Bowling Green notebook: Not your everyday BG game

BOWLING GREEN - The signs were there. This wasn't going to be an ordinary Bowling Green home football game.

Actually, it was one big orange sign that tipped off travelers and fans. Coming northbound on Interstate 75, an electronic sign board about a mile south of the Bowling Green exit advised drivers to be aware of possible stopped traffic.

Starting more than two hours before Saturday night's 7:30 p.m. kickoff with Minnesota, traffic blocked Wooster Street south of Doyt Perry Stadium. The exits from I-75 bled onto the highway.

This was the first appearance of a Big 10 team in the 42-year history of the Stadium, or 206 games. This was only the fourth time Minnesota had traveled to a Mid-American Conference school; they are 2-1 in those contests.

The hallmark everyone at BG was hoping for was 30,000 - if not a sellout, then close to it. Capacity on the stadium is 24,000, and the record crowd came in 1983 as 33,527 fans attended the Toledo game.

To help the cause, Falcons coach Gregg Brandon handed out nearly 400 sub sandwiches Thursday to students on campus, encouraging them to attend the game.

LOCAL CONNECTIONS: Three players on both sidelines played their high school ball in the Lima area. Michael Ream (Bluffton) started for the Falcons at defensive tackle; the redshirt junior had four tackles last week in the upset of Pittsburgh. Scott Albert (Hardin Northern), another redshirt junior for BG, was listed on the pregame two-deep as the backup right guard.

For Minnesota, Kenton graduate D.J. Burris got the start at left guard. The 6-foot-2, 293-pound sophomore started 11 of 12 games at right guard during his freshman season, earning Freshman All-Big 10 honors from The Sporting News.

Including Burris, there are six players from Ohio on the Minnesota roster.

LOOKING FOR SOME REVENGE: The Gophers certainly had motivation heading into their rematch with BG. Last year, the Falcons clipped Minnesota 32-31 in overtime. Tyler Sheehan connected with Marques Parks on a 9-yard pass for the touchdown, and a Sheehan pass to Freddie Barnes was the 2-point conversion.

Sheehan passed for 388 yards and two touchdowns, seven passes to both Eric Ransom (96 yards, TD) and Zach Charles (52 yards).

NOT SCARED: While the trip to Doyt Perry Stadium was a first for a Big 10 team, the Falcons aren't unfamiliar with the conference. Under coach Brandon, BG is 3-5 against the Big 10, with wins over Northwestern, Purdue and the Gophers.

Since 2000, the Falcons have 10 wins against teams from Bowl Championship Series conferences, fourth among schools from non-BCS conferences. Only Utah, Fresno State and TCU have more wins against BCS schools.

ODDS AND ENDS: The Falcons are 20-8 at Doyt Perry Stadium since Brandon took over in 2003. ... BG has won its last seven home openers, dating back to the 2001 season. The last time BG lost a home opener was to Pittsburgh, 34-16. ... A win over Minnesota would give BG back-to-back wins over schools from BCS conferences. The only other time that happened was 2002, when the Falcons beat Missouri and Kansas. ... This is the second straight season BG has opened the season against two MAC opponents. Last year, they faced Miami and BG. The Gophers beat Northern Illinois last week. However, the Gophers will not face another MAC school until 2011, when Miami goes to Minneapolis.