Below are updates and analysis from Saturday’s Bowling Green football game at Georgia Tech. This story will be updated after each quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
■ What happened: BGSU pulled off another stunner in the Scot Loeffler era with a dominating performance.
After a brutal loss to open Mid-American Conference play against Ohio a week ago, the Falcons excelled on offense, defense, and special teams in knocking off the Yellow Jackets.
It is BGSU’s first win over an active member of the Atlantic Coast Conference at the time of the game, according to BGSU’s athletic department. The Falcons, who were 22-point underdogs, improved to 2-3 this season, while the Yellow Jackets fell to 2-3.
BGSU’s Jordan Oladokun intercepted Georgia Tech’s Haynes King deep in Falcons’ territory to stop a Yellow Jackets’ drive early in the fourth.
King found Abdul Janneh for a 16-yard touchdown with 1:35 left for the game’s final score.
■ Analysis: BGSU earned its best win of the season at just the right time. A remarkable bounceback after their performance against the Bobcats comes right before Mid-American Conference play resumes against Miami (Ohio). Holding a high-octane power conference team like Georgia Tech like they did, plus move the ball on the ground and through the air, should boost BGSU’s confidence significantly going forward.
THIRD QUARTER
■ What happened: Three more touchdowns, including a pick-six, helped BGSU build an 18-point lead over Georgia Tech after three quarters.
Connor Bazelak had a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 24-14 BGSU with 11:33 left in the third, Terion Stewart scored from 6 yards out to make it 31-14 with 3:13 left, and Deshawn Jones, Jr., intercepted Haynes King’s pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown to extend the Falcons’ advantage to 38-14 shortly after.
.@StewartTerion extends @BG_Football's lead to 17 in the third! ????????#MACtion pic.twitter.com/1J4Vnj77YM
— #MACtion (@MACSports) September 30, 2023
PICK. SIX. ????????@BG_Football | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/6BMRbsM67S
— #MACtion (@MACSports) September 30, 2023
Georgia Tech ended a nearly 40-minute scoring drought when King found Malik Rutherford for a 15-yard score with 25 seconds left. It was the Yellow Jackets’ first score since 9:40 left in the first quarter.
■ Analysis: BGSU came to play on Saturday. The Falcons’ execution in all three phases has been nearly flawless as they are on the verge of a huge upset.
SECOND QUARTER
■ What happened: A dominating half of football gave BGSU a three-point lead over Georgia Tech.
BGSU scored 10 points in the second quarter to snatch the lead. Alan Anaya kicked a 40-yard field goal with 8:27 left to pull the Falcons within 14-10.
Later in the quarter, 6-foot-5 sophomore receiver Finn Hogan made the play of the game so far for the Falcons.
On 3rd-and-10 from the Georgia Tech 14, BGSU quarterback Connor Bazelak avoided heavy pressure and fired a jump ball into the end zone. Hogan leaped and pulled down the ball with just his right hand for a touchdown to give the Falcons a 17-14 lead with 2:37 left.
Catch. Of. The. Year. ????@BG_Football | #SCTop10 | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/WeYcPaepYT
— #MACtion (@MACSports) September 30, 2023
Hogan, who had two catches in four games entering Saturday, led BGSU’s receivers with three catches for 25 yards.
BGSU held Georgia Tech’s high-powered offense to just 155 total yards in the first 30 minutes. The Yellow Jackets entered the game averaging 480 per outing.
BGSU racked up 223 yards and dominated time of possession (22:24 to Georgia Tech’s 7:36). Bazelak was 13 of 19 passing for 125 yards, while Terion Stewart had 12 carries for 80 yards.
Georgia Tech’s Haynes King was 8 of 13 for 123 yards. Both teams had two sacks, while the Yellow Jackets lost a fumble on a punt that was recovered by Hogan.
■ Analysis: BGSU looks like a completely different team than last week when it fell behind 31-0 midway through the second quarter and fell apart against Ohio. The Falcons are making plays in all three phases and responded well when the Yellow Jackets quickly took a 14-point lead. The first 30 minutes were, by far, BGSU’s best half of the season.
FIRST QUARTER
■ What happened: Georgia Tech wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, but BGSU bounced back with a key scoring drive late in the quarter.
On the first play of the game, Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King found a wide-open Eric Singleton, Jr., deep over the middle for a 53-yard touchdown. Haynes capped off a five-play, 71-yard scoring drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Christian Leary to make it 14-0 with 9:40 left.
The Falcons, though, drove 75 yards in 10 plays en route to finding the end zone. Connor Bazelak hit Andrew Bench for an 8-yard gain on 3rd-and-1, then found Odieu Hiliare for 10 yards on 3rd-and-10 a few plays later.
Quarterback Camden Orth, who missed last week’s loss against Ohio because of a concussion, capped off the drive with a hard-nosed 1-yard touchdown run to pull the Falcons within seven with 4:16 left.
Extra. Effort. ????@CamdenOrth powers his way into the end zone for six!@BG_Football | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/LirW78aLp0
— #MACtion (@MACSports) September 30, 2023
■ Analysis: BGSU’s response to Georgia Tech’s fast start was certainly promising considering last week’s brutal start against Ohio. Georgia Tech’s up-tempo offense is solid, but BGSU forced a three-and-out late in the quarter. The Falcons have been able to move the ball through the air and on the ground, which is certainly promising as well.
First Published September 30, 2023, 8:19 p.m.
