UCLA Tops Falcons, 45-17, in Season Opener

Saturday, September 3

Pasadena, Calif.

2:30 PM

Bowling Green State University

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UCLA

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2nd

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Bowling Green

UCLA

Photo by: Emma Sharon/BGSU Athletics

September 03, 2022 | Football

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BGSU faces EKU in next weekend's home opener

By: BGSU Strategic Communications

The Bowling Green State University football team led late in the first half, but host UCLA rallied back to post a 45-17 win over the Falcons on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 3). The game, the 2022 season opener for both teams, was held at Spieker Field at the Rose Bowl.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more for the Bruins. Thompson-Robinson had 298 yards passing, and Zach Charbonnet ran for 111 yards and a score.

Charles Rosser scored a touchdown after PaSean Wimberly blocked a UCLA punt, while Matt McDonald threw a second-quarter TD toss to Christian Sims.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Falcons held UCLA to a three-and-out to begin the game, and on the ensuing Bruin punt attempt, PaSean Wimberly came up the middle and blocked the punt, with Charles Rosser picking up the ball and running it in for a touchdown with just 1:14 gone in the contest. Mason Lawler's point-after try made it a 7-0 BGSU lead.
• The Bruins responded on the next drive, as quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson ran 68 yards for a touchdown. The PAT made it a 7-7 game with 12:20 left in the opening quarter.
• The Bruins held the Falcons to a three-and-out, but the next UCLA drive saw DJ Taylor intercept a Thompson-Robinson pass and return it 24 yards to the BGSU 45-yard line.
• Jamal Johnson picked up seven yards on a fourth-and-1 play, but the drive wound up stalling. However, Sami Sir's punt was muffed by the would-be returner, with Patrick Day recovering the ball at the UCLA 11. The Falcons got a 24-yard Mason Lawler field goal to take a 10-7 lead with 4:29 left in the quarter.
• Day tackled UCLA's Josiah Norwood for a loss of two on the next drive, bringing up a fourth-and-4 for the Bruins at the BGSU 27. Then, Day batted Thompson-Robinson's fourth-down pass out of the air to give the ball back to the Falcons.
• The next drive saw BGSU move the ball primarily via the ground until Matt McDonald found Christian Sims for a short pass that turned into a nifty catch-and-run and a 22-yard touchdown. Lawler's PAT put the Falcons up by 10, 17-7, with 13:43 left in the half. The TD toss capped an eight-play, 73-yard drive.
• The Bruins drove as far as the BGSU 2-yard line on the next possession, but after a third-down stop by Davon Ferguson and a delay-of-game penalty, the hosts were held to a field goal, cutting BG's lead to 17-10 with 8:28 left in the half.
• Then, Kazmeir Allen caught a 20-yard TD toss from Thompson-Robinson, and the PAT tied the game with 4:04 left before the half. The Bruins took the lead on a 52-yard touchdown pass to Keegan Jones with 2:18 remaining in the quarter. UCLA took that 24-17 lead into the half.
• The Bruins doubled the lead on their first drive of the second half on a four-yard run by Zach Charbonnet with 11:03 remaining in the third quarter.
• A high snap gave the ball back to UCLA, and the Bruins drove inside the BG 5-yard line. But, on third down, Walter Haire and Cashius Howell teamed up for a sack, and the next play saw the hosts miss a 28-yard field-goal attempt.
• Thompson-Robinson scored his second touchdown of the game on the first play of the fourth period. The eight-yard scamper, combined with the PAT, gave the Bruins a 38-17 lead.
• The second play of the next drive saw McDonald find CJ Lewis for 27 yards into UCLA territory. The Falcons then converted on fourth down as McDonald found Odieu Hiliare for four yards on a fourth-and-3 play.
• UCLA added a late touchdown, coming with 4:21 left in the game.

STAT LEADERS
• Matt McDonald: 17-of-34, 125 passing yards, one TD
• Jamal Johnson: 10 carries, 47 yards
• Christian Sims: 4 receptions, 33 yards, 1 TD
• Joseph Sipp Jr: 10 tackles (7 solo-3 assist)
•Davion Daniels: 10 tackles (8-2)
• JB Brown: 8 tackles (7-1)
• DJ Taylor: 8 tackles (6-2), 1 INT
• Mason Lawler: 1-1 FG, 2-2 PAT, 3 touchbacks on 4 kickoffs

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
"I thought our effort was good. The guys played extremely hard. Obviously on defense they played their hearts out. They were in a tough situation considering we didn't play complimentary football in terms of having a ton of three and outs on offense. We couldn't run the ball or protect the passer. We need to get that fixed because we have enough guys at skill positions, and we need to get them the ball. I thought our special teams did some really good things. We said that we wanted to block a punt and we ended up getting the opportunity. I thought that was an excellent play by our special teams. We are disappointed, but we are going to learn a lot from this tape." - Scot Loeffler

GAME NOTES
• The Falcons recorded the first blocked punt for a TD since 2014, when Herve Coby returned one for 29 yards against VMI. BGSU blocked two punts in 2021.
• A host of Falcons made their collegiate debuts. That list included Joseph Sipp Jr., Jack Sauder, Harold Fannin Jr., George Carlson, Tunde Fatukasi, Jalen Huskey and Sami Sir.
• A pair of offensive linemen, Fatukasi and Bronson Warner, made the first starts of their respective collegiate careers.
• PaSean Wimberly recorded his first career blocked punt against the Bruins.
• Charles Rosser returned that blocked kick 11 yards for a touchdown, for the first points of his career.
• DJ Taylor had his first career interception midway through the first quarter.
• Harold Fannin Jr. made a 16-yard catch on his first collegiate play, late in the opening quarter.
• Cashius Howell had the first sack of his career as he combined with Walter Haire on a third-quarter sack.
• Odieu Hiliare extended his streak to 23 consecutive games with a reception when he caught a fourth-down pass from Matt McDonald early in the fourth quarter. It was the transfer's first catch as a Falcon. His 22-game streak entering the game was tied for the 14th-longest streak in the nation and the third-longest in the MAC.
• Joe Sipp Jr. and Davion Daniels tied for the team lead with 10 tackles each, a career-high total for both players.
• JB Brown had a career-high eight tackles, while DJ Taylor tied his career best with eight tackles as well.

NEXT UP
• Bowling Green returns to action on Sept. 10 in the home opener. The Falcons welcome Eastern Kentucky to Doyt Perry Stadium for a "White Out." The game will kick at 4 p.m. and air on ESPN3.