Saturday, October 2
Bowling Green, Ohio
3:30 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
1-4 , 0-1
26
vs
28
Buffalo
2-3 , 1-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Buffalo
0
14
14
0
28
Bowling Green
6
7
0
13
26
Falcons Take Bulls To Last Second, Fall 28-26
October 02, 2010 | Football
The visiting Buffalo Bulls outgained the Bowling Green State University football team by over 250 yards, had 18 more first downs and over 38 minutes of possession time, but they could not put away the Falcons until the final whistle in both teams' Mid-American Conference opener on Saturday (Oct. 2) at Perry Stadium.
FINAL STATISTICS - HTML | FINAL STATISTICS - PDF
PHOTO GALLERY | DAVE CLAWSON AUDIO
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for video of BGSU's postgame press conference
In a wild game marred by 14 penalties and 11 turnovers, the Falcons and Bulls battled until Bryan Wright's 40-yard field goal attempt went just wide as time expired to give the Bulls a 28-26 win.
Buffalo dominated Bowling Green in virtually every statistical category, but the Falcons' opportunistic defense and special teams kept the team in the game.
While the Falcons struggled to get their offense going in the first frame, the defense produced three turnovers.
Buffalo drove to the Bowling Green 3-yard line, but backup quarterback Alex Dennison fumbled on first and goal, and Champ Fells recovered.
After the Falcons went three-and-out, cornerback Robert Lorenzi intercepted Buffalo quarterback Jerry Davis and returned the ball to the Bulls' five yard line. Jordan Hopgood took the ball into the end zone one play later for a Falcon touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
Buffalo again drove deep into Bowling Green territory, but Keith Morgan intercepted Davis in the end zone to stop another Bulls scoring opportunity. However, on the next to last play of the first quarter, the Bulls forced a fumble by Falcon quarterback Aaron Pankratz, which they turned into a touchdown early in the second quarter.
Later in the quarter, the Falcons drove 80 yards to reclaim the lead when Pankratz hit Tyrone Pronty on a beautiful 49 yard rainbow over two defenders.
Through the end of the third quarter, the Bulls went on a 21-0 scoring run to take a 28-13 lead. When the Bulls began trading punts with the Falcons on Bowling Green's side of the field, it appeared the game was over.
That illusion quickly disappeared when Lorenzi took his second interception of the game and returned it 82 yards for a momentum-changing touchdown. Despite missing the two-point conversion, the Falcons climbed to within ten at 28-19.
On their next drive, the Bulls were unable to get anything going and were forced to punt. The Falcon rush partially blocked the kick, which only traveled 11 yards, and the Falcons had the ball at the Buffalo 37.
After a huge sack brought third and 19, Pankratz hit Willie Geter on a short screen. Geter weaved through traffic and found his way into the end zone for a 48 yard touchdown. The score brought the Falcons to within two points.
The Falcon defense, sensing the momentum swing, stopped the Bulls again, but all appeared lost when Pankratz was intercepted at the Buffalo 24 with just 1:24 left on the clock.
The Bowling Green defense came through one last time, stripping the ball from running back Ike Nduka. When Keith Morgan made the recovery, the Falcons had their chance to win.
Three runs set up Bryan Wright for a 40-yard field goal attempt after a series of timeouts by both teams, but as time expired, the kick could not find its way between the uprights.
For the game, the Falcon ballhawks secured six takeaways, and, when it counted, held Buffalo on their last four attempts on third down. Bowling Green has intercepted 11 passes and has caused 17 turnovers in the team's five games.
Bowling Green's next game takes place next Saturday (Oct. 9) at Ohio. Game time is at 2:00 p.m.
FALCON NOTES
* The BGSU defense caused six turnovers vs. the Bulls, and had had 11 takeaways in the first two home games of the season ... the Falcons have returned three interceptions for touchdowns in those two games, vs. Marshall and UB.
* Robert Lorenzi had the first two interceptions of his career, returning one for a touchdown and the other to the Buffalo 5-yard line.
* Lorenzi took his second INT 82 yards for a touchdown with 10:14 left in the fourth quarter ... it was the third-longest interception return in school history ... BGSU has had two of the five longest INT returns in program history in the season's first two home games, as Dwayne Woods had a 78-yard return for a score against Marshall.
* Woods had no fewer than 20 tackles in Saturday's game, the highest total of his career ... his previous best was 14, against Troy in the 2010 season opener ... through five games this season, Woods has a team-leading 64 tackles.
* Eugene "Champ" Fells had a career-high 13 tackles on Saturday, topping his previous best by three ... Fells had 10 stops in last year's Central Michigan game as well as this year's opener at Troy.
* Keith Morgan's 13 tackles also set a career standard ... he had 11 in last year's win at Ball State and -- you guessed it -- in the Troy game this year.
* Darius Smith set a career best with nine tackles, as did Kevin Alvarado ... for both players, their previous career high was five stops.
* Morgan recovered a fumble and had an interception vs. Buffalo ... the pick was his team-leading third of the season and the fourth of his career ... the fumble recovery was the second of his career.
* Cameron Truss had his first career interception against the Bulls, and broke up three passes on the night ... Truss entered the game with a season (and career) total of four passes broken up.
* In addition to his 20 tackles, Woods forced a UB fumble ... it was the first FF of his career.
* Aaron Pankratz threw the first touchdown pass of his career with a 49-yard toss to Tyrone Pronty in the second quarter ... Pankratz had two TD throws on the night, with a 48-yard catch-and-run to Willie Geter in the fourth quarter.
* Pronty's TD reception was his team-leading third of the season and the sixth of his career ... Geter caught his first TD pass of the year and the second of his Falcon career.
* Jordan Hopgood had his fourth rushing TD of the year, most on the team, with a five-yard run to open the scoring in the first quarter.
FINAL STATISTICS - HTML | FINAL STATISTICS - PDF
PHOTO GALLERY | DAVE CLAWSON AUDIO
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for video of BGSU's postgame press conference
In a wild game marred by 14 penalties and 11 turnovers, the Falcons and Bulls battled until Bryan Wright's 40-yard field goal attempt went just wide as time expired to give the Bulls a 28-26 win.
Buffalo dominated Bowling Green in virtually every statistical category, but the Falcons' opportunistic defense and special teams kept the team in the game.
While the Falcons struggled to get their offense going in the first frame, the defense produced three turnovers.
Buffalo drove to the Bowling Green 3-yard line, but backup quarterback Alex Dennison fumbled on first and goal, and Champ Fells recovered.
After the Falcons went three-and-out, cornerback Robert Lorenzi intercepted Buffalo quarterback Jerry Davis and returned the ball to the Bulls' five yard line. Jordan Hopgood took the ball into the end zone one play later for a Falcon touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
Buffalo again drove deep into Bowling Green territory, but Keith Morgan intercepted Davis in the end zone to stop another Bulls scoring opportunity. However, on the next to last play of the first quarter, the Bulls forced a fumble by Falcon quarterback Aaron Pankratz, which they turned into a touchdown early in the second quarter.
Later in the quarter, the Falcons drove 80 yards to reclaim the lead when Pankratz hit Tyrone Pronty on a beautiful 49 yard rainbow over two defenders.
Through the end of the third quarter, the Bulls went on a 21-0 scoring run to take a 28-13 lead. When the Bulls began trading punts with the Falcons on Bowling Green's side of the field, it appeared the game was over.
That illusion quickly disappeared when Lorenzi took his second interception of the game and returned it 82 yards for a momentum-changing touchdown. Despite missing the two-point conversion, the Falcons climbed to within ten at 28-19.
On their next drive, the Bulls were unable to get anything going and were forced to punt. The Falcon rush partially blocked the kick, which only traveled 11 yards, and the Falcons had the ball at the Buffalo 37.
After a huge sack brought third and 19, Pankratz hit Willie Geter on a short screen. Geter weaved through traffic and found his way into the end zone for a 48 yard touchdown. The score brought the Falcons to within two points.
The Falcon defense, sensing the momentum swing, stopped the Bulls again, but all appeared lost when Pankratz was intercepted at the Buffalo 24 with just 1:24 left on the clock.
The Bowling Green defense came through one last time, stripping the ball from running back Ike Nduka. When Keith Morgan made the recovery, the Falcons had their chance to win.
Three runs set up Bryan Wright for a 40-yard field goal attempt after a series of timeouts by both teams, but as time expired, the kick could not find its way between the uprights.
For the game, the Falcon ballhawks secured six takeaways, and, when it counted, held Buffalo on their last four attempts on third down. Bowling Green has intercepted 11 passes and has caused 17 turnovers in the team's five games.
Bowling Green's next game takes place next Saturday (Oct. 9) at Ohio. Game time is at 2:00 p.m.
FALCON NOTES
* The BGSU defense caused six turnovers vs. the Bulls, and had had 11 takeaways in the first two home games of the season ... the Falcons have returned three interceptions for touchdowns in those two games, vs. Marshall and UB.
* Robert Lorenzi had the first two interceptions of his career, returning one for a touchdown and the other to the Buffalo 5-yard line.
* Lorenzi took his second INT 82 yards for a touchdown with 10:14 left in the fourth quarter ... it was the third-longest interception return in school history ... BGSU has had two of the five longest INT returns in program history in the season's first two home games, as Dwayne Woods had a 78-yard return for a score against Marshall.
* Woods had no fewer than 20 tackles in Saturday's game, the highest total of his career ... his previous best was 14, against Troy in the 2010 season opener ... through five games this season, Woods has a team-leading 64 tackles.
* Eugene "Champ" Fells had a career-high 13 tackles on Saturday, topping his previous best by three ... Fells had 10 stops in last year's Central Michigan game as well as this year's opener at Troy.
* Keith Morgan's 13 tackles also set a career standard ... he had 11 in last year's win at Ball State and -- you guessed it -- in the Troy game this year.
* Darius Smith set a career best with nine tackles, as did Kevin Alvarado ... for both players, their previous career high was five stops.
* Morgan recovered a fumble and had an interception vs. Buffalo ... the pick was his team-leading third of the season and the fourth of his career ... the fumble recovery was the second of his career.
* Cameron Truss had his first career interception against the Bulls, and broke up three passes on the night ... Truss entered the game with a season (and career) total of four passes broken up.
* In addition to his 20 tackles, Woods forced a UB fumble ... it was the first FF of his career.
* Aaron Pankratz threw the first touchdown pass of his career with a 49-yard toss to Tyrone Pronty in the second quarter ... Pankratz had two TD throws on the night, with a 48-yard catch-and-run to Willie Geter in the fourth quarter.
* Pronty's TD reception was his team-leading third of the season and the sixth of his career ... Geter caught his first TD pass of the year and the second of his Falcon career.
* Jordan Hopgood had his fourth rushing TD of the year, most on the team, with a five-yard run to open the scoring in the first quarter.
Team Stats
UB
BGSU
Total Yards
441
176
Pass Yards
241
167
Rushing Yards
200
9
Penalty Yards
104
37
1st Downs
27
10
3rd Downs
12
3
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
38:22
21:38
1st Quarter
UB 0, BGSU 6
BGSU - HOPGOOD, Jordan 5 yd run (WRIGHT, Bryan kickfailed), 1 plays, 5 yards, TOP 0:05
2nd Quarter
UB 7, BGSU 6
UB - NDUKA, Ike 1 yd run (PRINCIPE, A.J. kick), 8 plays, 15 yards, TOP 3:20
UB 7, BGSU 13
BGSU - PRONTY, Tyrone 49 yd pass from PANKRATZ, Aaron (WRIGHT, Bryan kick) 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 1:46
UB 14, BGSU 13
UB - NEUTZ, Alex 24 yd pass from DAVIS, Jerry (PRINCIPE, A.J. kick) 8 plays, 65 yards, TOP 3:08
3rd Quarter
UB 21, BGSU 13
UB - RIVERS, Marcus 7 yd pass from DAVIS, Jerry (PRINCIPE, A.J. kick) 10 plays, 51 yards, TOP 3:45
UB 28, BGSU 13
UB - JACKSON, Terrel 9 yd pass from DAVIS, Jerry (PRINCIPE, A.J. kick) 10 plays, 63 yards, TOP 4:33
4th Quarter
UB 28, BGSU 19
BGSU - LORENZI, Robert 82 yd interception (PANKRATZ, Aaron passfailed)
UB 28, BGSU 26
BGSU - GETER, Willie 48 yd pass from PANKRATZ, Aaron (WRIGHT, Bryan kick) 4 plays, 37 yards, TOP 1:37
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
12
TD
2
YDS
167
INT
3
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