Bowling Green routs Northern Illinois 34-14 for MAC title

Of course, they have to become open first.

While Northern Illinois has struggled all season to keep a quarterback healthy, the Falcons have had no such problem.

It should help that senior receiver Tommylee Lewis, who sat out last week with an ankle injury, is listed on the first unit, but will Fiedler and the rest of the offense be able to keep up with Bowling Green’s explosive attack? Greene scored his second touchdown of the night in the fourth quarter and the defense picked off Fiedler twice more to secure the victory and the MAC Championship for the Falcons who will now await their bowl-season fate with a 10-3 record and an offense looking as risky as ever.

In this year’s game Northern Illinois will look to regroup from a loss last week at home to Ohio. “We knew they’d stack the box, and they did sometimes and sometimes they didn’t”. The MAC has seven teams bowl eligible with NIU and BG at the top of the pecking order, with all seven sure to land somewhere. “I will tell you this: This team’s earned the right to be there, with everything that we’ve gone through”.

Northern Illinois quarterback Tommy Fiedler, (16), is sacked by Bowling Green defensive linemen Taylor Royster, left, and Shannon Smith during the first half of the Mid-American Conference championship game in Detroit. This is the third consecutive year these two teams will meet in the MAC title game, and each team has won once in their previous meetings. Quarterback Drew Hare suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in a win over Toledo on November 3, and backup quarterback Anthony Maddie has been out for the season following back surgery in September. Freshman Ryan Graham replaced him, and now the Huskies will go with Fiedler. Babers has brought Art Briles’ high-powered passing game to the Falcons and the result has been a 17-9 record and some 12,000 yards of total offense in two seasons.

Bowling Green tight end Derek Lee (83) spins around Northern Illinois safety Marlon Moore (2) after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the Mid-American Conference championship NCAA college football game, Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, in Detroit.

The Falcons gashed the NIU defense in the first half, piling up 158 yards on the ground, and going up 21-0 just before the half on a 25-yard touchdown run from Travis Greene.

“It was a broken hip”. The Bowling Green Falcons ground game is averaging 178.1 yards per contest, and Travis Greene leads the way with 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns. He ran the ball 29 times for 183 yards and two touchdowns on the night in a marvelous effort.

“I thought he prepared really well all week”.