The reverberations from one of Bowling Green’s biggest upsets ever are just beginning. One of the first to bask in the afterglow of the Falcons’ stunning 43-42 come-from-behind win at Northwestern Saturday is sophomore quarterback Josh Harris, who was named ESPN.com’s National Player of the Week yesterday.
Harris was involved in all six BG touchdowns. He threw three on passes of 20, eight and five yards, ran for two, and caught one. He is the first NCAA player to throw, run for and catch a touchdown in one game this season. Harris’ 498 yards of total offense was the second-most in MAC history and became just the second passer in BG history to throw for 400 yards in a single game with 402.
Harris was also named the MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week.
In addition, junior linebacker Chris Haneline was named the MAC East Division Defensive player of the week. Haneline made several key plays Saturday, including forcing a Northwestern fumble on the one-yard line that probably prevented the Wildcats from scoring a touchdown that would have put them up 21-7 in the third quarter. Haneline also had a career-high 18 tackles.
Toledo
Never in recent history has the annual game between BG and Toledo carried so much weight. The Falcons stand at 7-3, 4-3 in the MAC, with one game to play. They must beat Toledo and get help from Marshall and Miami losses to keep their outside shot at winning their first bowl bid in nine years alive. According to unofficial sources, scouts from the Tangerine and Silicon Valley Bowls are expected to be in attendance for Friday’s 7 p.m. kickoff at Doyt Perry Stadium.
The Rockets stand at 8-1, 5-1 in the MAC and have already accepted an invitation to the Motor City Bowl Dec. 29 in Pontiac, Mich. They are coming off a 28-7 win over Eastern Michigan Saturday that earned them a share of the MAC West Division title and clinched them homefield advantage in the MAC championship game, Nov. 30 against East Division champion Marshall.
Toledo’s flagship player is, and has been for several years, senior running back Chester Taylor. Taylor rushed for two touchdowns on runs of 43 and seven yards and passed for another against Eastern Michigan. With 106 yards on 26 carries, Taylor moved into second place on the school’s all-time rushing list with 4, 389 yards. Saturday was the sixth 100-yard rushing game for Taylor this season and the 23rd of his career.
BG has been getting a lot of accolades for their nationally-ranked rushing defense all season, but Toledo proved they can stop the run as well. Saturday, they held Eastern Michigan to just 18 yards on the ground and 166 yards of total offense.
“I see the most talented team in the conference,” BG coach Urban Meyer said of Toledo. “I see a great running back (in Taylor) that we will not be successful on defense unless we stop him.”
If the Falcons need any more incentive to get ready for this game, there’s always the 51-17 pasting the Rockets laid on them last year in the Glass Bowl on national television.
Seniors
Friday will likely be the last game for 13 Falcon seniors. Receivers Cleon Ghant, Kurt Gerling and David Bautista, running backs John Gibson and Eric Miscuda, offensive linemen Malcolm Robinson and Mike Bodnar, defensive linemen Brandon Hicks, Ryan Wingrove and Chris Glantzis, linebacker Khary Campbell and defensive back Karl Rose will all play their last game at Doyt against Toledo. Meyer has relied heavily on the leadership of his seniors to perform one of the biggest turnarounds in college football this year. He said he has developed great relationships with them.
“It’s hard to develop relationships with people unless you go through experiences with them,” he said. “Being in the locker room after games like Marshall, Miami and Missouri, you start to develop a sense of trust in each other and understand one another.”
