BOWLING GREEN -- Bowling Green State University football coach Dave Clawson took responsibility for the loss Saturday at Kent State.

"When you say the offense wasn't ready, the defense wasn't ready, and you've played poorly on special teams, I have to look in the mirror and say I didn't have the team ready to play," he said Wednesday. "I told the players that I failed them as a head coach.

"I'm really disappointed in myself and my staff that we didn't have our guys ready to play at the level they needed to play at."

The Falcons lost 27-15 at Kent State and struggled in all three phases of the game. While the BG offense rolled to 400 passing yards, it managed just 15 points and turned the ball over three times. The defense allowed season highs to a KSU offense that entered the game as the worst in the country. A litany of special teams errors doomed the Falcons to a loss against a team that entered the contest just 1-6.

"It's an understatement to say I'm extremely disappointed with the way we played and the way we performed at Kent State," Clawson said. "Sometimes you lose a football game, and you go back and look at a handful of plays and say, 'If we get this fixed and we get that fixed ...'

"That was not the case on Saturday -- we got outplayed across the board. I don't think there was one segment, whether it's offense, defense, or special teams, that played well enough to win."

The Falcons players were quick to admit they deserved a large share of the blame for the loss, too.

"That obviously wasn't the same team we put on the field against Temple," linebacker Paul Swan said. "The mood was down a little bit. Obviously [Kent State's] record didn't reflect how good a team they are, and that didn't sink in with us.

"We played a huge role in that game -- we're the ones who have to go out there and perform. We have to go out on the field and show up to win the game."

Senior rover Keith Morgan agreed, adding, "I know that we're really hungry to come out and play [well]. Without a doubt that game didn't display who we really are. That wasn't the team I know, and that's not what we're capable of.

"I think everyone is ready to go on national television and show what we're about."

Clawson said he hopes his team will be ready when it hosts Northern Illinois at Doyt Perry Stadium on Tuesday.

"As a staff, we knew [against Kent State] we were playing a team that was physically talented that had a week off," he said. "Every week you try to convey that sense of urgency to your players.

"When you play your rivals, it's an easy message [to send]. When you play a team that had blown out Maryland, it's a very easy message to get through. Last week the message didn't get through.

"I would hope our guys would have seen [Northern Illinois beat Toledo Tuesday] and the message would come through."

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: Clawson had mixed news regarding the Falcons' situation at running back.

The good news is that true freshman Anthon Samuel is expected to return to the lineup after missing the KSU game with post-concussive symptoms.

"All of Anthon's symptoms have cleared up, and he practiced [Wednesday]," Clawson said. "As long as there is not a setback, we fully expect him to go."

The bad news is that sophomore Jordan Hopgood will not play against NIU because of a knee injury.

"Jordan has struggled with his knee all year, and it's to the point where we're going to shut him down," Clawson said. "He may not play again this year."

PROBLEM AREAS: Clawson said the two areas where the Falcons need to improve are in turnover margin and red-zone production.

BG is last in the MAC in turnovers with 22, split evenly between 11 interceptions and 11 fumbles.

The Falcons have forced 12 turnovers, giving them a minus-10 turnover ratio that is the worst in the league and ranks 116th out of 120 FBS schools.

The Bowling Green offense has entered the "red zone" -- inside the opponent's 20-yard line -- 37 times this season but scored only 27 times, the second-worst percentage (73.0 percent) in the MAC and ranked 100th nationally. Meanwhile the defense has allowed opponents to score on 29-of-33 red-zone trips (87.9 percent), which ranks 11th in the MAC and 101st nationally.

"Why haven't we won more games? Our turnover margin is the worst in the conference, and our red zone offense and our red zone defense [have struggled]," Clawson said. "This year we're competitive, but those little things give other teams an extra possession.

"Not taking care of the football and not scoring in the red zone can cost you games."

Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com or 419-724-6481 or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.

First Published November 3, 2011, 5:22 a.m.