Mix together the Battle of I-75, a game in enemy territory at the Glass Bowl and sub-60-degree weather in late October, and you can expect one thing for certain: that BGSU football is going to run the ball.
The Falcons ran the ball 37 times for 215 yards in their 41-26 victory over Toledo on Saturday. The 215 yards were the most for BG since they tallied 305 rushing yards in the first week of the season against Fordham.
The breakout success on the ground has been a long time coming for the Orange and Brown, who had averaged 108.7 rushing yards since their week one win.
“Finally, geez, my knees,” BGSU head coach Scot Loeffler exclaimed after hearing they passed 200 yards on the ground.
Junior running back Terion Stewart wore out the Rocket defense, rushing for 99 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
“Well, the back’s (Stewart) a really good player, first and foremost; tough guy to tackle, really great low center of gravity, tough tackle,” Toledo head coach Jason Candle said postgame.
Senior running back Jamal Johnson added 54 rushing yards, while junior wide receiver Rahkeem Smith contributed 33. Meanwhile, junior tight end Harold Fannin Jr., senior quarterback Connor Bazelak and senior running back Jaison Patterson notched 12, nine and eight rushing yards, respectively.
“Even in the run stuff, I thought that the other guys, not just four (Stewart) that got to the perimeter, we did a good job rallying to the ball, they did a good job breaking some tackles,” Candle said. “Hats off to them.”
Bowling Green’s offensive line was a major reason for their success on the ground.
“I mean, when they play great, we got a great quarterback, we got a lot of skill, we got good backs, we got good defense, we got special teams, and they got to be the bell cow. I mean, I haven’t been a part of any good team that hasn’t had a good offensive line and a good d-line,” Loeffler said. “Super proud of them today; you saw movement today, you saw holes; you didn’t see us leaning on people. I thought we were striking, playing with confidence, low, flat backs; we protected the quarterback against a really good defensive front. So, I’m really happy and super proud of them.”
After playing like one of the best units in the country for the first few weeks of the season, BG’s offensive line regressed over the past few weeks. However, Loeffler believes they regained their early-season form against their archrivals.
“You watch weeks one, two and three, and you see a superstar. I’ve probably, for the last five years, been the most critical person on our offensive line, and weeks one, two and three, they played as good as anyone,” Loeffler said. “Then, we went, and we stuttered and didn’t have confidence; did some things outside the box that’s not who we are. We found a way to play back to those weeks one, two and three, and we got to continue that.”
Another reason for the success on the ground was BG’s ability to diversify their offense, running the ball every which way and direction one could imagine.
“I mean, that’s a common theme that misdirection plays and counter plays and, you know, a little bit of triple option in there today, and a lot of different looks that they threw at us,” Candle said. “They’re a team that stresses you and makes you have your eyes in the right place at all times, and there’s play action, it’s fake toss and here comes a slip screen back on the other side.”
Bowling Green ran the ball effectively out of any formation, keeping Toledo on their toes all game.
“I think anytime you’re able to come out in different looks and do different things, it’s going to open stuff up because the defense hasn’t seen it, they got to adjust to it,” senior tight end Levi Gazarek, who scored his first collegiate touchdown in the win, said. “When you’re able to do that and do it out of multiple sets, do it out of 11 personnel, 12 personnel, we even did it out of 13 personnel today. I mean, if you’re able to do that, you’re doing things right.”
Next, the Orange and Brown will head to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, to battle the Central Michigan Chippewas on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
