Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
AKRON
Falcons Defeat Zips, 16-11.
October 20, 2001 | Football
Oct. 20, 2001
AKRON, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University football team dodged a bullet late and won a close game on the road in the fourth quarter. The Falcons defeated the host University of Akron, 16-11. BGSU is 5-2 and 3-1 in the MAC East, while Akron is now 2-5 and 2-2.
After Keon Newson made a game saving tackle on the two-yard line to give BGSU the ball with just over two minutes left in the game, Andy Sahm was called for intentional grounding in the end zone to make the score 16-11. BGSU's defense held Akron after a free kick to seal the win.
Sahm hit Robert Redd with a five-yard pass with 5:42 left in the game to give BGSU a 16-9 lead. The play capped an eight-play, 58-yard drive that took 2:11.
After being stopped at the one-foot line, the BGSU defense stepped up when Brandon Hicks tackled Junior McCray in the end zone with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter forcing a 9-9 tie. The safety was the first for the BGSU defense since 1996, when Joe O'Neill recorded one against Ball State.
BGSU had earlier taken the ball down inside the one-yard line, but the Zip defense stopped Andy Sahm short of breaking the plane of the end zone on fourth down.
Three field goals by Akron's Zac Derr and a touchdown run by freshman quarterback Cole Magner provided all the scoring in the first half of Saturday's MAC East contest in the Rubber Bowl. Derr hit field goals of 38 yards and 32 yards in the first quarter and knocked in a 26-yard effort in the second quarter. Magner, in his first full series under center, marched the Falcons 73-yards in five plays, capped off with a 38-yard run to pull the Falcons to within 9-7.
BGSU's defense received interceptions from Janssen Patton, Sergio Lund and Newson. BGSU had 264 yards of total offense to Akron's 260.
