Football coach Bobby Wallace had more to say about Bowling Green’s quarterback than his own. And that’s not to say Wallace is knocking his own signal-caller, senior quarterback Mike McGann.
A Heisman Trophy candidate, Bowling Green’s Omar Jacobs pulled together game-high statistics in a little more than two quarters of action against a stagnant Temple defense. Jacobs’ 326-yard, four-touchdown display through the air propelled a 70-7 Bowling Green win over the Owls on Saturday.
The loss, Wallace’s second-worst defeat in his eight-year tenure at Temple, marked the second time this season the Owls have been defeated by a 60-point margin. Last season, the Falcons crushed the Owls, 70-16, at Lincoln Financial Field.
After the game, Wallace chose to address Jacobs’ stellar play, rather than discuss his team’s miscues.
“I really don’t have much to say about us, but I do have a lot to say about Omar Jacobs,” Wallace said in comments posted on Bowling Green’s athletics Web site. “He had a great game against us. We couldn’t get any pressure on him and he picked us apart.”
One first-half drive after another, Jacobs led the Falcons into the end zone. Jacobs left the game early in the third quarter with a cozy 49-7 lead. The preseason all-America candidate led the Falcons to five touchdowns on their first five possessions, completing 26 of 30 pass attempts.
While Jacobs was having a field day, the Owls (0-5) grappled for just 102 passing yards and 15 first downs on the game. The Owls held an advantage in time of possession, but turned the ball over a season-high five times, including three interceptions by McGann.
Because of McGann’s struggles, senior running back Umar Ferguson was a large part of the Owls’ offense, powering for 137 yards on 28 carries. It was Ferguson’s second consecutive 100-yard, one-touchdown outing.
Ferguson had a big day, but Wallace said the Owls, who trailed from their first possession until the final whistle, never established a running attack early enough in their loss to the Falcons (2-2). Four other Owls combined for just 34 yards on the ground.
“I wish we would have ran it more. I wish we would have held onto the ball when we ran it,” Wallace said. “We were very ineffective throwing it, giving them an interception for a touchdown. We wanted to run it and mix it up.”
UP NEXT
If the Owls need to find any solace in their crushing loss to Bowling Green, it is that they are slated to play two straight home dates, beginning Saturday against Maryland at Lincoln Financial Field.
In three road games this season, the Owls have given up an average of 63 points per game, while averaging just seven on their end. On their home field, they have kept games reasonably close, being outscored by only 29 points in two losses.
The Terrapins (3-2) arrive in Philadelphia after knocking off nationally ranked Virginia, 45-33, last weekend. …
Temple announced yesterday that senior defensive back Justin Johnson is academically eligible to participate in the team’s six remaining games. Johnson, listed as a starter on the team’s preseason depth chart, made 20 tackles in 10 games last season.
Christopher A. Vito can be reached at cvitox01@temple.edu.
This article includes information from bgsufalcons.collegesports.com.
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