ATLANTA — Finn Hogan’s 1-handed scoring catch late in the first half gave Bowling Green the lead, Deshawn Jones Jr. returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown and the Falcons upset Georgia Tech 38-27 on Saturday.
Georgia Tech, favored by 22 1/2 points, was overwhelmed after taking a 14-0 lead. Bowling Green (2-3) scored the next 38 points to claim its first win over an active member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Falcons held the ball more than 40 minutes, more than doubling the time of possession battle.
Georgia Tech (2-3) wore black uniforms as a nod to its “Black Watch” defenses of the 1980s. With former coach Bill Curry attending, the Yellow Jackets’ effort didn’t inspire comparisons to those stingy units.
Bowling Green’s powerful running back Terion Stewart ran for 138 yards and a touchdown while Connor Bazelak passed for 263 yards and a score.
The 5-foot-9, 225-pound Stewart made the Mid-American Conference visitors look like the Power Five team as he consistently broke tackles.
Bowling Green scored 38 unanswered points for a 38-14 lead. Haynes King’s 15-yard scoring pass to Malik Rutherford with 25 seconds remaining in the third quarter produced the Yellow Jackets’ first points since their second possession.
It was a jolting performance for coach Brent Key’s Georgia Tech team, which was coming off last week’s 30-16 ACC win at Wake Forest.
With Georgia Tech leading 14-0, Bowling Green turned the momentum with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Coach Scot Loeffler alternated quarterbacks, opening the drive with Bazelak before turning to Camden Orth, the Falcons’ run-first option at the position, in the red zone.
The strategy was effective. Orth’s 11-yard run set up his 1-yard scoring run as he pushed back the Georgia Tech defensive front with his second effort.
Georgia Tech led 14-10 when Bazelak lofted a pass toward Hogan in the end zone. Georgia Tech safety LaMiles Brooks had his arm around Hogan but still the 6-foot-5 receiver reached with his right hand to pull the ball in and held on for the improbable catch while landing on his back.
The catch gave the Falcons a 17-14 halftime lead. Bowling Green outscored Georgia Tech 21-0 in the third quarter. A long drive for the Yellow Jackets ended with King stopped on a fourth-down run at the Falcons 14.
Hogan added a 50-yard catch to open the second half, helping the Falcons maintain control. Bazelak’s 1-yard scoring run pushed the lead to 24-14. Jones’ interception return late in the third increased the lead to 38-14.
Jordan Oladukun added another interception for Bowling Green in the fourth quarter, helping to deflate Georgia Tech’s already sagging comeback hopes. King’s fourth scoring pass was a 16-yarder to Abdul Janneh with 1:35 remaining.
Bowling Green safety Darius Lorfils was ejected after he was called for targeting on a late hit on King in the fourth quarter.
Toledo 35, Northern Illinois 33
TOLEDO— Dequan Finn threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score to help Toledo hold off Northern Illinois.
Toledo (4-1, 2-0 Mid-American Conference) took a 7-0 lead on Finn’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Jerjuan Newton with 2:52 left in the first quarter. Northern Illinois (1-4, 0-1) pulled even after Antario Brown’s 80-yard run set up a 1-yard sneak by Rocky Lombardi.
Finn directed an eight-play, 70-yard drive early in the second quarter — capped by his 13-yard scoring run — and the Rockets took a 14-7 lead into halftime.
Jacquez Stuart’s 7-yard touchdown run pushed the Rockets’ lead to 21-7. The Huskies used Kanon Woodill’s 32-yard field goal and Nate Valcarcel’s 50-yard fumble-return score to close to within 21-17. Toledo answered with Connor Walendzak’s 2-yard touchdown run to take a 28-17 lead into the final quarter.
Woodill kicked a 49-yard field goal, but Finn fired a 68-yard scoring strike to Junior Vandeross III and the Rockets led 35-20 with 11:17 left to play. Lombardi followed with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Johnson but the two-point conversion pass fell incomplete and the Huskies trailed 35-26. Lombardi and Christion Carter hooked up for a 12-yard score with 2:24 remaining, but their final drive ended at their 48-yard line as time expired.
Finn completed 16 of 20 passes for 281 yards, adding 61 yards on seven rushes. Peny Boone carried 16 times for 113 yards. Vandeross finished with four catches for 147 yards.
Lombardi had 258 yards on 21-of-31 passing with two touchdowns for the Huskies. Brown finished with 152 yards on 16 carries.
Miami (Ohio) 23, Kent State 3
KENT — Brett Gabbert had a touchdown pass, Graham Nicholson kicked three field goals and Miami (Ohio) rolled to a victory over Kent State in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.
The Redhawks (4-1) took a 13-3 lead into halftime after sandwiching two 40-yard fields by Nicholson around Gabbert’s 32-yard scoring strike to Cade McDonald.
Nicholson’s 24-yard field goal and a 1-yard touchdown run by Rashad Amos pushed the Redhawks’ lead to 23-3 after three quarters and completed the scoring.
The Golden Flashes (1-4) led 3-0 in the first quarter on a 27-yard field goal by Andrew Glass before yielding 23 unanswered points.
Gabbert finished with 216 yards on 11-of-23 passing for the Redhawks. Joe Wilkins Jr. had three receptions for 110 yards.
Michael Alaimo completed 18 of 30 passes for 170 yards for Kent State. Chrishon McCray caught 10 passes for 105 yards.
St. Thomas of Minnesota 20,
Dayton 14
DAYTON — Tak Tateoka threw two first-half touchdown passes and St. Thomas of Minnesota went on to defeat Dayton 20-14 on Saturday.
Tateoka threw for only 100 yards on 15-of-23 passing but his touchdowns to Andrew McElroy and Jacob Wildermuth helped the Tommies build a 20-0 lead in the second quarter. That was enough for the win as the St. Thomas defense held Dayton to 253 yards and two touchdowns.
Gabriel Abel added a 7-yard touchdown run for the Tommies (3-2, 2-0 Pioneer Football League), who managed only 223 yards themselves.
Dante Casciola, who was 11-of-23 passing for 161 yards for Dayton, scored on 10-yard run late in the second quarter to make it 20-7 at the half. Cole Dow’s 5-yard pass to Gavin Lochow in the fourth quarter for Dayton (2-3, 0-2) was the only scoring in the second half.
Northern Iowa 44, Youngstown State 41
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Theo Day accounted for five touchdowns and Northern Iowa allowed a pair of touchdowns in the final two minutes but held off Youngstown State 44-41 in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both schools on Saturday.
Northern Iowa’s defense allowed 418 yards of offense by the Penguins, but held them to just 85 rushing yards.
Day fired three first-half touchdown passes, including a 32-yard strike to Naran Buntin early in the second quarter, to take a 20-13 lead at intermission, but Youngstown State (2-2, 0-1) scored on a pair of 1-yard runs to take a 27-23 advantage through three quarters. Day threw 30-yards to Sam Schnee to put the Panthers back in front with 10:36 left in the game and Tyjahree Edwards scored from 30 yards out to make it 37-27 with six minutes left.
Mitch Davidson hit Bryce Oliver with a 5-yard touchdown pass with 1:40 left, but an onsides kick attempt failed and a personal foul on the Penguins allowed Day to engineer an answering touchdown with a two-play, 15-yard drive with 1:25 left. Davidson hit Luke Hensley from 9 yards out with 32 seconds left to set the final score.
Day was 21 of 29 for 337 yards and four touchdowns to four different receivers with an interception to lead Northern Iowa (2-2, 1-0). Edwards had 21 carries for 124 yards and a score.
Davidson was 30 of 40 for 332 yards and two touchdowns with an interception for the Penguins. Oliver caught seven passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
