LAWRENCE, Kan. – Make no mistake – Bowling Green was the better football team on the field Saturday night at Kansas University’s Memorial Stadium.
It just took them a while to prove it.
After a slow start that watched the Falcons fall behind for the first time this season, BG got their act together in the second quarter and pulled away for an impressive 39-16 win over the Kansas Jayhawks.
For the first 27 minutes of the game, Kansas had the Falcons on their heels with their heads spinning, using multiple blitz and defensive packages to stymie BG’s explosive offensive attack, one which had scored over 40 points in each of their last four games, dating back to last year.
BG won the coin toss, and deferred to the second half, giving the home team the ball first. KU quarterback Bill Whittemore, inserted into the starting lineup just a week ago in Kansas’ 44-24 win over Southwest Missouri State, led the Jayhawks on an impressive opening drive, in which they possessed the ball for 4:45.
For the first time in 2002, the Falcons were kept off balance for a significant period of time on offense. The visitors’ three drives in the first quarter resulted in just one first down, and only 4:45 of possession. The Falcons’ defense, too, looked shaky as they missed numerous tackles and committed penalty after penalty in the first half. While they kept the Jayhawks off the scoreboard in the first quarter, they could not accomplish the same feat in the second, as Whittemore eluded three Falcons looking to make a sack and threw over an out-of-position Keon Newson for the opening score of the game. The pass, to wide receiver Marcellus Jones, covered 16 yards, and after Johnny Beck missed the extra point, Kansas led 6-0.
“You have to give them credit,” BG head coach Urban Meyer said. “They blitzed our empty formation. We started the game in spread empty, but we got our quarterback hit. So, we got out of that and got back to the basics. We went old-fashioned and didn’t get cute, and let Joe Alls run the ball.”
Finally, though, Josh Harris and the offense were able to move the ball down the field on the ensuing drive. After three straight runs, Harris went to the air, finding Charles Sharon for 44 yards, down to Kansas 17. Harris ran in from nine yards three plays later, and Shaun Suisham’s extra point gave the Falcons a 7-6 lead.
But, the defense was unable to hold Kansas again, as personal foul and pass interference penalties on BG aided KU’s second scoring drive. Whittemore led his team down the field once again, and KU coach Mark Mangino opted to go for the touchdown on fourth and goal from BG’s one yard line. Whittemore snuck in, but an illegal shift penalty sent the Jayhawks five yards back, and Beck hit a 22-yard field goal for a 9-7 KU lead.
Linebacker Mitch Hewitt spoke about the toughness of the Jayhawks early on.
“They definitely tested our conditioning,” Hewitt said. “We knew we had to stick together and stay tough, because we knew it was only matter of time before our offense gets going. So, we just stuck it out and did our best until the offense got going.”
On the ensuing possession, Harris and the Falcon offense sputtered once again, but punter Pat Fleming pinned the Jayhawks inside their own five.
The turning point of the game came next, as the Falcons used a big play to swing the momentum. On third down from his own six, Whittemore dropped back into the end zone to pass. Falcon defensive end Alex Glantzis blindsided Whittemore, and Hewitt recovered the fumble in the end zone for the score. Harris threw to Robert Redd for the two-point conversion, and the Falcons led 15-9.
“That was Alex Glantzis’ touchdown,” Hewitt said. “He’s a great ball rusher, and I was just put in the right place at the right time.” Harris said that was all the offense needed.
“Big plays lead to other big plays very often,” he said. “It’s a snowball effect, once you get that big play by the defense, other big plays start happening.”
The ensuing kickoff gave BG total control of the game. Suisham, who occasionally pops his kickoffs up, enabling his coverage team more time to get down the field, popped the ball up into a strong wind. KU return specialist Greg Heaggans settled under it, but the wind knocked the ball down, and BG safety Michael Malone recovered at the Jayhawk 22. Three plays later, Harris handed off to running back Joe Alls, who threw back to Harris for the 15-yard touchdown and a 22-9 halftime lead.
Having deferred to the second half, BG opened the second stanza by ultimately putting the game away. Harris found Redd for 39 yards, and Alls ran for 41 yards on the drive, including 11 yards for the touchdown. BG led 29-9.
BG’s Mitchell Crossley forced a fumble on the Jayhawks’ next possession, and Hewitt recovered his second of the day. Alls ran for 51 more yards on the ensuing drive, and Harris ran two yards for his second rushing touchdown of the game as BG scored its 29th unanswered point. After punts by both teams, Whittemore used a 37-yard completion to Jones to set up a Dan Coke touchdown run, drawing KU to 36-16.
Suisham kicked a 39-yard field goal, his sixth of the season, to open the fourth quarter and set the final margin.
“We talked about this after the game,” Meyer said. “We just came to Kansas, and beat Kansas by 23 points. … Yeah, we played terrible. We did not play well. But, we won and we’re going to enjoy that victory. We came here, we won, we’re now 5-0 against BCS conferences and 3-0 against the Big XII. We’re going to enjoy the win. It wasn’t pretty; I’m looking at 13 penalties and a bunch of other issues. But, I have confidence in our players and coaching staff. This is a big win for BG.
“This is the first time we’ve been against the wall this year,” Meyer said. “You’re playing a great team; they stopped and hit us alot. You have to give this stadium credit, they came out rocking. This was a tough environment to play in.”
BG outgained Kansas, 503 yards to 277, despite running seven fewer plays. Harris only attempted 18 passes, but the Falcons gained 350 yards on the ground to Kansas’ 89 yards. Linebackers Jovon Burkes and Chris Haneline and safety Malone led the Falcons with six tackles apiece.
Notes: Harris’ touchdown catch in the second quarter was his second of the year and third of his career. … Harris has rushed for at least two touchdowns in his last five games. … Hewitt’s touchdown in the second quarter was his second in two weeks, after returning an interception for a touchdown last week. … Alls’ 161 yards on the ground was a career best, while the touchdown pass was the first of his career. … BG scored 22 points in the second quarter, a season-high for any quarter. … the announced attendance was 37,000.
