Toledo football led BGSU 21-0 at the two-minute timeout in the first half at Doyt L. Perry Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Falcons were left for dead, with the Rockets holding a 97.7% chance to win and BG being 0-75 when trailing by at least 21 points since 2004.
However, Bowling Green stormed back with a comeback for the ages, defeating the Rockets 28-23 to win the Battle of I-75 for Mike and Jan Wilcox Head Football Coach Eddie George’s first conference win at the helm of the Orange and Brown.
The comeback was the greatest in program history, marking the first time the Falcons have trailed by 20 or more points in a game and won. The previous biggest comeback was an 18-point deficit the Orange and Brown erased against Toledo in 1973.
The Falcons proved they could survive the adversity in front of the first sold-out crowd at the Doyt since 2003.
“I’m just really proud of our boys and how we handled adversity. We talk a lot about guts, ethos, having faith, built for the fourth quarter, you know? I grind those kids for moments like that,” George said postgame. “I watched the team grow up today. I watched them evolve. I watched them come to life today. Because you have to be able to win games like that. It wasn’t pretty offensively, defensively, you couldn’t figure it out in the first couple of few quarters. But we settled down and continued to chop wood and carry water, and we were able to chip away at it and find a way to win.”
Toledo’s offense dominated in the first half.
Senior quarterback Tucker Gleason completed 10 of his 14 pass attempts for 178 yards and a touchdown, while the Rockets rushed 23 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
“They kept us on our heels for a little bit,” George said.
However, Bowling Green’s defense elevated to an elite level in the final 30 minutes.
Gleason went 9-16 for just 86 yards and an interception, while the team rushed for just 35 yards and a fumble in 20 attempts on the ground in the second half of the 90th edition of the storied rivalry.
“The defense played their hearts out the entire game, and props to them for getting those stops in the second half,” redshirt freshman quarterback Lucian Anderson III said after making his first career collegiate start. “We really needed them, and that right there was the spark that we needed to get the offense moving and to get everything going in the right direction.”
The change in success for the defense was the result of the messages from George and defensive coordinator Brandon Fisher at halftime.
“I feel like what switched was coach Fisher’s message at halftime,” sophomore defensive end Isaiah Thomison said. “Obviously, we were down 21-7, I mean he layed it into us. That’s just what he does. We trust coach Fisher, and he trusts us. So, we went out there and played for him as well as played for each other.”
Bowling Green’s defensive line came alive in the second half, tallying two sacks and making Gleason uncomfortable in the pocket.
“They are a quick, physical team, and they cause chaos up front,” Gleason said postgame.
Junior linebacker Gideon Lampron had his best game as a Falcon, tallying a season-high 13 tackles, including 10 solo, and 3.5 tackles for loss. Lampron has excelled as the team’s middle linebacker since the loss of Dorian Pringle due to a torn ACL.
“He was an FCS All-American. Again, not surprised at the work that he’s done,” George said. “Gideon showed up and played really well for us. He’s the captain of our defense.”
However, it was a full team effort on defense.
Junior cornerback MJ Cannon recorded seven tackles and the game-sealing interception.
Sophomore safety Kal-El Pascal tallied six tackles and forced a fumble.
Junior defensive end Myles Bradley logged 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
Senior cornerback Jalen McClendon and redshirt freshman linebacker Caden Marshall combined for four passes defended.
Meanwhile, redshirt freshman linebacker Andrew Hines III, sophomore defensive end David Afogho, graduate student defensive tackle Evan Branch-Haynes and Thomison combined for 14 tackles and four tackles for loss.
The relentless effort from the entire defense held Toledo to just two second-half points, a safety with Anderson running out of the back of the end zone as the clock expired at the end of the game.
“They didn’t sit back and allow you to get out there. They kept throwing punches, and it affected us,” Toledo head coach Jason Candle said.
