BG’s Gates still the same (08-23-12)

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Jerry ‘BooBoo’ Gates on the return for BG last
season. (Photo: Enoch Wu/Sentinel-Tribune)

A position change has not changed Jerry ‘BooBoo’ Gates’ approach to the game.
A junior, Gates has moved from rover to safety for Bowling Green this season.
"As a safety. you can kind of funnel the ball to that position a little bit more
than the rover," BG head coach Dave Clawson said. "The nature of our
defense is that we ask our safeties to be very involved in the run fits and we
ask them to do things in coverage.
"It’s a little bit more demanding from a mental standpoint. ‘BooBoo’ is now in
his third year … We’re very confident that he’s ready to do that,"
Clawson added.
Gates, 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, was second on the team with 73 tackles a year ago and
led the Falcons with two interceptions.
The position change required an adjustment period for Gates, but he is comfortable
now as BG prepares for the season opener at Florida on Sept. 1.
"I had to get my head together, get my movements back together," Gates
said. "Getting used to the back pedal when I first moved back there felt
awkward to me… I worked on it this summer. I can read the line from 20 yards
back like I did at rover, so I can kind of see if it’s run-first or pass-first.

I love it now. I have the feel for it," he added. "I’m looking forward to
see what I can do when we go down to Gainesville."
Although he’s lined up further from the ball, he’s still a hard-hitter for BG’s
defense.
"I can get a little more blast (from safety). I can bring this 215 (pounds) down
on somebody," Gates said.

Jerry ‘BooBoo’ Gates

Gates has also been a force on special teams, both in coverage and as a return man in
his two years with the Falcons.
Gates returned 38 kickoffs for 981 yards (25.8-yard average) in 2011.
Gates was second in the Mid-American Conference and set a BG single-season record for
return yardage. He was a second-team all-conference selection as a kickoff
return specialist. He has returned a kickoff for a touchdown in each of his
first two seasons.
This season, due to an NCAA rule change, teams will kick off from the 35-yard line
instead of the 30-yard line, which means more kickoffs could go into the end
zone. The change was made after NCAA data showed that injuries during kickoffs
occur more often than in other phases of the game.
With the change, Gates said he is going to have to be more selective when deciding to
return a kickoff from the end zone. If a kickoff is downed in the end zone, the
offense will get the ball at the 25-yard line, instead of the 20 as in previous
years.
"I’m still going to be aggressive, but I’ve got to be smart," Gates said.
"If I have a chance to be aggressive and make a play, I’m going to be
aggressive."

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