Bowling Green State University Athletics
Tuesday, November 3
Buffalo, N.Y.
7:00 PM ET
Bowling Green State University
30
at
29
Buffalo
Falcons Thrill On ESPN2 With Comeback Win
November 03, 2009 | Football
Boxscore
Dave Clawson Postgame Audio
Tyler Sheehan Postgame Audio
Todd Walker's call of the game-winning touchdown
DAVE CLAWSON POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Buffalo, N.Y. - The Bowling Green football team came back from a 13-point second half deficit to keep its postseason hopes alive with a 30-29 win over Buffalo Tuesday night on a game seen nationally on ESPN2. Freddie Barnes caught a touchdown pass from Tyler Sheehan with 39 seconds remaining to give the Falcons the win.
Barnes, who is a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award as one of the top wide receivers in the country, got his chance to shine on national television and he did not disappoint. He entered the game leading the nation in receptions and receiving yards and he finished with eight catches for 122 yards and the game-winning touchdown, which moved him into a tie for most receiving scores in the country.
Along the way, the Bowling Green special teams came up with two blocked punts that helped the Falcons' cause. The first one was recovered at the one-yard line and led to the Falcons' first score of the game, while the second one sparked Bowling Green's comeback. With Buffalo clinging to a 29-17 lead, P.J. Mahone blocked a punt early in the fourth quarter and the Orange and Brown scored 2:56 later to cut the deficit to 29-23.
Bowling Green forced a 3-and-out following that touchdown and drove inside Buffalo's five-yard line but Sheehan's fourth down pass was knocked down and the Falcons still trailed with 8:09 left.
Buffalo's next drive resulted in three first downs and the Bulls ran the clock down to under three minutes before punting away. A 15-yard kick catching interference penalty gave the Falcons the ball at their own 25 with 2:59 left.
Sheehan calmly drove BG 75 yards in the next 140 seconds, completing a pair of 3rd-and-10's, eventually driving the offense inside Buffalo's 10-yard line. A holding penalty pushed Bowling Green back to the 18, but that's when Sheehan found Barnes streaking to the back corner of the end zone for the winning score.
The Bowling Green defense settled down in the second half, allowing just one Buffalo touchdown and that score came courtesy of a fumbled punt return that gave the Bulls the ball at the Bowling Green five-yard line. Otherwise, Buffalo's offense was ineffective in the second half and the Falcons forced four consecutive 3-and-outs.
With the win, Bowling Green's postseason hopes remain alive as the Falcons improve to 4-5 overall and 3-2 in MAC play. Buffalo falls to 3-6 overall and 1-4 in league action. The Falcons will play their final road game of the year next as the team travels to play Miami (Ohio) on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.
Notes
Dave Clawson Postgame Audio
Tyler Sheehan Postgame Audio
Todd Walker's call of the game-winning touchdown
DAVE CLAWSON POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Buffalo, N.Y. - The Bowling Green football team came back from a 13-point second half deficit to keep its postseason hopes alive with a 30-29 win over Buffalo Tuesday night on a game seen nationally on ESPN2. Freddie Barnes caught a touchdown pass from Tyler Sheehan with 39 seconds remaining to give the Falcons the win.
Barnes, who is a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award as one of the top wide receivers in the country, got his chance to shine on national television and he did not disappoint. He entered the game leading the nation in receptions and receiving yards and he finished with eight catches for 122 yards and the game-winning touchdown, which moved him into a tie for most receiving scores in the country.
Along the way, the Bowling Green special teams came up with two blocked punts that helped the Falcons' cause. The first one was recovered at the one-yard line and led to the Falcons' first score of the game, while the second one sparked Bowling Green's comeback. With Buffalo clinging to a 29-17 lead, P.J. Mahone blocked a punt early in the fourth quarter and the Orange and Brown scored 2:56 later to cut the deficit to 29-23.
Bowling Green forced a 3-and-out following that touchdown and drove inside Buffalo's five-yard line but Sheehan's fourth down pass was knocked down and the Falcons still trailed with 8:09 left.
Buffalo's next drive resulted in three first downs and the Bulls ran the clock down to under three minutes before punting away. A 15-yard kick catching interference penalty gave the Falcons the ball at their own 25 with 2:59 left.
Sheehan calmly drove BG 75 yards in the next 140 seconds, completing a pair of 3rd-and-10's, eventually driving the offense inside Buffalo's 10-yard line. A holding penalty pushed Bowling Green back to the 18, but that's when Sheehan found Barnes streaking to the back corner of the end zone for the winning score.
The Bowling Green defense settled down in the second half, allowing just one Buffalo touchdown and that score came courtesy of a fumbled punt return that gave the Bulls the ball at the Bowling Green five-yard line. Otherwise, Buffalo's offense was ineffective in the second half and the Falcons forced four consecutive 3-and-outs.
With the win, Bowling Green's postseason hopes remain alive as the Falcons improve to 4-5 overall and 3-2 in MAC play. Buffalo falls to 3-6 overall and 1-4 in league action. The Falcons will play their final road game of the year next as the team travels to play Miami (Ohio) on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.
Notes
* On the Falcons' last offensive play of the game, an 18-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Barnes, kept Tyler Sheehan's touchdown streak alive, and has now thrown at least one touchdown pass in 11 straight games, including the final two games of 2008.
* That same touchdown was Barnes' 10th of the season. He now leads the country with 107 receptions, 1,176 yards and those 10 scores. Barnes is now 35 receptions shy of the NCAA record of 142 grabs in a season.
* Those 107 receptions are also a new Mid-American Conference record for catches in a season. The previous-best was held by Dante Ridgeway, who recorded 105 receptions in 2004.
* Barnes also climbed up the career MAC reception leaderboard, and is now tied for sixth all-time with 249 career catches.
* Sheehan completed 22-of-40 passes for 313 yards, his fifth straight 300 yard passing game. It was also the signal-caller's fifth fourth quarter comeback of his career and second of 2009. In his final drive versus UB, Sheehan drove the Falcons 75 yards in 2:21 for the 30-29 win, completing passes to five different wide receivers.
* While Willie Geter had just 13 yards on the ground he did have his first multiple touchdown game of his career with the help of a pair of one-yard plunges.
* P.J. Mahone returned to the team after missing six games, leading the squad with 10 tackles, but made an even bigger impact on special teams, blocking one punt and recovering both of the Falcon punt blocks of the night, setting up two BGSU touchdowns.
* The BGSU defense gave up 302 yards of offense in the first half, but allowed just 109 yards of total offense in the final 30 minutes, including four straight 3-and-outs after the Falcons fell behind 29-16. The BGSU defense allowed no points and just 70 yards in the Bulls final six possessions.
* Freshman Dwayne Woods had a career-high five tackles.
*Senior James Schneider had two quarterback sacks and a forced fumble in the win.
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