Joe Alls was back in the lineup Saturday, and by the end of Bowling Green’s 38-20 win over Ball State, the Cardinals probably wished he had just stayed home.
The return of the BG running back gave the Falcons another weapon in the offense, and helped pound Ball State through a ground-based attack. Alls rushed for 109 yards on 20 carries, along with two receptions for 31 yards.
Alls said he was happy to be back and contributing.
“It felt real good out there,” Alls said. “I was just trying to get back into the rhythm I had before I left. There were some times I felt a little tentative, but overall I think I did all right.”
After the game, BG coach Urban Meyer said that he thought Alls favored his shoulder at times, and was only between 60 and 70 percent healthy. Meyer said quarterback Josh Harris was also banged up. Harris only rushed three times all game.
The Falcons began the game with Alls being their primary force on offense. Eighty-three of Alls’ rushing yards came in the first quarter. Still, Bowling Green was unable to put points on the board. Ball State scored first on a 44-yard field goal from Mike Langford with 5:39 left in the quarter. It would be the only point in the game in which the Cardinals would lead.
The second quarter would belong to the Falcons, as they outscored Ball State 21-0 .
BG took the lead on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Harris to D’Monn Baker. The touchdown concluded an eight play, 53-yard drive. The next two touchdowns were scored by P.J. Pope, on runs from six and nine yards, respectively.
Pope had a strong game, averaging just under seven yards a rush, and gaining a total of 81 yards. Alls said that the two running backs are happy when the other does well.
“There is no tension between us,” Alls said. “He plays great football…when I see P.J. run well, I get excited just like I made that play.”
BG’s second touchdown was set up by a Marcus Allen interception with 6:27 left in the first half. Allen’s interception came on the Falcons’ 25 yard line, with Ball State looking to cut into BG’s lead. It was the senior’s first collegiate interception.
“I went into my zone coverage, and I actually think the quarterback was trying to throw it away,” Allen said. “I don’t think he ever saw me, and I got a good tip on the ball…it came back to me and I picked it off and tried to get to the end zone.”
The two teams traded field goals to start the third quarter, and then Marcus Merriweather broke a 53 yard run, eventually leading to a Ball State touchdown, making the score 24-13.
It was Merriweather’s longest run of the day, as he finished with 144 rushing yards on 29 carries. Meyer said one of the team’s objectives going into the game was to contain the Cardinal running back.
“You play a very good running back, in my mind an all-conference running back , and you kind of contained him,” Meyer said. “That was our goal, to stop him.”
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Josh Harris found Charles Sharon for a 25-yard touchdown pass. Harris finished the game with 195 yards passing and two touchdowns. After Ball State scored another touchdown to make it 31-20, Cole Magner closed out the game’s scoring with a four-yard touchdown run with just over a minute left.
Despite moving to 7-0 with the win, Meyer was unhappy with some of what he saw in BG’s performance on Saturday. The Falcons committed four turnovers, after having only committed six all season.
“You saw for the first time in a long time some very un-Bowling Green style football that we’ve got to get corrected,” Meyer said. “We play like that on the road and I don’t know if you win that game.”
Meyer said the team had a closed meeting after the game. Still, Meyer pointed out how difficult it is to start 7-0. The Falcons have not started 7-0 since 1985.
“I have done this 18 years and I have been lucky enough to be on two teams that went 7-0,” Meyer said. “You always enjoy winning because you know how difficult it is.”
