Defense contains Falcon offense
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — The numbers may not match up to some.
Bowling Green quarterback Tyler Sheehan completed 35 passes for 341 yards. Senior quarterback Dan LeFevour threw for 147 yards.
BGSU’s Freddie Barnes caught 14 passes for 172 yards. Junior wide receiver Antonio Brown caught five passes for 68 yards.
But it was CMU that won Saturday’s game 24-10, holding one of the Mid-American Conference’s top offenses to its season-low point total.
Coach Butch Jones said the defense stepped up and stopped the Falcons when CMU was backed into the red zone.
“The field shrinks and the field changes when you get down there,” Jones said. “And we were able to get in there and generate some pressure on Tyler. And for the most part, I was very pleased with the way our secondary performed.”
In its five trips into CMU’s red zone, Bowling Green came away with just one score — a 40-yard field goal.
“I can’t say enough about our defense,” Jones said. “We did a great job of coming up with the plays we needed.”
Central Michigan took it further than not allowing points inside the 20-yard line — it was able to generate two turnovers to stifle the Falcons’ momentum as well.
Bowling Green began a drive on its 45-yard line and moved the ball to the CMU 12-yard line. Sheehan dropped back and set his eyes on the end zone.
But senior cornerback Josh Gordy stepped in front of his pass and intercepted the ball on the 1-yard line.
On their next defensive series, the Chippewas saw BGSU drive 53 yards to the CMU 14-yard line. It was then that senior defensive end Larry Knight — starting in place of injured senior Sam Williams — came off the edge and took Sheehan down, sacking him for a loss of nine yards.
“We try to stop everybody,” Knight said. “We don’t want to give up field goals, but we definitely don’t want to give up touchdowns, and we always try to work hard there to make sure that we don’t.”
Bowling Green had to settle for a 40-yard field goal on the next play.
Replacement Part
Sam Williams and sophomore defensive end Kashawn Fraser were out and senior defensive end Frank Zombo was banged up.
Jones had no issues giving Knight some pressure to perform.
“There’s no question that we challenged Larry,” Jones said. “But I thought he really stepped up and took a hold of the line of scrimmage like a senior should, and I’m very proud of him.”
Knight finished with four tackles, three for a loss, including two sacks at opportune moments.
“We try to play as one, as a unit,” he said. “No matter who is in there.”
Early in the fourth quarter, Bowling Green was pinned deep in its zone, starting a drive on its 11-yard line.
With Sheehan dropping back, Knight came off the edge and took him down on the 1-yard line for his second sack of the game.
“That was all Josh Gordy,” he said. “The option the quarterback wanted to go to, Gordy was on him, and I just kept working and moving and trying to get there.”
The sack set up a punt three plays later from the back of Bowling Green’s end zone. With the high winds, the punt only made it to BG’s 35-yard line, setting up the short field that led to CMU’s last scoring drive.
“I think it was one of the critical plays in the outcome of the game,” Jones said.
