In the wake of offensive coordinator Travis Partridge’s firing on Monday, Falcon fans hoped to see a new-look offense as the BGSU football (3-7, 1-5) team entered the final stretch of their schedule.
But in a must-win clash against the Eastern Michigan Eagles in Ypsilanti, the Falcons demonstrated a similar offensive identity to what had been previously shown.
Freshman running back Austyn Dendy accounted for most of BG’s offense, scoring two touchdowns in the first half. He was successful on the outside and in the flat, in the passing game, and on outside zone runs.
Mainly, though, the BG defense and special teams units stepped up to keep the game close in the first half. Falcon defensive backs shut down passing lanes, and senior running back Kaderris Roberts returned a kickoff for 65 yards to set up BG’s first touchdown drive.
Despite the dismissal of Partridge, offensive play calling looked similar to previous weeks, with a lot of inside runs on first and second down. By the end of the first half, BG had 98 rush yards and just 37 pass yards.
In the entire first half, redshirt-freshman quarterback Hunter Najm attempted only five passes, with three completions and an interception.
With the quarterback carousel that BG has dealt with this season, it seemed reasonable to run the offense through the run game and keep the game out of Najm’s inexperienced hands. But the offense fell flat entering the second half, going scoreless in the third quarter.
For those hoping that Partridge’s dismissal would signal a sea change on offense, the result was disappointing. Najm finished the game with only 129 passing yards.
“I’m just putting in the hands of coach [offensive coordinator Greg] Nosal,” Najm said. “I want to do anything it takes to make sure the team wins.”
The EMU offense, led by quarterback Noah Kim, was efficient; they ripped off chunk plays, distributing the ball and exploiting soft spots in BG’s defensive zone coverages.
In a turn of events for the offense, no wide receiver recorded a single reception until the fourth quarter, when senior wide receiver Finn Hogan logged his first reception in two weeks.
Next, another wide receiver, sophomore Winn Sharp, recorded his first catch. Senior tight end Jyrin Johnson was the Falcons’ leading receiver, with four catches for 36 yards.
As had been the case in previous weeks, the Falcon defense was forced to carry a load they could not bear for four quarters. Despite a strong showing in the first half, the defense began to fold late in the game. Kim stayed efficient, avoiding turnovers, and in the fourth quarter, Eagles running backs Tavierre Dunlap and Dontae McMillan gashed through BG’s run defense.
“The difference on defense was, we couldn’t get off the field on third down,” Mike and Jan Wilcox head coach Eddie George said. “When we did get a stop, the penalty flags came out.”
One striking thing about the offensive play calling for BG was its lack of balance. Of all the BG offensive plays, 35 were run plays, while only 16 were pass plays. With such lopsided play calling, the Eagle defense consistently knew what to expect.
The final nail in the Falcons’ coffin, ultimately, was their characteristic lack of risk-taking and aggression. Despite being in multiple fourth-and-short situations and trailing in the second half, George never elected to go for it. In one glaring example of this, a Falcon punt on 4th and 1 led to a long EMU drive that resulted in a touchdown, putting the Eagles ahead by two scores with ten minutes left in the game.
The Falcons scored in the fourth quarter, with a touchdown catch by Johnson. But it was too little too late; on a 3rd and 7 on their own drive, EMU showed the aggressiveness that BG had lacked, dialing up a pass play that moved the chains.
Even leading late, the Eagles kept their foot on the gas, dialing up a field-flipping sideline throw to wide receiver Nick Devereaux.
With the loss, BG moves to 3-7 on the season and misses out on any chance at bowl eligibility. The Falcons have not won a game since Oct. 11, when they defeated Toledo at home.
The Orange and Brown will look to salvage something positive from the season when they host the Akron Zips on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7:00.
Falcon Media Sports Network will provide full coverage on at bgfalconmedia.com.
