Saturday, Oct. 19 | 3:30 p.m. | Doyt Perry Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
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BOWLING GREEN FALCONS (2-4, 1-1 MAC) |
vs. | Kent State GOLDEN FLASHES (0-6, 0-2 MAC) |
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BGSU Hosts Kent State on Family Weekend
• Bowling Green State University continues its homestand, welcoming Kent State to Doyt Perry Stadium.
• It is Family Weekend and Senior Day.
• BGSU President Rodney K. Rogers is hosting a Family Weekend Tailgate prior to the game at Falcon Tailgate Park. Please click here for more information.
• The game kicks at 3:30 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
Bowling Green vs. Kent State
• Bowling Green and Kent State will meet at Doyt Perry Stadium on a Saturday for the first time since 2012. The last five meetings in Bowling Green occurred on Tuesday or Wednesday nights.
• Only three of the last seven meetings between the teams have taken place on a Saturday.
• Bowling Green's 49-19 win at Kent State last year snapped a five-game losing streak to the Golden Flashes, which was Kent State's longest winning streak in the series.
• Saturday marks the 92nd all-time meeting between Bowling Green and Kent State. BGSU has faced no opponent more frequently than the Golden Flashes.
Five Top Storylines
• TE Harold Fannin Jr. is on the verge of breaking his sixth BGSU tight end record. He needs just one receiving yards to surpass Alex Bayer's career receiving record (1,543 yards, 2010-13) for a tight end. Bayer is currently Fannin's position coach.
• Fannin, a three-time MAC Offensive Player of the Week, leads all tight ends nationally in receptions (50), receiving yards (702), yards after catch (406), first downs (33), broken tackles (18), and is tied for first in receiving touchdowns (5). According to Pro Football Focus, Fannin has the second-highest overall grade in the nation (95.0), trailing only Ashton Jeanty (Boise State). He also ranks No. 1 for pass routes grade (95.1) among all receivers. Among all players, Fannin is No. 4 in receptions and No. 5 in receiving yards, while ranking highly in broken tackles (1st), yards after catch (2nd), and first downs (4th).
• QB Connor Bazelak became the 41st player in FBS history to complete 1,000 career passes, reaching the milestone against NIU. He currently ranks No. 3 among active players, behind Washington State's Will Rogers and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel. Bazelak is also one of six active quarterbacks to surpass 10,000 career passing yards.
• OLB Charles Rosser is tied for 20th in the nation (and tied for No. 1 in the MAC) with 4.5 sacks. He is tied with Suntarine Perkins (Ole Miss) for second nationally in sacks by a linebacker. Penn State's Kydran Jenkins leads with 5.0 sacks.
• Bowling Green has recorded 17 sacks this season. Since the start of the 2022 season, BGSU has accumulated 88 team sacks, ranking 16th nationally and first in the MAC.
Bowling Green vs. Kent State
• Saturday marks the 92nd all-time meeting between Bowling Green and Kent State, with BGSU leading the series 61-24-6.
• Last year, BGSU snapped Kent State's five-game winning streak in the series, which was the Golden Flashes' longest in the rivalry.
• Bowling Green and Kent State will compete for the annual Anniversary Award, a traveling trophy awarded to the winner of this matchup. Established in 1985 by the alumni departments of both schools, the Anniversary Award commemorates the founding of BGSU and KSU in 1910 due to the Lowry Bill. The trophy was first presented in 1985 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of each institution. Overall, the rivalry has been lopsided, with Bowling Green winning 26 of the 36 meetings since the award's inception.
• Bowling Green has not defeated Kent State at Doyt Perry Stadium since a 42-7 victory in 2016.
When it comes to Fannin, The Numbers Don't Lie
• TE Harold Fannin Jr. has started the 2024 season at an elite level.
• Heading into Week No. 8, Fannin is No. 1 in the nation among tight ends in receptions (50) receiving yards (701), first downs (33), YAC (406) and tackles broken (18). He is tied for No. 1 in receiving touchdowns by a tight end with five.
• The 701 receiving yards ranks No. 5 in the nation among all receivers, the 50 receptions are tied for No. 5 among all receivers, the 406 YAC is No. 2 among all receivers and the 18 broken tackles are No. 1 among all receivers.
• Per Pro Football Focus, Fannin has the No. 2 overall grade in FBS at 95.0 and No. 1 among all receivers with a grade of 95.1 for pass routes. Only Ashton Jeanty from Boise State (96.2) has a better overall grade. Heading into week No. 5 Fannin was tops in the nation at 95.2.
• Entering Week 8 of the College Football Season, Fannin's days at then-No. 8 Penn State (137) and then-No. 25 Texas A&M (145) are still the most receiving yards those teams have allowed in 2024 to an opponent.
• Fannin has recorded four games of 100+ receiving yards this year and has five for his career. Fannin owns five of the eight all-time BGSU games where a tight end has 100+ receiving yards.
• Fannin is is No. 1 in the nation with three receptions of 60+ yards. He is No. 7 in the nation with 26 receptions that have gone for 10+ yards. The next closest tight end has 23. Fannin is No. 3 in the nation with 11 receptions that have gone for 20+ yards. Fannin is No. 2 in the country with eight receptions that have gone 30+ yards. The next closest tight end has four. Fannin is also No. 7 in the nation with four receptions of 40+ yards and No. 4 in the nation with three receptions of 50+ yards.
It Is a Small Club and Fannin is Part of It
• Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. has 1,543 receiving yards, 12 receiving touchdowns, and five rushing touchdowns. He is one of only four FBS tight ends, in records dating back to 1956, to accumulate 1,500+ receiving yards, 11+ receiving touchdowns, and 5+ rushing touchdowns over a career.
• He joins two-time John Mackey Award winner Brock Bowers (Georgia), Jaylen Samuels (NC State), and Brant Kuithe (Utah).
• Kuithe is still active with Utah but has played parts of six seasons dating back to 2018. He has also played twice as many games as Fannin (56 to 28).
• If Fannin rushes for one more career touchdown, only Samuels (28) will have more in this quartet.
Punt Return Defense
• BGSU is tied for No. 6 in punt return yards allowed with five.
• Punter John Henderson is No. 19 in the nation in net punting at 42.3 yards per punt.
BGSU is Blocking Kicks
• BGSU is tied for No. 9 in the nation with two blocked kicks. BGSU blocked a punt at Texas A&M and a field goal against NIU.
• Trey Johnson got the punt at Texas A&M and Ali Saad blocked the field goal against NIU.
Latest Football News
- Fannin Named Mackey Award Player of the Week For Third Time This SeasonBOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. has earned John Mackey Award Player of the Week accolades for the second week in a row for games played through Sept. 29. It is the second career Mackey weekly award for Fannin. He also was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday for the second-straight week. The John Mackey Award is a postseason award given to the nation's top tight end.
- Falcons and Rockets Clash on Saturday in the Battle of I-75
- Falcons Shut Down the Flashes, 27-6The Bowling Green State University football team took on the Kent State Golden Flashes on Saturday (Oct. 19) in front of 20,850 fans at Doyt Perry Stadium. A beautiful day in Bowling Green was only made better by a 27-6 victory for the Falcons, pushing BGSU to 3-4 on the season and 2-1 within the Mid-American Conference. Bowling Green will now shift their attention to the Battle of I-75 next weekend in Toledo.
- At the Game: Kent StateBOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Bowling Green football team hosts Kent State this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Doyt L. Perry Stadium for Kids Day.
- Fannin Named to the Sporting News Midseason All-America TeamBOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Bowling Green State University tight end Harold Fannin Jr. has been named a Midseason All-American by the Sporting News, as announced by the outlet today (Oct. 18). He is one of two players from the MAC and one of nine student-athletes from a "Group of 5" league on the list.
- The Falcons Nest Coaches Show with Todd Walker Returns Tonight with Scot Loeffler, Fred Chmiel and Todd SimonBOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The weekly "Falcons Nest Coaches Show" radio program, presented by Fricker's, returns Monday night on Falcon Sports Radio Network stations. Bowling Green head football head coach Scot Loeffler and women's basketball head coach Fred Chmiel and men's basketball head coach Todd Simon will join the "Voice of the Falcons" Todd Walker from 6-7 p.m. at the Bowling Green Fricker's. Coach Loeffler will kick off the show at 6 p.m.