Falcons Fall, 38-14, at Ohio; BGSU Now Awaits Bowl Destination

Tuesday, November 22

Athens, Ohio

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Ohio

November 22, 2022 | Football

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BGSU finishes MAC play at 5-3

By: BGSU Strategic Communications

ATHENS, Ohio – Ohio University quarterback CJ Harris ran for three touchdowns as the Bobcats defeated the Bowling Green State University football team, 38-14, on Tuesday night (Nov. 22). The Mid-American Conference matchup took place at Peden Stadium.

With the win, the Bobcats (9-3, 7-1 MAC) clinched the MAC's East Division title and a berth in the MAC Championship game. The Falcons (6-6, 5-3 MAC), who became bowl eligible with last week's win at Toledo, now await their bowl fate.

Matt McDonald completed 16-of-29 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown. McDonald's 44-yard TD toss to Tyrone Broden gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead after the opening quarter, but Harris ran for a touchdown to tie the score, then threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Sam Wiglusz to give the hosts the lead for good.

BGSU's other touchdown on Tuesday night came on a 10-yard run by Camden Orth in the fourth quarter.

Nine different BG receivers caught at least one pass, with six of those players making two or more catches apiece.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both teams went three-and-out on their opening series, with the Bobcats forcing a Falcon punt with a third-down sack, then Bowling Green stopping two run plays before breaking up a screen pass. The trend continued on each team's second drive, with both teams taking a holding penalty before punting again.
The Falcons started their third drive of the game at their own 11-yard line, then converted on a 3rd-and-12 with a Matt McDonald to CJ Lewis 14-yard reception. Facing 3rd-and-2 a few plays later, McDonald threw a screen to Harold Fannin Jr., who carried a pair of Bobcat defenders down the sideline for a 16-yard gain. After a seven-yard completion to Jhaylin Embry and two-yard rush by Jaison Patterson, Bowling Green had another chance to move the chains on third down. McDonald dropped back and threw a deep ball down the middle to Tyrone Broden, who made a leaping catch at the goal line for a 44-yard touchdown. Mason Lawler's extra point gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead that stood for the remainder of the quarter.
Ohio responded with a lengthy drive that stretched into the second quarter, covering 77 yards on 12 plays. The Bobcats converted on third down four times during the drive, twice with passes and twice with rushes. Their final play of the drive came on 3rd-and-4, with quarterback CJ Harris scampering five yards on a draw for a touchdown. The Nathanial Vakos extra point kick tied the game with 11:40 remaining in the first half.
On the first play of BGSU's next drive, McDonald tossed a short pass to Fannin Jr., who broke a tackle and ran to the OU 33 for a 42-yard gain. The drive stalled there, as BGSU's fourth-down pass attempt was intercepted by Zack Sanders at the OU 20.
The Bobcats had an incomplete pass on their first play, then Harris hit Jacoby Jones for a 48-yard catch-and-run. Trent Simms tripped him up at the BG 31 for the touchdown-saving tackle. After another first down, Harris connected with Sam Wiglusz on the left sideline for a 20-yard touchdown. The PAT from Vakos gave OU a 14-7 lead near the halfway point of the second quarter.
A quick possession from the Falcons resulted in a punt, with Ohio taking over just shy of midfield. The Bobcats converted on third down early in the drive, then gained 23 yards on a catch-and-run from Tyler Foster. A few plays later, Sieh Bangura punched it in from three yards out to extend OU's lead to two touchdowns.
McDonald hit Broden in stride for a 37-yard gain to open the next drive, but the Falcons stalled once again. Like the earlier drive, a fourth down pass by McDonald was intercepted.
OU ran the ball three times to gain a first down on their drive but had their next two passes fall incomplete. After a one-yard gain on third down, the Falcons called timeout and looked to drive after the punt. The first play was a pass intercepted by Tariq Drake at the BG 39, then returned to the BG 14. Three rushing plays later, Harris ran in for an eight-yard touchdown, giving the hosts a 28-7 lead.
McDonald completed a pair of passes to Christian Sims before the half ended, but the clock expired after the Falcons crossed midfield.
The second half began with Ohio gaining a first down after two rushes from Bangura, but the Falcon defense forced an incompletion and two short rushes, leading to an OU punt. Bowling Green took over at their own 23, then gained a first down after a reception and a rush attempt from Patterson. An incompletion and two short receptions from Keith led to a punt by Sami Sir, which was fair caught by the Bobcats at their own 14.
The ensuing Ohio drive saw a 32-yard completion from Harris to James Bostic, putting the Bobcats near midfield. They crossed the 50-yard line with another completion to Bostic, then converted on third down three times, all on rushing plays. DJ Taylor and Kitione Tau stuffed Bangura on the next third down, leading to a 32-yard field goal from Vakos. This capped a 15-play, 71-yard drive that took 7:39 off the clock.
The next BGSU drive started with back-to-back incomplete passes, but McDonald scrambled and found an open Sims to convert on third down. That was followed by a one-yard run and a sack, then McDonald was stripped as he scrambled on third down. The Bobcats recovered at the BG 33, taking over with seven seconds left in the third quarter.
The Bobcats ran the ball on all seven plays of their drive, with Harris scoring from 12 yards out after keeping it on a speed option. Vakos's kick made it 38-7 early in the fourth.
The next two drives featured punts, as well as replacements at quarterback. Nick Mosley started the next Bowling Green drive with a 14-yard rush, then followed it with a three-yard gain. Camden Orth completed a pass to Andrew Bench for the first down, then Mosley and Orth each ran for a first down. A pass interference penalty gave the Falcons the ball at the 10, where Orth punched it in on the ground. Lawler's extra point was successful, making it a 38-14 game with 2:24 left to play. Ohio ran out the clock to end the game.

STAT LEADERS

Matt McDonald, 16-of-29, 217 yards, 1 TD
Tyrone Broden, 2 catches, 89 yards, 1 TD
DJ Taylor, 11 tackles (8-3), 0.5 TFL
Chris Bacon, 10 tackles (6-4), 0.5 TFL

GAME NOTES

WR Tyrone Broden collected his sixth touchdown of the year and 11th of his career on a 44-yard scoring strike in the first quarter.
Broden finished with 81 receiving yards, pushing him to No. 36 all-time in program history with 1,186 career receiving yards.
QB Matt McDonald completed at least one pass to eight different receivers.
McDonald finished with 217 passing yards, which marks the eighth time this season and the 17th time in his career where he threw for 200+ yards.
With three receptions, WR Odieu Hiliare has extended his active streak with at least one reception to 34-straight games.
TE Harold Fannin Jr. had a career-high 58 receiving yards.
DL Kitione Tau had a career-high four tackles.
QB Camden Orth rushed for a 10-yard touchdown, which was his first rushing touchdown of the season and second of his career. He previously rushed for a touchdown in the final game of his career at LIU last season.
S Chris Bacon tied his career high with 10 tackles. He also had 10 stops against Eastern Kentucky

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM

"We ran out of gas, plain and simple. We were a competitive team this year and that's what we wanted to be. We need to take the next step in the program, consistently being able to play our best." - Head Coach Scot Loeffler

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