Bowling Green upsets Jackets

ATLANTA — While Bowling Green players celebrated a memorable win for their football team, Georgia Tech coach Brent Key was left to seek answers for a loss — or explain why the game wasn’t even close.

Finn Hogan’s 1-handed touchdown catch late in the first half gave Bowling Green the lead, Deshawn Jones Jr. returned an interception 45 yards for another score, and the Falcons of the Mid-American Conference upset Power Five conference program Georgia Tech 38-27 on Saturday.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Key said. Tech, favored by 22 1/2 points at home, was overwhelmed after taking a 14-0 lead. Bowling Green (2-3) scored the next 38 points to secure its first win over an active member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Falcons held the ball more than 42 minutes, more than doubling the time of possession of the Yellow Jackets.

“As anybody who saw the game knows, it was an embarrassing display of football on our part,” Key said. “As epic of a failure as you can possibly have. All three phases, all aspects of the program didn’t succeed. … It’s on me to make changes to get this thing fixed.”

Key acknowledged the game “was not even really close after the first two possessions.”

Tech (2-3) wore black uniforms as a nod to its “Black Watch” defenses of the 1980s. With former coach Bill Curry attending, the Jackets’ performance didn’t inspire comparisons to those stingy units.

Powerful running back Terion Stewart ran for 138 yards and a touchdown for Bowling Green, while Connor Bazelak passed for 263 yards and a score. The 5-foot-9, 225-pound Stewart made the visitors look like the Power Five team on the field on this day as he consistently broke tackles.