Terion Stewart runs for 161 yards, 3 TDs as Bowling Green tops Fordham 41-17

Justin Pegues took the opening kick and raced 100 yards for a touchdown and Terion Stewart ran for three scores, including 73 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Bowling Green rolled to a 41-17 win over Fordham in the season-opener on Thursday night.

The Falcons opened their season at home for the first time since 2019 with their first meeting with the Rams.

Pegues, a transfer from Tennessee Tech, fielded the opening kick while straddling the goal line, found a big hole in the Fordham kick coverage at the 20 and raced down the right-hand sideline for the score just 12 seconds into the contest. Jaison Patterson threw a pair of key blocks to help spring Pegues.

Stewart scored the first offensive touchdown for Bowling Green, bursting seven-yards for the score midway through the first quarter. Lucian Anderson III scored from 13-yards out to make it 20-0 after a quarter. Connor Bazelak added an eight-yard touchdown in the second quarter before Bennett Henderson connected on a 24-yard field goal as time expired to get the Rams on the board before intermission.

CJ Montes hit Cole Thornton for a 30-yard touchdown to start the third quarter, but Stewart scored on a seven-yard run late in the third quarter and put the game away with his 73-yard score midway though the fourth quarter.

Bazelak completed 15 of 22 passes for 168 yards to lead Bowling Green through the air while Stewart carried 14 times for 161 yards.

Montes was 13 of 21 passing for 159 yards and a touchdown to lead Fordham.

Fordham travels to face Central Connecticut September 7.

Bowling Green faces a pair of tough non-conference road games, playing at No. 8 Penn State September 7 and at No. 20 Texas A&M Sep. 21.

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