Bojicic's return would boost line

BOWLING GREEN - The Bowling Green State University football team could have at least one of its injured players return to the lineup when the Falcons host Buffalo at Perry Stadium on Saturday.

Junior center Ben Bojicic is likely to return, but the status of freshman quarterback Matt Schilz still is uncertain.

Schilz, who suffered a shoulder sprain in the third quarter of BG's home win over Marshall on Sept. 19, is listed as "somewhere between probable and questionable," according to Falcon football coach Dave Clawson.

"He did some light tossing [Sunday] and said he felt OK," Clawson said. "We'll see where he is [today or tomorrow].

"If we're not putting him at risk, he's probably going to play."

Sophomore Aaron Pankratzwould likely start if Schilz isn't ready to go. Pankratz made his first career start in the Falcons' 65-21 loss at Michigan last Saturday and completed 17-of-28 passes for 231 yards and one touchdown with one interception.

The return of Bojicic, a team captain and one of the most experienced players on the line, is important to the struggling BG offensive line. At Michigan the line's struggles resulted in the Falcons surrendering three sacks and finishing with just 32 net yards rushing.

Bojicic suffered an ankle injury in the loss at Tulsa and has missed the past two games.

"[His return] is huge, because he's a captain and a three-year starter," Clawson said of Bojicic. "There's no doubt that he's the glue that keeps the line together.

"Not only does his return make us better at his position, but he also makes the other guys around him better."

Senior Nick Torresso, who moved from left guard to center to replace Bojicic, will move back to guard.

THE LEADERBOARD: Junior wide receiver Kamar Jorden is second among FBS receivers with his average of 10 catches per game. His 40 catches have resulted in 413 yards; his average of 103.25 yards per game ranks 11th in the country.

Junior WR Eugene Cooper ranks 14th in punt returns with his average of 15.14 yards per game. Cooper has hauled back seven punts for 106 yards.

And junior WR Tyrone Pronty ranks among the national leaders in two categories.

Pronty stands 12th in all-purpose yards with 169 yards per game and is 61st in kickoff returns with 23.59 yards per kick.

STOP COUNTING: Clawson said there was a reason he and his coaches didn't count the missed tackles in the Michigan loss.

"We ran out of fingers and toes," he said.

"Some of the credit [for the missed tackles] goes to Michigan. Their perimeter players were making us miss.

"When we reviewed the film, we gave up over 180 yards after missed tackles."

Bowling Green had two players - senior goalkeeper Alexa Arsenault and junior forward Alyssa Zuccaro - earn Mid-American Conference women's soccer player of the week honors, the league announced Monday.

Arsenault, a native of Richmond Hill, Ont., made 12 saves and posted a pair of shutouts in wins over Buffalo and Kent State last week to earn the defensive player of the week award.

Zuccaro, who hails from Mentor, Ohio, was named the offensive player of the week after scoring three goals in the 4-0 win over Buffalo and assisting on the only goal of the game against Kent State. Zuccaro's hat trick was the first for a BG player since 2004.

Contact John Wagner at:

jwagner@theblade.com

or 419-724-6481.