The Falcons (1-0) opened the season with a win over Lafayette (0-1) on Thursday evening, taking home a 26-7 victory to start the Eddie George era with aplomb.
The Falcons received the opening kickoff and the decision paid off immediately, as for the second year in a row, Bowling Green would return the season opening kickoff for a touchdown to go up 7-0 just 11 seconds in to the contest thanks to Cameron Pettaway’s 98-yard trot. The teams would exchange three-and-outs from there before a lightning
in the area forced a pause in the action.
After the delay, the Leopards would turn the ball over on downs. The Falcons had a nice drive going to end the first quarter, still up 7-0, but were forced to settle for a Jackson Kleather field goal from 30 yards out after Drew Pyne was sacked on third-and-goal to make it 10-0 Bowling Green.
Mar’Kel Porter would score the first offensive touchdown of 2025 during BGSU’s two-minute drill a few possesions later, making it 17-0 after Kleather’s PAT.
The Leopards would start the second half on offense, but were forced to a three-and-out, giving the ball back right away. Lafayette would tighten up on the next defensive possession, forcing BGSU to try a 56-yard field goal attempt, which Kleather nailed to clinch a career-long mark to make it 20-0 Falcons early in the third quarter. Kleather’s kick was the second-longest in BGSU program history, trailing only Derek Schorejs’ 60-yarder against Toledo in 1995.
Lafayette put together their best drive of the night after Kleather’s second kick of the night, taking a risk on a fourth down inside BGSU’s red zone and having it pay with a five-yard touchdown pass from Dean DeNobile to Elijah Steward to make it 20-7. Pettaway would pull off another nice return on the ensuing kickoff, but the Falcons would settle for another Kleather field goal to make it 23-7.
The Leopards started the fourth quarter with the ball, and would fail to convert on fourth down for the second time. After exchanging punts, the Falcons would move the ball into field goal range once again, with Kleather converting his fourth field goal of the night to make it 26-7 with 4:47 left in the fourth quarter— the tally which would ultimately be the game’s final mark.
Takeaways
With it being Week 1, Falcon fans need to remember that this team is still putting itself together. Drew Pyne looked somewhat uncomfortable in the pocket, which may have been due to the offensive line still working out some issues, but the O-line will still be one of the strongest parts on that side of the ball. Going 12-of-18 for 109 yards, the Falcons will have to ramp up the passing game.
Running the ball definitely looks to be the highlight for the Falcons. Five different running backs saw touches in this game, for a total of 44 carries. At times, the offense felt stale running that much, but it got them some good results at the end of the day.
Defensively, the Falcons had a good game. Lafayette was held to 177 yards of offense, and sacked three times. Besides that fourth down touchdown they gave up, the Falcons held the Leopards to only 59 rushing yards.
All in all, a decent showing for the Falcons. While there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, Bowling Green can celebrate the start of the Eddie George era.
Plays of the Game
Of course, the play of the game goes to Cameron Pettaway. Nothing like an early house call two seasons in a row.
Also have to give a nod to Jackson Kleather. Tying the second longest field goal in program history, Pat McAfee should approve.
Up Next
The Falcons take on the Cincinnati Bearcats on September 6th at 3:30 Eastern. The game is available on ESPN+ (a valid subscription is required.)
