MAC FOOTBALL Jacobs playing well for BGSU

He stepped in for a three-year starter and the offense hasn't missed a beat.
BOWLING GREEN (AP) -- Bowling Green quarterback Omar Jacobs gets some ribbing from his teammates when he misses badly on a pass.
Luckily for him, it doesn't happen very often.
Jacobs leads the nation with 27 touchdown passes and ranks fourth in passing efficiency -- a stellar debut for a player with a tough act to follow. The sophomore took over for Josh Harris, a three-year starter who ended a record-breaking career with Bowling Green in the Motor City Bowl last year.
"I'll throw a bad ball and it's like 'Josh would have made that throw,' " Jacobs said. "I just laugh at them and keep going."
The Falcons' offense hasn't missed a beat this season, averaging 42 points and 492 yards.
Lofty comparisons
Now Jacobs looks like the next in a line of stellar quarterbacks from the Mid-American Conference that includes Harris, NFL starters Byron Leftwich and Chad Pennington, and Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Ben Roethlisberger.
Jacobs has completed 70 percent of his passes and thrown only two interceptions for the Falcons (7-2 overall, 5-1 MAC), going into Saturday's matchup with Marshall.
His 170.1 passer rating tops that of the MAC's better known quarterbacks, Bruce Gradkowski of Toledo and Charlie Frye of Akron. Jacobs is also ahead of big names such as Cal's Aaron Rodgers, Oklahoma's Jason White and USC's Matt Leinart.
What impresses his teammates and coaches most, though, is his poise and confidence.
"I never really get rattled," Jacobs said. "You never see me yelling or showing a lot of emotion on the field."
Equal to the task
Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon knew Jacobs would be just fine after the first series of the season-opener at No. 2 Oklahoma.
"I couldn't even hear anybody in the headset, and Omar was out there like it's just another day," Brandon said.
Jacobs threw for two touchdowns in the 40-24 loss. Afterward, Brandon told his team "we found our quarterback."
His first touchdown pass came when he scrambled after his protection broke down and threw over a defender to Charles Sharon.
"It was an amazing play that a first-year starter against Oklahoma wasn't supposed to make," receiver Cole Magner said. "From that point on, I knew we had something special."
Scott Mruczkowski, a senior center and the team's lead jokester, said Jacobs has more poise than anyone he's been around.
"He's such a great student of the game," Mruczkowski said. "He knows where his receivers are going to be in certain coverages. That's what separates him right now from other quarterbacks in the league and in the country."
Another key to his breakout season is the surrounding cast. The senior-dominated offensive line has allowed just seven sacks all season, and he has a quintet of experienced receivers.
"He realizes his job is just to go out and play quarterback and not worry about being a leader," Mruczkowski said.
Running back P.J. Pope, a second-year starter, nicknamed Jacobs "cruise control" during their freshman year.
"That's just him," Pope said. "He's a laid-back person. He's always like that even when we're off the field."
Jacobs, who grew up in Delray Beach, Fla., was one of the top quarterbacks coming out of the state his senior year.
He thought he was going to Kansas State until they backed off late during the recruiting season. Bowling Green found out a few weeks before signing day that Jacobs didn't have a home.
"It was down to us and Buffalo," Brandon said. "It wasn't like everybody was lining up, because nobody knew he was available."