2006 Bowling Green Falcons Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
Nov. 21
Toledo 31 ... Bowling Green 21
Toledo jumped out to an early 21-0 lead on short touchdown
runs from Jalen Parmele and Aaron Opelt along with a 31-yard Barry
Church interception return for a touchdown, and then held on as Bowling
Green got three Anthony Turner touchdown passes with two to Ken
Brantley. The Falcons only had the ball once more after a nine-yard
Brantley scoring catch and turned it over on downs. The Rockets started
off the scoring in the second half on a one-yard Opelt run. Player of the game ... Toledo RB Jalen Parmele ran 20
times for 124 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: Bowling Green- Passing:
Anthony Turner, 21-35, 213 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Dan Macon, 6-31. Receiving:
Corey Partridge, 14-161 ,1 TD Toledo - Passing: Clint Cochran, 5-6, 63
yds
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 20-124, 1 TD. Receiving:
Nick Moore, 2-42 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... While
Bowling Green lost to Toledo to close out the season on an ugly
five-game losing streak, there was a major positive to come out of the
game: Anthony Turner had to throw. Having to abandoned the ground game
after getting down 28-7, the Falcons had to start chucking the ball
giving Turner, who's far more polished running than passing, more reps
throwing it before getting into the off-season.
Nov. 15
Miami University 9 ... Bowling Green 7
Bowling Green's Sean Ellis missed a 25-yard field goal with 35
seconds to play to let Miami hang on for the win. The Falcons had a 7-0
lead in the first half on a 31-yard Anthony Turner run. MU came up with
all the scoring in the second half with a 27-yard Trevor Cook field goal
and a 28-yard Dustin Woods touchdown catch, but the extra point was
blocked. The two teams combined for five sacks.
Player of the game ...
Miami WR Ryne Robinson caught nine passes for 86 yards
Stat Leaders: Bowling Green - Passing: Anthony Turner, 13-24,
131 yds Rushing: Anthony Turner, 18-91, 1 TD Receiving: Corey
Partridge, 5-77 Miami - Passing: Mike Kokal, 12-24, 130 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Austin Sykes, 13-41 Receiving: Ryne Robinson, 9-86 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
disappointing season keeps taking turns downward with the missed field
goal to lose to Miami just another way the team has lost a tough game.
Now that the chance of a .500 season is gone, the young team has to find
a way to get up for a road trip to Toledo to avoid closing out with a
five-game losing streak. The Falcons can't win if they don't run for 200
yards and far more effectively than they did against the RedHawks.
Nov. 4
Bowling Green 35 ... Akron 28
Dennis Kennedy ran for two touchdowns in the third quarter and
Luke Getsy hooked up with David Harvey for two first half touchdown
passes on the way to the Akron win. Bowling Green hung around on three
Anthony Turner touchdown runs and a seven-yard touchdown pass to Pete
Winovich, but a 21-point second half Zip run was too much to overcome.
BGSU had one final shot after the final Turner touchdown run recovering
the onside kick and driving down to the Akron 14, but Kiki Gonzalez
sacked Turner on fourth down to preserve the win. Player of the game
...
Akron RB Dennis Kennedy ran 24 times for 178 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Bowling Green- Passing: Anthony
Turner, 20-36, 192 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Anthony Turner, 22-105, 3 TD Receiving:
Corey Partridge, 10-107 Akron - Passing: Luke Getsy, 17-25, 248 yds, 2 TD,
1 INT
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 24-178, 2 TD Receiving: David
Harvey, 5-87, 2 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Anthony Turner had a magnificent game both on the ground and in the air
against Akron, but penalties and the defense's inability to slow down
the balanced Zip offense were big problems. Turner carried too much of
the offense by himself with Chris Bullock only getting 12 carries, but
Turner was hot. If Turner can play this well next week against Miami
University, the Falcons will come up with the win with a chance at a
six-win season at Toledo.
Oct. 28
Temple 28 ... Bowling Green 14
Temple broke its 20-game losing streak by shocking Bowling
Green with two Adam DiMichele touchdown passes and answered a Falcon
comeback attempt with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from
Travis Shelton. Shelton also caught a 43-yard touchdown pass in the
first quarter to answer the first of two Chris Bullock touchdown runs.
Bullock tore off a 30-yard scoring run and ran for a one-yard score, but
the Falcons couldn't respond after the Shelton score. Player of the game
...
Temple WR Travis Shelton had two receptions for 49 yards and a
touchdown, three kick returns for 157 yards and another score and one
carry for 16 yards. Stat Leaders: Bowling Green- Passing: Tyler
Sheehan, 12-20, 95 yds, 2 INTs Rushing: Chris Bullock, 29-182, 2 TDs Receiving: Ken
Brantley, 6-59 Temple - Passing: Adam DiMichele, 10-13, 162 yds, 2
TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing: Tim Brown, 21-104 Receiving: Tim Brown, 3-37 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
How does Bowling Green possibly lose to
Temple when it runs for 267 rushing yards? Chris Bullock ran extremely
well, but giving up three turnovers, a blocked punt and Temple's big
kickoff return for a touchdown were too much to overcome for a team
without a passing game. Now the team has to pick up the pieces and try
to quickly get back on the winning tack with winnable games against
Akron, Miami University and Toledo to finish up. The quarterback
situation has suddenly become a problem just at the point in the year
when it needs to be settled.
Oct. 19
Central Michigan 31 ... Bowling Green 14
Ontario Sneed tore off a 44-yard run on CMU's first play from
scrimmage and pulled away in the fourth with an 88-yard touchdown catch
from Obed Cetoute and a 15-yard scoring grab from Justin Gardner. The
Falcons were held to 130 rushing yards, but got two Freddie Barnes
touchdown runs in the second quarter. The Chippewa defense got in the
act with a 47-yard interception return for a score from Eric Fraser. Player of the game
... Central
Michigan RB Ontario Sneed ran ten times for 121 yards and a touchdown
and caught five passes for 34 yards Stat Leaders: Central Michigan - Passing: Dan
LeFevour, 15-25, 212 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Ontario Sneed, 10-121, 1 TD Receiving:
Ontario Sneed, 5-34 Bowling Green - Passing: Anthony Turner, 16-29, 187
yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Chris Bullock, 20-91 Receiving: Corey
Partridge, 5-63 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Central
Michigan might be the best team in the MAC, so there's not too much to
be ticked about in the loss, but this proves once and for all that the
Falcons aren't among the league's elite. The running game was held in
check, and Anthony Turner, while solid, wasn't able to carry the day
through the air. One of the MAC's at-large bowl slots is still available
with a layup against Temple next week and winnable games ahead against
Akron, Miami and Toledo. However, forget about a 13th game if the
running game keeps rushing for 130 yards.
Oct. 14
Bowling Green 24 ... Eastern Michigan 21 Chris Bullock scored
on a 15-yard run with 13:13 left in the game and the BGSU defense
allowed just 17 yards in the final quarter as the Falcons posted a 24-21
comeback win.
Eastern Michigan was red-hot in the first half with Eric Deslauriers
catching 79 and 23 yard touchdown passes from Tyler Jones, and Pierre
Walker ran for an 11-yard score to take the lead in the fourth. Freddie
Barnes ran for a four-yard score and Corey Partridge caught a 33-yard
touchdown pass before the defense took over in the fourth quarter. Player of the game
...
Bowling Green RB Chris Bullock ran 16 times for 99 yards and the
go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, while adding four catches for
39 yards. Stat Leaders: Eastern Michigan - Passing: Tyler
Jones, 24-38, 260 yds, 2 TDs, 3 INTs Rushing: Pierre Walker, 10-56, 1 TD Receiving: Eric
Deslauriers, 10-173, 2 TDs Bowling Green - Passing: Anthony Turner, 14-24, 165
yds, 1 TD Rushing: Chris Bullock, 16-99, 1 TD Receiving: Freddie
Barnes, 4-49 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Bowling
Green is going to have to battle for wins all year long, and it's doing
a decent job so far of getting by the teams it's supposed to. Even
though Eastern Michigan hit with a few haymakers early on, the Falcon
defense tightened up in the fourth quarter to come away with the
victory. To beat Central Michigan next week, the team will have to play
better right off the bat. Chris Bullock is turning into a find at
running back giving the offense something steady to rely on.
Oct. 7
Ohio State 35 ... Bowling Green 7
Ohio State got a near-perfect game from Troy Smith and Ted
Ginn's best game of the season, but it took an 11-yard touchdown pass to
Ray Small and a 57-yard touchdown from Ginn in the fourth quarter to
finally put the game away. Bowling Green hung around with a 12-yard
Corey Partridge scoring catch in the third quarter, but there was no
answer for Ginn or Smith. Antonio Pittman ran for two first half scores
for the Buckeyes and Rory Nicol caught a three-yard touchdown pass. Player of the game ... Ohio State WR Ted Ginn caught
ten passes for 122 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: Bowling Green- Passing:
Anthony Turner, 16-24, 179 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Chris Bullock, 21-72. Receiving:
Corey Partridge, 4-49, 1 TD Ohio State - Passing: Troy Smith, 17-20,
191 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Antonio Pittman, 13-61, 2 TD. Receiving:
Ted Ginn, 10-122, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Bowling Green wasn't going to beat Ohio
State, but it still did a good job of mixing up the offense and hanging
around into the fourth quarter. Considering how overmatched the team
was, it help up well bending, but not often breaking, until late.
Anthony Turner had an efficient game throwing the ball, and Chris
Bullock had a second straight strong performance as the main runner. The
more work he can take away from Turner and Freddie Barnes, the better.
Sept. 30
Bowling Green 21 ... Ohio 9
Freddie Barnes scored two touchdowns on a four-yard run in the
first quarter and a one-yard run in the second, but it was the Bowling
Green defense that dominated keeping Ohio to only 54 rushing yards and
forcing three takeaways. Ohio got a 32-yard Matt Lasher field goal and a
23-yard Rudy Sylvan touchdown catch but Bowling Green was always able to
stay one step ahead offensively, and couldn't handle the Falcon pass
rush. Stat Leaders: Bowling Green- Passing: Anthony
Turner, 9-18, 77 yds Rushing: Chris Bullock, 21-114, 1 TD Receiving: Freddie
Barnes, 4-68 Ohio - Passing: Austen Everson, 19-32, 165 yds, 2
INTs
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 16-55 Receiving: Rudy Sylvan, 7-79, 1
TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Where did the defensive performance against
Ohio come from? After getting rolled over all season long, Bowling
Green's defensive line came up with a near-perfect performance keeping
Kalvin McRae in check and getting consistent pressure on QB Austin
Everson. Anthony Turner might not have been great in his return to the
offense, but he didn't make any mistakes and got help from Chris
Bullock, Freddie Barnes and the running game. Now the key will be to not
lose focus after next week's almost-certain loss at Ohio State. BGSU is
back in the MAC race.
Sept. 23
Kent State 38 ... Bowling Green 3
Kent State's defense forced six turnovers with Gary Ham
returning a fumble 36 yards for a touchdown to put an exclamation point
on the blowout. Shawn Bayes tore off a 79-yard run to get the scoring
started for the Golden Flashes, and then Julian Edelman went to work
throwing a five-yard touchdown pass and running for a two-yard score on
the way to a 21-3 halftime lead. Bowling Green was outgained 357 yards
to 282. Player of the game ... Kent State FS Andre Kirkland
made 14 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, forced a fumble, and came
up with 2.5 sacks for loss Stat Leaders: Kent State - Passing:
Julius Edelman, 14-22, 141 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Shawn Bayes, 1-79, 1 TD. Receiving:
Najah Pruden, 5-66 Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan,
8-14, 64 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Bullock, 17-99. Receiving: Ken
Brantley, 3-44 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Was
Anthony Turner the key the team's consistency? With Turner out with a
separated shoulder against Kent State, the offense all fell on the
shoulders, and legs, of Freddie Barnes, and he couldn't come throw being
held to a mere 28 rushing yards and completing only seven of 17 passes
with two interceptions. Worse yet, the run defense once against showed
that it's not nearly close to being a finished product. It's getting
rumbled over by everyone and should have a nightmare of a time against
Ohio next week.
Sept. 16
Bowling Green 33 ... FIU 28
Jerett Sanderson picked off two passes, including a last-gasp
attempt by FIU into the end zone, and scored on a nine-yard fumble
recovery, while Freddie Barnes scored twice as Bowling Green rolled up
403 yards in the tough win. The Falcons got ahead for good early in the
fourth on a seven-yard run from Barnes, but FIU's Julian Reams kept the
game alive with his second touchdown run. The Golden Panthers got a
98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Lionel Singleton along with a
80-yard A'Mod Ned touchdown run. Player of the game ... Bowling Green QB Anthony Turner
completed 16 of 23 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns with an
interception and ran 23 times for 127 yards and a score. Stat Leaders: FIU- Passing: Josh Padrick,
14-23, 145 yds, 3 INT Rushing: Amod Ned, 16-169, 1 TD. Receiving:
Samuel Smith, 4-43 Bowling Green - Passing: Anthony Turner,
12-22, 185 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Freddie Barnes, 16-70, 1 TD. Receiving: C.
Partridge, 5-79 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
Bowling Green defense needs help, and lots of it. If it got rolled on by
Buffalo and FIU, it's going to have major issues down the road with the
good MAC teams coming up. Fortunately, the schedule still has some
cupcakes ahead with teams like Kent State, Eastern Michigan and Temple
ahead over the next six weeks. To be fair, FIU got a few big plays and
wasn't consistently moving the ball on the Falcons, and Jerret Sanderson
and the D did have some stops, but it has to be better to beat teams
like Ohio and Central Michigan.
Sept. 9
Bowling Green 48 ... Buffalo 40 3OT
Bowling Green took the lead in the third overtime on a
seven-yard touchdown pass to Ruben Ruiz, and then the D held as Jacob
Hardwick forced a fumble to seal the win. The Falcons outgained the
Bulls 570 yards to 243 and 356 to 105 on the ground, but UB stayed alive
every way possible with a kickoff return for a score from Naam
Roosevelt, a blocked punt return for touchdown, and a 13-yard Drew Willy
touchdown run. Bowling Green forced overtime with 1:30 to play on a
17-yard touchdown catch from Ruiz, and then scored first on a 13-yard
run from Freddie Barnes. Steven King answered with a one-yard touchdown
run, and then UB took the lead in the second overtime on a one-yard
Jared Patterson score. The Falcons needed one play to tie it on a
25-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Jones. Player of the game ... Bowling Green QB Anthony Turner
completed 16 of 23 passes fro 204 yards and three touchdowns with an
interception and ran 23 times for 127 yards and a score. Stat Leaders: Buffalo- Passing: Drew
Willy, 21-32, 138 yds Rushing: Steven King, 21-55, 1 TD. Receiving:
Brett Hamlin, 6-40 Bowling Green - Passing: Anthony Turner,
16-23, 204 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Turner, 23-127 1 TD. Receiving:
Ruben Ruiz, 4-62, 2 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... In an
interesting move, Freddie Barnes became a devastating running back as
well as a part-time quarterback, while Anthony Turner, as the main man
under center, did a little bit of everything well to beat Buffalo in the
triple-overtime thriller. Now the Falcons have two weapons to contend
with, along with a strong go-to receiver in Ruben Ruiz. The special
teams have to be better after giving up blocked punts for scores two
weeks in a row. Against FIU and Kent State, the team will have time to
work.
Sept. 2
Wisconsin 35 ... Bowling Green 14
Wisconsin got a blocked punt for a score from Jonathan
Casillas to break a 7-7 tie and then bent, but didn't break on defense the rest
of the way only allowing a two-yard Freddie Barnes scoring run in the third
quarter. The Badgers scored 14 unanswered points with John Stocco throwing a
four-yard touchdown pass to Bill Rentmeester and P.J. Hill rumbling for a
ten-yard touchdown. Barnes gave the Badgers fits running for 158 yard, but he
failed to get the passing game going. Player of the game ... Wisconsin LB Mark Zalewski made
a career-high 14 tackles. . Stat Leaders: Wisconsin- Passing: John
Stocco, 9-15, 124 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: P.J. Hill, 22-130, 1 TD. Receiving:
Travis Beckum, 3-49 Bowling Green - Passing: Freddie Barnes,
12-19, 82 yds
Rushing: Freddie Barnes, 29-158, 2 TD. Receiving:
Ruben Ruiz, 3-20 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Bowling
Green was able to hang around with Wisconsin with Freddie Barnes,
Freddie Barnes, and Freddie Barnes. Barnes was able to tear off big runs
and keep the Badger D on its heels, but he has to be able to push the
ball down the field more effectively to loosen things up for the running
game. Wisconsin has one of the Big Ten's better defenses, so it'll be
interesting to see if the passing game can be more effective over the
next few weeks. With Buffalo, FIU, Kent State and Ohio ahead, the
Falcons will have better chances to make the offense look like the
Bowling Green offense again.
Bowling Green is coming off its most successful five year stint
in school history with plenty of national attention and a couple of
bowl appearances, but for all the fireworks, big offensive numbers,
and victories, there haven't been MAC titles making last year's 6-5
campaign a tremendous disappointment.
The 2005 team was supposed to be the one that took the program
to another level with Omar Jacobs leading an offense that was
supposed to be among the best in the nation, but the running game
never got going, Jacobs got hurt midway through the year, and now
the team is almost starting from scratch even with 11 starters
returning on both sides of the ball.
Gregg
Brandon and his coaching staff are among the MAC's best and will always
get the team playing at a solid level, but this season could be a step
back to take a big leap forward with only six seniors and all the
biggest spots filled with exciting young players.
The most scrutiny will be at quarterback, where Anthony Turner is the
next in line after Jacobs and the ultra-productive Josh Harris. He got
his feet wet in three starts last season, but he lost two big games
against Western Michigan and Akron that effectively killed the season. A
sophomore, he'll have to play like a veteran with a nearly-new receiving
corps to throw to and a brand, spanking new backfield to work with.
The defense was a bigger disappointment last year with no run defense
and not nearly enough pressure generated from the front seven. That
should change in an effort to get quicker up front moving Brad Williams
from end to tackle to make room for Diyral Briggs and a slew of redshirt
freshmen to help out Devon Parks. The back seven will be a work in
progress, but the secondary should eventually be a strength.
Even with all the question marks and all the huge holes to fill, Bowling
Green can still surprise and get to the MAC title game because of the
division. There's Akron and Miami in the East, but Buffalo, Kent State
and Ohio make it the weaker of the two divisions. If the team can grow
up in a hurry, the future might be now.
The
Schedule: It's almost perfect for a young team. Forget about
upsetting Wisconsin in the opener, games against Buffalo, at FIU, Kent
State, and Ohio provide three good opportunities to tune up for the rest
of the way. Getting Eastern Michigan from the West is a big break, but
then things take a dramatic turn with four road games in the final five
finishing up at Akron, at home against Miami University, and at Toledo
in a three-game make-or-break-stretch run for the MAC title game.
There's a road game at Temple, but there's also a trip to Ohio State.
Best
Offensive Player:
Junior C Kory Lichtensteiger. Able to play center or guard, the
two-time, Second Team All-MAC performer will move inside where he'll be
the big anchor of the line. He's 6-3, 305 pounds, and very strong in all
phases. If he's not the league's best offensive lineman, he's on the
short list.
Best
Defensive Player:
Senior DE Devon Parks. A great tackling end, Parks should be a better
pass rusher now that he has three years of experience. He's not always
flashy, but he's a steady pass rusher and can be a disruptive force for
stretches.
Key player
to a successful season: Sophomore QB Anthony Turner. More of a
runner than Omar Jacobs, he'll allow the coaching staff to use the
entire playbook this season. With so many new starters at running back
and so many new receivers, Turner has to be sharper than he was when he
got a few chances to start as a freshman.
The season
will be a success if ... Bowling Green wins the East. Why shoot any lower? The schedule
works out well with the division's best team, Miami, coming to Perry
Stadium. The possibility of a ten-win regular season is there with the only
likely losses coming to Wisconsin and Ohio State and the
biggest MAC games coming at the end of the year when the team will be as
jelled as it's going to be.
Key game:
Nov. 15 vs. Miami University. Akron might be the disrespected MAC
champions, but the RedHawks are the better team and will be the main
obstacle to getting to the conference title game. The winner of this
nationally televised contest will likely have the East.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Punt return average: Bowling Green, 13 yards per return - Opponents
2.6 yards per return
- Penalties: Opponents 72 for 652 yards - Bowling Green 60 for 526 yards
- Field goals: Opponents 6 of 9 - Bowling Green 5 of 9
The Last Time Bowling
Green…
…played in a bowl game…2004 (GMAC Bowl vs. Memphis)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2004 (Western Michigan)
…was shutout…1998 (Missouri)
…scored 50 points…2005 (Temple)
…went undefeated…1959
…won a conference title…1992 (MAC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2004 (Omar Jacobs)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2004 (P.J. Pope)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2005 (Charles Sharon)
…had a first-round draft choice…1961 (RB Bernie Casey)
