BOWLING GREEN — Here are updates from Saturday’s college football game between Bowling Green and Buffalo. This story will be updated after each quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
Bowling Green's first drive of the fourth was hindered by another key penalty as junior offensive guard Jalen Grant was called for unnecessary roughness, but Buffalo roughed Matt McDonald on the next play. McDonald was sacked on third down and the Falcons turned it over on downs a play later. The teams exchanged punts on their next two drives, and the final five minutes were largely academic.
THIRD QUARTER
Bowling Green went three-and-out to start the second half. Buffalo’s next drive was hampered by a pair of holding penalties and the Bulls punted. Helped by back-to-back catches from junior tight end and Genoa product Andrew Bench, the Falcons moved inside the Bulls’ five-yard line. Buffalo’s defense came up with another big play, though, as linebacker James Patterson ripped the ball out of sophomore running back Jamal Johnson’s hands and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown. Bowling Green’s next drive ended in the Falcons’ first touchdown, an 11-yard pass from Matt McDonald to sophomore running back Ta’Ron Keith. Buffalo punted on its next drive.
SECOND QUARTER
Buffalo lined up to punt on its first possession of the second quarter but faked it and picked up a first down. Bowling Green regrouped and halted the Bulls on fourth-and-goal on the Falcons’ one-yard-line but stalled out once more, losing a chance at good field position when junior running back PaSean Wimberly was called for kick-catch interference. Bowling Green’s special teams regrouped and engineered a 42-yard punt return by sophomore wide receiver Jhaylin Embry, but the Falcons lost another fumble to give possession back to Buffalo.
Bulls running back Mike Washington responded by breaking off a 92-yard touchdown run, which was initially ruled to have come out of an illegal formation before the officials huddled and overturned the penalty. Bowling Green incurred an unusual unsportsmanlike conduct foul before the ensuing kickoff, and eventually punted after falling on its third fumble of the first half. An unnecessary roughness foul by junior inside linebacker Brock Horne aided a final Bulls touchdown drive before the half, which ended in a one-yard Washington run.
FIRST QUARTER
Bowling Green won the coin toss and deferred its choice to the second half. Buffalo immediately began moving, boosted by an acrobatic 36-yard catch by wide receiver Quian Williams. Senior running back Ron Cook Jr. gave the Bulls the lead with a two-yard rushing touchdown. The Falcons’ initial drive stalled around midfield when Buffalo safety Marcus Fuqua picked off senior quarterback Matt McDonald. That drive ended with a 26-yard field goal from Bulls kicker Alex McNulty.
Now down double digits, Bowling Green went three-and-out and handed the ball back to Buffalo near midfield. The Bulls immediately got a 47-yard pass from quarterback Cole Snyder to wide receiver Jamari Gassett followed by another Cook Jr touchdown to go up 17. The Falcons went three-and-out again, ceding good field position to Buffalo after freshman punter Sami Sir’s 29-yard punt. Bowling Green caught a break on the Bulls’ next series when sophomore cornerback Jordan Oladokun scooped up a fumble, but the Falcons’ drive ended in disaster when Buffalo blew up an ill-advised fake field goal.
First Published October 8, 2022, 4:52 p.m.
