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KENT, OHIO – The Bowling Green Falcons were trailing Kent State 35-23 with 4:42 remaining in regulation when quarterback Tyler Sheehan engineered two game-changing drives. The second and decisive drive culminated with a nine-yard quarterback draw for a touchdown with five seconds remaining to give the Falcons a 36-35 victory Saturday afternoon before a stunned homecoming crowd of 15,211 at Dix Stadium.
Bowling Green (2-4, 1-1) ended its four-game losing streak with the victory while sending Kent State (2-4, 1-1) to its fourth loss in the last five games.
“We’ve been involved in a lot of games like that this year, and we’ve come up on the short end on a number of them. But our offense executed unbelievable in the fourth quarter,” Falcons head coach Dave Clawson said after the game.
Sheehan, the fifth-year senior from Cincinnati was simply remarkable on a sunny, cool day as he completed 44-of-63 passes for 505 yards and four touchdowns. The attempts, completions, and yardage are all career and school highs and marked just the fourth time in Mid-American Conference history that a quarterback passed for over 500 yards.
However, it was Sheehan’s feet and quick thinking that gave the Falcons victory as he outran defensive back Dan Hartman in a collision course to the goal line.
“We knew on their goal-line defense, when we spread people out they like to get people on those guys and they really don’t honor the quarterback too much.’ Sheehan said. “We were just planning on getting half (of the yards) but then when I saw the guy (Hartman), I lowered my shoulder and tried to make a play”
The rally started after Kent State scored a touchdown to make the score 35-23 with 4:29 remaining. Taking possession on the Kent State 45-yard line when a high snap, forced punter Nate Rinehart into just a 27-yard kick. Sheehan used just one play to get a touchdown as he found Freddie Barnes in the end zone to make the score 35-30.
The Falcons defense held Kent State on three straight plays and got the ball back on a punt with 3:12 remaining. After being sacked on the first play of the drive, Sheehan completed seven consecutive passes to move the ball to the Kent State 19.
Following two straight incomplete passes, the Falcons faced a fourth-down-and-three when Sheehan made the biggest play of the game to that point by connecting with wide receiver Adrian Hodges. The 12-yard completion netted a first down at the Kent State seven. Three plays later, Sheehan called his own number for the winning touchdown, sending the Falcons bench and BGSU fans into a frenzy.
Barnes, a fifth-year senior from Chicago Heights, Illinois caught 22 of Sheehan’s passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns. “We’ve been in a position for a couple of weeks now. Last week I let us down (his crucial fourth quarter drop against Ohio), so this week I had to step it up and that’s really what is was all about.”
The 22 receptions, and 278 yards were school records. In addition, it was the second most in MAC history and the 22 catches are third most in NCAA history. Coming into the game, Barnes led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 53 catches and had a season-high 17 in a loss at Marshall.
The game started with the Flashes taking an early lead. On their first offensive play they ran a reverse with wide receiver Sam Kirkland taking the ball and streaking down the sideline 82-yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The run was KentState’s longest so far this season.
Kent State then added a second touchdown when lineman Kevin Hogan blocked a 33-yard field goal attempt by the Falcons Jerry Phillips. Linebacker Will Johnson recovered the ball then pitched it to nose tackle Quinton Rainey, who took the ball82-yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
As the first quarter became the second, Sheehan and the Falcons offense started to move the football. They scored on all three of their possessions in the period to take a 17-14 lead at halftime.
The first score was an 11-yard touchdown pass to Hodges capping a 12-play 70-yard drive. The second was an eight-yard score to Barnes which ended a seven-play 80-yard drive with Barnes making the key play on a 53-yard reception.
The third, which gave the Falcons their first lead of the game, came just before the end of the half. Taking possession on their own 24 with 4:50 remaining in the half, Bowling Green moved the ball to the Kent State three, where the drive stalled and fifth-year senior kicker Matt Norsic, who replaced an injured Jerry Phillips, kicked a 21-yard field goal.
Kent State knew that momentum was clearly in favor of the Falcons and needed to stem that tide. It did so on the first possession of the second half when the Golden Flashes engineered an 11-play, 53-yard drive to regain the lead 21-17 on a three-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Spencer Keith to running back Dri Archer.
There was no further scoring until late in the period after defensive back Josh Pleasant intercepted a Sheehan pass, returning it 17 yards to the Falcons 12. One play later, Jacquise Terry found the end zone for a 28-17 lead.
Sheehan and the Falcons got that touchdown back early in the fourth stanza with a seven-play, 44-yard drive. Barnes scored on his second touchdown catch of the game - this one from two yards out - to make the score 28-23. A BG two point conversion attempt failed.
Kent State matched that scoring drive with one of their own. Moving 70 yards in just four plays with the big play being a 58-yard pass completion from Keith to receiver Kendrick Pressley. Terry completed the drive from three-yards out to give the Golden Flashes a 35-23 lead.
After stopping the Falcons on a fourth down and gaining possession on their own 15 with 7:48 remaining, the KSU offense picked up one first down on the next drive before punting the ball away. The Flashes offense would not see the football again until three seconds remained in the game.
The loss was a crusher for Kent State which saw their chance for a third home win fall at the hands of Sheehan, Barnes, and the Falcons.
“We were scratching and clawing to get off the field” Pleasant said. “We made a few mistakes here and there, but that’s going to happen”
Both teams are on the road next week, Bowling Green heads to Muncie to face winless Ball State while the Golden Flashes travel to Ypsilanti for a meeting with Eastern Michigan.
NOTES:
- This was the 77th lifetime meeting between the two schools with Bowling Green improving its mark to 55-16-7 (30-7-2 at Kent) with the victory…
- The Falcons have now won their last five straight at Dix Stadium…
- Sheehan-BG collected the first five-touchdown game of his career (four pass and one rush) and his comeback was the fourth fourth-quarter comeback of his career.
- Matt Norsic-BG second quarter field goal was the first kick of his collegiate career
- Sam Kirkland’s 82-yard touchdown run was the longest Kent State run since Astron Whatley in 1997.
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