COLUMBUS - Some coaches suffer through fitful nights seeing their quarterbacks caught under an avalanche of tacklers or throwing footballs to happily surprised defenders.

Not Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon.

''I sleep like a baby at night,'' he said with a smile.

With Josh Harris running the Falcons' high-powered offense, Brandon has considerably fewer things to worry about. It's opposing coaches who are losing sleep.

Harris leads unbeaten Bowling Green (3-0) against No. 5 Ohio State on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

In his two previous appearances against Big Ten teams - wins over Purdue and Northwestern - Harris has averaged 26-of-43 passing for 380 yards and three scores.

Now he heads back to his hometown for the biggest test of his career.

''For me it is fun, I have had a lot of friends calling me telling me they are going to be there,'' said Harris, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound senior. ''Whether they are there to see me, or to see Bowling Green, or to see Ohio State, there are going to be a ton of people there.''

Harris is the son of M.L. Harris, who played 10 years in the NFL, including six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. He grew up in the Columbus suburb of Westerville, so he's well aware of the mania that surrounds Buckeye football statewide.

He's gone to many games at Ohio Stadium, but has always cheered along with the 105,000 or so who are behind the Buckeyes. That will be a big change.

Harris was passed over by Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten because he was adamant about playing quarterback. When the Mid-American Conference school said he could remain a quarterback, he jumped at the offer.

''No, I don't have any regrets,'' he said. ''We still have the opportunity to go there and play Ohio State, and we've had the opportunity to play teams like Missouri, Kansas and Purdue. The MAC is no slouch. Everybody in the MAC seems to be taking these bigger schools down to the wire. I am not disappointed about where I am.''

Harris is 5-0 against teams from BCS conferences. The Buckeyes are not looking down their noses at the kid who left town to chase his dream.

''Definitely he's legit. He's probably one of the best quarterbacks I'm going to play against in college,'' safety Will Allen said. ''We've got to be ready for him. We can't underestimate him at all.''

Coach Jim Tressel was asked what past opposing players reminded him the most of Harris.

''I coached one time against Steve McNair when he was at Alcorn, and I coached against Daunte Culpepper when he was at Central Florida,'' said Tressel, then the head coach at I-AA Youngstown State. ''They both threw it so well, and when there was nothing there, they could run it so well.''

Then, including Harris in the mix, he added, ''They're just big, strong guys that you better tackle.''

Defensive tackle Darrion Scott said, ''He can run, and he really has a good arm. He's almost like a 240-pound tailback. A quarterback with good speed and a great arm like he has is going to be a good challenge for us.''

''They've got the No. 1 offense in the nation,'' defensive lineman Will Smith said of the Falcons, who are averaging 575.3 yards a game. ''They can do a lot of things. Josh Howard is the leader of the team, so we have to shut him down.''

OK, so maybe the Buckeyes aren't too well versed on Harris - not Howard - yet. They will likely remember the name after Saturday's game.

Brandon has a lot of faith in Harris, who has completed 57 percent of his career passes for 34 TDs with 18 interceptions.

''He has to bring his A game,'' Brandon said. ''He has to be crisp with his throws, with his reads, his decision-making and he has to take care of the football. If he does those things, which I anticipate he will, then we have a chance to win.''

Harris is married to former Ohio State track All-American Tamara Smith, but she does not have a split allegiance.

''She is in my corner, and is almost as excited as I am about this game,'' Harris said. ''She knows a lot of the guys that are on that team, and she's very excited to get a chance to go back home … and to get to go see a game like this.''