Falcons Ground Cardinals, 38-13

Saturday, November 23

Muncie, Ind.

2 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

7-4 , 6-1

Ball State

3-8 , 2-5

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Bowling Green

Ball St.

Harold Fannin Jr. stiff arms a defender, as he caught nine passes for 125 yards and a score against the Cardinals.

Photo by: Lauren Laudato, BGSU Athletics

November 23, 2024 | Football

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MUNCIE, Ind. – The Bowling Green football team handled business at Ball State today, as they grounded the Cardinals, 38-13.

Rahkeem Smith led the way with three total touchdowns, and Harold Fannin Jr. posted 125 receiving yards on nine catches, including a score.

The Falcons handled Ball State in the run game, as the unit allowed a season-low 43 yards on the ground. They also registered four sacks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

BGSU got on the board first on a Harold Fannin Jr. 4-yard touchdown catch on a jump ball fade route from Connor Bazelak on their opening drive. It was dominant 15-play, 93-yard drive that took 8:44 off the clock.
After a Falcon fumble in the second quarter, the defense got the ball back on the ensuing play as Jordan Oladokun intercepted a Cardinal wide receiver trick pass and returned it 33 yards. BG capitalized with a 43-yard field goal from Zach Long with just over a minute and a half left in the period.
The Falcons marched down the field on the opening possession of the second half, as Long connected on a 36-yard field goal almost halfway through the third. The drive was 14 plays and took 6:55 off the clock.
After forcing a punt, Bowling Green scored on a 1-yard jet sweep to the right side by Rahkeem Smith. The Falcons tacked on a two-point conversion on a pass in the flat to Jamal Johnson.
BGSU notched another touchdown on their next drive, this time on a 66-yard pass in the flat from Bazelak to Rahkeem Smith, to make the score 28-7.
Long tacked on his third field goal, this time from 48 yards out, early in the fourth.
Ball State cashed in on the ensuing possession, as they threw a 13-yard touchdown pass with eight and a half minutes remaining.
Playing in relief, BG's Lucian Anderson III threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Smith on fourth down with 1:55 left in the game to seal the win for the Falcons.

FANNIN FOR SIX!!!!

Bazelak finds Harold Fannin Jr. to put BGSU up early, 7-0 after the Falcons go 16 plays, 93 yards over 8:44 on their first drive of the game.

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GAME NOTES

BGSU won its seventh game of the year. It is the second year in a row the Falcons have won at least seven games.
BGSU won its fifth game in a row. It is BGSU's longest winning streak since winning seven in row during the 2015 season.
BGSU secured its sixth MAC win of the year. It is the most MAC wins by the Falcons since going 7-1 in league play in 2015
With nine receptions, TE Harold Fannin Jr. extends his active streak with at least one reception to 29 games.
Fannin extended his FBS lead on 100+-yard receiving games to seven after finishing with 125 receiving yards.
Fannin currently leads the nation in receiving yards with 1,295.
Fannin is currently No. 3 all-time in single-season receiving yards (1,295) and receptions (92) by a tight end in FBS history. He needs 58 receiving yards to break the FBS record held by Jace Amaro of Texas Tech (1,352), which was set in 2013.
WR Rahkeem Smith had a career-high 81 receiving yards. He finished with three touchdowns (2 receiving, 1 rushing).
QB Connor Bazelak finished with 255 passing yards. It is the seventh time this season and 35th time in his career he has thrown for 200+ yards in a game.
Bazelak completed 18 passes and passed both Philip Rivers (NC State, 1087) and Derek Carr (Fresno State, 1087) for No. 21 all-time in FBS history for completions. Bazelak now has 1,093.
CB Jordan Oladokun secured his third interception of the season and seventh of his BGSU career in the second period.
DL Anthony Hawkins broke up a career-high two passes at the line of scrimmage.
ILB Joseph Sipp Jr. set a career best with 2.0 sacks.
S Patrick Day and ILB Brock Horne played in their 55th career games. That ties former BGSU OL Alex Huettel for the program record.

STAT LEADERS

Connor Bazelak: 18/29, 255 yards, 2 TD
Terion Stewart: 10 attempts, 32 yards
Harold Fannin Jr: 9 receptions, 125 yards, 1 TD
Rahkeem Smith: 4 receptions, 81 yards, 2 TD, 1 rushing TD
Kal-El Pascal: 8 tackles, 1 TFL
Joseph Sipp Jr.: 5 tackles, 2 sacks
Jordan Oladokun: 3 tackles, 1 interception

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
"I thought everyone didn't panic [after the first half]. I thought our coaches did a great job adjusting, and we found a way to win the second half and play better football. … Our defense is good, and they're playing really hard and fast. It all starts with our defensive front. They're good, and I'm just super happy for our kids." - BGSU head coach Scot Loeffler

UP NEXT
Bowling Green will face off against Miami (OH) in their regular season finale at Doyt Perry Stadium on Black Friday (November 29). Kickoff is scheduled for noon and will be on ESPNU.