Falcons stun Huskies 47-27 in MAC championship game

12/6/2013
BLADE STAFF
  • FBC-MAC-HELMETS

    • Bowling Green State University player Ronnie Moore (5) scores against Northern Illinois University during the first quarter of their MAC Championship football game at Ford Field in Detroit, today.
    Bowling Green State University player Ronnie Moore (5) scores against Northern Illinois University during the first quarter of their MAC Championship football game at Ford Field in Detroit, today.

    Bowling Green State University player Alex Bayer (82) gets a hand in the face of Northern Illinois University player Boomer Mays (45) during the second quarter.
    Bowling Green State University player Alex Bayer (82) gets a hand in the face of Northern Illinois University player Boomer Mays (45) during the second quarter.

    DETROIT -- The Bowling Green State University football team won the Mid-American Conference championship game, knocking off No. 16 Northern Illinois 47-27 at Ford Field tonight.

    The Falcons scored 10 points in the final quarter to pull away, getting a 52-yard field goal from Tyler Tate with 14:50 still to play in the period, and a six-yard TD run by Travis Greene with 10:17 to play.

    Northern Illinois got a two-yard touchdown run by Jordan Lynch with just 14 seconds left to close the scoring.

    Bowling Green (10-3) claimed its first MAC title in football since 1992 and its 11th overall while handing the Huskies their first loss of the season after 12 wins.

     

    THIRD QUARTER

    The Bowling Green State University football team leads Northern Illinois 31-20 after three quarters in the Mid-American Conference championship game at Ford Field tonight.

    The only score of the third quarter came on an eight-yard TD run by NIU quarterback Jordan Lynch at 12:23 of the period.

    BG's Tyler Tate missed a 26-yard field goal, and the Huskies' Mathew Sims had a 44-yard field goal blocked by the Falcons' Bryan Thomas.

     

    HALFTIME

    The Bowling Green State University football team leads Northern Illinois 31-13 at halftime in the Mid-American Conference championship game at Ford Field tonight.

    Falcons quarterback Matt Johnson has completed 16-of-19 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns. In the second quarter he completed a 22-yard touchdown toss to Heath Jackson at 5:39 of the period, then hooked up with Alex Bayer for a 12-yard TD strike with 13 seconds before halftime.

    Northern Illinois only got two field goals by Mathew Sims, one of 51 yards just nine seconds in the quarter and one of 45 yards at 11: 22 of the quarter.

     

    FIRST QUARTER

    The Bowling Green State University football team leads No. 16 Northern Illinois 17-7 after the first quarter of the Mid-American Conference championship game at Ford Field today.

    The Falcons Matt Johnson threw a pair of touchdown passes, a 28-yard strike to Tyler Beck at 12:27 of the quarter and a 36-yard pass to Ronnie Moore with 2:32 on the clock.

    Tyler Tate added a 26-yard field goal at 6:49 of the quarter.

    Northern Illinois scored a touchdown on a 14-yard pass from Jordan Lynch to Juwan Brescacin at 9:08 of the period.

     

    Follow Blade sports writer John Wagner as he blogs LIVE from the Mid-American Conference football championship game between the Bowling Green State University Falcons and the Northern Illinois Huskies at Ford Field in Detroit. The game begins at 8 p.m.