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Bowling Green's defense stepped up in the second half. Photo by Nate Thompson.

BOWLING GREEN 31, TROY 14 (at Bowling Green) – The Falcons hope they have established a at least one habit they can carry through the 2009 season. They finished strong.

After falling behind 14-0 to visiting Troy , BGSU scored 31 straight points. Adrien Spencer’s 64-yard interception return for a touchdown with 2:14 left in the game capped a solid second half defensive effort by the Falcons.

Troy quarterback Levi Brown was nearly perfect early, connecting on 18-of-20 first half passes. A 12-yard-pass to Jerrel Jernigan and Sam Glusman’s PAT gave the visitors a 14-0 lead with 9:29 left in the second quarter. The Falcons defense stiffened after that and allowed Troy only 115 yards, including a paltry 94 in the second half.

As the Trojan’s faded, Tyler Sheehan, Freddie Barnes and the BGSU offense made their move. Sheehan connected on all seven of his passes, accounting for 82 of 83 yards during a 12-play drive for the Falcon’s first score. Freddie Barnes, who had a record-setting night, covered the final 31 yards and Jerry Phillips added the PAT.
Barnes had 15 catches on the evening, eclipsing the old school mark of 14 receptions set by Robert Redd (vs. Northern Illinois , 2002). Barnes also set a new personal best with 157 receiving yards.

Troy had a golden opportunity to get one more score before the half. Jernigan’s 47-yard kickoff return set the Trojans up at the BGSU 38. However, after yielding a first down, the Falcons defense held. Troy went for a first down on fourth and one at the BGSU 17 but came up short. With the stop, the Falcons regained both possession and, eventually, momentum.

Sheehan and Barnes connected again, this time from eight yards out, as BGSU tied the game with 3:49 left in the third quarter. A 21-yard Phillips field goal early in the fourth quarter gave Bowling Green the lead, and Chris Bullock’s one-yard TD run (along with the PAT) put the Falcons in the drivers seat with 7:19 to play. Spencer’s interception return nailed down the victory.

Sheehan completed 32-of-44 passes (339 yards) on the night. He threw two touchdowns and one interception. Brown was 28-of-44 (263 yards) with one touchdown and two interceptions for Troy .

KENT STATE 18, COASTAL CAROLINA 0 (Kent, OH) – One might say the Golden Flashes have found a few ways to make the most of Eugene Jarvis.
The senior running back had a total 248 yards to lead the offense, and Kent State ’s defense turned in a dominating performance as the hosts opened 2009 with a win over the visiting Chanticleers.

Jarvis rushed 27 times for 141 yards. He picked up another 30 on three catches and tacked on 77 yard with three punt returns.

“Coming in, we knew special teams were going to be big in this game. We practiced really hard, and coach Martin and coach Vance put our best players out there,” Jarvis said. “Fortunately, punt returns got us started. Coach Vance had a good game plan, and the blockers in the front blocked really well.”

“We had 90 yards all last season on punt returns, and tonight we had 77,” Kent State head coach Doug Martin said. “I can’t say enough about coach Vance taking over our special teams. He has done a great job of explaining to our players how important special teams are to take care of the ball.”

Kent State was able to open the game’s scoring by capitalizing on one of its own mistakes. Marcus Lott intercepted a Giorgio Morgan pass at the Chanticleer one-yard line, where he was tackled. One play later, senior defensive end Kevin Hogan tackled Tommy Fraser in the end zone for a safety.

Despite 240 yards of first half offense by KSU, it remained a 2-0 game until the third quarter when Andre Flowers scored on a five-yard touchdown run.
Jarvis’ four-yard run and a Freddy Cortez PAT early in the fourth stanza made it 16-0. Kent State later closed the scoring with another safety.

Both teams struggled at times on offense. They combined to convert just 3-of-27 third down opportunities on the evening. The Flashes also hampered their own efforts with penalties, drawing eight flags for 80 yards. “Well, there are some good things (about the game) and, obviously, we will need to fix a few things,” Martin said.
NOTES - Kent State outgained the visitors 344-185 in total yards. It was the first KSU shutout since Oct. 22, 1994.

- Kent State sophomore quarterback Giorgio Morgan completed 21-of-35 passes, with no TDs and two interceptions.
- Junior Cobrani Mixon led both teams with 12 tackles, one short of his career high.

NORTH TEXAS 20, BALL STATE 10 (Muncie, IN) – After rallying to forge a 10-10 tie early in the fourth quarter, Ball State faltered down the stretch as visiting North Texas prevailed.

Lance Dunbar’s first quarter touchdown, followed by a Jeremy Knott PAT and 24-yard Knott field goal with 1:19 remaining in the second quarter, were the only scores of a first half.

VILLANOVA 27, TEMPLE 24 (Lincoln Field, Philadelphia, PA) – In the end, a hard-fought battle between local rivals came down to the kicking talents of a redshirt freshman. Nick Yako answered the challenge with a 32-yard field goal as time expired, and the Wildcats once again pulled out a razor-close game against Temple.

Ironically, Temple has now been on the losing end of Villanova’s last two wins against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. Villanova also defeated the Owls (23-20, 2 overtimes) in the first game of the 2003 season. Overall, it was Villanova’s third victory ever against an FBS team.

After a scoreless first quarter, Temple struck twice in the second stanza. Brandon McManus connected on a 25-yard field goal at 4:39. The Owls increased then their lead a few minutes later when Vaughn Charlton hit James Nixon on a 75-yard pass play for six more.

A Temple miscue as the second half started quickly put Villanova within one score. Ross Ventrone picked up a Temple fumble and raced 59 yards to pay dirt. Yako’s kick made it 14-7.

Kee-ayre Griffin’s one-yard run and a PAT pushed Temple’s ead to 17-7, but Villanova came right back with a Tony Canci 5-yard touchdown. His run capped a seven-play drive in which the Wildcats covered 75 yards in 2:51.
The Owls were every-so-quick to respond as Charlton found Michael Campbell for a 44-yard TD strike less than a minute later. That, however, would be the last Temple score.

A Yako 27-yard field goal made it 24-17 with 9:58 remaining. Brandyn Harvey scored on a six-yard pass from Chris Whitney and pulled even at 24-24 on Yako’s PAT.

Temple tried to work its way into at least field goal position, but five plays into its final drive, John Dempsey picked off a Charlton pass near midfield and returned it to the Owls 46-yard line.

It was the last of five Temple turnovers in the contest, and Villanova made sure it took advantage of the final miscue. Starting with 49 seconds remaining, the Wildcats’ offense drove it to the Temple 15 before yielding to the field goal team. “Coach Talley just told me to keep my head down and just kick the ball,” Yako said.
“Everyone did their job. It’s a great feeling.”

“They let us hang in the game,” Villanova coach Andy Talley said. “”That’s the key. If you can hang in the game, then from a Villanova standpoint, I think we always have a chance to win.”

The Wildcats’ Whitney was 24-for-35 for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Villanova gained just 64 yards rushing and against a stingy Owls front line.
Temple quarterback Charlton hit on 19-of-28 for 317 yards and two touchdowns. However, he also threw three interceptions. The Owls netted 139 yards rushing.