BUFFALO, N.Y. — Below are updates and analysis from Saturday’s Bowling Green football game against Buffalo. This story will be updated after each quarter.
Real-time team stats can be found at the bottom of the article.
FOURTH QUARTER
■ What happened: A strong finish defensively helped BGSU notch its first Mid-American Conference win of the season.
The Falcons improved to 3-4 overall (1-2 MAC), while the Bulls fell to 2-5 (2-1).
BGSU’s Davon Ferguson had his second interception of the game with 2:45 left. Avi McGary had a late pick as well.
Neither team scored in the final quarter. BGSU’s Alan Anaya missed a 42-yard field-goal attempt in the quarter.
■ Analysis: BGSU’s offense struggled in the second half, but the Falcons’ defense made up for it in securing the win. Even with three turnovers and other miscues, picking up a win after starting 0-2 in league play was key for the Falcons.
THIRD QUARTER
■ What happened: Buffalo scored late in the third quarter to pull within 10.
Backup quarterback C.J. Ogbonna found Darrell Harding, Jr., for a 24-yard touchdown in the right corner of the end zone to cut BGSU’s lead to 24-14 with 3:02 left.
Earlier in the quarter, Ogbonna had his pass tipped by BGSU’s Evan Branch-Haynes and picked off by the Falcons’ Davon Ferguson. BGSU’s Camden Orth, though, threw an interception shortly after.
■ Analysis: Orth made his second bad decision of the game through the air. The Bulls slowed down BGSU’s offense most of the quarter in gaining a little momentum, but the Falcons forced a turnover on down in the final seconds.
SECOND QUARTER
■ What happened: A blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown highlighted a strong second quarter for BGSU as the Falcons extended their lead.
Avi McGary went untouched up the middle and blocked the punt of Buffalo’s Anthony Venneri. The ball bounced right to PaSean Wimberly, who returned it 18 yards for a touchdown to give BGSU a 24-7 lead with 2:20 left.
BLOCK. SCOOP. SCORE‼️@BG_Football | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/7AhxOXHm7i
— #MACtion (@MACSports) October 14, 2023
The Falcons’ run game was key in a 13-play, 86-yard scoring drive that took more than eight minutes. Camden Orth had rushes of 12 and 7 yards, and Terion Stewart had a 19-yard rumble before Orth found Ta’ron Keith out of the backfield for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 17-7 BGSU with 5:23 left.
BGSU’s Jalen Huskey intercepted Buffalo’s Cole Snyder in the final two minutes, but Orth threw an interception to Buffalo’s Charles McCartherens two plays later.
Buffalo’s Alex McNulty missed a 50-yard field goal as time expired.
BGSU had a 236-74 advantage in total yards. Stewart had 14 carries for 96 yards, while Orth was 8 of 11 passing for 70 yards and also added 45 rushing yards.
■ Analysis: Domination and big plays in all three phases were critical for BGSU, which has had an excellent response after its shutout loss at Miami (Ohio) a week ago. The offensive line is creating holes, and Stewart and Orth are capitalizing.
FIRST QUARTER
■ What happened: BGSU scored 10 points in the final three minutes to take the lead after one quarter.
Alan Anaya’s 23-yard field goal cut Buffalo’s lead to 7-3 with 2:42 left, then the Falcons forced a key turnover to get the ball right back. Jordan Jackson forced a fumble by Buffalo quarterback Cole Snyder, and the Falcons’ Darius Lorfils scooped the ball up and returned it to the Buffalo 9.
Three plays later, starting quarterback Camden Orth scored from 1 yard out on third down to give BGSU a 10-7 lead.
TOUCHDOWN BG!!!
— BGSU Football (@BG_Football) October 14, 2023
Orth with the keeper and the Falcons are on top!
BG 10
UB 7
00:25 | 1Q pic.twitter.com/9odJ41Ytn4
Buffalo struck first after capitalizing on a BGSU turnover. Snyder scored on a 10-yard keeper with 7:38 left, four plays after BGSU’s Austin Osborne lost a fumble on a reception over the middle.
BGSU had 139 yards of offense to Buffalo’s 19. Terion Stewart had eight carries for 57 yards, including a 20-yard gain.
■ Analysis: Penalties were costly early for the Falcons, but BGSU has been able to move the ball on a rainy afternoon. Stewart has been bottled up when the Falcons have been in the red zone, but he has had some hard-nosed runs overall in getting off to a strong start.
First Published October 14, 2023, 8:33 p.m.
