 OHIO 29, BOWLING GREEN 28 “We knew we had to go in there on that last drive and get a stop, and we didn’t did that,” said BG junior defensive tackle Chris Jones. “I’ve been a part of a couple of last-minute losses and it’s really heart-breaking. It’s hard to kind of put into words, but it’s definitely something you don’t what to feel.”
Dating back to the Humanitarian Bowl in 2009, a span of 24 games, BG is 0-7 in games that have come down to the final play. The Falcons are 6-18 overall in those 24 games.
“Losing in any manner is tough,” BG head coach Dave Clawson said. “Anytime you lose on a last-second field goal, it’s a knife to the gut.”
“It hurts to go out like that ... We have got to finish,” BG wide receiver Kamar Jorden said.
BG held a 28-19 lead with 13:41 left in the game, but could not hold on for the win.
“We had a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter and all you need to make is one stop. You have to make one play to get off the field,” Clawson said. “We couldn’t get off the field. Up front, they did a really good job and they ran the ball consistently. They were constantly getting positive yards.”
After BG took the nine-point lead on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Matt Schilz to Eugene Cooper, Ohio countered with a quick scoring drive after a good kickoff return. The Bobcats went 46 yards in five plays, taking only 1:49 off the clock to cut BG’s lead to 28-26.
On its ensuing possession, BG recorded three first downs, but it had to punt the ball after a third-down sack.
The Bobcats took over at their own 10-yard line with 7:34 remaining in the game. Tyler Tettleton then engineered a strong drive, moving his team into field goal range. On the final drive, Tettleton rushed five times for 24 yards and completed three passes for 29 yards while Donte Harden rushed six times for 24 yards.
The key play on the drive was an offside call on Jones on a fourth-and-short play from BG’s 46-yard line.
“I saw them flinch. The officials have a tough job. I moved. I cannot blame anybody else but myself,” Jones said.
“I don’t know what to say about it that I’m not going to get reprimanded for,” Clawson said about the penalty call on Jones. “Our guys saw him flinch and they didn’t call it. It was very clear to us that they moved.”
The game-winner came as Matt Weller kicked a 23-yard field goal, his fifth successful field goal of the game.
“A field goal was going to win it and there was no sense trying to do something other than putting yourself in position to win. That’s what we tried to do at the end,” said Ohio head coach Frank Solich.
“Their kicker is a heck of a weapon and as that thing got close, I’m sure they felt very good about it,” Clawson said.
BG scored twice in the first half on a 5-yard pass from Schilz to Tyler Beck and a 6-yard pass from Schilz to Jorden. Ohio led 16-14 at the half after Weller made a 24-yard field goal as time expired.
In the second half, Ohio increased its lead to 19-14 before BG responded with two good scoring drives. Anthon Samuel capped a 69-yard drive with a 3-yard run and Schilz’s pass to Cooper finished a 70-yard drive.
“We were just doing our offense,” Jorden said about BG’s four-touchdown effort. “We were just moving the ball.”
Ohio improved to 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the Mid-American Conference East with one game to play. The Bobcats clinched the East title with the win.
BG is 4-7 overall and 2-5 in the MAC, having lost three straight and six of its last seven games.
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