Offensive struggles persist for Bowling Green in 14-6 loss to South Florida

Only one Week 4 matchup pitted a 3-0 team against an 0-3 opponent.

Both records held, but it was a four-quarter defensive struggle between the teams headed in opposite directions. South Florida (4-0, 1-0 American) escaped Bowling Green (0-4, 0-0 MAC) with a 14-6 victory, remaining last undefeated team in the American Conference. Meanwhile, Bowling Green is one of four remaining winless programs in the FBS.

Saturday’s matchup in Ohio pitted two Ohio State football greats, turned head coaches, against one another. Eddie George’s Falcons produced a 6-0 first half lead on two Travis Kenner field goals. Bowling Green, which allowed 111 points in its prior two matchups, produced a first half shutout against FBS competition for the second time under George, also doing so last September against Liberty.

But in the four games under first-year head coach Brian Hartline, South Florida has proven to be a finisher. The Bulls’ highest-scoring quarter has been the fourth quarter in all four games, and Saturday was a continuation of the trend.

The Bulls captured their first points and the lead with 12:07 remaining when backup quarterback Luke Kromenhoek checked in for one play, faking a handoff on an option and beating Bowling Green’s defense to the boundary for a short rushing touchdown. On the ensuing drive, running back D.J. Crowther did the heavy lifting, capping his 143-yard rushing performance with the game’s final touchdown.

Down eight, Bowling Green traveled as far as the USF 21-yard line, but the Falcons’ offense could not complete a single touchdown drive in its return home. They have now endured three-straight games with a scoreless half. Bowling Green has played eight halves total this year, and it finished five without a touchdown. The Falcons’ FBS-worst scoring offense (8.3 points per game) has not posted more than seven points in a half through four games.

With a 14-0 victory in the fourth quarter, South Florida has now won its fourth quarters by a combined score of 58-16. Conversely, the Bulls have managed just 13 first half points — one touchdown and two field goals — in three outings against FBS competition this season. Yet, all three were victories as the nation’s 21st-ranked scoring defense held firm, only allowing 14 collective first half points in those three games.

USF fumbled on its first two possessions, which set the tone for a sloppy Saturday at Doyt Perry Stadium. The remainder of the Bulls’ pre-fourth quarter drives resulted in four punts, a turnover on downs, and a missed field goal. Bowling Green capitalized on short fields from some of these USF miscues but couldn’t sustain longer drives. The Falcons never traveled more than 46 yards on a possession until their final series, and they punted six times in the offensive struggle.

Not a single pass traveled more than 20 yards Saturday. However, USF managed several 20+ yard runs on its two fourth quarter scoring drives, courtesy of Crowther. The Bulls largely kept the ball grounded Saturday, only requiring quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. to throw 11 times, and he completed seven for 52 yards.

Sacks were abundant on both sides, regularly setting each offense backward. South Florida registered three and Bowling Green landed six. Falcons defensive end Myles Bradley set a new program record with 4.5 in a single outing. It marked the second most by an individual in a game this year, only trailling Texas’ Colin Simmons, who totaled five sacks hours earlier at Tennessee.

Bowling Green is the only remaining winless team in the MAC. The Falcons are 0-4 for the first time since their winless 2020 campaign, and the severe offensive struggles have prevented them from getting one on the board. They hope conference play changes their fortune, and a trip to Miami (OH) for the MAC opener looms next Saturday.

South Florida are 4-0 for the first time since 2018, when it won its first seven matchups of the season. The Bulls aren’t done with their non-conference slate quite yet, as another MAC opponent in Kent State appears on the schedule Oct. 17. Until then, Hartline’s team will focus on American play, returning to Tampa to host Temple on Oct. 3.