Week 2 Kent State vs BGSU Recap

 Recap

Whoa, I am having flashbacks to 2019 when Kent State beat us 62-20. This year the final score was 62-24 so hey, that is a step in the right direction, right? Some how this game was even uglier than week 1. Matt McDonald had another rough night, as Bowling Green's offense got off to a hot start before stalling into neutral. The defense is the story of the night, as they could not even tackle, let alone get a stop. Kent State did whatever they wanted, whenever they want, however they wanted. Let's dive into the mud.

1st Quarter

The beginning of the game was solid. Kent State started by driving down the field for an easy touchdown, but then Bryson Denley was able to return a kick off for 81 yards to the Kent State 12. The offense got a bad penalty that stalled the drive and forced a Nate Needham FG. Kent State then drove down the field but luckily the defense held them to a FG. This is when the offense had their first good drive of the season, as Matt McDonald and the Falcons drove 77 yards down the field for a score. McDonald ran the ball for a 2 yard TD, as the drive featured great plays from Trevon Raymore and Noah Massey.  

2nd Quarter

Kent State outscored our Falcons 28-0 in the 2nd Quarter. It was some of the most unwatchable football I have ever seen. The defense just could not tackle, and played a lot of soft coverage allowing Kent State and Dustin Crum to throw the ball 2 yards downfield, then have the wideout run for 15 more. The offense had 3 straight 3 and outs, while the defense's ONLY stop of the 1st half was a missed FG as time expire for Kent.

3rd Quarter

The 3rd quarter proved to be a nice sigh of relief, as the Golden Flashes only scored 7 points. BG was unable to move the ball much at all with constant drops on offense and a total lack of pass protection for McDonald. The lowest scoring quarter of the game, and given how horrific the 1st half was, it was a welcome quarter at that.

4th Quarter

The last quarter of the game saw Kent's backup QB Collin Schlee bully the Orange and Brown defense as the Flashes added 17 points to their total. Bowling Green's defense was juts missing tackles and seemed very confused when Kent ran no huddle. The end of the game proved at least inspiring for the offense, who scored 14 points on the back of freshman Terion Stewart, who ran the ball for 2 touchdowns in the 4th quarter including a 69 yard TD run. Final score, 62-24. 

Bowling Green

Passing

Another brutal game for the Falcon's passing game. Matt McDonald actually looked better, but there were plenty of drops from the WRs and TEs. The O-line also looked terrible and McDonald had to scramble and throw into the ran most of the game. McDonald ended the day just 6-20 for 105 yards, no TDs and no INTs. 2 less receptions than week 1, highlighted by a million drops. The catches were spread across Massey, Broden Jr, Morris, and Ortega-Jones. Another bad game through the air, and I am not sure if it will get better this year. 

Running

Here we go Falcons, the run game actually showed up. Over 250 yards, including 162 by freshman Terion Stewart on just 14 carries. Stewart had 2 TDs in his debut in the Orange and Brown. Freshman WR Jhaylin Embry had a few jet sweeps that worked really well, showing off the Falcon's ability to get creative even when trailing in the game. The offensive line had it's ups and downs but overall did well for run support. There were some decent sized holes against a Kent State team that did a lot of blitzing. Trevon Raymore continues to excel as a power back, proving a guy who can get the garbage yards. 

Defense

Oh boy, the defense was bad. Darren Anders and Patrick Day were able to rack up a lot of tackles due to playing hard which is nice to see from underclassmen. Kholbe Coleman had a spectacular game with 11 solo tackles but overall the defense was a joke. Brian Van Gorder's job should be in questions because even though this defense is way too young, the preparation was not their. Kent State ran the read option all game long and torched us every drive it seemed. I mean despite trying to make up for young corners, the soft coverage led to play after play of 10+ yards as Kent rolled to 667 yards. Really zero positives from the defense this game.

Special Teams

Great kick return early from Bryson Denley but the rest were nothing to brag about. Matt Naranjo had a 5 yard punt at one point but overall had a lot of solid kicks and Nate Needham did his job, going 1/1 on FGs and 3/3 on XPs.

Future

Like Scot Loeffler said after the game, we got to embrace the suck. He admitted most of these kids should not be on the field as freshmen but we just do not have the depth. This experience is going to pay off when these kids are upperclassmen. So let us just buckle down and accept this rebuild is coming, just not this year or probably the next. The defense will probably not improve at all, and that is more expected. These kids are not good enough, they just miss tackles and lose coverage easily. 62 points is disgusting, and just under 700 yards is laughable. Bowling Green also racked up 12 penalties, 5 being offsides on the defense. It was a gross game to watch in terms of discipline and I hope this gets addressed at practice. Offense was better! Got 21 points more than week1 which is a good sign. The passing attack was still terrible but hey we ran the ball well. I am glad Matt McDonald got the first TD of the season, boost his confidence a bit. Also the fact that we have two freshmen running backs that look like legit ball players is a great sign. The next year or so is going to suck, but strap in for the ride. In 2023 when BG is running the MAC again, you can pat yourself on the back for sticking with the boys, through thick and thin. A true test of a fan is what they do when their team is losing, so stay focused, and win the little things each day in your life.

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