail from the state of Ohio: true freshman OL Phillip Daniels (Cincinnati; Princeton HS) and redshirt sophomore LB Devon Williams (Dublin; Dublin Coffman HS). • Bowling Green has one Minnesotan on its roster in junior guard Bronson Warner, who is from Chaska and attended Eden Prairie High School. • In addition, Falcons junior defensive lineman Ali Saad spent the 2020 season at Minnesota but did not see any game action. • With the game being played in Detroit, the Gophers have two Michigan natives on the roster. Redshirt freshman linebacker Tyler Stolsky is from Portage (Portage Central HS), while true freshman running back Darius Taylor hails from Detroit (Walled Lake Western HS). • Minnesota cornerbacks coach Nick Monroe was the Bowling Green secondary coach from 2010-15. • Gophers running backs coach Nic McKissic-Luke was the Northern Illinois running backs coach from 2020-22, adding the title of run game coordinator in 2021 and special teams coordinator in 2022. Bowling Green defensive pass game coordinator Derrick Jackson was the Huskies’ associate head coach, defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 2019-22. • Bowling Green enters the game with a 7-5 record overall, including a 5-3 record in the Mid-American Conference, which was good for a third-place finish in the MAC East. A 27-0 loss to Miami (OH) on Oct. 7 dropped the Falcons to 2-4 on the year, but they finished out by winning five of their final six contests. u Minnesota and Bowling Green had one common opponent this season in Michigan. The Gophers fell to the Wolverines, 52-10, on Oct. 7, while the Falcons were defeated 31-6 on Sept. 16. • Connor Bazelak is Bowling Green’s starting quarterback, completing 148-of-242 passes for 1,709 yards with 11 touchdown passes and seven interceptions for a quarterback rating of 129.7. Bazelak, who missed two games (Michigan and Buffalo) this season due to injury, is third in the MAC in pass efficiency, yards per completion (11.55) and yards per attempt (7.06). • Bazelak has spread the ball around as four receivers have at least 28 catches and 294 receiving yards. Ta’ron Keith leads the team with 44 receptions, while Harold Fannin Jr. is first among BG players with 573 receiving yards, 57.3 yards per game and six touchdowns. Fannin Jr. is second in the MAC in touchdown catches and third in receiving yards per game. • Terion Stewart is Bowling Green’s top rusher at 762 yards and eight touchdowns on 125 attempts. He’s third in the MAC and 26th nationally with his 6.10 yards per carry. u Darren Anders has a team-leading 83 tackles on the year, and he’s tied with Cashius Howell for most tackles for loss on the team at 10.5. Howell’s 9.5 sacks this season are tied for the most in the MAC and tied for 13th in the FBS. • Jalen Huskey and Jordan Oladokun each have four interceptions on the season to pace the Falcons and tie for second in the MAC, and they’re each tied with Davon Ferguson with a team-best six pass breakups. • Jackson Kleather is averaging 39.5 yards per punt. Alan Anaya is 12-of-17 on field goals this year. Jhaylin Embry’s 6.5 yards per punt return is second in the MAC
LAST TIME VS. THE FALCONS
• With assistance from the AP: Quarterback Matt McDonald ran for a pair of scores, and two late interceptions by the Bowling Green defense sealed the win as the Falcons defeated Minnesota, 14-10, to spoil Minnesota’s 2021 Homecoming Game. • The loss snapped Minnesota’s streak of 21 straight non-conference wins, the longest streak in the country entering the game. The Gophers’ last non-conference loss was Sept. 3, 2015 against TCU. It also marked Minnesota’s first loss to a non-Power 5 conference opponent since losing to North Dakota State on Sept. 24, 2011. • The Gophers had the ball with a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, but quarterback Tanner Morgan lofted a deep interception into the hands of Devin Taylor with 2:13 remaining. Morgan threw another pick with 17 seconds remaining. Morgan was 5-of-13 for 59 yards. • Minnesota’s lone touchdown came on a 19-yard scramble by backup quarterback Cole Kramer. Trey Potts, meanwhile, rushed for 141 yards on 27 carries. • Defensively, Mariano Sori-Marin led Minnesota with eight tackles and recorded the first interception of his career, while the Gophers had 6.0 tackles for loss, including 4.0 sacks, and seven pass breakups.
NOTABLE WINS VS. BG
• Sept. 6, 2008: Minnesota converted four second-half Bowling Green turnovers, including three fumbles, into touchdowns turning a close game into a decisive victory as the Golden Gophers won 42-17 win at Doyt Perry Stadium.
• Sept. 13, 1986: Darrell Thompson made his Minnesota debut as he ran for 205 yards and tied a school record by rushing for four touchdowns, all in the second half, in a 31-7 Minnesota victory.
LAST BOWL: 2022 BAD BOY MOWERS PINSTRIPE BOWL
• With assistance from the AP: Mohamed Ibrahim rushed for 71 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown and became Minnesota’s all-time rushing leader in the Golden Gophers’ 28-20 win over Syracuse in the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.
TUESDAY FOOTBALL
• This year’s bowl game will mark just the ninth time in program history that the Gophers will play on a Tuesday.
• Minnesota is 7-1 all-time in program history on Tuesdays, though they’ve only played on that day twice since 1902. Minnesota has a .661 winning percentage in its history when playing on days other than Saturday, going 58-29-3 all-time.
