Falcons Wrap Up 2025 Season With 45-14 Victory Over UMass

Tuesday, November 25

Amherst, Mass.

4:30 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

4-8 , 2-6

UMass

0-12 , 0-8

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Bowling Green

Massachusetts

Photo by: Kate Laney, BGSU Athletics

November 25, 2025 | Football

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Dendy Rushes For 115 Yards, Two Scores To Lead Falcons

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

AMHERST, Mass. - The Bowling Green State University football team closed out the 2025 season with victory over UMass, topping the MInutemen in a 45-14 score Tuesday night (Nov. 25). The Falcons jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first half, going on to score at least one touchdown in each quarter of the game. Austyn Dendy led the way with 115 rushing yards and two scores, one of four different Falcons to cross the goal line in the game. For BGSU, they close out the season with a win for the first time since 2021.

HOW IT HAPPENED

UMass won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The Falcons elected to receive with the Minutemen defending the south end zone.
On the opening drive, the Falcons worked the ball down field on the ground with Austyn Dendy totaling four carries for 17 yards and Cameron Pettaway adding a 34-yard rush. The Falcons capped off the drive with a screen from Hunter Najm to Dendy, finding the end zone from 16 yards out for a 7-0 lead early in the contest.
The BGSU defense forced a three-and-out and immediately went back to work. On the second play of the second drive, Brennan Ridley hauled in another screen from Najm, taking it 87 yards to the house for a 14-0 BGSU lead.
Early in the second half, Gideon Lampron punched out a fumble that was recovered by Kal-El Pascal and brought back to the UMass 11. Dendy took over from there, utilizing two carries to score, including an eight-yard score, for a 21-0 advantage.
The Falcon defense stayed strong, forcing a turnover on downs. Four consecutive runs by Mar'kel Porter racked up 21 yards, working down into the red zone. Najm closed out the drive with a four-yard pass to Blane Cleaver for a 28-0 lead.
The Minutemen tallied their first points of the game with three-and-a-half minutes to go in the first half, cutting the score to 28-7. UMass added another score before the halftime break with the score at 28-14.
UMass began the second half with the ball, but a three-and-out for the Bowling Green defense quickly gave the Falcons possession.
The first score of the second half came with under a minute left in the third quarter. After a fourth down sack by MJ Cannon, the Falcons found the end zone. On the fourth play of the BGSU drive, Dendy broke free for a 24-yard rushing touchdown, pushing the lead to 35-14 for the Falcons.
In the fourth quarter, Jackson Kleather connected on a 42-yard field goal to extend the lead to 38-14.
Just after the two minute timeout, PaSean Wimberly punched in a touchdown from the one, giving him 38 yards on the drive, pushing the lead to the eventual 45-14 final.

GAME NOTES

Austyn Dendy: 22 carries, 115 rushing yards 2 touchdowns
Cameron Pettaway: 12 carries, 87 rushing yards
Hunter Najm: 7-for-9 passing, 128 passing yards, 3 touchdowns
Brennan Ridley: 1 reception, 87 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
Gideon Lampron: 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble
MJ Cannon: 7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss
Kal-El Pascal: 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble
Jalen McClendon: 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass breakup

STAT LEADERS

BGSU's 45 points scored are the most the Falcons tallied this season.
BGSU scored a touchdown on its opening offensive drive of the game. It is the second time the Falcons have scored a touchdown on the first offensive drive. BGSU also did so at Kent State.
BGSU scored 28 points in the first half, which equaled the most points the Falcons scored in a game this season (Toledo).
BGSU is 4-0 all-time against UMass and 1-0 while playing the Minutemen at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
BGSU wins its final game of the season for the first time since 2021.
RB Austyn Dendy scored his first career rushing touchdown on an 11-yard pass from Hunter Najm on BGSU's first drive of the game.
Dendy also rushed for two touchdowns and 115 rushing yards. He is the first Falcons since Andrew Clair in 2017 to rush for 100+ yards in three-straight games. Clair did in four-straight games (Miami (OH), Ohio, NIU and Kent State).
WR Brennan Ridley notched a career-long 87-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. It was also Hunter Najm's career long pass.
Ridley's TD pass is the seventh-longest reception in program history and longest since Matt Johnson found Roger Lewis for 94 yards and a touchdown against Memphis in 2015.
QB Hunter Najm threw for a career-high three touchdowns (11, 87, 4).
With two receptions, TE Jyrin Johnson extends his active streak for games with at least one catch to 45 games. It is the last game of Johnson's career and he entered the week with the No. 1 active streak.
WR Austyn Clay made his collegiate debut in the second quarter after rushing for seven yards.