Article published November 06, 2009
BG's defense big in second half
Clawson challenged players to step up in Buffalo game
By DONALD EMMONS
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
BOWLING GREEN - Bowling Green State University allowed only eight points in the second half of the Falcons' 30-29 come-from-behind win at Buffalo on Tuesday night.
BG first-year coach Dave Clawson took notice of the defensive effort after halftime. Staunch defense, particularly in the second half of games, hadn't been one of BG's strong points throughout the season.
So, holding the Bulls to one scoring drive after halftime after giving up 21 points before intermission represented a significant moment in the season for the Falcons defense, according to Clawson.
"Our players just kept playing hard," Clawson said. "We played our best half of defense in the second half. That was the best half of defense we played all year, except maybe the second half against Troy."
The effort against Troy came in the first week of the season for the Falcons, who improved to 4-5 overall and 3-2 in Mid-American Conference play with the win over Buffalo (3-6, 1-4 MAC).
The Falcons outscored the Bulls 17-8 in the second half of the nationally televised contest.Bowling Green didn't draw up a secret second-half defensive game plan in the locker room at halftime to slow down the Bulls, who gained more than 300 rushing yards by the end of the second quarter.
"We just challenged our players and said 'There's nothing scheme-wise that we're going to do different. You guys need to get off of blocks, be physical and start tackling people,'" Clawson recalled. "We played terrible in the first half. We didn't tackle and we gave up 300 yards in the first half. We weren't bringing our legs and we were taking poor angles and it looked like we had never tackled before.
"They responded and played well in the second half."
HUTSON RETURNS: Sophomore wide receiver Ray Hutson, who had been sidelined for two games with an injury, returned to action against Buffalo and finished second on the team with four catches for 38 yards, including a reception of 19 yards.
While Hutson's return to the field added depth to the Falcons wide receiver position, it resulted in no catches for freshman Justus Jones, who had contributed to BG's passing attack in recent weeks.
"We got Ray Hutson back and that bumps Justus back one, and we tried running the ball a little more [against Buffalo]," Clawson said.
For the season, Hutson has 20 catches for 182 yards, including two touchdown receptions. Jones, who has seen action in six games, has 13 grabs for 143 yards, including one touchdown.
BG HOSTS SWIM MEET: The Falcons women's swim team will host MAC rivals Ohio and Miami this weekend at Cooper Pool.
BG welcomes Ohio for a meet today at 5 p.m. and Miami for a meet tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Meg Richardson, the Falcons' team captain and lone senior, leads a young BG group. Richardson is coming off a weekend of competition against Eastern Michigan and Ball State in which she claimed seven first-place finishes out of eight events, including four first-place efforts in relay events.
Her winning time in the 50-free event (28.32) is the fastest this season in the MAC and just shy of her own personal record (23.43) set at last season's MAC championships.
Contact Donald Emmons at:
demmons@theblade.com
or 419-724-6302
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