Saturday's MAC Football Results
Ohio 45, Kent State 38
Ball State 52, Toledo 14
Central Michigan 38, Bowling Green 20
Miami 27, NIU 24
Buffalo 21, Akron 0
Eastern Michigan 34, Western Michigan 27
Game stories courtesy of MAC Athletic Communication Departments
Ohio 45, Kent State 38
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio senior quarterback Nathan Rourke threw for a career-high 342 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores to help lift the Ohio football team (3-4, 2-1 MAC) to a critical 45-38 MAC East Division victory over Kent State (3-4, 2-1 MAC) on Saturday at Peden Stadium. The Bobcats posted their sixth-straight win over the Golden Flashes and moved into first place in the MAC East Division with the victory.
Ohio racked up a season-high 571 yards of total offense, with Rourke recording his first career game with at least 300 passing yards. He has now been responsible for at least four touchdowns in a single game 10 times in his career and extended his school record for career touchdowns responsible for to 94. He has now thrown for 6,249 yards in his career, giving him the distinction of being one of only two quarterbacks in program history to throw for at least 6,000 career yards along with Tyler Tettleton (9,125 yards; 2009-13). His 50 career passing touchdowns rank second in program history while his 42 career rushing touchdowns rank third.
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Isiah Cox enjoyed a breakout game, matching his career high with four receptions, setting a career high with 115 receiving yards and hauling in a 49-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. Making his first career start, redshirt freshman wide receiver Ty Walton set career highs with four catches and 59 receiving yards.
As a team, the Bobcats racked up 229 rushing yards, with junior running back De'Montre Tuggle leading the way with a career-high 80 on a career-high 19 carries. He also matched his career high with two rushing touchdowns. Rourke added 79 rushing yards while redshirt freshman running back O'Shaan Allison gained 51 yards on six carries before exiting with an injury.
Ball State 52, Toledo 14
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State (4-3, 3-0 MAC) rolled to a 52-14 victory in their first home game in more than a month, remaining perfect in MAC play and atop to West Division standings by defeating the preseason division favorite.
"Winning is contagious," Ball State head coach Mike Neu said. "It's a great feeling. And we were determined to chase that winning feeling today. My hat is off to our football team. The chemistry, the hard work, the attitude, the effort. Just a great overall win for us."
Ball State's suffocating defensive performance kept Toledo (4-3, 1-2 MAC) on its heels. The Rockets' first-half numbers looked like this: 33 plays for 22 yards, minus-2 yards rushing, four sacks allowed, two fumbles lost, six consecutive punts … and zero points.
Meanwhile, it was big play after big play on offense in Ball State's third straight win. Four of the Cardinals touchdowns came from more than 35 yards out, two of them via Malik Dunner. The converted running back took a double reverse 51 yards for one score and a jet sweep 39 yards for another.
Ball State quarterback Drew Plitt threw only 17 times on the day, hitting 11 of them for 206 yards and three touchdowns. The Cardinals didn't really need to throw. They were doing anything they wanted on the ground.
Caleb Huntley topped the century mark for the third straight week, pounding for 119 yards on 20 carries. Backfield mate Walter Fletcher added 68 yards and a touchdown. All said and done, the Cardinals' 374-yard rushing total was its highest since a record-setting, 463-yard performance in 2009 at Eastern Michigan.
Riley Miller caught two touchdowns, including one on a double pass. And Justin Hall scored twice, once on a 36-yard hookup with Plitt and once on a jet sweep of his own.
Defensively, Ball State finally surrendered a touchdown on Toledo's opening drive of the second half but buckled down again after that. The Rockets added one more late score in the final minute of the game.
Jaylin Thomas led the BSU defensive effort with 11 tackles, while Williams finished with 2.5 sacks. Clayton Coll forced a fumble and Antonio Phillips intercepted his third pass of the season. The Cardinals harassed Toledo's Bradley into a 14-for-34 performance through the air.
Ball State's 52 points were its most ever against Toledo and vaulted the Cardinals' to their first win over the Rockets in six years.
Central Michigan 38, Bowling Green 20
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Central Michigan running back Jonathan Ward ran for 130 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, and Kobe Lewis added 125 yards and one score on Saturday as Central Michigan defeated Bowling Green, 38-20, before 15,100 at the Falcons' Doyt Perry Stadium.
Central Michigan won its third consecutive game, improving to 5-3 overall and 3-1 MAC, further establishing itself as a legitimate contender in the West Division. The Chippewas snapped a nine-game road losing streak, winning for the first time since Nov. 14, 2017, away from Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
"That's a heck of a win," first-year CMU coach Jim McElwain said. "Our guys had to learn how to win at home and we've kind of done a decent job of that. The next step in the program was to go on the road and figure out how to get a win.
The Falcons returned a CMU fumble 100 yards to tie the game 7-7 late in the first quarter. Minutes later, the Chippewas were back in front after a 7-yard Ward TD run. The Falcons scored on a 75-yard drive to open the third quarter, drawing to 21-14. Again, the Chippewas responded with another Ward TD run, this one from 9 yards, less than two minutes later to restore their lead to two TDs, 28-14.
That spelled the beginning of the end for Bowling Green (2-5, 1-2) as once again, Ward and Lewis proved to be a potent one-two punch. Chippewa quarterback Quinten Dormady, in his second game back after missing four with an injury, was relatively sharp and efficient, completing 22 of 36 pass attempts for 295 yards and one touchdown.
The Chippewas finished with 553 yards, 299 through the air, 254 on the ground and held a 10-plus minute possession time advantage.
"The offense is starting to play with some confidence," McElwain said. "The big key there is we stay balanced again. Probably could have thrown it a little bit more, but we didn't have to. You kind of like that."
The Chippewas contained Bowling Green's Grant Loy, holding the dual-thread quarterback to 166 passing yards and 67 on the ground. He was intercepted three times.
The Falcons finished with 344 total yards, and converted on just one of their 11 third-down opportunities. CMU also stopped the Falcons on three of their five fourth-down tries. Loy had been the catalyst in Bowling Green's 20-7 victory last week over rival Toledo. It was the Falcons' first win over their archrivals in a decade.
Miami 27, NIU 24
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio -- After a slow start offensively, the Miami University football team put things together over the final three quarters to retain the Mallory Cup with a 27-24 victory over Northern Illinois Saturday. The RedHawks improve to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the Mid-American Conference. The Huskies fall to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in the MAC.
Freshman quarterback Brett Gabbert set a new career high with 273 yards passing. He finished 15-for-28 with one touchdown. His top target was redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jalen Walker. He recorded his first career 100-yard game with seven catches for 138 yards.
The teams traded punts throughout the majority of the first quarter. Northern Illinois was able to get on the board first after a 39-yard completion to Cole Tucker set them up at first-and-goal at the five. Miami's defense held the Huskies to a 25-yard field goal, giving NIU a 3-0 lead with eight seconds remaining in the period.
Senior Maurice Thomas closed the first quarter by returning the subsequent kickoff 84 yards to the 14-yard line of NIU. However, the RedHawks were unable to capitalize as they missed the 30-yard field goal.
The Huskies were able to get the first touchdown of the game with a 13-play, 43-yard drive that consumed 6:34 off the clock. A one-yard quarterback sneak by Marcus Childers followed by the extra point gave Northern Illinois a 10-0 advantage with 3:08 to go in the second quarter.
On its last drive before the half, Miami came out and played with a little more tempo. Gabbert found junior Dominique Robinson for 26 yards to the NIU 49-yard line. Completions to redshirt-junior Andrew Homer (18 yards) and Walker (23 yards) got the RedHawks into a goal-to-go situation. Facing fourth-and-goal on the one, junior Jaylon Bester ran it in for the touchdown. The extra point from senior Sam Sloman cut the Miami deficit to 10-7 going into the half.
The RedHawks received the opening kickoff of the third quarter. Gabbert continued to keep the offense moving by finding Walker for a 17-yard catch to the Miami 27. After some runs and short passes got the 'Hawks into NIU territory, Gabbert found freshman James Maye streaking down the field for a 45-yard touchdown pass. The Sloman extra point completed an 8-play, 90-yard drive that made it 14-10 with 11:13 to go in the period.
Northern Illinois answered with an 8-play, 75 yard drive to regain the lead. A quarterback sneak from Childers followed by the extra point made it 17-14 with 6:47 to go in the third quarter.
On Miami's next drive Gabbert found Maye for a 20-yard pass that put the ball in Husky territory. He then hit Walker for a 40-yard gain that brought the ball to the one-yard line. On third-and-goal from the one, Bester scored his second touchdown of the day. The Sloman extra point made it 21-17 with 3:29 left in the period.
After forcing a Northern Illinois punt, a 14-yard completion to redshirt freshman Tyre Shelton, followed by a 40-yard rush from Gabbert put the ball deep in Husky territory. As the fourth quarter began, Sloman drilled a 34-yard field goal to make it 24-17 with 14:21 to go.
Starting on its own 30 with 8:29 to go, Gabbert found Walker for a 25-yard catch to put the ball in Northern Illinois territory. Gabbert hit Walker for another 17 yards before the drive stalled at the NIU 19. Sloman punched through a 37-yard field goal from the left hash to increase the RedHawk lead to 27-17.
Northern Illinois quickly answered with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that took 3:13 off the clock. The score came when Childers hit Tucker for a 10-yard touchdown. The extra point cut the Miami advantage to 27-24 with 2:44 remaining in the contest.
The RedHawks were forced to punt after their next offensive drive. The Huskies had one final shot starting at their own 41 with 1:44 to go, but they came up one yard short as Miami forced the turnover on downs to secure the victory.
Gabbert finished as the RedHawks' leading rusher with 42 yards. Bester had 32 yards and two touchdowns. Maye had two catches for 65 yards and one touchdown. Redshirt sophomore Ryan McWood led the Miami defense with 14 tackles.
Buffalo 21, Akron 0
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio -- Buffalo produced one of its finest defensive efforts in recent history, shutting out Akron, 21-0, at InfoCision Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It was just the Bulls' second ever road shutout against a MAC opponent since joining the conference in 1999.
Buffalo scored two defensive touchdowns, forced four turnovers, had 11 tackles for loss, five sacks and held the Zips to just three yards rushing.
On their opening possession, the Bulls marched 75 yards on 14 plays and took a 7-0 lead on a two-yard touchdown run by Kevin Marks midway through the first quarter. It would be all the offense Buffalo would need as the defense took over from there.
UB's 7-0 lead would last until late in the third quarter when Taylor Riggins blitzed off the edge, sacked the Akron quarterback and jarred the ball free. Ledarius Mack scooped up the loose change and scampered 35 yards for the touchdown, giving the Bulls a 14-0 advantage.
Kadofi Wright scored the defense's second touchdown of the game midway through the fourth quarter. The junior linebacker sacked the Akron quarterback, forced a fumble and fell on the loose ball in the endzone for the score.
"I was really impressed with the way our defense flew around today," head coach Lance Leipold said. "We thought we had some good matchups up front and, with some pressure, we thought we could make some things happen and they did today."
The Bulls rushed for 189 yards in the game, led by Jaret Patterson's 88 yards on 17 carries. Marks finished with 71 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown.
Quarterback Kyle Vantrease, a native of Stow, OH, just eight miles from the Akron campus, had good command of the offense, finishing 14-of-23 for 65 yards. His favorite target was Daniel Lee who had a career-high six catches for 30 yards.
But this game was all about the UB defense. Wright finished with five tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Mack had three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Joey Banks had five tackles, including two tackles for loss. Wankeith Akin, Jr. sealed the win with his first career interception.
With the win, the Bulls improved to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in MAC play.
Eastern Michigan 34, Western Michigan 27
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Eastern Michigan earned a crucial victory as senior Mathew Sexton collected his second game-winning touchdown of the season to clinch a 34-27 win over Western Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 19, in MAC action inside Rynearson Stadium.
Trailing 27-26 with 1:51 left in regulation, the Eagles (4-3, 1-2 MAC) started what proved to be the game-deciding drive at their own 28-yard-line. After Sexton made a three-yard catch and quickly ran out-of-bounds to the near sideline, sophomore quarterback Preston Hutchinson found fellow sophomore Dylan Drummond for an 18-yard pass to advance to the EMU 47-yard line. After senior Shaq Vann crossed midfield with a four-yard carry, Drummond and senior Arthur Jackson III made catches of eight and seven yards, respectively, to move the ball to the WMU (4-4, 2-2 MAC) 34.
One play later, Hutchinson reached Sexton with a jump ball at the right edge of the end zone to put the Green and White back in front, 32-27, with 36 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. The Eagles then elected to attempt a two-point conversion, which proved to be successful when sophomore Jairus Grissom took the snap and front-flipped into the end zone to extend the lead to 34-27.
On WMU's next play from scrimmage, EMU all but iced the game when junior defensive back Jeff Hubbard intercepted Jon Wassink's pass near midfield with 28 seconds left. Although the Eagles were forced to punt with 12 seconds remaining, the hosts pulled through as junior Jake Julien's kick rolled out of bounds at the WMU three-yard line as time expired.
Without the services of senior quarterback Mike Glass III, Hutchinson completed 31-of-36 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a rushing touchdown in his first start for the Green and White. Hutchinson's 86.1 completion percentage is the second-highest by an EMU quarterback since the 1999 campaign. Additionally, Grissom finished 4-for-5 through the air for 50 yards, and carried the ball four times for 17 yards.
Vann paced the Eagles' ground game with 17 carries for a season-high 97 yards, while Jackson set season-highs with seven receptions and 98 yards. Drummond made eight catches for 69 yards and one touchdown, while sophomore Quian Williams caught the ball six times for 60 yards and a score.
The Eagles outgained the Broncos through the air, 407-192, and finished with 547 total yards compared to WMU's total of 359. EMU was able to extend drives throughout the night, finishing 9-for-16 on third-down conversions, while succeeding on its only fourth-down attempt.
WMU received the ball to begin the contest, and reached the end zone on an eight-play, 75-yard drive to grab a 7-0 advantage with 11:23 to go in the opening quarter.
Although a personal foul forced the Green and White to start their first series at their own 12-yard-line, Hutchinson quickly completed a 13-yard pass to senior Breck Turner, before the latter gained seven yards on a toss to the left side to advance to the EMU 32. Hutchinson then threw the ball to Jackson and Drummond for gains of eight and seven yards, respectively, as the hosts quickly approached the Broncos' territory.
Grissom briefly took over under center as he connected with Vann for an eight-yard catch, before keeping the ball for a five-yard run to reach the WMU 36. Crucially, EMU converted on back-to-back third downs – including a 3rd-and-5 from the visitors' 21 – to get into the red zone, but a holding penalty pushed the hosts back to the 26-yard-line. However, Hutchinson reunited with Turner for a 15-yard gain, which helped set up sophomore kicker Chad Ryland for a successful 31-yard field goal attempt to trim the deficit to 7-3 with 4:52 left in the first frame. In all, the Eagles needed 17 plays to march 75 yards and take 6:31 off the clock.
WMU responded with a grueling drive of its own, adding another touchdown on a 19-play, 79-yard series lasting more than nine minutes. Senior running back LeVante Bellamy used four consecutive carries to gain the final 10 yards as the Broncos extended the lead to 14-3 with 10:38 to go in the second stanza.
The Eagles looked to counter on their next possession, as Grissom escaped pressure and completed a 34-yard pass to sophomore Hassan Beydoun to reach the WMU 41. After a sack and an incompletion forced a third-and-16 from the Broncos' 47, Hutchinson delivered a 13-yard pass to Beydoun, before converting on fourth-and-3 with a five-yard strike to Williams. The Green and White eventually got to Western's 10-yard-line, but came away empty-handed as Ryland was unable to convert a 28-yard attempt with 6:04 remaining in the first half.
Still behind by a 14-3 count, EMU forced a quick three-and-out and regained possession at its own 37-yard line with 4:34 left in the second quarter. On the ensuing drive, junior tight end Bryson Cannon logged a 15-yard reception to get to the other side of midfield, and back-to-back runs from Vann put the Eagles inside the opposing 40-yard-line. After five consecutive runs put the hosts one yard away from the goal line, Hutchinson found Drummond on the right side of the end zone to cut WMU's lead to 14-10 with 20 ticks left in the first half.
The Eagles captured their first lead of the night on the opening series of the second half. Hutchinson notched a 37-yard completion to Jackson, before finding Drummond for a 19-yard catch that was confirmed following a short review. Hutchinson then kept the ball himself as he ran six yards to put EMU in front, 17-14, with 11:35 left in the third period.
Both teams traded defensive stops, but the Broncos eventually went ahead by a 21-17 count with 4:39 to go in the third quarter. However, the Eagles tacked on three points before the end of the frame. On third-and-6 from the EMU 46, Beydoun gained a vital first down with an 18-yard reception, and 12 men on the field couldn't stop senior Line Latu from making a 20-yard catch to advance to the WMU 18. Two plays later, Hutchinson set up Williams for an 11-yard completion, and Ryland nailed a 28-yard field goal to close the gap to 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
EMU went back in front with a nine-play, 83-yard drive just past the midway point of the final quarter. The hosts ground their way into WMU's half of the field, as Jackson made a 19-yard catch to put the ball at the WMU 46. Two plays later, Drummond made an 11-yard reception, before Hutchinson and Williams combined on a 29-yard touchdown pass to put the Green and White ahead, 26-21. Unfortunately, the two-point try was incomplete in the end zone, keeping the Eagles' lead at five with 6:26 left in the fourth quarter.
The Broncos regained the lead on their next drive courtesy of Bellamy's third rushing touchdown of the night with fewer than two minutes remaining in the contest, but their advantage remained at 27-26 when the visitors failed to score on the ensuing two-point conversion.
