Bowling Green vs Buffalo Recap and Takeaways 2023

BG Rebounds and Bullies Buffalo Behind 218 Rush Yards



RB Terion Stewart had his 3rd 100 yard rushing game of the year. (photo via BG Athletics)

Takeaways


    As I expected going into this game, BG was going to do the opposite of whatever happened last week. This Falcons team that was 0-2 in MAC play with a legacy P5 upset sandwiched in between, was going to once again be inconsistent but in a positive way this week. In a torrential downpour, this team looked like the better football team in all three phases of the game. This was a HUGE win, as BG was 0-2 in the MAC while Buffalo was 2-0 despite losing all 4 non-conference games. Buffalo whooped us 38-7 at home last year. Their QB Cole Snyder entered the game 1st in pass yards per game in the MAC, 3rd in TDs, and 1st in completions. He went 5/15, 30 yards and 2 interceptions. That is an INSANE turnaround from how the QBs for Ohio and Miami OH looked against this defense. 24-14 is not a dominant win by any stretch but the weather was terrible, Cam Orth was in his first MAC start, and this team got a massive win. BG ran down Buffalo's throat with Terion Stewart and Cam Orth combining for 195 yards. The team ran for 218 including sacks, it is unheard of for a BG team since 2016 to be running for over 200 yards and it was what needed to be done on offense to win.

    The defense forced 5 turnovers! Buffalo was just 9/29 passing for 1 score and 4 interceptions. Unreal job by the defense to contain the air attack and suffocate the Bulls. Avi McGary had a career day with an interception and a blocked punt that PaSean Wimberly took for a touchdown. I would say 200 yards on the ground, 5 turnovers, and a special team score is the definition of a complete game. Now, 3 turnovers for BG and 10 penalties usually will led to a loss but it goes to show how much better this team is than in years past because those mistakes can be overcome, BG is hopefully past the point where they have to play perfect football to win games against the mid to lower tier of the MAC. 

Looking Forward

Check out my state of the program blog for my thoughts moving forward from this huge win. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Transfer Portal 2024

Image
  Transfer Portal 2024     The transfer portal in my opinion is fun, good for players, and actually helps a school like Bowling Green.      The portal also has so many opportunities for different players. You have studs from the G5 move up to the SEC, P5 backups dropping down to start at G5 schools. You have FCS starters jumping up to FBS, also FCS backups who would rather be a backup at a FBS school. Many casual fans do not realize how valuable depth guys are and scout team players truly make big differences in practice. Even G5 guys would rather be a backup at an SEC school. So in my mind, the portal is a plus value.      This list may not be 100% accurate but is updated to the best of my knowledge. I am going to give my opinions on each player, not meaning any disrespect but just an honest assessment of each player's impact in my opinion. Best of luck to all the guys leaving, and a big welcome to all the new Falcons joining! Incoming Transfers Breakdown: Total: 18 Position RB: 1
Read more

State of the Program 12/4/23

Image
Bowling Green Clinches First Winning Record Since 2015!! (photo via BG Athletics)     Scot Loeffler said it weeks ago, this team has a chance to do something special. I would say beating a Power 5 team on the road, going 5-3 in the MAC and blowing some teams out qualifies as special. Think back to just a few years ago. Mike Jinks' BG team was going 2-10, players getting arrested, zero culture, zero love for the school and the traditions. Now Coach Loeffler in another seemingly do or die season has showed up, showed out, and needs a contract extension ASAP. Now that I am no longer traveling, let's cover a few recent football topics.  1. 4 Game Winning Streak     For the first time since 2015, Bowling Green football won 4 games in a row. Buffalo beat us last year, Akron has had our number recently under Tom Arth, Ball State is still coached by MAC Champions Mike Nue and had 22 seniors, and Kent was 5-0 in their last 5 against us. Coach Loeffler finally toppled the Flashes and it
Read more

The MAC says Goodbye to Divisions, Hello to Pods

Image
The MAC says Goodbye to Divisions, Hello to Pods     Okay, I am coming around to the pod formatting. My first thought was hey, this is super dumb. Why are we changing the format that between 2015-2021 never had a single team win the MAC Championship twice? The unmatched parity is the best thing about the MAC. Let's take a look at the pros and cons. Pros: 1. The MAC Championship is elevated. I am hoping this does not come at the cost of the beloved parity in the league, but the Championship game will be better. There have been years, most recently in 2022 where even though Toledo won, they were the 4th best team overall in the standings behind Ohio, Buffalo, and BGSU. So in theory if there is a year where instead of a 10-2 and 7-5 team facing off, there could be the 10-2 team and a 9-3 team who's only MAC lost was to the 10 win team in their division.  2. Teams will play more often. The current structure has seen BG play a team like Ball State or Eastern Michigan just twice in a
Read more