BGSU football (1-1) traveled down I-75 to face the Cincinnati Bearcats (1-1) at historic Nippert Stadium on Saturday, suffering a 34-20 defeat.
Ultimately, the story of the game was the Falcons’ struggle to finish drives. Despite outstripping the Bearcats in time of possession by a 14-minute margin, the Falcons struggled to complete drives in the red zone. The Falcon offense also went 6-for-16 on third down.
“We left a lot of plays on the football field,” head coach Eddie George said.
Though BG came into the matchup with a 4-0 record against the Bearcats all-time, context is important. In 1994, when the two teams last played, Cincinnati was independent in football and went 2-8-1 that year.
In the first quarter, the Falcons attempted a 54-yard field goal, which junior kicker Jackson Kleather missed – despite making a 56-yarder against Lafayette last week. This set the Bearcats up with good field position, leading to a well-timed touchdown throw on a play-action pass from redshirt junior quarterback Brendan Sorsby.
At the start of the second quarter, senior Bearcat receiver Jeff Caldwell made a one-handed, highlight-worthy grab to set up Cincinnati in the red zone. Sorsby paid off his effort with a rollout touchdown pass to senior wideout Cyrus Allen, giving him his second TD catch of the day.
On a fourth-and-3 in the second quarter, the Falcons opted to punt in UC’s territory, despite being down by two scores.
Upon getting the ball, Sorsby ripped a laser over the middle of the field to Ohio State transfer tight end Joe Royer for a 73-yard gain. On third down in the red zone, the Bearcats scored on a bubble screen thrown to Caldwell.
After the game, head coach Eddie George discussed his decision to punt on fourth-and-3 in the second quarter. “I didn’t want to give them a short field…I wanted to be conservative until I got a good feel for my offense and where we were going in those situations… I wanted to make sure we had something dialed up,” George said.
Just before halftime, the Falcons put together one of the better drives of the game. However, Cincy interrupted BG’s momentum with a huge sack on Pyne, made by redshirt-senior LB Jake Golday. On third-and-18, senior RB Kaderris Roberts dodged multiple tackles to notch a first down and set BG up in the red zone. But on fourth and goal, BG opted for a field goal, which Kleather made.
In the Cincinnati red zone, BG went for it on fourth-and-2; unfortunately, the handoff to junior fullback Leo Kemp was stuffed by the Bearcat defensive line.
Just a few plays later, though, the Falcon defense forced a fumble to get the ball back. Given a chance, Pyne tossed a touchdown pass to a wide-open Jyrin Johnson, a senior tight end.
“My first touchdown in two years,” the Texas Southern transfer said. “It felt good to get back in the endzone.”
Redshirt freshman Cameron Pettaway had a strong day rushing, racking up 72 yards and averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He also became a factor in the passing game, snagging a catch in the flat on 3rd and 5 to keep the BG drive alive. On special teams, he recorded a 40-yard kickoff return.
Sorsby was efficient, going 17-of-24 passing for 333 yards and averaging 19.6 yards per completion. He notched three touchdowns through the air, adding another score on the ground. He went 7-of-7 on deep passes.
Pyne found his rhythm in the second half, but he was certainly the inferior passer, finishing 29-of-36 passing for 274 yards and one TD. Notably, he also took four sacks.
There were some flashes of optimism; the offense came alive in the second half, which is where 17 of BG’s 20 points were scored.
The Falcons will look to bounce back next week as they return to Doyt L. Perry Stadium to take on the Liberty Flames. Kickoff is set for Saturday, Sept. 13, at 5:00 p.m.
Full coverage can be found on Falcon Radio and at bgfalconmedia.com, as well as on the BG Falcon Media social pages.
