BOWLING GREEN AT KENT STATE
PREGAME: Ziggy Zoomba’s Countdown to Kickoff starts at 1 p.m. tonight.
KICKOFF: Erik Bell and Chad McNeal will be on the call starting at kickoff at 2 p.m.
POST GAME: The sports talk show “On The Line” will follow the game at 7 p.m.
At last, Bowling Green is up against a team with a player who has gotten as much attention as its own quarterback, Josh Harris, and in a strange coincidence, the other guy’s name is Josh, too.
As the 7-0 Falcons travel to Kent State University tomorrow, all eyes will be on the presence of Kent quarterback Josh Cribbs, a dynamic player who at times has led the nation in rushing thus far in the young season.
Unfortunately for Kent, Cribbs has been battling a hamstring injury in the past weeks, and will likely split time with sophomore Darryl Polk, if he plays at all.
BG Coach Urban Meyer said this week that the Falcons are preparing for Cribbs at 100 percent, and considering him to be faster than he’s ever been.
“The key to this game is Josh Cribbs,” Meyer said. “He’s a dynamic runner; he’s a fantastic player. He’s been struggling throwing the ball a bit this year, but I think he’ll continue to improve. He’s got a great release, a fluid motion, he’s just a fantastic talent. The key is going to be is Josh Cribbs; we have to tackle him, and find ways to get the ball out of his hands.”
Meyer noted that the Falcons’ scout team’s preparation this week will be key for his team to prepare for Cribbs’ and Kent’s style of play.
“We have a young man named Van Johnson,” Meyer said. “He will run the scout team this week, and I’ve already met with him. I think he’s as important as Josh Harris this week. The minute you don’t leverage the ball like Marshall didn’t do, when you don’t pursue the ball, contain the ball, he’s gone. He’s a fantastic player.”
In addition to Cribbs’ talent, a quick glance at the Flashes’ schedule may leave you a bit puzzled. The Flashes took on Ohio State in Columbus, and then played Miami of Ohio and Northern Illinois — two teams at or near the top of their divisions — to within a touchdown. But, Kent then was drilled by Marshall 42-21, and followed that debacle with a 50-0 loss to Ohio.
The Flashes eked out a 16-12 win over Buffalo last week. BG, on the other hand, enters the game at the opposite end of the spectrum, having won 10 straight games dating to last season, and are ranked Nos. 18 and 21 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll and the Associated Press poll, respectively.
After holding Ball State’s All-MAC tailback marcus Merriweather to a very average performance — Merriweather gained 139 yards on 29 carries, but 51 came on one carry.
“The defense finally started to look like the Bowling Green defense [against Ball State],” Meyer said. “They created turnovers, tackling the ball, hitting people, and paying beter pass defense.
Our problem has been that the defensive front is still banged up. … I don’t know if we can play four down linemen anymore.
“I anticipate you’ll see much better defense as it grows,” Meyer said. “All of our guys who have been injured are now getting healthy, and there’s a lot of guys who have never played before now have experience.”
BG’s Josh Harris will be 100 percent for this week’s contest according to Meyer, after suffering from an MCL injury in his right knee the past weeks. Harris continues to lead the nation in points responsible for and scoring per game, while leading the Falcons’ offense to the highest scoring average in the nation.
The Kent game will kick off a stretch that will see BG take to the road for four of their final five games of the season. Saturday’s kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Kent’s Dix Stadium.
