2023 MAC Football Week 7 Game Recap: Bowling Green Falcons 24, Buffalo Bulls 14

Bowling Green and Buffalo would face off on a rainy Saturday afternoon at UB Stadium, fighting to stay relevant in the MAC East division race. Here’s what went down:

• Both teams would exchange three-and-outs to begin the game
• After the Falcons fumbled on their next drive, Cole Snyder made a 10-yard touchdown to put the score would be 7-0 after the PAT.
• In reply, BGSU would march down the field, but wouldn’t get into the end zone. They settled for Alan Anaya kicking a short 23-yard field goal to make the score 7-3 instead.
• Bowling Green’s defense would force a fumble and gift the offense the ball in favorable field position— a turnover the Falcons would take advantage of when Camden Orth, getting the start at QB, would score a one-yard touchdown run to put BG up 10-7.
• BG would go on a tear from there, going 86 yards on their next drive before cashing in a Camden Orth touchdown pass to Ta’Ron Keith from three yards out and then turning around and scoring off a blocked punt return courtesy of Avi McGary and Pa’Sean Wimberly, going up 24-7 just like that.
• Both teams would trade interceptions late in the first half. Jalen Huskey would get his third for BG, and Charles McCartherens would get one for Buffalo.
• Alex McNulty would be called on to reduce the deficit for Buffalo, but he missed the 50-yard attempt, keeping the margin at 24-7 BG at the half.
• CJ Ogbonna stepped in at QB for the Bulls in the second half, replacing Cole Snyder. Buffalo would drive past midfield on their opening drive exclusively on the ground. On the first pass of the drive, BG’s Davon Ferguson would come up with an interception to kill the momentum.
• Bowling Green would give an interception back on their first second-half drive, as Jayden Oliver would get the ball back for Buffalo for his first career pick.
• After converting on a fourth-and-long, Buffalo would score on a pass from Ogbonna to Darrell Harding, Jr., putting the score would be 24-14 after the PAT.
• After Bowling Green punted, Buffalo would go for it on fourth-and-short, falling short and turning the ball over on downs.
• Alan Anaya missed a 42-yard field goal at the 9:54 mark of the fourth quarter.
• Buffalo would continue serving turnovers in a desperate attempt to claw back, with Davon Ferguson would come up with his second interception of the day with 2:45 left and Avi McGary gathering up BG’s fourth interception of the day on UB’s final drive.
• That would end the game and Bowling Green got their first win in MAC play, while Buffalo dropped their first MAC loss.

Takeaways

Let’s take a look at some takeaways for this game:

Bowling Green

Camden Orth got the starting nod today. He went 9-of-16 for 77 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Passing was a struggle, but Orth made up for it with his running, as he had 72 yards and a rushing touchdown.

Terion Stewart was crucial in this game for Bowling Green, accumulating 123 of the 218 rushing yards for the Falcons. Head coach Scot Loeffler has preached running the ball more, and the Falcons did just that.

Bowling Green’s offense fell flat in the second half. Their first half was their highest-scoring half of the season. They are lucky that their defense was on point to limit the Bulls in the second half. Bowling Green needs to play four full quarters in order to be successful.

BG had 10 penalties for 105 yards. They continue to be one of the most penalized teams in the MAC, and it’s something they still need to work on.

Bowling Green has a deceptively easy schedule to end the year, as four of the next five opponents the Falcons face have one— yes, one— MAC win. It’s fair to have the expectation of the Falcons getting seven wins this year. This win is definitely a confidence booster to propel BG into a hopeful winning streak.

Buffalo

Cole Snyder was off today, going 5-of-15 with 30 yards and two interceptions— though he did register a rushing touchdown. CJ Ogbonna provided a nice spark in the third quarter, throwing a passing touchdown to Darrell Harding, Jr. Ultimately, the Bulls went 9-of-29 with 71 yards in the passing game. Not ideal in a game that they needed to win.

Ron Cook and Mike Washington combined for 86 rushing yards. Buffalo use the running game to dominate the Falcons last year, and Bowling Green made sure to defend the run this year.

Buffalo’s second half defense was exceptional, forcing two interceptions and holding the Falcons to zero points.

Buffalo has a meat grinder of a schedule remaining, with Toledo, Miami and Ohio back-to-back-to-back after next week’s game at Kent State. They can only afford to lose one more game for bowl eligibility, but with the upcoming schedule, that’s a tall ask for a team that had such uneven performances.

Play of the Game

The play of the game was BG’s blocked punt. We’ll let the video speak for itself. (Credit: BGSU Football/X)

Up Next

Bowling Green returns to Doyt Perry Stadium next week (10/21) to host the Akron Zips. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN+ (subscription required).

Buffalo travels to Kent State. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN+ (subscription required).