Bowling Green State University Athletics
Point in Time: Miraculous Finish Leads to Win Over Miami in 1985
August 15, 2016 | Football
The BGSU Athletics Department is celebrating 50 years of Doyt L. Perry Stadium this season, culminating on Oct. 1, 2016 at Homecoming. The Falcons will host Eastern Michigan on the 50th nniversary of the first football game in Perry Stadium history, a 13-0 Falcons win over Dayton on Oct. 1, 1966.
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In leading up to Homecoming, BGSU Athletics is taking a look back at a few of the great Bowling Green games in Doyt Perry Stadium history. Today, we look back at an all-time great Falcon comeback win over Miami from Sept. 21, 1985.
BG News from Sept. 24, 1985
Point in Time: Falcons Fly Past Missouri in 2002
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Celebrating 50 Years Of The Doyt
Do you believe in miracles? If you were at Doyt Perry Stadium on Sept. 21, 1985, you probably do. Bowling Green trailed Miami by ten points in the final three minutes. They were playing with a backup quarterback, and fans were leaving. Despite the stacked odds, the Falcons scored twice in 21 seconds, then held on for a stunning 28-24 win.
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The Falcons had won in a thrilling fashion the previous week at Kentucky and appeared to be on their way to another win when Brian McClure threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Joe Boxley for an early 7-0 lead. A sprained knee knocked McClure out of the game in the second, but backup Rick Neiman and a stout defense kept BGSU ahead 14-10 through three quarters.
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Miami's defense also proved stout through much of the second half, and their running game produced two touchdowns in the final frame for a 24-14 lead with 3:45 to play. Neiman engineered a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped by a touchdown pass to Bernard White to cut the deficit to 24-21 with 1:24 left.
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BGSU recovered Paul Silvi's onside kick at the Miami 47 after the Redskins chose to let the ball go out of bounds rather than attempt a recovery. Neiman immediately threw a 40-yard pass to Greg Meehan, then on the next play, faked a handoff up the middle and scrambled for a seven-yard touchdown and a 28-24 lead. With 1:04 remaining, Miami had the time to drive to BGSU's five yard line, but Paul Schweitzer knocked away a fourth-down pass in the final ten seconds.
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Neiman completed 11 passes for 156 yards and ran for 25, more of each than in the rest of his college career combined. He scored all three of his career touchdowns in the game. The win helped propel BGSU to an 11-0 record and the most recent undefeated regular season in program history.
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