Spring game at BGSU provides usual mixed bag for Falcons

Jared Cohen, right, of the Orange, makes a catch against Cameron Truss of the White in BGSU's spring game.

BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH

Jared Cohen, right, of the Orange, makes a catch against Cameron Truss of the White in BGSU's spring game.

BOWLING GREEN — The Bowling Green State University football team’s spring game had something for everyone.

There was an on-side kick and a fake punt. There were several long runs and passes. And there were 11 tackles for loss, including six sacks.

The only things missing were points for the White team, as the Orange used a four-touchdown second quarter to roll to a 34-7 victory at Doyt Perry Stadium.

“Like any scrimmage or spring game, it’s a mixed bag,” BG coach Dave Clawson said. “There certainly were things we did well. It’s a game of plays. It was encouraging that the Orange made those plays, but we didn’t get those plays from the White.”

PHOTO GALLERY: BGSU's Orange rolls at annual spring game

While the only points of the first quarter came on a 29-yard field goal by the Orange’s Tyler Tate, the Orange broke the game open early in the second period. Facing a fourth-and-16 from the White 29, Matt Johnson threw a pass that Shaun Joplin reached up and grabbed in front of a defender for a touchdown at 13:37 of the quarter.

“[Joplin’s touchdown catch] gave us some juice," Orange captain Dominic Flewellyn said. “After that the running game picked up, the passing game picked up, and everything started to flow.”

Quarterback Matt Johnson of the Orange throws the ball in Friday night's BGSU spring game.

After a three-and-out by the White, the Orange used a 37-yard pass from James Knapke to Jared Cohen that Cohen snatched off a defender’s hands and brought down on the 1, setting up a Jordan Hopgood TD run.

Then the Orange recovered an on-side kick on the White 44 and drove for another score, with Hopgood finding the end zone from 14 yards out.

Hopgood, who finished with 33 yards on seven carries while playing for both teams, said he used the game as an opportunity to show what he can do when he is injury-free.

“My injuries have been a blessing more than a curse,” he said. “Having the injury humbled me a little bit.

“It opened my eyes to see that this is a team game, and that’s the most important thing.”

Then late in the half a high snap on a White punt resulted in a loose ball that Cohen grabbed and carried six yards for a TD with just 47 seconds left in the half.

“I think the Orange O-line attacked us better than our O-Line attacked them,” White captain Paul Swan said. “They were rolling downhill and eating us up a little bit. And that hurts when you can’t control the line of scrimmage.”

After a scoreless third quarter, the White finally got on the board when Matt Schilz completed a six-yard TD toss to Diontre Delk on the first play of the fourth quarter.

But that was it for the White, which finished with just 89 yards of total offense. That’s a misleading number, though, because the team had minus-43 yards rushing thanks largely to two bad snaps on punts.

The Orange rolled up 306 yards of total offense (173 passing, 133 rushing) and tacked on a 25-yard field goal by Tate with 6:07 left.

NOTES: The Falcons announced eight captains will lead the team in 2013 — seniors Alex Bayer, Jairus Campbell, Flewellyn, Jerry "BooBoo" Gates, Ronnie Goble, David “Chief” Kekuewa and Swan, along with junior Gabe Martin.

Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481 or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.