Behind four total touchdowns by Brendan Sorsby and four sacks by the defense, the Cincinnati Bearcats (1-1) defeated the Bowling Green Falcons (1-1). This is the first time the Bearcats have beaten Bowling Green in series history after losing all four matchups in the early 1990’s.
After some back-and-forth possessions to start the game, the Falcons would be the first to threaten to score, setting up a 54-yard field goal in the first quarter. Unfortunatley, Jackson Kleather would hook the attempt,
keeping the score at 0-0. It only took three plays for Brendan Sorsby to find Cyrus Allen for a 44-yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Bearcats after the PAT, giving Cincy the early edge.
The Bearcats would increase their lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter, with Cyrus Allen catching his second touchdown of the day after being set up by a highlight Jeff Caldwell catch. Caldwell would get his chance to shine on the next scoring drive, taking advantage of the field position offered by an explosive Joe Royer catch to set up to make it 21-0.
The Falcons had a chance to get on the board before the end of the first half, eventually getting on the board with a short field goal by Kleather to put the score at 21-3 at the break.
The second half saw BGSU’s defense force the Bearcats into settling for a field goal before the offense struck paydirt with a Drew Pyne connection with Jyrin Johnson to put the score at 24-10 in the third quarter. Cincinnati would soon answer to make it 31-10 with a Brendan Sorsby rushing touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, the Falcons drive would be capped off with Mar’Kel Porter getting his second rushing touchdown of the season to put the margin 31-17. The Bearcats and Falcons would then trade field goals to put the score at its eventual final tally.
Takeaways
It was a tale of two halves for Bowling Green. Flashes of brilliance were overshadowed by stalled efforts in the first half. The Falcons looked much better in the second half, being able to sustain more drives.
Despite putting up fewer points than last week, the offense seemed to have a solid day outside of the tough first half. Drew Pyne looked immensely better this week, finishing 29-of-36 for 274 yards and one touchdown pass. His main target was Jyrin Johnson, who finished with seven catches for 80 yards. The Falcons were quieter running the ball this week, but Cameron Pettaway did finish with 72 yards on 13 carries. As the season goes one, the offense will start to put together complete games.
The defense did a good job holding the Bearcats to just 106 rushing yards, but just couldn’t stop Brendan Sorsby and all of his receivers; 143 of Sorsby’s 333 passing yards came after the catch. The Falcons held the Bearcats quiet for some parts of the game. If the Falcons can limit the explosive plays on the defensive side on the ball, they’ll be good for the long run.
Play of the Game
BGSU’s play of the game goes to Drew Pyne connecting with Jyrin Johnson for his first passing touchdown as a Falcon.
Up Next
The Falcons return home and host the Liberty Flames for homecoming on September 13th, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (a valid subscription is required.)
