Commentary
DiCesare: Clawson's long memory pays off for Bowling Green
They had lived with the memory for nearly a year, spent countless nights examining what had happened, how it could happen. Who lets a 20-point fourth-quarter lead get away at home in what amounts to a divisional title game? How does one ever make sense of that?
For Bowling Green quarterback Tyler Sheehan, Tuesday night's game at UB Stadium offered the opportunity for a measure of revenge, if little in the way of consolation.
Last year the Falcons let the Mid-American Conference crown get away when UB came out of nowhere to win, 40-34, in double overtime. The loss led to a coaching change, with former Lewiston-Porter quarterback Dave Clawson taking over the head job.
Had Bowling Green won that game, Gregg Brandon would have retained his job and Clawson would have been employed elsewhere this season. But Clawson wasn't about to let a motivational tool go unused. He employed the result of last year's UB game to charge his troops from the get-go.
"I told them when I took over, "We're not that far away and if there was anything they could have back they'd love to have back two minutes of the UB game,' " Clawson said. "That's the thin line of winning championships and being a 6-6 team that doesn't go to a bowl game. You have to do everything you can to prepare so if that thin line comes up you're on the other side of it."
Tuesday night the circumstances were eerily similar, with UB holding a 13-point fourth- quarter lead only to see its offense begin to sputter.
The Falcons, behind Sheehan, mounted their comeback, drawing within six before gaining possession on their own 25 with 2:59 remaining. And that's where the decisive march began, with Sheehan completing six passes on the drive, the last of them to Freddie Barnes, the nation's leading receiver, good for an 18-yard touchdown with 39 seconds to play and a 30-29 victory. Last year it was a TD pass from Drew Willy to Naaman Roosevelt with 32 seconds left that capped UB's stirring comeback and forced OT.
Yes, what goes around comes around, but not usually in such similar fashion. "It's a lot of redemption," Sheehan said. "That's something we talked about going into this game. We felt that they took a lot away from us last year when they came in and really stole it from us at the end. I think we did the same thing to them this year. I don't think the stakes were as high as they were last year but it feels nice to get this one back."
How often did Sheehan think about last year's game? It was pretty much with him every day.
"A lot," Sheehan said. "Every workout, every offseason practice, everything like that. We knew that we were one or two plays away from going to the MAC championship. We know that stuff didn't go our way and we (talked about) finishing all offseason because we didn't finish against Buffalo last year. I consider this finishing this year."
Speaking of finishing, the loss figures to have sealed UB's fate. It was clear beforehand there would be no repeat of last year's MAC championship for the Bulls. This result basically guarantees there will be no return to a bowl game. UB would be bowl eligible if it wins its final three games, but it's unlikely they would be a more attractive option than three other MAC teams who figure to finish with better records.
The Bulls hit the wall in the second half after an early touchdown drive, struggled to accumulate first downs. Bowling Green shut down the running lanes freshman tailback Jeffvon Gill had been flying through at will. Quarterback Zach Maynard encountered increased pressure and fewer open receivers.
It looked a lot like what UB had done last year at Bowling Green. Only this team Sheehan was much more accepting of the ending.
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