SportsDirect Inc. staff
Aug 29, 2013
Bowling Green 34, Tulsa 7: William Houston recorded three 1-yard touchdown runs after quarterback Matt Johnson came off the bench to spark the offense, leading the host Falcons to a season-opening victory over the Golden Hurricane.
Johnson replaced ineffective starter Matt Schilz midway through the first quarter and immediately led a scoring drive. A dominant defense took over from there, holding a Tulsa team that averaged 245.7 rushing yards last season to 51 on the ground and 273 yards of total offense.
Johnson and Houston were part of a potent running attack for Bowling Green, which had 233 yards on the ground. Johnson rushed for 50 yards to go with 151 through the air, while Houston (29 yards) was used primarily in short-yardage situations to complement lead back Travis Greene (88 yards).
Both offenses struggled in the first half, with the teams combining for six first downs in the opening quarter. Schilz completed only 1-of-4 passes and was replaced by Johnson, who guided the Falcons to two field goals by Tyler Tate and a 6-0 halftime lead.
Special teams were another key for the Falcons, who set up two Houston touchdowns by denying a fake punt attempt and recovering a fumbled punt return deep in Tulsa territory, and Ryan Burbrink also returned a punt 67 yards for a score. Tulsa avoided a shutout on backup quarterback Dane Evansกฏ 27-yard TD pass to Derek Patterson with 5:56 remaining.