Falcons Surge Past CMU, 34-18

Saturday, October 22

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

1 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

4-4 , 3-1

Central Michigan

2-6 , 1-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Bowling Green

Central Michigan

Photo by: Jack Reeber, CMU Athletics

October 22, 2022 | Football

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes Postgame Quotes

BGSU moves to 3-1 in the MAC with Saturday's road win

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Matt McDonald completed nearly 86 percent of his passes and the defense came up big as the Bowling Green State University football team picked up a 34-18 win at Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 22) at Kelly-Shorts Stadium.

McDonald was 18-of-21 for 254 yards through the air. He found Tyrone Broden for a pair of touchdown tosses.

Jaison Patterson ran for 101 yards, and Odieu Hilaire caught four of McDonald's passes for 105 yards in the win.

The BGSU defense had four takeaways, on three fumbles and an interception in the game. Karl Brooks had a strip sack in the fourth quarter, with Demetrius Hardamon returning the fumble 45 yards for a score and a 27-10 lead.

With the Chippewas back within nine points and looking to further cut into the lead, Walter Haire had a highlight-reel play with 2:40 left in the game. Haire batted down a pass, then pinned it against the back of the CMU offensive lineman who was blocking him. Haire grabbed the ball away with one hand and returned it 26 yards into CMU territory.

Several plays later, McDonald found Broden in the end zone for the second time in the game.

Harold Fannin Jr. had a rushing TD to open the game's scoring, while Mason Lawler hit a pair of field goals along with four extra points.

Brooks had three sacks on the afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons went 75 yards for a touchdown on the game's opening drive. After a nine-yard rush by Ta'ron Keith, quarterback Matt McDonald found Odieu Hiliare for a 46-yard gain, putting the Falcons at the CMU 20-yard line. McDonald hit Christian Sims for nine yards, and Keith picked up a first down on the ground. Three more rushing plays put the Falcons at the one, and on fourth and goal, Harold Fannin Jr. took the ball the final yard for the game's opening points. Mason Lawler added the point after touchdown.
• Each team went three-and-out on their next drive. CMU picked up a first down on the Chippewas' second drive of the day, but the drive stalled before Marshall Meeder hit a 52-yard field goal to get the hosts on the scoreboard with 4:15 remaining in the opening quarter.
• On the first play of the next drive, Jaison Patterson broke a tackle near the line of scrimmage and rumbled for 36 yards into CMU territory. A pair of sacks stalled the Falcons' drive, but Sami Sir's punt was downed at the Central 7-yard line.
• Demetrius Hardemon sacked CMU QB Daniel Richardson at the 3-yard line on the second play of that drive, and the final play of the opening quarter. The Chippewas were forced to punt the ball back to the Falcons, and Jake Rogers returned the kick 27 yards to the CMU 40.
• McDonald found Hiliare on third and long, picking up 23 yards and getting the Falcons into the red zone. Three plays later, Lawler's 38-yard field-goal attempt was right down the middle, giving BGSU a 10-3 lead.
• The Falcons forced a punt and took over at their own 9-yard line. The next drive saw a 20-yard rush by Patterson and a 14-yard McDonald-to-Fannin completion. BGSU's drive gained 43 yards before Sir's punt pinned the Chippewas at their own 8-yard line.
• The BG defense forced a three-and-out, taking over at midfield. McDonald completed three consecutive passes for double-digit gains, with 19-yard plays to Hiliare and CJ Lewis sandwiched around a 13-yard completion to Sims.
• The Lewis catch put the Falcons in the redzone, and three plays later, McDonald found Tyrone Broden for an 11-yard scoring play with just 22 seconds left in the half.
• BGSU took a 17-3 lead into the intermission after outgaining the Chippewas, 241-34, in the opening 30 minutes.
• CMU, however, came out quickly in the second half, scoring on the opening drive after starting with a short field. Jake Tafelski's 3-yard run made it a one-score game.
• BGSU picked a pair of first downs on the next drive, but the Falcons were forced to punt. On the next drive, a 60-yard run by CMU QB Jase Bauer put the Chippewas at the BG 25-yard line. Central drove as deep as the Falcons' 8-yard line, but Patrick Day's strip-sack of Bauer on a fourth-and-7 play ended that drive. Cashius Howell recovered the ball for the Orange and Brown.
• On the next drive, a nifty catch by Cavon Croom on third down moved the chains. The drive stalled, but on Sir's punt, a fumble gave the ball back to the Falcons at the CMU 28. That drive culminated with a Lawler field goal, giving BGSU a 20-10 lead with 12:53 remaining in the fourth quarter.
• CMU's next drive ended with a BGSU scoop-and-score with 9:49 to go. Karl Brooks knocked the ball out of Richardson's hand, and Hardamon picked it up and went 45 yards for a touchdown. Lawler's kick gave the Falcons a 27-10 lead.
• The Chippewas responded with a scoring drive, as Bauer tossed an 8-yard pass to Joel Wilson with 6:13 to go. CMU went for two and converted, making it a nine-point game.
• The Falcons recovered an onside kick and picked up a first down on the ensuing drive. When BGSU gave the ball back, the Chippewas had used all of their timeouts, and CMU took over at their own 4-yard line after the Sir punt pinned them deep.
• The Chippewas were driving, but Walter Haire batted down a Bauer pass, pinned the ball against a CMU offensive lineman's back, then came away with the ball and returned it 26 yards to the CMU 36-yard line with 2:40 to go.
• Three runs later, the Falcons faced a fourth-and-5 at Central's 31. BGSU converted in a big way, as McDonald found Broden for a TD toss with 49 seconds to go. Lawler's PAT gave the Orange and Brown a 34-18 lead and sealed the deal.

STAT LEADERS

Jaison Patterson: 18 carries, 101 yards
Odieu Hiliaire: 4 receptions, 105 yards
Tyrone Broden: 3 receptions, 53 yards, 2 touchdowns
Matt McDonald: 18-of-21, 253 yards, 2 passing touchdowns
Karl Brooks: 3 sacks
Demetrius Hardamon: 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown
Trent Simms: 5 tackles
Chris Bacon: 5 tackles
Walter Haire: 3 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, 1.0 sacks, 1 INT

GAME NOTES
• Bowling Green returned a fumble for a touchdown. It was the first time the Falcons have done that since Oct. 19, 2019, against Central Michigan. Caleb Biggers returned a fumble 100 yards for a touchdown.
• Bowling Green was +4 in turnover margin. It was just the seventh time since 2000, and first since 2017 at Kent State, where BGSU had four or more takeaways without turning the ball over.
• Bowling Green had six sacks on the afternoon. It is the second time this season and the 12th time since 2000 that the Falcons had at least six sacks in a game.
• DL Karl Brooks finished with 3.0 sack, breaking a tie with Devon Parks (2003-06, 22.0) for No. 4 all-time at BGSU in career sacks. With 25.0 career sacks, Brooks is one away from tying Diyral Briggs (2005-08) for No. 3 all-time on BGSU's career ledger.
• It was only the fifth time since 2000 that a BGSU player had 3.0+ sacks in a game and the first time since 2011 when Chris Jones did so against Temple.

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
"I am super happy for our team. I thought defensively we played exceptional. I think offensively we did some really good things, but we just have to get these penalties cleaned up. On special teams, penalties cleaned up, on offensive penalties cleaned up as well as the defense. I thought we threw the ball well, 18-of-21, but I thought we could have done a little bit better job of protecting the passer. We did some better things in the red zone, but we need to continue to improve in that area. The reason we are given ourselves a chance is the defense is getting turnovers and we are protecting the ball. It was 4-0 [turnover margin] and at the end of the day that was the reason how the outcome was to be." - Head Coach Scot Loeffler

UP NEXT
• The Falcons will host Western Michigan on Wednesday, Nov. 2. That game begins at 7:00 p.m. at Doyt L. Perry Stadium and will be televised on ESPN2.