Bowling Green Shuts Out Kent State En Route To 48-0 Victory

Saturday, October 24

Kent, Ohio

1:00 p.m. ET

Bowling Green State University

6-2 , 4-0

Kent State

3-5 , 2-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Bowling Green

Kent State

October 24, 2015 | Football

Box Score

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

Final Statistics: HTML | PDF
Postgame Audio: Babers | Johnson | Mack

KENT, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University football team defeated the Kent State University Golden Flashes, 48-0, Saturday (Oct. 24) afternoon at Dix Stadium. The Falcons scored on their first five possessions of the game, racing out to a 31-0 halftime lead. Bowling Green has now won five straight games this season, and have won 16 consecutive games against MAC East opponents.

With the win, the Falcons improve to 6-2 (4-0 MAC), and are now bowl eligible for the four straight season. The Golden Flashes fall to 3-5 (2-2 MAC) with the loss. The 4-0 start in the MAC is BGSU's best start since 2003.

The shutout is Bowling Green's first since Nov. 12, 2013, when BGSU defeated Ohio by a score of 49-0.

After racing out to a 31-0 halftime lead, the second half was highlighted by a pair of Roger Lewis touchdown catches. The sophomore receiver – who caught four passes for 102 yards – scored both of the Falcons' touchdowns in the second half.

The first touchdown catch, which went for 64 yards and gave the Falcons a 41-0 lead, looked like it was going to be intercepted. However, Lewis snatched the ball away from the Kent State defender and took it the distance. Lewis' final touchdown – which gave BGSU a 48-0 lead and concluded the game's scoring – was a diving, one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone.

The Falcons outgained the Golden Flashes, 602-166, and held Kent State to just 55 rushing yards on 26 attempts. Defensive back Jamari Bozeman led BGSU with eight tackles. Linebacker Trenton Greene was next in line with seven, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Linebacker Austin Valdez finished third on the team with six tackles, including one tackle for loss. Defensive lineman Zach Colvin and linebacker James Sanford recorded one sack apiece.

Defensive back Alfonso Mack intercepted his third pass in as many games, while fellow defensive back Eilar Hardy picked up his first interception for the Falcons. Hardy's pick, which occurred in the first half, help set up a Tyler Tate field goal that pushed BGSU's advantage to 24-0. Mack's interception set up Lewis' second touchdown of the game.

Matt Johnson completed 27-of-40 passes for 430 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for 45 yards and a score. Johnson has surpassed 400 yards passing six times this season, and has thrown for at least 300 yards nine times in his career.

For the second time this season, Bowling Green had two 100-yard receivers. Along with Lewis' 102 yards and two touchdowns, Ronnie Moore hauled in seven passes for 151 yards and two scores. Burbrink, who also caught a touchdown pass, had a game-high eight receptions for 89 yards. Gehrig Dieter added three catches for 36 yards.

Travis Greene led the Falcon rushing attack, totaling 53 yards on 18 touches. Fred Coppet rushed for 34 yards on 10 carries, to go along with Johnson's 45 yards. Bowling Green out-rushed Kent State, 153-55.

In the special teams department, Tate finished 2-for-3 on field goal attempts, while Joseph Davidson's day was highlighted by a 71-yard punt in the third quarter that was downed at the Kent State one-yard line. Sanford made an athletic play to save the ball from going into the end zone, and wide receiver Scott Miller was there to down it at the one.

Johnson completed 19-of-30 passes in the first half for 289 yards and three touchdowns. He led BGSU on three consecutive touchdown drives to open the ballgame.

The Falcons opened the contest with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ate up 5:20 off the clock. The drive was Bowling Green's second longest of the season. BGSU was a perfect 4-for-4 on third downs and 2-for-2 on fourth downs on the drive. Johnson rushed for four yards on fourth-and-one to cap off the touchdown drive.

After a three-and-out, BGSU marched 75 yards again – this time needing just nine plays and 3:40. Moore caught one of his two first-half touchdowns to top off the drive. He got by the defense, and hauled in a 24-yard pass in the end zone.

Johnson found Burbrink on Bowling Green's ensuing drive for an 11-yard touchdown on a play-action pass. And after Tate banged home a 22-yard field goal to increase Bowling Green's advantage to 24-0, Moore hauled in a screen pass and took it 58 yards to the house to wrap up the scoring in the first half.

The Orange and Brown outgained Kent State, 387-94, in the opening half, and held Kent State to just 19 rushing yards. The Falcon rushing attack accounted for 98 yards on 25 carries, led by Greene's 46 yards on 15 carries. Johnson added 42 yards rushing to go along with his rushing touchdown.

Moore led all receivers at the half with 146 yards on six catches. Burbrink hauled in five catches for 61 yards, while Coppet and Lewis added two receptions apiece.

Bowling Green will return to Doyt L. Perry Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 4 to take on Ohio University. The midweek #MACtion contest is scheduled for an 8 p.m. kickoff. The game is Bowling Green's final contest of the season against a MAC East opponent.

Postgame Notes

Bowling Green's 48-0 win marked their first shutout since defeating Ohio 49-0 on Nov. 12, 2013 at Doyt L. Perry Stadium.
The 48-point margin of victory was the Falcons' largest all-time against the Golden Flashes – the previous best was 45 in a 45-0 win.
The shutout against the Golden Flashes was the first for the Falcons in the series since a 44-0 win in 1970.
BGSU improves to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the MAC with the win and becomes bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive season.
The 6-2 start overall is the Falcons best since the 2004 season.
The 4-0 MAC start for the Orange and Brown is the best since 2003.
Matt Johnson passed for 430 yards and five touchdowns in the game, marking his sixth game this season with more than 400 yards passing. He has now passed for five touchdowns in three straight games and four total games this season (6 at Maryland).
Johnson also rushed for 45 yards and a score in the game, accounting for 475 yards and six total touchdowns.
Johnson now ranks 10th all-time for single season completions (242) through eight games. He is also fifth for passing yards (3,321) and alone in second for passing touchdowns (29).
For his career, Johnson is fifth all-time with 7,220 passing yards and fourth all-time with 56 career touchdown passes.
For the second time this season BGSU had two receivers over 100 yards in the game, as Ronnie Moore caught seven passes for 151 yards and two scores, while Roger Lewis had four catches for 102 yards and two TDs. For Lewis, it was his fourth straight 100-yard receiving performance.
For Lewis, he is now third all-time with 1,122 receiving yards this season through eight games. His 11 touchdown receptions are tied for fifth.
Travis Greene had 18 rushes for 53 yards in the win, and now has 3,143 career rushing yards. Greene is 280 yards shy of the school's career rushing record.
BGSU had two interceptions in the game – Eilar Hardy and Alfonso Mack. For Mack, it was his third straight game with an interception.
Ryan Burbrink, who had eight receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown, surpassed 2,000 career receiving yards in the game.
BGSU's 602 total yards of offense marked the third time this season – and the fourth time under Dino Babers – that they have gone over 600 yards of offense. It was the ninth straight game in which BGSU has totaled at least 500 yards of total offense.