College football team returns kickoff for TD on first play for second season in a row
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College football did it again.
Just when you think you’ve seen it all, the sport hands you something you’ve never seen. It didn’t even take until the month of September for that sort of crazy thing to happen, and it came courtesy of Bowling Green, the MAC program that has sort of taken a liking to the opening kickoff of the season.
That’s because for the second season in a row, Bowling Green had magic in the opening kickoff of Game 1. Whatever it is, the Falcons have it when it comes to owning that opening moment of their season. On Thursday night, it was redshirt freshman Cameron Pettaway taking a kick to the house, sprinting 98 yards to the end zone to start Bowling Green’s home matchup against Louisiana with the biggest bang possible.
A year ago, in the Falcons’ season opener against Fordham, it was Justin Pegues doing the honors by taking back the opening kickoff 100 yards to get the 2024 season started in the grandest way imaginable.
Not only did Pettaway’s magical return provide a second chapter to a budding Falcons tradition, it kick-started the Eddie George coaching era at Bowling Green.
George, the legendary Ohio State running back and 1995 Heisman Trophy winner, is taking over as head coach this year at Bowling Green after 4 years at Tennessee State.
Different head coach, but same opening thrill for Falcons fans, and here is the video of this year’s edition:
That’s college for you, always giving fans something special they didn’t know was coming.
Bowling Green won the game, by the way, cruising to a 26-7 victory over Louisiana that got the 2025 season off to a rocking start.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
