BOWLING GREEN — Given every chance to win by its defense, Bowling Green’s offense ultimately did not hold up its end of the bargain in game No. 3.
The Falcons had an interception returned for a touchdown and scored only seven points from seven trips inside Louisiana Tech territory on Saturday at Doyt Perry Stadium, and BG eventually ran out of chances in a 35-7 defeat.
Despite running 17 more plays, the Falcons couldn’t turn possessions into points. BG scored only seven points on four drives that moved inside the Tech 10-yard line.
“We all walked off the field, and the first thing [running back Andrew] Clair said is, ‘We should’ve scored 50 points,’ and there’s no doubt in my mind,” BG coach Scot Loeffler said. “I haven’t even watched the tape yet, but the things that I saw on the field, there was 50 points that we left on the field just through pure lack of execution.”
Bowling Green’s first drive was the only one that went to plan. Quintin Morris caught a short pass from Darius Wade and broke loose for a 59-yard gain along the Falcons’ sideline. Morris also drew a third-down pass interference penalty that set up Bryson Denley’s 1-yard touchdown run.
The Falcons’ lead was short-lived. Bulldogs quarterback J’Mar Smith found receiver Isaiah Graham in single coverage, and Smith’s throw found its mark for a 49-yard touchdown that tied the game.
Louisiana Tech took the lead three plays later when Louisiana Tech cornerback Amik Robertson stepped in front of a Wade throw and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown.
The two sides combined for eight straight punts before Bowling Green whiffed on terrific field position, which became a theme by the night’s end.
The Falcons partially blocked a punt and took over at the Bulldogs’ 30-yard line, then marched to the two-yard line in five plays. However, after BG failed to score in three tries, the Falcons gambled on fourth-and-goal from the three with a trick play that backfired.
BG handed the ball to receiver Jordan Wayne-Prather, who looked to pass but quickly reversed course and tried to run, an effort the Bulldogs stopped for a loss of two.
Four plays and 94 yards later, Louisiana Tech was in the end zone. Justin Henderson did most of the damage with a 75-yard run, and the Bulldogs scored on Jaqwis Dancy’s 8-yard run two plays later.
Bowling Green drove 91 yards on its first possession of the second half, but came up empty on another fourth-down attempt deep in Louisiana Tech territory. The Falcons found themselves in fourth-and-three from the seven, lined up to go for it, called timeout to discuss, then opted to send the offense back onto the field.
Bulldogs cornerback Michael Sam broke up Wade’s pass to Morris in the end zone, however, leading to a turnover on downs.
“We had multiple different playcalls for the red zone, but it just comes down to execution,” Falcons center Jack Kramer said. “We’ve just got to execute on those plays and those opportunities as an offense.”
Still, BG earned two more excellent chances.
First, its defense forced a punt in three plays, which led to the offense taking over at the Tech 39. BG moved inside the 5 but stalled again, and Nate Needham’s 25-yard field goal attempt was off the mark.
The Falcons’ defense forced a fumble two plays later, giving the offense the ball at the Tech 36, but BG gained 1 yard on the resulting series and turned over the ball on downs.
Louisiana Tech outgained BG 453-290 overall.
The dam finally broke in the fourth when Louisiana Tech scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives to take a 28-point lead that held until the final whistle, as Bowling Green was left only with missed opportunities.
“We should have been in that football game all the way to the end,” Loeffler said, “and we weren’t because we didn’t make our plays when they presented themselves.”
First Published September 15, 2019, 12:23 a.m.
