Weather delays game 2 hours

Bowling Green cheerleader Jonathon Thompson and others wait inside Millett Hall during the weather delay.

OXFORD, Ohio The start of last night s game between Bowling

Green State University and Miami was delayed 2 hours by severe weather.

A scheduled 7 p.m. start at Yager Stadium, the game kicked off at 9:35 p.m., an hour after the last lightning strike was sighted in the area.

There was a tornado watch in the area and a severe thunderstorm

warning. At 6:35 p.m. it was announced that the game would be delayed because of a nearby lightning strike, and officials made the announcement to evacuate the stadium a few minutes later.

Most fans spent the time in Millett Hall, the RedHawks basketball

arena, which is adjacent to the stadium. In the arena, the Miami band performed for about a half hour near the end of the wait. BGSU players hung out in and around their locker room, watching the Ohio-Akron game on TVs in the concourse.

Some also ventured out onto the field before it started raining, where the Ohio-Akron game was shown on the video board.

BGSU warmed up on the field for 19 minutes, but Miami didn t

come out until 11 minutes before the game. With the game in hurry-up mode, the national anthem was played after the Falcons kickoff team lined up.

ESPN2 picked up the broadcast when the game started but

switched to a scheduled 10 p.m. basketball game everywhere except

Ohio.

When the game finally started, BGSU tied an NCAA record with

three safeties. On three of the RedHawks first four punts, the snap went into the end zone. The first and fourth long snaps by sophomore

Dave McClain were high. On the second punt attempt, freshman

punter Jacob Richardson got his hands on the ball, but could not

control it. He was almost at the goal line, so he ran it through the

back of the end zone.

McClain s third snap was also high but Richardson was able

to get the punt off, booming it 60 yards.

SHARON A SEMIFINALIST: BGSU senior receiver Charles

Sharon was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff

Award, given to the nation s best wide receiver.

It was a good day for Sharon.

He set the BGSU record for career receptions in the second quarter with his 216th career reception, passing Cole Magner.

Entering last night s game, Sharon led the Falcons with 851 yards

receiving. He needed 149 yards to become the fi rst player in BGSU

history to have back-to-back seasons with 1,000 or more yards.

EXTRA POINTS: BGSU held the RedHawks to negative-10 yards of offense in the first quarter, including negative-22 rushing yards. ... The Falcons 18 points in the first quarter were their most this season. ... Senior cornerback Jelani Jordan had two interceptions in the first half, his third game this season with two interceptions.

... Senior receiver Steve Sanders had his 11th touchdown catch of

the season. ... The Yager Stadium crowd was supposed to try to

break a Guinness Book world record last night. The school was to pass out 4,500 whoopie cushions between the third and fourth quartersto break the record for number of people simultaneously sitting on the toy. But the weather meant there probably weren t that many fans in the seats.