AMHERST, N.Y. — Bowling Green State University defeated Buffalo 56-44 in wild fashion that included big play after big play and back-and-forth scoring outbursts from either side.

The Falcons improved to 3-6 overall and 1-4 in the MAC, but it took more than just the normal effort to do so against a formidable opponent in Buffalo, which had won their past two games entering Saturday’s contest at UB Stadium.

Here are 10 figures to draw away from the game and from the Falcons’ victory.

■ 1: Falcons head coach and play caller Scot Loeffler became the first Football Bowl Subdivision head coach to be ejected for two unsportsmanlike penalties since the rule was instated prior to the 2016 season. He was called for penalties on consecutive drives in the third quarter from arguing with the game’s officials, and referee Jeremy Valentine ejected Loeffler following a Buffalo touchdown with 7:35 left in the third quarter. 

“It’s a great learning experience for every single person that was involved,” Loeffler said after the game. “I got to do things better, but I also know exactly, exactly what was said and exactly what was done. As the leader and all that, I got to be better, but I think it’s a great learning experience for every single party involved here.”

■ 3: Bowling Green quarterback Matt McDonald was sacked just three times by Buffalo. Last week against Akron, the Bulls notched 11 sacks, which was the most in a single game against an FBS opponent since 2019.

■ 4: McDonald passed for a career-best four touchdowns. His 81-yard TD to Christian Sims and 64-yard TD to Tyrone Broden were career longs.

McDonald completed 13 of 19 attempts for 263 yards, and he didn’t throw an interception. He also added a 47-yard rushing TD.

“[Sims and Broden are] great playmakers, and the [offensive] line did a great job,” McDonald said. “They gave me enough time to throw the ball around and throw it up to those guys so they could go up and make the play.”

■ 10: Bowling Green had four players that registered 10 or more tackles. Brock Horne had 15 stops, Darren Anders 12, and Anthony Hawkins and Demetrius Hardamon each had 10 against a run-heavy Bulls offense.

■ 18: Bowling Green led 28-10 at halftime. The 18-point lead was the largest at halftime versus an FBS team since they led Northern Illinois 21-0 at halftime of the 2015 Mid-American Conference championship game. The Falcons’ 28 points at halftime were the most at the break since their 2019 season opener against Morgan State.

■ 50: Bowling Green scored 50 or more points for the first time since Nov. 4, 2015, against Ohio, when BGSU won 62-24. BGSU is also the second FBS team to score 50 or more points while accumulating 11 or more first downs. The only other team to accomplish that was Old Dominion in 2016, when they had 10 first downs in a 51-35 win over Southern Mississippi.

■ 170: Sandusky product Terion Stewart rushed for a career-high 170 yards and tied a career high with two touchdown runs. His previous career high in yards was 162 last season at Kent State. His 77-yard TD run was also the longest run of his career, which was a 69-yarder also at Kent State in 2020.

“Our week didn’t start as great as we wanted to, and he responded completely in the right manner, and he had a really good end of the week with practice,” Loeffler said about Stewart. “He earned the game and played really well on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. He did an unbelievable job.”

■ 177: BGSU was penalized 15 times for 177 yards on Saturday. That was the most times flagged and most yards surrendered via penalty in a game this season, topping their 12 penalties for 135 yards they were flagged for against Murray State. BGSU also won that game.

■ 221: BGSU rushed for 221 yards and averaged 8.2 yards per carry against the Bulls. It is the fourth time since 2000 the Falcons rushed for 200 or more yards and an average of 8.0 or more per carry in a game. The last time they met that criteria was Nov. 24, 2015, against Ball State.

■ 484: Bowling Green’s 484 yards of offense were the most tallied this season. Their previous high was 396 yards at Northern Illinois.

First Published October 30, 2021, 11:38 p.m.