Falcons show off new look
9/9/2012
Bowling Green's Travis Greene picks up a first down as he is tackled by Idaho's Gary Walker. The falcon wings on the uniform are part of the new look this season.
BOWLING GREEN -- Bowling Green State University football coach Dave Clawson admits he is not a slave to fashion.
"I am the least uniform-conscious person I know," he admitted before Saturday's contest with Idaho.
But the Falcons have become fashion-conscious this season, debuting their second new uniform combination in as many weeks.
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Saturday BG wore orange jerseys with orange helmets for the first time this season. In the season-opener at Florida one week earlier the Falcons wore an all-white combination of helmet, jersey, and pants that some fans likened to the look of the stormtroopers from Star Wars.
"Everyone was really excited about the new uniforms," said sophomore linebacker Gabe Martin. "The first time we tried them on we were excited -- everyone wanted to wear them for practice."
Among the unique features of the jerseys are "falcon wings" on both sleeves as well as "Falcons" written in the school's unique typestyle down the side of the left pant leg.
There were a couple of "accessories" that have drawn special mention to the Falcons' wardrobe.
One is a "wicking" undershirt of orange, which isn't particularly notable. What is notable is the writing on the shirt: The right sleeve has "Ay Ziggy" and the left sleeve has "Zoomba" in honor of the Falcons' unofficial fight song.
The other unique part of the uniform is the gloves, which have a unique tackiness that helps in holding on to the ball.
But that's not the unusual part: If a player holds his hands with the palms facing out you can see the two gloves work in unison to form the Falcons' logo with the "BG" and the falcon head.
While Martin admitted the uniforms will play no role in wins and losses, he said the look has given the team a spark.
"If you look good, you feel good. And if you feel good, you play good," Martin said. "With the all-white jerseys it just felt 'cleaner.'
"I think you're faster in white. I think it's a good look for us."
JUST FOR STARTERS: The Falcons got good news and bad news on the injury front Saturday.
Defensive lineman Ronnie Goble was able to play in the contest, but wide receiver Heath Jackson did not dress for the second straight game because of knee problems.
Bowling Green's starters on both sides of the ball were exactly the same as for the Florida contest.
HONORARY CAPTAINS: The Falcons had a pair of honorary captains for the contest, Angelica Mormile and Kayla Somoles.
Mormile and Somoles are members of Alpha Xi Delta and survived the March car crash that took the lives of three of their sorority sisters.
RING THAT BELL: A long-standing BG tradition returned to the Doyt Saturday when "Old Alpha" returned to the field after a 15-season absence.
"Old Alpha" is a victory bell rung by members of Alpha Tau Omega to celebrate Falcon scores and victories.
The bell was introduced during the 1957 season but left following the 1996 season when the fraternity left campus.