“The Bowling Green Falcons outscored the Akron Zips 23-6 in the fourth quarter to defeat UA, 37-33, Saturday and spoil the final homecoming football game at the 66-year-old Rubber Bowl. With the win, BGSU (3-3, 1-1 MAC) moved ahead of UA (3-4, 1-2 MAC) in the Mid-American Conference’s East Division standings and now sits in first place.”
“

The Bowling Green Falcons outscored the Akron Zips 23-6 in the fourth quarter to defeat UA, 37-33, Saturday and spoil the final homecoming football game at the 66-year-old Rubber Bowl.

With the win, BGSU (3-3, 1-1 MAC) moved ahead of UA (3-4, 1-2 MAC) in the Mid-American Conference’s East Division standings and now sits in first place.

The Zips led the Falcons from the opening kickoff until early in the game’s final period, when BGSU redshirt dual-threat running back Anthony Turner threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior tight end Jimmy Scheidler. The score allowed the Falcons to take their first lead of the game, 28-27, with 11:38 remaining in the game.

The two-play scoring drive was setup by a Chris Jacquemain interception at UA’s 29-yard line. BGSU’s Antonio Smith returned the ball to the 6-yard line.

UA fifth-year head coach J.D. Brookhart said his quarterback was trying to throw the ball away on the pivotal play.

He needs to get that ball out of bounds and he knows that, Brookhart said. It was a one-receiver route, a quick screen that wasn’t there immediately, so he needs to get that ball out of bounds past the markers.

After the BGSU score, the two teams traded touchdowns. Jacquemain threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to senior tight Merce Poindexter. BGSU junior quarterback Tyler Sheehan countered with a 21-yard touchdown pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Cory Partridge. Both teams failed to convert their two-point conversion attempts.

After stopping the Zips on fourth-and-12 on their own 32-yardline, the Falcons forced UA to use two of its timeouts and increased its one-point lead with a 44-yard field goal by Sinisa Vrvillo.

The Zips had a chance to regain the lead when they began their final drive with 2:14 left in the game. UA’s offense stalled at the BGSU 33-yardline when Jacquemain’s pass intended for junior Deryn Bowser on fourth-and-8 fell incomplete.

Seventh-year BGSU head coach Gregg Brandon credited his team’s consistent rushing attack throughout the game for its fourth-quarter offensive outburst.

We were able to run the ball all night, which helped us open up some passing lanes in the second half, Brandon said. We just didn’t finish drives in the first half.

Turner led the Falcons in rushing, accounting for 126 of the team’s 175 rushing yards.

The Falcons’ fourth-quarter comeback spoiled strong performances by senior running back Dennis Kennedy and redshirt sophomore kicker Igor Ivelijic. Kennedy rushed for a career-high 182 yards and two touchdowns. Ivelijic converted field goals in consecutive UA drives in the third quarter – the first from 47 yards and the second from 26 yards.

Jacquemain threw for 161 yards, two touchdowns and the interception. Sheehan threw for 239 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

The Zips are 0-3 at the Rubber Bowl this season. UA will travel to Ypsilanti, Mich., Saturday to play the Eastern Michigan Eagles.

“