Sept. 24, 2011
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OXFORD, Ohio-- Sophomore wide receiver Nick Harwell posted his second-straight 100-yard receiving day as Miami fell to Bowling Green, 37-23, on Saturday afternoon at Yager Stadium. There were 20,828 fans on hand for Miami's home and Mid-American Conference opener, the third largest crowd since the stadium was renovated in 2005. Harwell pulled in eight catches, including a long of 48 yards, for 139 yards in the losing effort.
The RedHawks (0-3, 0-1 MAC) trailed just 20-17 at halftime after a career-long 45-yard field goal by sophomore Mason Krysinski as time expired but could not overcome the Falcons (3-1, 1-0 MAC) in the second half.
Bowling Green forced three Miami turnovers and blocked a punt inside the RedHawks' 20-yard line. The Falcons also won the battle in the trenches, rushing for 127 yards while holding Miami to just 43 and registering six sacks.
Junior quarterback Zac Dysert completed 25 passes on 40 attempts for 265 yards and two interceptions and scored one of two rushing touchdowns for the Red and White. Bowling Green quarterback Matt Schilz was 19-of-24 for 183 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Defensively, Miami registered 11 tackles for a loss of 44 yards. Senior linebacker Ryan Kennedy led the Red and White with eight tackles, including six solo stops.
A pair of turnovers led to the first two scores of the game. After a fumble recovery by Keith Morgan on the Miami 18-yard line, Jordan Hopgood capped the five-play drive with a 2-yard run to put Bowling Green on the board first. Kicker Kyle Burkhardt's extra point attempt was off the mark, leaving the Falcons with a 6-0 lead at the 3:15 mark of the first quarter.
The following drive ended with Dysert's second punt of the season, pinning Bowling Green at their own 12-yard line. Two plays later, with 13:44 remaining in the opening half, junior defensive end Wes Williams picked off a BGSU pass that was tipped at the line and scored from six yards out to give the RedHawks their first points of the game. It was Williams' second career interception return for a touchdown, his first coming in 2009. Krysinski's extra point was good, giving Miami a 7-6 edge.
Bowling Green jumped back on top with 9:22 remaining in the second quarter when Alex Bayer caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Schilz to complete an eight-play, 62-yard drive. Stephen Stein converted the extra point attempt to give Bowling Green a 13-7 advantage.
Dysert drilled Harwell on a 48-yard play-action pass to the Bowling Green 5-yard line to set up the RedHawks' second touchdown of the day. Sophomore running back Erik Finklea punctuated the seven-play, 67-yard drive with a 1-yard rush up the middle for the touchdown. After a successfully point after, the RedHawks led 14-13 with 6:06 left in the half.
With less than two minutes left in the first half, Bowling Green's Ray Hutson blocked a punt by Miami's Zac Murphy that was recovered by Adrian Hodges at the Miami 1-yard line. On the very next play, Schilz completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Montgomery to put the Falcons up 20-14 with 1:47 left in the opening half.
Dysert led the RedHawks back down the field to the Bowling Green 28-yard line and Krysinski's field goal as time expired cut the Falcon lead to 20-17 going into the half.
The second half started with a 72-yard kickoff return by sophomore Dayonne Nunley. Miami reached the Bowling Green 1-yard line but was stopped on a fourth-down attempt as Finklea was tackled for a loss, giving the Falcons the ball on the 11-yard line.
Schilz then marched the Falcons down the field, capping a 16-play drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Kamar.
With 11:03 left in the fourth quarter, Dysert scored on a 1-yard rush that brought the RedHawks within seven. The extra point was off the mark, leaving the score at 30-23 in favor of Bowling Green. On the ensuing kickoff, Miami freshman Brison Burriss forced a fumble, but the Falcons recovered and started a drive at their own 3-yard line.
On second-and-ten, Anthon Samuel took a handoff from Schilz 96 yards for a touchdown, putting Bowling Green up 37-23 with 10:00 left in the game. Samuel's run was the longest play in Bowling Green history and tied a Yager Stadium record, last achieved by former RedHawk Thomas Meriweather on a 96-yard run last season against Temple.
Miami was unable to muster any points over the remaining minutes, and the RedHawks' last offensive play was picked off in the end zone with 2:20 left on the clock as Bowling Green sealed the victory.
Miami looks to rebound next Saturday, Oct. 1 at home against Cincinnati in the 116th Battle for the Victory Bell. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
