BOWLING GREEN — Bowling Green answered a stunning Kent State comeback with one of its own in the final two minutes, beating the Golden Flashes 33-28 on Tuesday, November 10, at Doyt Perry Stadium, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
Nakai Amachree’s 48-yard touchdown run with 1:51 left lifted the Falcons to the win, the Beacon Journal reported. Bowling Green needed just two plays and nine seconds to cover 64 yards on the winning drive, erasing a lead Kent State had grabbed only moments earlier.
Kent State (3-7, 2-4 Mid-American Conference) had rallied from a 27-14 fourth-quarter deficit behind quarterback Dru DeShields, who threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Wayne Harris and then scored on a 25-yard run, according to the Beacon Journal. The go-ahead score was set up when the Falcons were flagged for roughing the kicker after Kent State punted from its own 32 on fourth-and-19.
The Flashes had one last chance, but Bowling Green’s Nick Sawyer intercepted DeShields with less than a minute left to close it out, the Beacon Journal reported. The loss ends Kent State’s hopes of bowl eligibility this season.
DeShields finished 19-of-38 passing for 332 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores despite being sacked seven times, according to the Beacon Journal. Harris caught eight passes for 143 yards for Kent State, and Da’Realyst Clark added five catches for 107 yards.
“It’s not an easy one to walk off the field with,” Flashes coach Mark Carney told the Akron Beacon Journal. “It’s not a fun locker room right now. There’s still a lot to play for and put ourselves in the best position to continue to build this program.”
For Bowling Green, the win is the latest turn in a back-and-forth November in the MAC, earned by an offense that needed less than 10 seconds to save a game it had controlled into the fourth quarter. For Kent State, the remaining schedule is now about building toward next season, with bowl eligibility gone in the span of nine seconds.