The word “perfect” sometimes gets overused and taken to an extreme.
But what unfolded on the first play of the 2024 season for the BGSU football team was the definition of perfection – a 100-yard kickoff return to start the 2024 season.
Bowling Green and Fordham kicked off their seasons at Doyt L. Perry Stadium on Thursday night, with Fordham winning the toss and electing to defer to the second half, giving the ball to the Falcons to start the game, a decision the Rams would quickly regret.
Junior running back Justin Pegues received the kick at the goalline, and in an era that usually has the returner fair catching most of the time or letting the ball go into the endzone, we saw Pegues take it coast to coast.
The best part about it all? He knew that was coming all week.
“Honestly, I have been telling the team all week that if they take a chance and kick it to me, it’s going to the crib,” he said. “That’s just what happened because God, the man above, spoke it into existence.”
Senior running back Terion Stewart, who had three touchdowns on Thursday night, jokingly said if it were not for Pegues, he would have taken matters into his own hands to return a kick. But overall, he was just excited for his teammate.
“That was crazy, and the crazy thing is we called that out, like two days before the game. It was like, if you don’t score this, I’m going to score it,” Stewart said. “I didn’t know it would be 100 yards, but congratulations to him, man.”
It was such an outstanding way to start the season that the legendary Kirk Herbstreit chimed in on X.
BOWLING GREEN 100-YD TD ON THE OPENING KICK
WASTED NO TIME
(via @MACSports) pic.twitter.com/VMM1ScY8D9
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 29, 2024
How bout that for a start to the season?! @BG_Football https://t.co/bBCaCzIrr8
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) August 30, 2024
As you watch the clip, you see an unsung hero by the name of Jaison Patterson throw two incredible blocks to make way for Pegues to find his way into the endzone.
The blocks were so incredible they had future Hall of Famer JJ Watt in a frenzy.
Lead blocker taking out 2 and absolutely demolishing the second guy.
Incredible stuff.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) August 29, 2024
Pegues gave his due to his teammate and mentioned how Patterson is always a team guy.
“He’s one of the best players on the team that helps, and he wants to see everybody shine, and that’s what he did,” Pegues said. “He threw his body in the ground for me, and that’s what we do.”
Oh, and did we mention it was a school record, too?
Pegues was very ecstatic to hear about that come the postgame, and doing it in his first game in a Falcon’s uniform will always mean something to him.
Pegues transferred to BG after spending two seasons at Tennessee Tech, where he didn’t even return kicks.
So, returning his first one to the house, on a new team, for a school record, and opening up the 2024 season for your squad will always be an unmatched feeling for him.
All Pegues said to his teammates when he returned to the sidelines after such a monumental play?
“I told y’all.”
Head coach Scot Loeffler also had the same mindset. He knew a return was on the horizon after watching the film on Fordham.
“We thought, on film, we were either going to get a punt return or a kick return, and we were able to get a kickoff return. That was great, just what a way to start out the year.“
Pegues finished his day with four returns for over 135 yards on special teams alone. He also had one rush for 10 more yards as well.
If what happened on the first play is the kind of explosiveness we’ll see from Loeffler and the Falcons this season, then buckle up folks, cause it’s going to be a fun year.
