Bowling Green got the ball for the final drive of the game with 1:59 remaining on the clock. Eighty-eight yards later, Roger Lewis caught a James Knapke pass that would prove to be the game-winning touchdown.
With just nine seconds to go, IU was unable to regain the lead, losing to Bowling Green 45-42 at Doyt Perry Stadium.
There were nine lead changes in the final 30 minutes.
IU had the lead five different times throughout the second half.
But the Falcons had it when it mattered most.
“I thought we needed to play our best to win, and we played pretty close to a good game,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “Not quite as good as we need to.”
In Knapke’s second start, the redshirt sophomore threw the ball 73 times, completing 46 of those passes for 395 yards. The Bowling Green offense went on to rack up 571 yards of total offense.
The Falcons ran 113 plays. While the IU defense held them to only field goals in the first half, five of those 113 were second-half touchdowns accounting for 33 points.
This compares to a defense that gave up just 10 points and 170 yards two weeks ago against Indiana State.
Wilson said his team made mistakes as an offense that led to the defense being on the field for too many minutes.
“You miss a kick, you fumble red zone, you let a team run 113 snaps, you’re not going to win the game,” he said. “We’re a tempo team, which everyone says hurts the defense. Well, you convert on third downs and don’t turn the ball over, you’re fine.”
Despite the outcome, the IU offense saw vast improvements from its season opener, when Nate Sudfeld threw for just 111 yards. Saturday, Sudfeld was 31-of-41 for 347 yards passing.
He and his receivers had improved communication on the field, something Sudfeld said they emphasized during the bye week.
Senior wideout Shane Wynn caught 10 passes for 139 yards. J-Shun Harris scored the first touchdown of his career and had 68 yards receiving.
“The last two weeks with the bye week, we really got a lot more on the same page with the lineup,” Sudfeld said. “Coach did a good job of getting me in a rhythm early, and then I just felt like I couldn’t miss throughout the game.
“We played a good team, and we played pretty well overall. We just didn’t make plays when we had to.”
Running back Tevin Coleman, who rushed for 347 yards two weeks ago, came alive in the second half for IU.
He scored three touchdowns on three consecutive IU possessions.
He seemed to be making the plays Sudfeld spoke of.
But, with IU threatening to score, Coleman fumbled. It was recovered by the Falcons and turned into six Bowling Green points.
“He came from behind, and just stripped it,” Coleman said. “I was trying to fight for more yards, and he just stripped it, so I’m disappointed.”
Wilson and his players agreed it was the little mistakes, the missed opportunities, that just added up.
“It’s a real tough loss,” Coleman said. “We played hard, but the plays that we had to convert we just didn’t make it happen. That’s what hurt us.”
