UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Below are updates and analysis from Saturday’s Bowling Green football game against Penn State. 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 valiant effort against one of the best teams in the country came up just short for BGSU.
The Falcons couldn’t find the go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter, and No. 8 Penn State scored late to notch a 10-point victory.
BGSU’s first turnover of the game came at a critical moment. With BGSU trailing 27-24, Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas made a diving interception on Connor Bazelak’s pass over the middle that was intended for Rahkeem Smith with 6:36 left.
After Bazelak threw an interception to Zakee Wheatley on the Falcons’ next possession, Nicholas Singleton darted 41 yards up the middle for a touchdown to give Penn State a 34-24 lead with 4:09 left.
BGSU’s Jackson Kleather connected on a 42-yard field goal with 47 seconds left to cut Penn State’s lead to 34-27, but the Nittany Lions recovered the ensuing onside kick.
■ Analysis: There were a lot of positives for BGSU, but a second-half struggle offensively will likely leave a sour taste in its mouth. The Falcons will have another chance at knocking off a power conference opponent when it travels to Texas A&M on Sept. 21.
THIRD QUARTER
■ What happened: Penn State took its first lead of the game late in the third quarter to take a three-point advantage into the fourth.
Quarterback Drew Allar found Nicholas Singleton over the middle for a 14-yard touchdown with 6:13 left to give the Nittany Lions a 27-24 lead.
After a stellar first half, BGSU’s offense had two three-and-outs on its two possessions. The Falcons had a big play defensively, though, as Jacorey Benjamin intercepted Allar in the end zone on the final play of the frame.
■ Analysis: Penn State has appeared to make the defensive adjustments to slow down BGSU. A couple nice deflections at the line of scrimmage on pass attempts from BGSU’s Connor Bazelak were key as well.
SECOND QUARTER
■ What happened: BGSU continued to pour it on offensively in taking the halftime lead.
The Falcons took a 10-point lead when Connor Bazelak found Malcolm Johnson, Jr., in the left side of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown on third-and 14. The score gave BGSU a 17-7 lead with 12:48 left.
After 10 straight points from Penn State, BGSU’s Jamal Johnson darted up the middle for a 41-yard touchdown run to put the Falcons ahead 24-17 with 3:32 left.
Penn State’s Drew Allar found Omari Evans for a 29-yard touchdown, and Sander Sahaydak connected on a 43-yard field goal as the Nittany Lions tied it at 17-17 with 5:28 left. Sahaydak’s 28-yard field goal with 10 seconds left made it 24-20 BGSU.
The Falcons racked up 286 yards of offense with zero turnovers and just one penalty for five yards. The Falcons controlled the time of possession as well (18:53 to 11:07).
■ Analysis: BGSU’s offense scored on four of its five possessions in a remarkable first-half performance. But the defense made a couple of huge stops in the second quarter to force Penn State to kick field goals. Ali Saad and Joseph Sipp, Jr., stopped Kaytron Allen for a 2-yard loss on third-and-3 to force the Nittany Lions’ first field goal, and Avi McGary’s tackle on Allar for a 2-yard loss on third-and-7 forced their second kick.
FIRST QUARTER
■ What happened : A perfect start for BGSU’s offense, even without one of its best players, highlighted a strong first frame as the Falcons took a three-point lead.
BGSU marched 75 yards on six plays on its opening possession, which was capped off by Harold Fannin Jr.’s 6-yard touchdown reception from Connor Bazelak with 12:39 left. The BGSU signal caller went 4 of 5 for 71 yards on the drive.
Penn State, though, quickly responded with a 75-yard scoring drive of its own. Quarterback Drew Allar kept the ball himself for a 5-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 7-7 with 10:14 left.
The Falcons put together another solid offensive possession in marching 60 yards to the Penn State 15. Jackson Kleather’s 33-yard field goal put the Falcons ahead 10-7 with 4:50 left.
BGSU racked up 145 yards of offense, including 119 through the air.
BGSU standout running back Terion Stewart was listed as questionable for the game on the Mid-American Conference’s student athlete availability report, and he did not play in the opening quarter.
■ Analysis : BGSU’s offense, especially its passing game, executed at a high level. The Falcons showed no signs of nerves as Bazelak was on point for nearly every pass.
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