OXFORD, Ohio — For the second time in as many weeks, Bowling Green State University’s offense slipped into ineptitude and was outmanned.

The effect was a deficit too heavy to handle.

The Falcons fell behind 20-7 at halftime, largely due to accumulating just four total yards of offense in the second quarter, and they couldn’t protect quarterback Matt McDonald in a 34-7 loss to Mid-American Conference East Division rival Miami on Tuesday night at Yager Stadium.

It is Bowling Green’s second straight loss since scoring 56 points and upending Buffalo on Halloween weekend. In those two games, the Falcons have accumulated 454 total yards of offense — 258 on Tuesday — and 24 total points.

Against Toledo, it was due to a lock-down defensive effort from the Rockets. Against the RedHawks, it was a total puzzle on BGSU’s offensive end.

“Our immaturity and our youth showed up today,” Falcons coach Scot Loeffler said. “It was disappointing. Our intensity, our attention to detail, all the things that we preach didn’t show up at all today. I’m really disappointed.”

The Falcons totaled 115 yards in the first quarter on Tuesday night, but followed that with a bleak performance otherwise.

Running back Terion Stewart stayed hot with an explosive 62-yard touchdown run to put the Falcons ahead 7-0 with 8:42 left in the first quarter. Stewart rushed seven times for 71 yards and the TD, but left the game early in the third quarter with an apparent right ankle injury and did not return. He wore a walking boot on his right foot after the game.

Stewart’s TD run was his fifth in four games.

On BGSU’s second possession of the game, McDonald had a wide-open Tyrone Broden, who had his defender beat by at least six yards, for a would-have-been 77-yard walk-in touchdown.

Broden dropped the beautifully spun pass from his quarterback.

The Falcons (3-8, 1-6 MAC) ran 12 offensive plays in the second quarter. They rushed five times for negative-13 yards, and they completed two pass plays for 17 yards. They were 0-for-4 on third down in the quarter and 5 of 18 overall.

“Felt like we couldn’t do what we normally do,” McDonald said. “We had some opportunities early, and we didn’t hit ‘em, and I think if we did it could have changed the trajectory of the game. A couple three-and-outs there, and stalled as an offense, and we got out of our groove.”

Meanwhile, Miami (6-5, 5-2 MAC) scored three unanswered touchdowns to close out the first half en route to scoring 34 consecutive points.

The RedHawks, which gained bowl eligibility and at least gave next week’s game against Kent State a chance to have MAC East Division implications, took advantage of a blocked punt by Chris Cavalaris that set up a 3-yard TD run by Kevin Davis. The PAT was blocked, and the Falcons held a 7-6 lead with 4:29 left in the first.

Miami got back on the board for a 13-7 lead with 11:31 left in the first half on Brett Gabbert’s 63-yard TD strike to Mac Hippenhammer.

The Falcons punted away the ensuing drive, but got the ball back deep in their own territory on an interception by Deshawn Jones, Jr., who made his first career start on Tuesday.

Bowling Green punted following the pick and, at that point, Miami decided to re-establish the top QB-to-receiver duo in the MAC.

Jack Sorenson, who entered Tuesday as the MAC leader at 109.8 yards per game, made a spectacular 25-yard catch through traffic that took the RedHawks down to the BGSU 1. Tyre Shelton punched it in on the next play to give Miami a 20-7 lead that stood until halftime.

Gabbert and Sorenson renewed their connection immediately to begin the second half.

Miami ran a fake pitch play that Falcons safety Jordan Anderson bit on, and Sorenson slipped by, caught the dart from Gabbert, and took it 83 yards for a touchdown and a 27-7 RedHawks lead.

Gabbert was 10-for-20 with 227 yards, two TDs, and an interception on an otherwise quiet day. Sorenson caught four passes for 111 yards and his TD.

The Falcons’ offensive line failed to give McDonald much of a chance to let plays develop. McDonald was sacked eight times. Kameron Butler, Dominique Robinson, and Lonnie Phelps each sacked McDonald twice.

“They got two good pass rushers. We know that,” Loeffler said. “But they dominated the line of scrimmage, and that’s the second week in a row we couldn’t do anything. When you get dominated at the line of scrimmage the way we did these last two weeks, it’s hard to do anything.”

McDonald completed 13 of 28 passes for 108 yards. Broden had five catches for 53 yards.

Late in the third quarter, McDonald was strip-sacked by Butler, and the RedHawks’ Matthew Salopek fell on the ball at the BGSU 24.

On Miami’s ensuing drive, Shelton bounced around and into the end zone for a 15-yard TD — his second of the day — to give the RedHawks a 34-7 lead with 4:29 left in the third.

Bowling Green wraps up its regular season at noon on Black Friday against Ohio.

First Published November 17, 2021, 4:42 a.m.