BGSU football notebook: Answer is the same, Johnson is BG’s quarterback (9-10-13)

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The question keeps being asked, but the answer is the same — Matt Johnson is the starting
quarterback for the Bowling Green Falcons.Johnson made his first career start last Saturday in a key
early-season Mid-American Conference game at Kent State.He’ll be behind center this week when the Falcons,
2-0, play at Indiana, 1-1. It is the first meeting between IU and BG.Johnson was 19-of-25 for 357 yards,
with touchdown passes of 7 and 92 yards, in BG’s 41-22 victory over Kent State. He is the Mid-American
Conference East offensive player of the week.‘‘He managed the offense well. He made plays with his feet. He
was extremely accurate in throwing the football,’’ BG head coach Dave Clawson said, adding that of Johnson’s
six incomplete passes, three were drops by the receivers. ‘‘He played with a lot of poise in the pocket; he
made plays outside the pocket.‘‘For the first game as a starter, Matt played extremely well,’’ Clawson
continued. ‘‘We’re certainly excited how he progressed from week one to week two.’’Now, the challenge for
Johnson is to play well every week.‘‘It’s very hard to be good on offense when you don’t get good
quarterback play,’’ Clawson said. ‘‘Certainly, there’s going to be a lot of challenges we face moving
forward.’’Johnson’s passing and the running game produced 576 total yards, the most in Clawson’s four-plus
years as head coach.Five different players scored touchdowns, including Travis Greene and Jared Cohen, who
each scored the first touchdowns of their BG careers.‘‘A lot of different players contributed,’’ Clawson
said. ‘‘We had guys in backup roles step in there and make plays when their number was called.’’Johnson
found seven different receivers with Shaun Joplin (six catches for 113 yards) and Ryan Burbrink (two catches
for 101 yards), both going over 100 yards.The last time two Falcon receivers had over 100 yards in the same
game was Oct. 19, 2009 against Ball State. Freddie Barnes (10 receptions for 160) and Chris Wright (six
receptions for 104) were the receivers and Tyler Sheehan was at quarterback.‘‘Our receivers played very
well,’’ Clawson said. ‘‘Right now, we are spreading the ball around pretty good, and I hope that’s something
that we continue to do.’’MANNING: In addition to his MAC award, Johnson was named one of eight Manning Award
stars of the week.Fans can go to their Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153207552585459.1073741838.297090315458&type=1&l=5cfaa5932c
to vote for Johnson as the best quarterback performer from the past weekend. The top vote-getter will be
announced as the Manning Award Player of the Week.RED HOT: After two games, Bowling Green is 11-of-11 in red
zone opportunities with seven touchdowns and four field goals.EARLY: In Mid-American Conference games played
on Sept. 7 or earlier, the Falcons are now 7-0 after the win over the Golden Flashes.TRIVIA: The Johnson to
Burbrink 92-yard touchdown was the third-longest touchdown pass in Falcon history.What former Bowling Green
High School player was involved in the longest TD pass for the Falcons?The answer is Dave Dudley. Dudley
caught a short pass from Mark Miller and turned it into a 96-yard touchdown against San Diego State in
1976.TV: The BGSU-Indiana game will be televised on ESPNU. Tom Hart and John Congemi will call the
action.Kickoff is at noon.

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