Bowling Green Begins Its Season With Big Victory

© Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Bowling Green rolled the Fordham Rams, 41-17, at Doyt Perry Stadium to start the 2024 season. The Falcons were in complete control from the opening kick in a game that saw plenty of fireworks.

Bowling Green: Explosive Plays

Bowling Green took control from the jump. Running back Justin Pegues took the opening kickoff 100 yards for the Falcons’ first touchdown of the season. The fireworks didn't stop there. Quarterback Connor Bazelak and RBs Terion Stewart and Lucian Anderson III all scored first-half rushing touchdowns to give the Falcons a 27-3 lead heading into halftime. 

On the game, Bazelak completed 15 of 22 passes for 168 yards, and Stewart rushed for 161 yards, with 3 touchdowns. Rahkeem Smith added a rushing touchdown for the Falcons.

Uphill Battle

Fordham could not get much of a footing in this one. They fought uphill all game and punted the ball 6 times. The Rams managed just 66 yards in their first three drives of the game. Right before halftime, Fordham put together a complete drive, going 74 yards and securing a field goal before time expired.

The Rams started the second half with a four-play 75-yard drive capped off by a 30-yard touchdown pass from quarterback C.J. Montes. After that, Montes managed one more scoring drive, driving his team 95 yards for a touchdown.

Montes passed for a total of 159 yards, completing 13 of 21 pass attempts for 159 yards. RB Julius Loughridge led the Rams' rushing attack with 112 yards on 16 carries.

What's Next

Bowling Green will try to carry this momentum into a matchup at No. 8 Penn State on Sept. 7. The game will be a tough test on the road for the Falcons, but fortunately they enter the contest with a 1-0 record.

Fordham will stay on the road, trying to right the ship in Week 2 at Central Connecticut. Opening the season with a loss is not ideal for the Rams, but they have a winnable game next week against a Blue Devil team that went 3-8 last year and started this season with a 56-point loss to Central Michigan.