Bowling Green Falcons running back Travis Greene (8) scampers in for a touchdown.(Photo: Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports)
DETROIT — Breaking down Bowling Green's 34-14 win Friday night against Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game:
RUNNING AWAY: Bowling Green outrushed NIU 266 yards to 107. Senior running back Travis Greene piled up 183 yards and two touchdowns. Junior running back Fred Coppet added 85 yards and a score.
QUARTERBACK CONTRAST: Bowling Green senior quarterback Matt Johnson set a pair of records in the game. He became the MAC single-season leader in touchdown passes with his 42nd in the second quarter, surpassing the Falcons' Omar Jacobs in 2004.
He also became the MAC's single-season passing yardage leader (4,721), overtaking Ben Roethlisberger (Miami, Ohio, 2003). Johnson finished 25 of 37 passing for 235 yards and two touchdowns with two interception.
Meanwhile, NIU starter Tommy Fiedler, a freshman walk-on who began the season fifth on the depth chart, failed to get untracked. He was 12-for-28 for 152 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. He was sacked four times.
FATAL FUMBLES: Trailing 7-0 with 25 seconds left in the first quarter and driving, Northern Illinois went for it on fourth-and-1 at the Bowling Green 12. Aregeros Turner was wrapped up behind the line of scrimmage and fumbled, his bobble scooped up by Shannon Smith at the Falcons' 22.
With 6:34 left in the second quarter Huskies running back Jordan Huff was stuffed by Terrance Bush. Huff fumbled, BGSU recovered and scored three plays later to make it 14-0 on a 2-yard TD strike from Johnson to Derek Lee.
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RECORD RETURN: Northern Illinois cornerback Shawun Lurry set a MAC Championship Game record by picking off a Johnson pass and returning it 64 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-14 with 2:24 left in the third quarter.
BYE, BYE BABERS? Dino Babers might have coached his last game for the Falcons and is expected to be taking his fast-tempo offense to Syracuse and the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Orange will be Babers' third head coaching job. He was 19-7 at Eastern Illinois (2012-13) and 18-9 at BGSU (2014-15).
GOING BOWLING: The Falcons (10-3) appear headed to the GoDaddy Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Dec. 23 against Georgia Southern as the MAC champs. Northern Illinois (8-5) could land in the Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 22 opposite Connecticut. Bowl assignments will be officially announced Sunday.
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