BOWLING GREEN — A week after the worst of times, Bowling Green had the best of times.
Falcons coach Scot Loeffler was despondent after Bowling Green’s letdown against Buffalo last week, railing against failures in all three phrases and a lack of sideline energy. After the Falcons beat Miami 17-13 on Saturday, he was singing a different tune.
“In the MAC, anyone can win at any time. You got to have the best locker room, the best week of preparation. You got to bring juice and energy on gameday,” Loeffler said. “Last week we didn't, and this week we did.”
Riding abundant juice and a season-best performance on defense, Bowling Green squeaked out a win over the Redhawks. The Falcons allowed Miami just 189 yards on the afternoon, 219 fewer than their previous season low of 408 against Akron.
Bowling Green trailed for much of the game, as the Redhawks held 10-7 and 13-10 advantages after the second and third quarters. With 11:31 left in the game, Falcons senior quarterback Matt McDonald handed the ball off to sophomore running back Ta’Ron Keith on 2nd-and-five. Keith waltzed 19 yards to the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown, the first of his collegiate career; all four of his previous touchdowns were achieved through the air.
Keith’s touchdown redeemed maybe the biggest mistake of the game for either team: on the second half’s opening kickoff, he fumbled the ball away to Miami defensive back Nolan Johnson. The Redhawks’ ensuing drive ended in a 39-yard field goal by Graham Nicholson for Miami’s only points of the third quarter.
“The fumble coming out of the half, I just had short-term memory loss. I just forgot about it and kept playing,” Keith said. “That touchdown really gave us the go-ahead and the energy that we had on the sidelines.”
The game unfolded slowly, as a 41-yard Nicholson field goal stood as the only score of the first quarter.
It appeared the Falcons would take a lead into the locker room after freshman tight end Harold Fannin, Jr., rushed a yard for a touchdown midway through the second quarter, but the Redhawks struck late in the half. Quarterback Aveon Smith’s best pass of the day went 19 yards to wide receiver Miles Marshall in the corner of the end zone for a 10-7 lead at the intermission.
Both teams squandered golden opportunities. Early in the second quarter, McDonald was intercepted by defensive back Yahsyn McKee in the end zone, ending a promising drive.
With 1:11 to go in the third quarter, Bowling Green blew up a Miami drive that had gained two first downs in dramatic fashion. Senior outside linebacker Demetrius Hardamon sacked and stripped Smith, and junior defensive lineman and Fremont Ross product Dontrez Brown fell on the ball to give the Falcons possession.
“I was kind of excited. I’m not going to lie, at first I didn’t think I was going to get to [Smith],” Hardamon said. “Because of [senior defensive lineman] Karl Brooks, I had an extra second to get to the quarterback. It helped lead to a win, so it felt good to help the team win.”
The Falcons visit Central Michigan next week to conclude the Saturday-only portion of their conference schedule — and they will do so as a team rejuvenated, having found enough energy for Loeffler’s liking.
“I know that there’s a lot wrong — God, we should’ve scored a couple more times in the red zone,” Loeffler said. “But we made some strides as a team, and that’s really, really important.”
First Published October 15, 2022, 9:16 p.m.
