Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
MARSHALL
BGSU Falls At Marshall, 37-31
September 29, 2001 | Football
Sept. 29, 2001
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. - The Bowling Green State University football team saw a three-game winning streak come to an end, as Marshall University knocked off the Falcons Saturday night (Sept. 29).
The Thundering Herd took the lead with a touchdown with 2:48 left in the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion gave the hosts a 37-31 lead, and MU held on for the win.
The loss dropped the Falcons to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in MAC play. Marshall improved to 2-1 and 1-0, respectively.
Fans at Marshall University Stadium certainly got their money's worth in the first half. The Falcons held Marshall on the game's first drive, then proceeded to march down the field for a touchdown. Andy Sahm threw a seven-yard TD pass to Robert Redd to give the Brown and Orange the lead. Sean Suisham's PAT made the score 7-0 with 6:57 remaining in the quarter.
That score was set up by a 27-yard Sahm-to-Redd hookup on a third-and-15 play. The two catches by Redd on that drive were a harbinger of things to come.
The Herd came right back, returning the ensuing kickoff to the BG 36-yard line. Byron Leftwich threw an eight-yard TD strike to Darius Watts, and Curtis Head's extra point tied the score just 1:28 after the BGSU score.
The Herd forced BG to punt on the next drive, and put together an 86-yard TD drive to take the lead. A 46-yard Watts reception gave the Thundering Herd a first down at BG's 11, and Leftwich found Watts in the end zone on the next play. Head's PAT try was wide right, however, keeping the score at 13-7.
BGSU roared back, as Sahm immediately found Redd for a 50-yard completion. A face-mask penalty against MU on the play moved the ball to the 7-yard line. BG got as deep as the two-yard line before a third-down sack put the ball back at the 11. Suisham hit a 28-yard field goal -- the first of his career and BGSU's first of the season -- to make the score 13-10 early in the second quarter.
Marshall scored on the next drive, as a Franklin Wallace two-yard run and Head's PAT gave the Herd a 20-10 advantage. For a while, it looked as if the host team might take that lead into the lockerroom. But, the Falcons had other ideas.
BG's next drive stalled inside the Marshall 30-yard line, but the Falcon defense held MU to a three-and-out possession. BG took over on the Falcons' own 26, and needed just two plays to score.
Sahm found Redd for 11 yards, then hooked up with the junior for a 59-yard scoring strike. A pass interference call against MU was declined, and Suisham's PAT cut the lead to 20-17, Herd.
That TD catch gave Redd the BGSU single-game record for receiving yards, with less than two quarters gone. Redd had seven catches for 195 yards in the half.
With just seconds left in the half, Karl Rose hit Leftwich near midfield, forcing a fumble. Khary Campbell picked up the loose ball and took it in for a score with just two seconds left in the half. The PAT gave the Falcons a 24-20 halftime edge.
BGSU continued to hold the momentum early in the third quarter. Joe Alls returned the opening kickoff to the BG 41, and almost singlehandedly drove the Brown and Orange down the field. He had runs of 28, nine, two, 17 and two yards to put BG inside the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Sahm found senior Kurt Gerling in the end zone for a three-yard TD. That catch extended Gerling's streak of consecutive games with a reception to 33.
Suisham's extra point gave the Falcons a 31-20 lead. The rest of the third quarter, however, belonged to the Thundering Herd.
Marshall got three points back on a 41-yard field goal by Head, and a Wallace TD catch cut the Falcon lead to 31-29 with 6:54 left in the quarter. The Herd went for two, but Chad Long broke up Leftwich's pass.
On the next BGSU drive, though, the Herd defense came up with back-to-back sacks, then blocked a BG punt and took over at the Falcon 17-yard line. The BG defense would rise to the challenge.
After MU got as deep as the seven-yard line, a penalty put the Herd back on the 20-yard line late in the quarter. Then, Brandon Hicks sacked Leftwich at the 36, and MU was forced to punt.
Each of the next three drives ended in punts, and Marshall took over on their own 34 with 7:18 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Herd took the ball down the field for a score, as Leftwich threw a 10-yard pass to Josh Davis for six points with 2:48 remaining. Leftwich found Watts for the two-point conversion.
The Falcons got several first downs on the next drive, and drove into Marshall territory. But, Sahm's long pass was intercepted by the Herd's Yancey Satterwhite at the MU three-yard line with just 23 seconds left. The Herd needed to kneel down for just one play to clinch the victory.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bowling Green 7 17 7 0 - 31 Marshall 13 7 9 8 - 37
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter BG - TD, Robert Redd 7 pass from Andy Sahm (Sean Suisham kick), 8:07 gone MU - TD, Darius Watts 8 pass from Byron Leftwich (Curtis Head kick), 9:31 MU - TD, Watts 11 yd pass from Leftwich (Kick failed), 14:22Second Quarter BG - FG, Suisham 28, 2:12 MU - TD, Franklin Wallace 3 run (Head kick), 7:58 BG - TD, Redd 59 pass from Sahm (Suisham kick), 12:58 BG - TD, Khary Campbell 45 fumble return (Suisham kick), 14:58
Third Quarter BG - TD, Kurt Gerling 3 pass from Sahm (Suisham kick), 3:16 MU - FG, Head 41, 5:52 MU - TD, Wallace 12 run (Pass failed), 8:06
Fourth Quarter MU - TD, Josh Davis 10 pass from Leftwich (Watts pass from Leftwich), 12:12
