The Bowling Green Falcons (4-8, 2-6 MAC) topped the UMass Minutemen (0-12, 0-8 MAC) by a final score of 45-14 in a rare Tuesday afternoon contest in Amherst, Massachusetts, ending the 2025 campaign for both programs.
The Falcons left little doubt, racing to a 28-0 lead by the 9:44 mark of the second quarter thanks in part to a fumble recovery and a turnover-on-downs in the early going. Hunter Najm started once again for Bowling Green and didn’t have to throw much— though he had little difficulty when asked to do so. The redshirt freshman went 7-of-9 for 128 yards and three touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was an 87-yard screen pass to Brennan Bailey, who had entered the game with only three receptions for 23 yards, with the last of the passing scores going to Army West Point transfer tight end Blane Cleaver— his first in five seasons.
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The Bowling Green running game made Najm’s life easy, as Austyn Dendy ran for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead a Falcon ground game that ran for 278 yards overall.
UMass once again struggled to run the ball, totaling 69 yards. Jacquon Gibson was the lone bright spot on offense, catching 10 passes for 136 yards to bring his season total to 63 receptions for 614 yards. Gibson deserves All-MAC consideration for his contributions to an offense devoid of other weapons. Grant Jordan ended a year of substantial turnover at the quarterback position with 223 yards. Unfortunately, Bowling Green sacked him three times, giving opponents 34 sacks for the season.
Despite UMass’s slow start, the Minutemen had a chance to flip the momentum.
Tight end Reece Atkins got open on a seam route with 3:30 remaining, hauling in a 20-yard pass from Jordan to put UMass on the board at 20-7, capping off a 13-play, 73-yard drive. The defense forced a quick punt, and the UMass offense once again went to work, marching 80 yards downfield before Jordan found tight end Max Dowling wide open in the corner of the endzone to get the game to a 28-14 halftime margin.
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Down 28-14 and starting the half with the ball, UMass had a golden opportunity to pull within a possession, but were forced to a three-and-out. On UMass’ next possession, a fourth-down completion was reversed on review, resulting in a turnover-on-downs. The Falcons, who were previously on shaky ground, took advantage of the short field to go up three scores on Austyn Dendy’s second touchdown of the evening.
Jackson Kleather would tack on a field goal and Pa’Sean Wimberly would score a late touchdown to seal the game for Bowling Green.
The win was a saving grace for Bowling Green, snapping a five-game losing streak which spoiled a once-hopeful season. They finish the year 4-8 overall, with the highlight win of the year their epic comeback victory over rival Toledo.
The loss secured UMass their first winless season in a full campaign since 1927. They are the second team to end a football campaign winless in the last two years, joining 2024 Kent State in the ignoble statistic.
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Bowling Green looks to build on this disappointing season in the second year of Eddie George’s tenure. As with many Group of Five programs, the Falcons hope to keep enough talent, including Hunter Najm, to return to MAC contender status.
A long offseason follows both teams, but at least for the present, the win showed Bowling Green has more reasons for hope than UMass.
