Bowling Green’s version of Ben Roethlisberger is coming to face Kent State tomorrow.

Junior quarterback Omar Jacobs will be leading Mid-American Conference foe Bowling Green (4-4, 3-2 MAC) when the Flashes (1-7, 0-5 MAC) host the Falcons at 2 p.m. tomorrow.

“Bowling Green is obviously a different team when Omar Jacobs is in there,” Kent State coach Doug Martin said in a Monday press conference. “I think what that shows is the type of leader he is.”

The Falcons, who are tied for first in the MAC East with Miami, Akron and Ohio, are coming off a two-game losing streak and may be without Jacobs.

In the first quarter of Bowling Green’s 45-14 loss to Western Michigan on Oct. 22, Jacobs left the game with an injured left shoulder.

“You could tell two weeks ago against Western Michigan when he was in there, (Bowling Green had) a different swagger about the whole football team,” Martin said, “so he is obviously a great leader.”

Jacobs sat out of Saturday’s 24-14 loss to Akron at home, but Martin said that even then, the Falcons’ offense still poses a threat.

“When the backup quarterback came in they still moved (the ball) up and down the field,” Martin said. “So they are still moving the ball on offense, but there is something different when he’s not in there. To me he is a great player I think he will be a great pro quarterback.”

In Tuesday’s press conference, Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon said Jacobs’ status is day-to-day, and he is feeling “better every day.”

But since the 34-31 loss at Navy on Oct. 15, the Flashes’ defense has been lacking without the leadership of senior linebacker Jon Sessler.

Martin said he thought the defense stepped up in last week’s 44-14 loss to Western Michigan.

“I thought the whole linebacker crew stepped up and played well,” Martin said. “One thing our defense has done all year that has been over looked is the amount of turnovers that we have gotten. We’ve got 20 turnovers for the year, which I believe is the third most of any defense in this conference and sixth most in the country. If we can just learn not to turn it over on offense we are going to be in pretty good shape.”

Contact assistant sports editor and football reporter Kali Price at [email protected].