The Falcons tame the Broncos and take control of their championship destiny.
In one of the conference’s marquee games of the week, Bowling Green (6-4, 5-1 MAC) defeated Western Michigan (5-5, 4-2 MAC) to help state their case for a spot in Detroit.
The first half was a tale of two quarters. Bowling Green’s defense started off hot, holding the Broncos to two straight three-and-outs— but the offense could not keep up, scoring only three points in two drives on Zach Long’s career long 50-yard field goal.
The Broncos figured out the Falcon defense on their third drive, converting two fourth down plays on their way to a touchdown by Jalen Buckley. The Broncos led 7-3 after a 13-play drive to start the second quarter and put pressure on the Falcons.
To complicate matters, Bowling Green couldn’t field the ensuing kickoff, and the Broncos recovered the ball. After a lengthy delay for an injury requiring hospitalization for BGSU defensive end Bam Booker, the Falcon defense responded with a passionate three-and-out. The Falcon offense would complement the defense in turn, with Connor Bazelak finding Harold Fannin Jr. for a 25-yard touchdown to put the Falcons up 10-7 after Long’s PAT.
BGSU turned the screws on the Western offense on their next possession, with Jacorey Sullivan nabbing an interception from Hayden Wolff and Connor Bazelak scoring off a tush-push touchdown to put the score at 17-7 with 4:02 remaining in the first half.
Luka Zurak would miss a 50-yard field goal that would have made it a one-possession game late in the second quarter.
The second half was a better start for the Falcons offensively. Terion Stewart finished off the first drive of the second half with a 17-yard scoring run and Harold Fannin, Jr. would follow up with his second touchdown catch of the day soon after to extend the team’s unanswered streak to 28 points for a 31-7 lead with 6:38 remaining in the third quarter. after their second drive of the half.
The Broncos did manage another score on another Jalen Buckley run, this time from five yards out, but failed the two-point conversion, keeping the score at 31-13. T
Western Michigan would get one final drive to try and pretty up the scoreboard, but Hayden Wolff would throw his second interception of the night to Todd Bumphis, and the Falcons would kill the clock to take home the victory— and become the third MAC team to achieve bowl eligibility.
This will be BGSU’s third year in a row to qualify for a bowl game, a significant achievement for a team who was considered one of the worst in the league just a few seasons ago.
Takeaways
Bowling Green
The Falcons capped off their 2024 Midweek MACtion slate with three keys: Terion Stewart, Harold Fannin, Jr., and their defense.
Terion Stewart outran the Broncos by himself. Finishing with 150 yards and one touchdown, Stewart is now 176 yards away from becoming the first Falcon to run for 1,000 yards since 2016 (Fred Coppet).
Harold Fannin, Jr. finished with 137 yards and two touchdowns. He set the BGSU record for touchdown receptions by a tight end with eight.
The defense allowed only 13 points for the second straight game. In conference play so far, the Falcons allowed an average of 19 points per game, and 294.5 yards per game. They’ve also come up with eight turnovers in their six MAC games.
Western Michigan
It was a tough night for the Broncos. For a team that averaged 209.2 rushing yards per game coming into Bowling Green, 97 rushing yards is a tough pill to swallow. Jalen Buckley finished with 73 yards and two touchdowns. All other rushers combined for 24 yards.
Hayden Wolff finished with 195 passing yards and two interceptions. He was also sacked four times.
This was the second straight game that the Broncos defense allowed 400+ yards of offense in a game. In fact, three of the last four games have seen the Broncos allow 400+ yards, with Buffalo having 511 yards in their game.
Play of the Game
The play of the game goes to Jacorey Benjamin. He snuck in for his second interception of the year, giving the Falcons a huge boost.
BOOM! Jacorey Benjamin gets a pick and gives the ball back to the Falcons! @BG_Football | #ToTheMoon | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/I1tv9idqyi
— #MACtion (@MACSports) November 13, 2024
Up Next
Bowling Green will take a week off to re-adjust to their new schedule. After the break, the Falcons will travel to Ball State on Saturday, November 23rd at 2:00 pm ET on ESPN+. A valid subscription is required for viewing.
Western Michigan travels to Central Michigan on Tuesday, November 19th, for a weeknight rivalry game. Time and network are yet to be decided.