Bowling Green Takes Down Miami (OH) In MAC Opener

Saturday, October 3

Oxford, Ohio

3:30 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

1-4 , 1-0

Miami (OH)

2-3 , 0-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Bowling Green	0	10	0	14	24
Miami (OH)	0	6	3	11	20

BGSU-Miami (Ohio) Box Score

Photo by: Kate Laney, BGSU Athletics

October 03, 2026 | Football

Box Score BGSU-Miami (OH) Box Score Support Our Student-Athletes

Kastantin Throws For 305 Yards, Two Scores In Victory

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

OXFORD, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University football team captured their first win of the season with a 24-20 victory over the Miami (OH) RedHawks in the MAC opener for the season. The Falcons carried a 10-6 lead into the halftime locker room after a 64-yard touchdown on a Jay Kastantin to Nakai Amachree touchdown. The second half saw the teams battle back-and-forth, but a Kastantin-to-Eli Jacon-Duffy score and a two-yard Leo Kemp touchdown secured the win for the Falcons. Now 1-0 in the MAC, Bowling Green returns home for their next two games, beginning with Sacramento State on Oct. 10 with a 12 p.m. kick.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Falcons won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Miami took the opening kick with Bowling Green defending the south end zone.
The Bowling Green defense forced a punt from the RedHawks on the opening drive. The Falcons put together a string of plays, going 44 yards over 10 plays, but the drive fell short on a fourth down try.
The two teams continued to battle through the first quarter with neither team putting points on the board with a scoreless contest at the end of the quarter.
The first points of the game came with 9:08 on the clock in the second quarter. Miami moved down the field with a 12-play drive, but the Bowling Green defense stood strong in the red zone, holding the RedHawks to a 24-yard field goal for a 3-0 score.
The Falcons soon had their answer. On the fourth play of the following drive, Jay Kastantin found Nakai Amachree down the sideline, breaking free for a 64-yard touchdown to put Bowling Green in front 7-3.
Late in the second quarter, the Falcons put together a nine-play, 60-yard drive in just under three minutes that resulted in a 38-yard field goal from Travis Kenner for a 10-3 lead.
Miami added a field goal before the end of the half, heading to the break with a 10-6 Bowling Green advantage.
With less than two minutes left in the third quarter, Myles Bradley came up with a third-down sack to force a Miami field goal from 40 yards out, narrowing the score to 10-9 BGSU.
On the final play of the third quarter, Kastantin connected with Brennan Ridley on a 48-yard pass. A roughing the passer call was added on, moving the ball to the Miami 11 for the Falcons to begin the fourth quarter.
The drive concluded with Kastantin rolling out and finding Eli Jacon-Duffy all by his lonesome in the corner of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown and a 17-9 Bowling Green lead.
The RedHawks answered with a score and a two-point conversion to tie the game up at 17-17 with 8:50 remaining in the game.
Miami (OH) took the lead with 1:51 on the clock with a 28-yard field goal for a 20-17 lead.
Kastantin started the answer with a 14-yard completion to Brennan Ridley followed by an 18-yard pass to Jeremiah Scoby. The Falcons continued to chip away before Leo Kemp punched in a two-yard score with 12 seconds left to take the lead.
On the final play of the game, Eriq George sacked the Miami (OH) quarterback to seal the win, his third sack of the game.

GAME NOTES

The 64-yard touchdown in the first quarter for the Falcons marked the longest play of the year for BGSU and the longest play from scrimmage of Nakai Amachree's BGSU career.
Hauling in the second BGSU touchdown of the day, Eli Jacon-Duffy tallied his first touchdown at the collegiate level.
Throwing touchdowns to Amachree and Jacon-Duffy, Jay Kastantin logged his first multi-touchdown game with the Orange and Brown.
Eriq George tallied a team-leading and career-high three sacks for the Falcons, including the game-sealing sack on the final play.
Brennan Ridley finished with 95 receiving yards on nine catches, both new highs for his time with Bowling Green.
Cashmere Lewis worked his way into the Miami backfield for two sacks, a new career-high. He added a career-high three tackles for loss.
Leo Kemp tallied 25 rushing yards in the game, a new career-high after entering the contest with six career rushing yards in a BGSU uniform.
Making his first collegiate start, D'kyah Banks registered a career-high four tackles for the Falcons.

STAT LEADERS

Jay Kastantin: 25-of-37 passing, 305 passing yards, 2 touchdowns
Brennan Ridley: 9 receptions, 95 yards
Leo Kemp: 3 carries, 25 rushing yards, 1 touchdown
Eriq George: 8 tackles, 3 sacks
Dorian Pringle: 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
Cashmire Lewis: 7 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks

UP NEXT

The Falcons will return home to Doyt Perry Stadium on Oct. 10 for the first of two consecutive home games, hosting Sacramento State on Oct. 10 and Ball State on Oct. 17.