Bowling Green State University football did what an NCAA FBS Division I team with 32 seniors should do to a FCS team, even a historically solid FCS team like Fordham.

The Falcons dominated the first quarter, then took a 27-0 second quarter lead that held until the final play of the first half — a Fordham 24-yard field goal. BGSU held on for a 41-17 home opening victory Thursday at Doyt Perry Stadium.

Bowling Green 5-foot-9, 220-pound junior running back Terion Stewart ran for 161 yards and three touchdowns as the Falcons totaled 305 yards on the ground by nine different backs. The offensive line, led by 6-7, 295-pound senior right tackle Alex Wollschlaeger, is a big reason why.

“Obviously the strength of our football team is the offensive line,” BGSU coach Scot Loeffler said. “It’s the way that we’ve always wanted it. We wanted to have a team that can run the football.

“We wanted a defensive front that stopped the run. So, I like where this team’s going. We have enough playmakers on the perimeter to be explosive, but today we were going to walk into this football game and try to run the football and I thought we did a great job with that.

“We said keys to the game offensively were, No. 1 protect the ball. We protected the ball, I thought, really well,” Loeffler continued.

“No. 2, we were going to run the football. We did that. No. 3 was to protect the passer, and I thought we did that. I don’t know if we won the explosion battle or not. I assume we did, but I think we won the Daily Double.

“I don’t think they had a turnover. We didn’t have a turnover. So, it’s a push in the turnover world, but I think we won the explosion battle.”

It is the first time the Falcons start the season 1-0 since 2019, and the running game proves the Falcons have come a long way since Loeffler came on board six years ago — a period he calls “the dark ages” when BG’s running game was virtually non-existent.

“It’s great to get our first win, and whenever you look at this game, there was some positives, but when you look at it we have a lot to work on too,” Loeffler said.

“I think if this team can continue to be selfless (and) continue to be one unit, I think this team is going to be a real good football team, but we have a long way to go. I like this team. I like our kids, but we need to clean some things up (and) just keep moving the needle in a positive direction.”

Even the Falcons’ start of the season could not have gone better — except for the Falcons losing the coin flip. Fordham chose to defer their choice to the second half, so the Falcons took the football to start the game.

Fordham might now wish they could have rethought that decision because BGSU junior Justin Pegues returned the kick a program record 100 yards to the house, in part thanks to a downfield block by 6-0, 220-pound senior Jaison Patterson.

“I was like, that’s what this guy does,” Pegues said about Patterson’s block. “He’s one of the best players on the team that helps. He wants to see everybody shine, and that’s what he did.”

Loeffler said he had a premonition about Pegues’ score on the game’s first play, which came true.

“We thought on film that we were either going to get a punt return or a kick return, and we were able to get a kickoff return,” Loeffler said. “That was great. What a way to start off the year.”

On the Falcons’ next possession, Stewart finished a 10-play, 78-yard drive by scoring on a seven-yard run with 8:20 remaining in the first quarter.

Late in the first quarter, BGSU redshirt freshman quarterback Lucian Anderson III came off the bench to score on a 13-yard keeper, putting the Falcons up 20-0.

Starting senior QB Connor Bazelak scampered up the middle for an eight-yard TD, putting the Falcons up by four scores with 9:54 remaining in the half.

Bazelak completed 15-of-22 passes for 168 yards, and although he threw no TD passes, he also threw no interceptions, and he ran for 27 yards on two carries. After Bazelak’s TD run, it looked like the rout was on, but Fordham had other plans.

Fordham had defeated Mid-American Conference member Buffalo last year, and two years ago lost a close tilt to Ohio, so the Falcons knew this was an FCS program that could not be taken lightly. The Rams fought back.

On the opening possession of the second half, Fordham junior quarterback C.J. Montes threw a 30-yard TD pass to wide receiver Cole Thornton and suddenly the Rams trailed by just 27-10 with most of the second half still to play.

The Falcons later in the third quarter faced a fourth-and-25 at their own 49-yard line and were looking at handing the ball back over to the Rams, who could close the margin to single digits.

Instead, BGSU junior punter John Henderson knows a good opportunity when he sees it, and as both teams lined up, the Rams were one player short, and Henderson took advantage.

Henderson saw an opening along the right sideline, so he took off and ran for 29 yards, getting a first down and keeping the Falcons’ offense in business.

Whether it was a gutsy call by the coaching staff or by Henderson, it paid dividends, because Stewart capped off the 13-play, 94-yard drive with another seven-yard TD run with 5:34 remaining in the third quarter.

Just over four minutes later, Stewart, who is used to running through or over people, found a hole off left tackle, and ran 73 yards for his third TD, this time virtually untouched. This time he just had to outrun the Rams’ defense.

“Oh, it was good,” Stewart said. “I always think don’t get tackled by the first person. That’s my motto. Just can’t get tackled by the first person.”

Fordham closed the scoring on a 60-yard TD pass from backup junior QB Jack Capaidi to junior receiver Jack Benten with 24 seconds remaining in the game.

For the Falcons, Anderson ran for 27 yards on two carries, Patterson ran for 26 yards on seven carries, Rahkeem Smith had two carries for 10 yards, and Pegues had a 10-yard run. Pegues was second on the team behind Stewart (161) in all-purpose yards with 149.

Tight end Harold Fannin led the receiving corps with 67 yards, catching all six passes thrown to him.

Jamal Johnson did likewise — targeted four times with four catches for 54 yards. Malcolm Johnson Jr. completed the perfect receiving trifecta, catching all three passes thrown to him for 33 yards.

For Fordham, Montes completed 13-of-21 passes for 159 yards and back Julius Loughridge ran for 112 yards on 16 carries.

The Falcons outgained the Rams 475 to 401 in total yards, and BGSU had 22 first downs to Fordham’s 18.

BGSU’s defense was led by linebacker Joseph Sipp Jr., who had eight tackles and a sack for a loss of four yards, and Anthony Hawkins had seven tackles, a career high two sacks for a loss of 12 yards, plus was involved in another tackle for a loss of one yard. As a team, the Falcons had five sacks.