The Sports Xchange
Dec 23, 2015
MOBILE, Ala. -- Quarterback Favian Upshaw wasn't even supposed to play a major role for Georgia Southern in its GoDaddy Bowl appearance against Bowling Green on Wednesday night.
Things change, though, and the redshirt junior transfer from Florida International stole the show in the Eagles' first-ever NCAA bowl game.
The backup signal-caller was sensational, rushing for four second-half touchdowns and propelling Georgia Southern to a 58-27 victory over the Falcons on a warm, windy, rain-soaked evening at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Not bad for a guy who had only two rushing touchdowns coming in and had attempted just 45 passes. He wound up running 12 times for 199 yards and earned MVP honors. The Eagles (9-4) finished with seven rushing touchdowns.
"Figured to get my regular amount of playing time, being out there every three sets, but there was a shakeup with Kevin (Ellison), and I just went out there and played my role," Upshaw said. "I didn't do anything spectacular. Just read my keys and ran the offense."
Upshaw, in the game because Ellison was dealing with a wrist injury he sustained on a run early in the opening quarter, delivered the biggest blow on an 80-yard touchdown run in the third.
He split the defense and ran into the open field for the score, extending the Falcons' lead to 37-27.
"I started out fast but got tired toward the end," Upshaw said. "I just read the defense and went upfield."
It validated the decision of Georgia Southern interim head coach Dell McGee to stick with Upshaw.
"He had the hot hand," McGee said. "We felt like we should go with him. Our defense did a great job, too, against a very good offense."
While the Eagles thrived, Bowling Green (10-4) struggled.
The normally reliable Matt Johnson, the offensive MVP of the Mid-American Conference, fumbled as he prepared to throw late in the third quarter, and the Eagles (9-4) recovered at the Bowling Green 14-yard line.
Two plays later, running back Matt Breida took the pitch from Upshaw and scored on a 1-yard run for 44-27 lead.
Johnson finished 15-for-34 for 246 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He fumbled twice.
"The first one just slipped right out of my hand," Johnson said. "The second one was a play-action fake that I've probably done 5,000 times in my career here. The ball popped out."
Upshaw started the second half and moved the offense at will on the opening drive. He scored on a 3-yard run with 7:28 left, marking the 50th time the Eagles scored a rushing touchdown. His TD gave Georgia Southern a 30-27 advantage.
The Falcons were unable to respond. They lost 6 yards when Johnson was sacked, and then Bowling Green came up empty on a fourth-down try with 3:06 left in the third.
It was a sign of things to come for a high-powered offensive team that suddenly went cold.
The Falcons, who scored 40 or more eight times this year, coughed up the ball twice inside the red zone, and the Eagles cashed in both times, with Upshaw scoring on an 8-yard run off the second turnover.
He also scored on a 42-yard run late in the fourth quarter to give the Falcons a 31-point lead.
"It was the third quarter from hell," Johnson said. "We put our defense in a tough position, and the turnovers hurt. We had the momentum snatched from us."
Bowling Green led 27-23 at the end of a thrilling but long first half.
Running back Travis Greene propelled the Falcons to a 27-23 lead at halftime, scoring on a 4-yard run with 36 seconds left.
It looked as if Georgia Southern would go into the intermission on top after Ellison threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Montay Crockett with 1:27 left, giving the Eagles a 23-20 lead. It was Crockett's first touchdown catch of the year.
The foundation for the high-scoring game was laid early.
Georgia Southern struck first, scoring on running back L.A. Ramsby's 1-yard run for a 7-0 lead with 8:52 left in the first quarter.
Bowling Green responded. With the Falcons facing a fourth-and-1, Johnson maintained control of a bad snap, scrambled and found receiver Roger Lewis for a 45-yard touchdown pass.
The extra point attempt was blocked, and Georgia Southern's Robbie Dobson bolted 95 yards down the right sideline to give the Eagles a 9-6 lead with 7:29 to go.
There was a scary scene with 44 seconds left in the quarter. Georgia Southern cornerback Darrius White crashed into the fence defending a pass play in the end zone. He got up under his own power.
Moments later, Bowling Green receiver Ronnie Moore absorbed a vicious hit from Tay Hicklin, who was flagged for a personal foul. Moore was OK and scored on a 15-yard catch-and-run with 33 seconds left, nudging the Falcons in front 13-9.
Johnson needed only a handful of seconds to get Bowling Green into the end zone on its first second-quarter drive, hitting wide receiver Gehrig Dieter in stride for a 51-yard score to give the Falcons a 20-11 lead with 11:15 left.
A 26-yard touchdown run by Georgia Southern running back Wesley Fields cut Bowling Green's lead to 20-16 with 7:53 to play in the half. The drive was kept alive by Ramsby's 3-yard run on fourth down.
"Their ability to execute on third down and fourth down kept them in it," interim Bowling Green head coach Brian Ward said. "If we get them off the field, the game is different. But hats off to Georgia Southern. They run a systematic offense and have fantastic athletes."
The Georgia Southern players celebrated on the field after the win and savored the thrill of silencing the doubters.
"I think Bowling Green took us for granted," Fields said. "They talked about wanting to play a real opponent, and we proved we do belong in Division I. It's a great feeling."
NOTES: Bowling Green fell to 1-3 in GoDaddy Bowl appearances. The Falcons beat Memphis 52-35 in 2004 but lost to Tulsa in 2008 (63-7) and 2009 (45-13). ... Georgia Southern was making its first NCAA bowl game appearance. The Eagles won six FCS championships before moving to FBS. ... Georgia Southern played one Mid-American Conference school previously this year, beating Western Michigan 43-17. ... The Eagles rushed for 54 touchdowns in their last 12 games. ... The Falcons scored a school-record 591 points this season. ... QB Matt Johnson was one of Bowling Green's 11 All-MAC selections and was selected the conference's offensive player of the year.
