The Mark Spader era began on a positive note Saturday night, as Bowling Green opened its 2018 season under its new head coach with a hard-fought, 20-13 win over Central Hardin in the 16th annual Rafferty’s Bowl at WKU’s Houchens-Smith Stadium.
Appearing in his first game at the helm of the Purples, Spader knew it’d be a bit different being the main guy on the sideline, but the veteran coach was fully prepared having already been a part of the program for quite some time.
Bowling Green (1-0) – which won its 12th consecutive game in the bowl and 17th straight overall game at WKU – battled through some inconsistency early but ultimately found its groove and was able to hold off Central Hardin (0-1).
The Purples failed to convert on a few third downs throughout the contest and had to settle for field goals, but that wasn’t a problem with skilled kicker Dalton Major leading that unit. Major connected on two out of four tries on the night to help BGHS add six points on its side of the scoreboard.
Thanks to a 29-yard kick from Major, Bowling Green led 3-0 after the opening quarter and was later up 20-0 at halftime. The Purples allowed Central Hardin to score twice in the second half but a late interception by Tucker Prieskorn helped BG come out on top.
Alongside Major’s contributions, senior quarterback Beau Buchanan completed 24 of 34 passes for 218 yards, while Vito Tisdale finished with 17 carries for 123 yards to go along with 15 yards in the air – and a 42-yard punt return touchdown.
Additionally, Jamil Smith rushed for 40 yards and a TD on eight carries in his first start at running back, and Harrison Riggs (74) and Ivan Drobocky (33) combined for 107 receiving yards.
Bowling Green struggled to string together an offensive rhythm in the first quarter.
The Purples received the opening kickoff and put together a nice six-play drive that took 3:26 off the clock but couldn’t convert on third down in Central Hardin territory and had to settle for a field goal.
Despite not being able to find the end zone, Major came in and kicked a 29-yard field goal through the middle of the uprights to give Bowling Green a 3-0 lead at the 8:26 mark of the period.
The Purples used 10 plays and marched 50 yards downfield on their second drive but watched it result in a turnover on downs.
BG began to find its groove near the end of the first, covering 24 yards on five plays to put itself in the red zone entering the second. Two plays into the quarter – which consisted of back-to-back explosive runs by Smith – the Purples scored their first touchdown of the night to take a 10-0 lead.
Following an unsuccessful Central Hardin drive, Tisdale went to work – receiving the punt from the Bruins and taking it 42 yards down the right sideline for another score. Tisdale’s first TD of the contest pushed the Purples’ lead to 17-0 at the 10:16 mark.
After Bowling Green failed to convert on third and long, Major stepped up again and nailed a 42-yard field goal to send the Purples into the locker room at halftime up 20-0.
Bowling Green allowed Central Hardin to score for the first time late in the third quarter after shutting out the Bruins in the first half.
Covering 95 yards on eight plays, Hardin capped a lengthy drive with a 37-yard touchdown run from Deonco Wilkerson to cut the Purples’ advantage to 20-7 entering the final period.
The Bruins got even closer near the midway point of the fourth, scoring on an eight-yard run by Josh Volentine. Tisdale blocked the PAT, but Central Hardin had cut Bowling Green’s lead to just 20-13 with 7:57 left.
Bowling Green had a chance to score, as it had 4th and Goal from the one-yard-line with less than two minutes remaining, but its fourth-down attempt was stopped just short of the goal line and Central Hardin took over.
However, just a couple of plays later, Prieskorn stepped up big for the Purples and intercepted a deep pass from Chase Elmore to give BG possession in CH territory – and it was able to hold on from there and earn a Week 1 victory.
Bowling Green returns to action next Friday, as it hosts Pleasure Ridge Park at El Donaldson Stadium in its home opener. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and can be watched live on STBNTV.com.
First quarter
BG – Major 29-yard field goal, 8:26
Second quarter
BG – Smith 8-yard run (Major kick), 11:33
BG – Tisdale 42-yard punt return (Major kick), 10:16
BG – Major 42-yard field goal, 3:20
Third quarter
CH – Wilkerson 37-yard run (Allen kick), 3:10
Fourth quarter
CH – Volentine 8-yard run (Allen kick blocked), 7:57
BGHS – 3 17 0 0
CHHS – 0 0 7 6
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