BOWLING GREEN National TV audience to witness MAC QBs

BG's Josh Harris and Miami's Ben Roethlisberger are pro prospects.
TOLEDO BLADE
BOWLING GREEN -- There's a lot at stake tonight when Bowling Green travels to Miami (Ohio).
They are the only teams still undefeated in the Mid-American Conference.
Both are receiving recognition in the national polls, with BG ranked 15th and Miami just outside at 26th. And a national television audience will witness the encounter on ESPN2.
But there's even more at stake.
With all due respect to such talents as Akron's Charlie Frye, Kent State's Joshua Cribbs and Toledo's Bruce Gradkowski, tonight's game probably will determine whether Miami quarterback Ben Roethlisberger or BG signal-caller Josh Harris is the best in the MAC.
Both in top five
Both rank among the top five passers in Division I-A in total offense, with Harris fourth (334.4 yards per game) and Roethlisberger fifth (327.6).
Opposing coaches rave about both players. Defenses are left dazed and shaking their heads after defending against either. And scouts are left to decipher which one will make the better pro.
It's a long, long way from the time not too long ago when nobody thought about either one as a high school quarterback, much less a college quarterback.
In Roethlisberger's senior season at Findlay High, he threw for a state-record 4,041 yards and 54 touchdowns.
Harris had stats that weren't quite so gaudy. He threw for 10 touchdowns and ran for nine more as an option quarterback at Westerville North.
But he was named his league's player of the year and earned all-district honors.
So why did most major colleges pass on recruiting these two?
In the case of Roethlisberger, it was because he had played receiver as a junior at Findlay, meaning no one was able to evaluate his QB talents.
After redshirting his first season on campus, Roethlisberger got his opportunity to play and he has taken advantage of the opportunity, throwing for 8,880 yards and 65 touchdowns in 21/2 seasons and leading the RedHawks to a 21-11 record.
"It's funny, but a lot of things have changed since I've come here," Roethlisberger said. "It's been a growing-up process."
Versatile
For Harris, the problem was his versatility. Besides calling signals, Harris also returned punts and kickoffs, causing more colleges to view him as an "athlete" rather than a quarterback.
Many colleges saw him as a player to be moved into a void, perhaps as a defensive back or tailback. Harris was adamant about wanting to play quarterback, and Bowling Green provided that opportunity.
There was a brief patch in Harris' freshman season when he played tailback, running for 103 yards against Miami.
But he started at quarterback in the Falcons' final regular season game against Toledo and was made the full-time starter after BG lost to Miami in 2001, and the Falcons have won all but three of the 22 games they have played since.