Falcons Fall Just Short Against Tarleton State, 20-13

Saturday, September 5

Bowling Green, Ohio

12 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

0-1 , 0-0

Tarleton State

2-0 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Tarleton St.	7	10	0	3	20
Bowling Green	0	7	3	3	13

Jeremiah Scoby v Tarleton State | Sept. 5, 2026

Photo by: Jake Neary, BGSU Athletics

September 05, 2026 | Football

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By: BGSU Strategic Communications

Ziggyville Population: 2,365
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University football team came up just short to Tarleton State University on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 5), as the Texans survived for a 20-13 win at Doyt Perry Stadium.

In his BGSU debut, quarterback Jay Kastantin completed 80 percent of his passes, going 24-for-30 for 262 yards. Austyn Dendy paced the Falcons on the ground with 60 yards and a touchdown, while Jeremiah Scoby caught 10 of his 11 targets for a game-high 102 yards.

BG fell behind by 17 points late in the first half before putting together a six-play, 69-yard drive just before halftime. That drive ended when Dendy took the ball the final three yards with 1:03 on the clock.

Travis Kenner's 40-yard field goal cut the TSU lead to seven with just under five minutes left in the third quarter, but the Texans went back ahead by 10 when Alejandro De La Poza connected from 26 yards out on the second play of the fourth quarter.

The Falcons answered with a Kenner field goal with 10:45 remaining, and the BG defense came up with a stop midway through the final period, as Dorian Pringle and Kal-El Pascal stopped Jackson Gilkey on a fourth-and-one play near midfield.

The next drive lasted over five minutes and saw the Falcons get as deep as the TSU eight-yard line, but the Texans came up with a stop on a fourth-down play with just 2:12 to go.

A big run by Tylan Hines on the next play set the Texans up in the red zone, but Kade Kostus forced a Hines fumble at the BGSU seven-yard line, with JoJo Johnson recovering in the end zone.

The next drive saw Kastantin and the Falcons move into TSU territory, as BG got to the Texans' 23-yard line with 17 seconds on the clock. After a pair of incompletions, Kastantin found Brennan Ridley at the eight-yard line, but he was stopped there as the clock ran out.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Tarleton State won the opening coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. Bowling Green returned the opening kick, defending the south end zone.
The Falcons opening drive gained a first down with Jeremiah Scoby's first catch of the season, going for 16 yards, but a fumble later in the drive for BGSU gave possession to Tarleton State.
The Texans capitalized on the turnover, scoring the game's first touchdown with a 24-yard pass for a 7-0 lead.
On the second drive of the game for the Texans, the Falcons stood strong and forced a fourth down stop for a turnover on downs. Myles Bradley and AJ Odom were in on the stop.
The 7-0 score carried to the end of the first quarter. In the second, the Falcons put together a goal-line stand that resulted in a 23-yard field goal for the Texans for a 10-0 lead, later adding a touchdown for a 17-0 advantage.
On the following drive, the Falcons answered. Jay Kastantin found Scoby for a gain of 23 yards before hitting Eli Jacon-Duffy for a gain of 29-yards the next play, moving into the red zone. Austyn Dendy capped off the drive with a 3-yard rushing score for a 17-7 halftime score.
The Falcons kept the scoring going with a 40-yard field goal for the first score of the second half for a 17-10 tally.
The Texans answered early in the fourth quarter with a field goal to make it a 20-10 score, but another Kenner kick, this time from 35 yards, pulled the Falcons back within a score, 20-13.
The Bowling Green defense worked for a strong stop on the next possession, standing strong on fourth down for a turnover near midfield with just under eight minutes remaining in the game. Dorian Pringle and Kal-El Pascal stopped Jackson Gilkey on a fourth-and-one play near midfield.
The next drive lasted over five minutes and saw the Falcons get as deep as the TSU eight-yard line, but the Texans came up with a stop on a fourth-down play with just 2:12 to go.
A big run by Tylan Hines on the next play set the Texans up in the red zone, but Kade Kostus forced a Hines fumble at the BGSU seven-yard line, with JoJo Johnson recovering in the end zone.
The next drive saw Kastantin and the Falcons move into TSU territory, as BG got to the TSU 23-yard line with 17 seconds on the clock. After a pair of incompletions, Kastantin found Brennan Ridley at the eight-yard line, but he was stopped there as the clock ran out.

GAME NOTES

Entering the game with just one career catch for nine yards, Jeremiah Scoby hauled in 10 receptions for 102 yards, leading the team in receiving. Scoby is the first 100-yard receiver for the Falcons against an FCS opponent since Harold Fannin Jr. posted 109 yards against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 9, 2023.
The yardage mark for Scoby also registered 12th in program history for single-game receiving yards by a tight end while posting the first 100-yard receiving game by a Falcon since Jyrin Johnson had 102 yards against Cincinnati on Sept. 6, 2025 against Cincinnati.
Scoby added 10 receptions tied for fifth in program history among tight ends and marked the first double-digit reception game for a Falcon since Fannin racked up 17 against Arkansas State on Dec. 26, 2026, tying the FBS record by a tight end.
Dorian Pringle registered a team-leading 16 tackles for the Falcons, marking a career-high while also being the first game of 15+ tackles by a Falcon since Brock Horne had 15 at Buffalo on Oct. 30, 2021.
In his first game as a Falcon, Jay Kastantin threw for 262 yards on 24 completions while adding 17 yards on the ground. Kastantin's 262 yards are the first game of 250+ passing yards for BGSU since Drew Pyne had 274 against Cincinnati last season on Sept. 6, 2025.
Travis Kenner made the first field goal of his career, hitting from 40 yards out for the Falcons in the second half. Kenner finished the game with a pair of field goals, also hitting from 35 yards.

STAT LEADERS

Jay Kastantin: 24-for-30 passing, 262 passing yards, 17 rushing yards
Jeremiah Scoby: 10 receptions, 102 receiving yards, 89 yards after the catch
Austyn Dendy: 60 rushing yards, 1 touchdown
Brennan Ridley: 5 receptions, 44 receiving yards
Dorian Pringle: 16 tackles, 5 solo tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss
Kal-El Pascal: 9 tackles, 1 pass break up
Sanders Ellis: 6 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss
Drey Braxton: 6 tackles, 1 pass break up

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
"Clearly, you know, it's not the result that we we hoped for in the opening game. You know, it was a hard fought game. Put ourselves in a hole quite a bit with the turnovers. Gave up 10 points on turnovers, but we clawed our way back to give ourselves a chance in the end to make it a one-score game, and we just didn't execute in certain areas. Just disappointed in giving up the amount of explosives we did on defense; that has to get corrected and will be corrected. Listen, it's a lot of ball, and it's we're just getting started, and we're finding out who we are. This is a young football team that I'm watching grow every week, and again, this is one we have to learn and grow from. I say there's no such thing as losing. We have to learn, and we have to be honest with ourselves about the film, and as coaches, figure out how we can put this team in the best position to be successful. And my hat goes off to that coaching staff, Tarleton State and their team, really good football team, powerhouse FCS school and it shows, so we can't afford to beat ourselves with turnovers and lack of execution, or that's the results that you want to get." -- Eddie George

UP NEXT

Bowling Green will head on the road for their next two contests, heading to Nebraska next weekend (Sept. 12) for a 7 p.m. EST start on FS1. The Falcons will then transition to Iowa State on Sept. 19 for a 12 p.m. kick on ESPNU.
The next home game for the Orange and Brown will be homecoming on Sept. 25, hosting South Florida for a 5 p.m. kick at the Doyt.