BGSU s Jacobs listed 50-50

QB Omar Jacobs has been a spectator for nearly three games.

BOWLING GREEN Junior quarterback Omar Jacobs said yesterday there is a 50-50 chance he will play in Bowling Green State University s road game against Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday.

Jacobs has missed most of the past three games after separating his non-throwing shoulder on Oct. 22 against Western Michigan early in the contest.

The offense has dropped off since he has been out and the Falcons (5-4, 4-2 Mid-American Conference) have gone 1-2.

The competitiveness in me wants to play, but you have to be smart at the same time, Jacobs said.

Jacobs didn t say for sure that if he didn t play against Miami, he would certainly return for the season finale Nov. 22 against the University of Toledo, but BGSU coach Gregg Brandon said that is the track the team has been following.

The plan was hopefully Miami, for sure Toledo, Brandon said. That s where we are right now. We re hopefully Miami.

Jacobs has resumed weight-lifting and can participate in every aspect of practice, albeit not for the whole time.

I m healing pretty fast, Jacobs said. I m feeling good, they didn t expect me to feel this good at first.

Jacobs said he has at least 10 people a day on BGSU s campus ask him about the injury. But he is not the only banged-up Falcon quarterback. Anthony Turner suffered bruised ribs and an injured left shoulder during the Kent State game, an injury that kept him out for part of the second quarter before he returned near the end of the half.

Brandon said Turner is sore and might miss some practice this week, but the injury is not anything that would keep him out of the Miami game.

SCENARIOS: A win against Miami might not clinch the East division for the Falcons, but a loss would ensure they will not be division champs. Akron and Ohio University play on Tuesday as well. If BGSU wins against Miami and Akron loses to Ohio, the Falcons clinch the division that night.

If BGSU wins and Akron wins, the division winner will be decided in the last week of the season. If it comes down to the last week, to win the East BGSU would need to defeat Toledo, have Akron lose to Kent State on Thanksgiving Day or have Miami lose to Ohio the day before the Toledo game.

If none of that happened in the final week BGSU would still have a chance, but the tiebreaker swings over to the records of cross-divisional opponents, and no one s sure what those will be until the season s over.

But the Falcons control their destiny, so if they win their final two games they win the East.

PERRY LEAVES TEAM: Brandon said sophomore Deaudre Perry has left the team for the remainder of the season, although he is welcome back in the future if he straightens out personal issues.

Perry started every game at strong safety this season until last weekend at Kent State, when he did not travel with the team. Heading into the Kent State game Perry was second on the team with 67 tackles and had 2 tackles for loss, one interception and one forced fumble.

Sophomore Loren Hargrove will start again at strong safety against Miami.

Contact Maureen Fulton at:mfulton@theblade.com or 419-724-6160.