MIAMI FOOTBALL

RedHawks fall to previously winless Falcons

Miami comeback wiped out by late BGSU touchdown

Caleb Heavner throws for a two-point conversion that tied the game at 17-all in the fourth quarter. (MVSmith/MRO)

By MIKE SMITH
​OXFORD, OH -- Junior QB Jay Kastantin threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns as Bowling Green (1-4, 1-0 MAC) picked up its first win of 2026 with a 24-20 win over Miami (2-3, 0-1 MAC). 
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For MU, the day was a comeback gone for naught. Trailing much of the game, the RedHawks rallied with 11 straight fourth quarter points. Caleb Heavner's two-point pass to Brach Rice at 8:50 tied the contest at 17-all. 
After a missed Bowling Green field goal, MU moved 57 yards in seven plays, culminating in Kellan McLaughlin's 28-yard field goal for a 20-17 lead. 

Following the kickoff, BGSU took over with 1:47 remaining. Kastantin went to the air right away, compleing two passes for 14 and 18 yards to reach Miami's 43. 
After an incompletion, he . . . 

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Rodney Nelson ran 16 times, providing 70 of Miami's 108 yards rushing. (MVSmith/MRO)

. . . completed three more passes, moving the Falcons to MU's 17.
Three plays and three yards later, Miami drew a pass interference penalty in the endzone. Leo Kemp  scored from two yards out on the next play. 
Just eight seconds remained, and the Falcons finished off MU with a sack two plays later. 

"Obviously, 'disappointing' is an understatement,' Miami head coach Chuck Martin said afterward. 'That's a game we've got to win...

Miami was penalized 12 times for 103 yards in the contest, with several penalties either extending Falcon drives or impairing RedHawk possessions. Miami eventually converted 3-of-11 third downs, while BGSU went 6-of-11. 

"We've got to play better; we've got to play cleaner football," Martin said. "When we execute, we're good. When we don't execute, we're not good." 

With former QB1 David McComb now out for the season, Caleb Heavner got his first start as a RedHawks quarterback. He finished with 17 completions in 24 attempts, good for 198 yards and one TD. He also ran 15 times for 24 yards and was sacked six times by a Falcons defense that totaled eight TFL. 

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Miami defenders bring down a Falcon ball carrier. (MVSmith/MRO)

Neither team rushed the ball all that well. Bowling Green averaged 2.7 ypc, finishing with 62 yards and one rushing touchdown. Miami, meanwhile, logged 35 carries for 108 yards (3.1 ypc). 

​NOTES:
• Miami visits UMass next week. The Minutemen won four straight before losing Saturday against Eastern Michigan. 
• Rodney Nelson led MU with 16 carries for 70 rushing yards. 
• Lynel Billups-Williams recorded four receptions for 75 yards and MU's only TD. Damarion Witten caught five balls totaling 59 yards. 
• McLaughlin converted all four of his field goal chances, including a long of 41 yards. Travis Kenner hit one of two for Bowling Green. 
• Pierse Stanton punted four times for MU, averaging 46.8 yards per boot. 

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Kellan McLaughlin steps into one of his four field goals. His final kick gave Miami a 20-17 lead with less than two minutes left, but Bowling Green drove for a game-winning touchdown on its final possession. (MVSmith/MRO)