Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Temple
Football Defeats Temple, 42-23
September 22, 2001 | Football
Sept. 22, 2001
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University football team moved to 3-0 on the season with a 42-23 win over visiting Temple University Saturday night (Sept. 22) at Doyt Perry Stadium.
With the victory, the Falcons continued the team's best start to a season since 1985, and BGSU has surpassed the win total for all of last season.
It looked like the Brown and Orange would get on the scoreboard quickly, as junior Joe Alls returned the game's opening kickoff 75 yards to the Temple 16-yard line. But, a fumble on the first play gave the Owls the ball.
Defense was the dominant factor in a first quarter which saw both team score off of turnovers. Five plays after the Falcon turnover, Alex Glantzis forced a Temple fumble. BG's Chad Long picked up the ball and dashed 30 yards to give BGSU a 7-0 lead with 12:09 left in the quarter.
Temple returned the favor nearly eight minutes later when Raheem Brock returned an interception 59 yards to even the score. Temple had 18 yards of total offense, while BGSU had just three yards of total offense in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Falcon offense came to life with a five-play, 55-yard drive. On a third-and-11 play, junior Andy Sahm connected on a 30-yard pass to freshman James Hawkins to put the Falcons on the Temple one-yard line. Sahm kept the next snap and went the final yard with 7:50 left in the half to give BGSU a lead it would never relinquish.
The Owls got three points back on a Cap Poklemba field goal with 25 seconds left in the half, and the ensuing kickoff hit a Falcon player and was recovered by Temple at the BG 26. But, sophomore Janssen Patton picked off a Mike McGann pass in the end zone with just two seconds left in the half. In that first half, BGSU gained just 53 yards, but held Temple to 94.
BG extended the lead early in the third quarter, on the Falcons' second defensive touchdown of the night. Senior Brandon Hicks intercepted McGann and returned the pick 31 yards for a score with 13:45 left in the quarter. The interception was the Falcons' third of the night, and the touchdown was the second of Hicks' career. Sean Suisham's PAT gave BG a 21-10 lead.
The Falcons took a 28-10 lead on a 45-yard scoring strike from junior Andy Sahm to senior Kurt Gerling with just under seven minutes remaining in the quarter. The catch extended Gerling's consecutive games streak with a reception to 32.
Temple got a score after a 15-play, 82-yard drive, as Mac DeVito completed a six-yard TD pass to Eric Carpenter.
But, Sahm struck again, with a 28-yard lob to David Bautista in the left corner of the north end zone early in the final quarter.
Temple scored on a fake punt, as Collin Hannigan threw a 60-yard strike to Chonn Lacey. The touchdown toss was the first for Hannigan, a redshirt freshman who was on the field for the first play of his collegiate career. The Owls went for a two-point conversion, which failed.
Temple attempted an onside kick, which Patton fielded on the dead run. Forty-two yards later, he crossed the goal line untouched. Suisham's sixth extra point of the night completed the scoring.
BGSU gained just 54 yards on the ground, but held Temple to only 29 yards in 32 rushing attempts. The Owls held a 35:25-to-24:35 advantage in time of possession.
TU passed for 327 yards to the Falcons' 194 on the night.
Individually, Sahm was 16-of-22 through the air for 186 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore Josh Harris was 2-of-3. McGann completed half of his passes, going 23-of-46 for 256 yards, but he was intercepted three times. DeVito was 2-of-4 for 11 yards and a score, while Hannigan's TD toss was his only attempt of the night.
Bautista caught eight passes for 90 yards for the Falcons, while Alls had five receptions on the night. Zamir Cobb led Temple with nine catches.
BGSU returns to Mid-American Conference action next Saturday (Sept. 29), heading to Huntington, W.Va., to face Marshall University.
