Bowling Green running back Ta’ron Keith (19) runs with the ball up the sideline while trying to avoid being hit by Western Michigan safety Delano Ware (26) during a game against Western Michigan on November 2, 2022 at Doyt Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Scott W. Grau | BGSU Athletics
Bowling Green State University’s defense played major roles in the Falcons’ wins over Miami (17-13) and Central Michigan (34-18).
At Doyt L. Perry Stadium Wednesday, the Falcons’ defense came up big again to preserve a third straight victory.
The Falcons have won four of five games, improving to 5-4 overall and 4-1 in the Mid-American Conference. But Wednesday’s win came down to the wire.
The Falcons got a fourth-down stop with the game on the line, downing Western Michigan, 13-9.
“We knew coming into this game that it was going to be an absolute defensive war, and it was,” BGSU coach Scot Loeffler said. “I think those were two really good defenses out there.”
The Broncos pulled within four points on a field goal with 5:28 remaining in the fourth quarter and forced a three-and-out to get it back with four minutes left.
Western Michigan used eight plays to get to the Bowling Green 19 but lost three yards on fourth down, and the Falcons were able to run the clock out. The defense took pride in getting the job done.
“It feels good,” BGSU defensive end Karl Brooks said. “To finally play a solid football game on the defensive end and win the game, it is a blessing.
“The Western Michigan offense is tricky. They can run the ball, they can pass, and then they use the RPO (read-pass option) and keep us on defense guessing. When they started moving the ball, they were hard to stop. With all their versatility it was tricky.
BGSU running back Ta’ron Keith added, “Our defense was great. We rely on them a lot. We’re proud of that defense. Our last few years haven’t been the best years, but it feels great to put together wins.”
For BG, Mason Lawler kicked a pair of field goals from 24 and 28 yards to stake the Falcons to a 6-0 halftime lead.
The Falcons’ defense held Western Michigan to four first downs and 91 total yards while shutting out the Broncos through two quarters.
Keith’s 83-yard kickoff return to begin the second half put the Falcons’ offense in business.
“It felt great. It provided energy for our football team,” Keith said.
Three plays later, running back Harold Fannin Jr. scored on an eight-yard run with 13:39 left in the third quarter, putting the Falcons up, 13-0.
The Broncos (3-6, 2-3 MAC) got on the board late in the third period, when quarterback Treyson Bourguet found Corey Crooms on a short pass.over the middle and he eluded the BGSU safety for a 39-yard touchdown. Crooms finished with eight catches for 151 yards.
However, an errant snap on the extra-point try kept the score at 13-6.
A Bronco field goal cut the Falcons’ lead to four points with 5:28 left in the game, and WMU then held the Falcons to a three-and-out.
Sami Sir’s punt pinned the Broncos at their own 10-yard line, but Western drove into BG territory.
On fourth and 2 from the BGSU 19, Bourguet completed a short pass to Jehlani Galloway, but Jordan Oladokun wrapped up the receiver for no gain, and the Falcons took over on downs with 1:22 to go.
A pair of Jaison Patterson runs picked up a first down, and one kneel-down later, the Falcons had the victory.
BGSU’s fifth win of the season gives them the most since the Falcons won the MAC in 2015 with a 10-4 record. BGSU’s fourth win in league play give the Falcons the most since going 7-1 during 2015.
BGSU senior quarterback Matt McDonald was an efficient 23-of-31 for 161 yards in the win, while running back Jaison Patterson ran for 56 yards on 10 carries and Keith ran for 53 yards on 10 carries.
BGSU receiver Odieu Hiliare caught nine of McDonald’s passes for 51 yards.
With 15 receiving yards, wide receiver Tyrone Broden became the 40th Falcon in program history to reach 1,000-career receiving yards.
In addition, BGSU safety Chris Bacon snatched his first interception of the season late in the first quarter and the fourth of his career. Bacon had a 39-yard return on the interception to the Broncos’ 25.
Brooks had seven tackles and a forced fumble, Trent Simms had six tackles, Bacon had five tackles, and Darren Anders had five tackles, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
Loeffler said the Falcons are finding different ways to win, and that is a good thing.
“We did enough to give ourselves an opportunity. Our defense played well. Special teams came up with an absolute huge play by T.K. (Keith), and we punted the ball well,” Loeffler said.
“There were some positive things, and just like I told our team, it doesn’t matter if we have to score 50 points or if we have to score three. It doesn’t matter.
“We just find a way to win, and I’m happy for our kids, most importantly. It’s been a tough time around here, but we’re going to be motivated, and we’ve got a lot still to prove.”
The Falcons won through adversity, too. After handing the ball to the Broncos three times on turnovers, the offense put even more pressure on the defense.
“The thing offensively, why we’ve been winning, is taking care of the ball, and we need to get back to taking care of the ball,” Loeffler said.
“We had three turnovers, and it’s real hard to win when we have three turnovers; I think they had two. So, losing the turnover battle we’re very fortunate to have won the game.
“But the things that I can tell you about our kids is they’re resilient, they play together, they care about each other, and that’s why we won.”
Western Michigan coach Tim Lester liked the way his defense played, too, holding the Falcons to 13 points.
“I thought the defense played great, so proud of them as the year’s gone on,” Lester said. “They just kept responding all day long. I was proud of the way the defense played.
“Offensively, we played terrible. I mean, we didn’t play well, and we have to get the run game going.
We’ve got to run the ball better and we have to help our defense out.
“That’s what the plan was, to own the clock and run it a little bit. That plan didn’t work out and we made an adjustment to get back down in the red zone and couldn’t finish.”
Lester was pleased that the Broncos were able to protect their quarterback.
“I think Trey (Bourguet) did a great job of moving around,” Lester said. “That’s a top-10 sack team in the country, so we were trying to keep him out of those situations. But we have to keep finding ways to run the ball.”
