Saturday, Oct. 12 | 3:30 p.m. | Doyt Perry Stadium | Bowling Green, Ohio
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BOWLING GREEN FALCONS (2-3, 1-0 MAC) |
vs. | Northern Illinois HUSKIES (3-2, 0-1 MAC) |
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Falcons Host the Huskies For Kids Day
• Bowling Green State University returns home to host Northern Illinois in MACtion.
• It is the 24th meeting between the Falcons and the Huskies, and the first clash at Doyt Perry Stadium since 2017.
• Saturday is Kids Day. To celebrate, BGSU held a helmet design contest, and the winners were Tegan Friemering (age 13) and Ida Falck (age 12). Ida's design will be worn by the offensive players, and Tegan's design will be on the defensive players.
• The game is also a white out, so fans are encouraged to wear white.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Bowling Green vs. Northern Illinois
• Bowling Green continues Mid-American Conference action on Saturday against Northern Illinois.
• BGSU leads the all-time series with NIU, 12-11. NIU has been in the MAC since 1997, after also being in the league from 1973-85.
• Since 2000, Bowling Green is 2-1 against NIU when the Falcons hold the Huskies to fewer than 300 yards of total offense. NIU's lone win in that stretch was in 2008.
• Since 2000, Bowling Green is 3-4 against NIU when the Falcons accumulate 350+ yards of total offense.
• Since 2000, Bowling Green is 2-1 against NIU when the Falcons win the turnover battle. They are 1-4 when they don't.
Five Top Storylines
• TE Harold Fannin Jr. is on the verge of breaking two BGSU tight end records. He needs four receiving yards to break Mark Dowdell's single-season receiving yards record (1983, 679) and 27 receiving yards to surpass Alex Bayer's career receiving record (1,543).
• Fannin, a three-time reigning MAC offensive POW, ranks No. 1 in the nation among tight ends in receptions (46), receiving yards (675), YAC (396), first downs (31), broken tackles (18), and is second in receiving touchdowns (4). According to Pro Football Focus, Fannin owns the second-highest overall grade in the nation (95.1) behind only Ashton Jeanty (Boise State). He ranks No. 1 for his pass routes grade (95.4) for all receivers. Among all players, he is tied for No. 3 in receptions and No. 4 in receiving yards. Among all receivers, he ranks highly in broken tackles (1), YAC (2), and first downs (3).
• QB Connor Bazelak enters Saturday with 993 career completions, ranking No. 3 among active players (behind Washington State's Will Rogers and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel). He needs seven more completions to become the 41st player in FBS history to reach 1,000 career completions. Bazelak is also one of six active quarterbacks to surpass 10,000 career passing yards.
• OLB Charles Rosser is tied for No. 15 in the nation (No. 1 in the MAC) with 4.5 sacks. He is tied with Suntarine Perkins (Ole Miss) for the nation's lead in sacks by a linebacker.
• Bowling Green has recorded 15 sacks this season. Since the start of the 2022 season, BGSU has accumulated 86 team sacks, ranking 16th in the nation.
Bowling Green vs. NIU
• Bowling Green was nationally ranked and 8-0 when Northern Illinois upset the Falcons in 2002. One year later, the roles were reversed. The Falcons were still ranked, but NIU was the undefeated team when they visited Doyt Perry Stadium on Oct. 25, 2003. In the first-ever visit to a MAC stadium by ESPN's College GameDay, the No. 23 Falcons took down the No. 12 Huskies, 34-18.
• A sellout crowd of 31,007, the second-largest in Doyt Perry Stadium history, witnessed Josh Harris throw for a then-stadium-record 437 yards and total a BGSU-record 527 yards of offense. Those 527 yards were the second-most in a single game in MAC history at the time. He threw for three touchdowns and directed an offense that piled up 634 yards on 93 plays.
• The 2003 meeting is the last time BGSU beat NIU at Doyt Perry Stadium.
• The Falcons stormed to a 14-0 lead after just three minutes and led 24-3 at halftime, behind two Harris touchdown passes and a scoring run by P.J. Pope. BGSU sealed the win in the third quarter with a 55-yard touchdown reception by Charles Sharon, his second score of the game. Sharon caught six passes for 123 yards to lead the team.
• BGSU's defense allowed NIU just 227 yards of total offense and only 62 on the ground, as the Huskies held the ball for just 20:38. Mitch Crossley earned 2.5 sacks, and Janssen Patton picked off three passes, tying the school record. It was Patton's third career game with three interceptions.
• Bowling Green vaulted to 7-1 and 4-0 in the MAC with the win. They ultimately captured the MAC's Western Division, won 11 games, and hosted the MAC Championship game. The team rose as high as 15th in the Associated Press poll and as high as 16th in the BCS standings in 2003.
• Bowling Green defeated NIU in 2013 and 2015 for the MAC Championship at Detroit's Ford Field.
The 2021 Meeting in Dekalb
• There are 20 Falcons on this year's team who played in the 2021 meeting in DeKalb, including safety CJ Brown, who notched seven tackles for the Huskies. Brown, a 2021 first-team All-MAC honoree on NIU's MAC Championship team, transferred to BGSU for the 2024 season.
• ILB Brock Horne had a big day at NIU with 11 tackles.
Bowling Green - NIU connections
• BGSU's secondary coach and defensive pass game coordinator Derrick Jackson coached at NIU from 2019-2022. He served as associate head coach, defensive coordinator, and safeties coach.
• NIU head coach Thomas Hammock started his coaching career as a GA at Wisconsin in 2003-04 when BGSU running backs coach Brian White was the Badgers' offensive coordinator and running backs coach.
• NIU defensive coordinator and safeties coach Nick Benedetto was the DC at Samford in 2021, the lone season BGSU cornerback Jordan Oladokun played for the Bulldogs.
• Bowling Green has five players from the state of Illinois: George Carlson (Woodstock), Jamal Johnson (Frankfort), Trey Johnson (Frankfort), Jaylon Tillman (Plainfield), and Alex Wollschlaeger (Aurora).
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. 7, Fannin is No. 1 in the nation among tight ends in receptions (46) receiving yards (675), first downs (31), YAC (396) and tackles broken (18). He is No. 2 in receiving touchdowns by a tight end with four.
• The 675 receiving yards ranks No. 4 in the nation among all receivers, the 46 receptions are tied for No. 3 among all receivers, the 396 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 95.1 and No. 1 among all receivers with a grade of 95.4 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 7 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. 4 in the nation with 24 receptions that have gone for 10+ yards. The next closest tight end has 17. Fannin is No. 2 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 three. Fannin is also No. 6 in the nation with four receptions of 40+ yards and No. 3 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 1,517 receiving yards, 11 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.
Bazelak Thriving in the BGSU Offense
• QB Connor Bazelak leads the MAC with 1,243 passing yards and 248.6 passing yards per game. He ranks No. 42 and No. 36 nationally, respectfully.
• He is tied for No. 3 in the nation in passes of 60+ yards. He has three, all of which have gone to Harold Fannin Jr.
• Bazelak is also No. 20 in the nation in compleitons per game (22.20), No. 25 in the nation in completion percentage (68.1).
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.
- Bowling Green Hosts Kent State on Saturday For Family Weekend