The Bowling Green football team upset Indiana Saturday on a last-minute touchdown in a high-scoring game which featured 10 lead changes.
Falcons sophomore quarterback James Knapke led Bowling Green on an 88-yard drive to win the game, capped off by a two-yard pass to freshman Roger Lewis with just nine seconds remaining. Lewis tallied 149 receiving yards in addition to the touchdown catch while Knapke shined, totaling 395 passing yards and throwing three touchdown passes in the victory.
The Hoosiers appeared to take a momentum-turning lead with 2:04 remaining in the game when quarterback Nate Sudfeld leapt into the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run. Sudfeld finished the day with three total touchdowns and the Hoosiers took a 42-39 lead before Knapke embarked on the winning drive.
The Falcons opened the game’s scoring with an early first quarter field goal before surrendering two touchdowns to Indiana behind a touchdown run and pass by Sudfeld. But Bowling Green chipped away at the Hoosiers’ lead throughout the first half with three field goals from Tyler Tate. Indiana led 14-12 at halftime.
Both defenses all but disappeared following the break, as the offenses combined for nine touchdowns after halftime. Hoosiers junior running back Tevin Coleman led the high-powered Hoosier backfield with 190 yards and three touchdowns.
Up next, the Falcons face the tough task of travelling to Madison, Wisconsin, to face No. 19 Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.
NIU tops UNLV
Northern Illinois remained unbeaten after a 48-34 road victory against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Saturday.
The Huskies’ running game powered the team’s offense and scored NIU’s first points with a five-yard touchdown run from senior Cameron Stingily in the first quarter. UNLV tallied a field goal and a safety to cut the Huskies lead down to 7-5 at the end of the first frame.
But Huskies sophomore quarterback Drew Hare threw for two touchdowns in the second quarter to open up a 21-5 lead at halftime.
The Rebels fought back in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to five points after a touchdown run from senior Shaquille Murray-Lawrence and two touchdown connections between junior quarterback Blake Decker and senior wide receiver Devante Davis. NIU led 31-26 after three quarters.
Murray-Lawrence rushed for his second touchdown to tie the game at 34-34 for the Rebels with nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter. But Hare responded with a 54-yard touchdown pass, his third of the day, and Stingily found the end zone for a second time to provide an insurance touchdown late in the game to secure the victory for the Huskies.
NIU will look to keep its undefeated record alive when it faces Arkansas next Saturday.
CMU falls to Syracuse
Central Michigan suffered its first loss of the season at home on Saturday in a 40-3 thrashing, courtesy of Syracuse.
The Chippewas struck first with a field goal eight minutes into the first quarter before allowing 40 straight points to the Orange. Syracuse took a 17-3 lead into the half after a 36-yard fumble return by freshman linebacker Marqez Hodge and a four-yard pass from senior quarterback Terrel Hunt to Brisly Estime.
Hunt dominated the Central Michigan defense in the second half, scoring three touchdowns on the ground. Returning to the lineup following an ejection last week, Hunt displayed his dual-threat abilities, racking up 175 yards and a touchdown through the air in addition to 92 yards and three touchdowns that he achieved through the running game.
Senior Adonis Ameen-Moore also contributed to the Orange running attack, as he tallied 106 yards—53 of which came on a run to set up the final Syracuse touchdown.
The Chippewas’ offense struggled to move the ball all day against the Orange. Sophomore quarterback Cooper Rush completed 18-of-34 attempts and managed just 183 yards. The team struggled to run the ball effectively, averaging 1.5 yards per attempt. One player who shined for Central Michigan was junior Jesse Kroll, who tallied 86 receiving yards.
The Chippewas will look to bounce back from their 37-point loss on the road next Saturday against Kansas.
Jamie Cushman can be reached at [email protected].
