Troy Upends Falcons On Late Field Goal

Saturday, September 4

Troy, Al.

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

0-1

Troy

1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Bowling Green

TROY

September 04, 2010 | Football

Box Score

By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications

Boxscore
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Troy, Ala. - University of Troy kicker Michael Taylor hit a 34-yard field goal with four seconds remaining as the Trojans came from behind to defeat Bowling Green 30-27 in the 2010 football season opener for both teams.

Troy won its 24th consecutive home opener despite falling behind 17-7 midway through the second quarter. Bowling Green scored first on a 35-yard Willie Geter scamper up the middle and later got a three-yard Adrian Hodges touchdown reception to lead 14-7 after one.

Bryan Wright hit a 19-yard field goal with 10:23 to go in the second that put Bowling Green on top 17-7 but Troy got a field goal three minutes later and tied the score on a one-yard Shawn Southward touchdown with 1:17 to play before the end of the half.

Eugene Cooper had a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the third quarter that gave Bowling Green a 24-17 lead. It was the first Bowling Green punt return score since Corey Partridge had a 79-yarder in 2005 against Temple.

Troy tied the score on a 49-yard Jerrel Jernigan run just over a minute later and took its first lead of the game on Taylor's 40-yard field goal with 8:45 to go in the third.

Bowling Green again tied the score on Wright's 23-yard kick with 2:11 left in the third but that was the final scoring until Taylor's field goal with four seconds left.

The Falcons were driving late until redshirt freshman Matt Schilz' pass intended for Calvin Wiley skipped off his hands and into the arms of Troy's Tony Davis with 1:07 left. The Trojans marched 49 yards in 1:03 to get into position for the game-winner.

Schilz managed the game well in his first career start as BGSU's quarterback, going 22-for-43 for 221 yards and only the one interception. Kamar Jorden, also playing his first game in a BG uniform, had nine catches for 111 yards. Geter carried the ball 20 times for 93 yards. Tyrone Pronty had four catches for 58 yards and was explosive in the return game, averaging 30.2 yards on five kick returns, including a 48-yarder.

Notes
*It was a night of first on Saturday evening in Troy Ala. Seven Falcons made their first career starts. On offense Kamar Jorden, Matt Schilz and Calvin Wiley, along with defenders Champ Fells, Jovan Leacock, Calvin Marshall and Dwayne Woods made their first starts of their career.

*Kamar Jorden along with Calvin Wiley, Alex Bayer and Jodan Hopgood made their first career receptions. Jorden, who red-shirted last season after spending two seasons at a junior college, finished the game with a team-high ¬nine receptions for 111 yards. Wiley, on the other hand had to wait a while. Wiley, a sixth-year senior entered Saturday's game with zero career catches, but finished the game with a pair of grabs. Hopgood finished the game with two catches for 13 yards and Bayer had one grab for 11 yards.

*Schilz connected with junior Adrian Hodges for his first career touchdown pass. Schilz would finish the game 22-of-43 for 221 yards and that one score.

*Bryan Wright connected on his first two career field goals as a Falcon, banging in a 19 and 23 yarder.

*On the defensive side of the ball, Woods recorded his first career double-digit tackle performance, recording a game-high 14 stops. Jovan Leacock, like Woods, was making his first career start, finished with 11 tackles.

*Senior captain Champ Fells had his first career interception and ended the game with 11 tackles.

*Eugene Cooper made the best of his first career punt return, going 63 yards for a touchdown. In fact, it was Cooper's first time ever touching a ball in a game. The last BG player to return a punt for a score was Corey Partridge versus Temple on Oct. 1, 2005 (79 yards).

*The Falcons seemed to have found a weapon in the kick return game as well with Tyrone Pronty posting 151 yards on five returns, including a 48-yarder in the second quarter. The 48 yard return was impressive because BGSU's longest return all of last season was 47 yards.