Saturday's MAC Football Results
Western Michigan 49, Bowling Green 10
Ohio 34, Ball State 21
NIU 49, Akron 0
Buffalo 43, Central Michigan 20
Miami 23, Kent State 16
Toledo 37, Eastern Michigan 34 (OT)

MAC Note:
-Ohio's 34-21 win at Ball State gives Ohio head coach Frank Solich his 110th career MAC victory, which ties him with Herb Deromedi (Central Michigan, 1978-93) for the most wins in MAC history.

Game stories courtesy of MAC Athletic Communication Departments

Western Michigan 49, Bowling Green 10
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- A strong rushing attack paired with two takeaways by the defense guided Western Michigan football to a 49-10 victory over Bowling Green on Saturday inside Waldo Stadium.

On the ground the Broncos registered 399 rushing yards to go along with six rushing touchdowns, the second most in a game this season. Western Michigan had three players with a rushing touchdown against the Falcons and have now had 25 rushing touchdowns in the last seven contests.

Senior LeVante Bellamy led the charge, rushing for a career-high four touchdowns on 17 attempts for 178 yards. Bellamy became the first Bronco with four touchdowns in a game since Jamauri Bognan had four against Bowling Green on Oct. 13, 2018. Bellamy now has 17 scores on the ground this season, tied for the seventh most in a single-season in program history.

Bellamy's four rushing touchdowns increased his career total to 29, putting him in sole possession of fifth in program history. The Indianapolis, Ind., native recorded his sixth 100-yard game of the season and surpassed the 1,000-yard mark.

Fellow senior Davon Tucker ranked second on the team with 91 rushing yards on 13 attempts with one touchdown. Tucker earned his second rushing touchdown of the season with 23 seconds left in the second quarter. Freshman Sean Tyler earned his fifth rushing touchdown of the season and had 85 yards on the ground on 17 attempts.

Through the air redshirt senior Jon Wassink was 15-of-23 for 175 yards and one touchdown. Wassink connected on a 44-yard touchdown pass to freshman Skyy Moore early in the third quarter, marking the 46th of his career. Wassink is now in sole possession of sixth in program history.

Wassink found six different receivers on the day with Moore leading the way with five receptions for 76 yards and a score. Fellow senior tight end Giovanni Ricci also had five receptions for 56 yards, averaging 11.2 per catch.

Defensively the Broncos forced two turnovers with sophomore Patrick Lupro and senior Alex Grace each recording an interception. It was the third interception of the season for Lupro and the first of the year for Grace.

Leading the way was junior Treshaun Hayward with 13 tackles to go along with two sacks and three tackles for loss. Hayward also eclipsed the 100 tackle mark on the season midway through the second quarter. Behind Hayward was senior Drake Spears with 10 tackles followed by junior Ali Fayad with four and senior Anton Curtis with three.

With the win Western Michigan inched one step closer to bowl eligibility, improving its overall record to 5-4 and 3-2 in conference play. Western Michigan's next contest is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5 inside Waldo Stadium against MAC West foe Ball State. The game will be broadcast on either ESPN2 or CBS Sports Network at 7 or 8 p.m.

After both teams traded punts to begin the game the Falcons got on the scoreboard first midway through the quarter. BGSU embarked on a 15 play, 68-yard drive that resulted in a 31-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.

The Broncos responded with 21 unanswered points, beginning with a nine yard rushing touchdown by Bellamy early in the second quarter. It's the seventh straight game Bellamy has registered a rushing touchdown.

Midway through the second quarter both teams traded punts again before sophomore Patrick Lupro picked off BGSU quarterback Grant Loy for his third interception of the season. Lupro has registered an interception in three straight home games.

Western Michigan capitalized on the Lupro interception six plays later with Bellamy crossing the goal line from 36 yards out to give the Broncos a 14-3 lead. Bellamy scored on a fourth and two and registered his third straight game with at least two rushing touchdowns.

To end the half, the Broncos went on a seven play, 65-yard drive in 1:18 that resulted in a two-yard rushing touchdown from senior Davon Tucker. It was Tucker's second rushing touchdown of the season and gave Western Michigan a 21-3 lead heading into halftime. Western Michigan is outscoring its opponents, 133-26 in the first half this season.

It was a furious pace for both squads to begin the second half as three touchdowns were scored in the first five minutes. Western Michigan got the scoring started just two plays into the second half as Bellamy raced 75 yards for his third touchdown of the game. It was the longest run of Bellamy's career.

Bowling Green responded back five plays later with a nine-yard touchdown run to cut the Bronco lead down to 28-10. Three plays later, Western Michigan was back on the board as Wassink found freshman Skyy Moore for a 44-yard touchdown pass. It was Moore's second receiving touchdown this season and propelled the Brown & Gold to a 35-10 lead. 

Midway through the third quarter freshman Sean Tyler became the third running back to find the end zone, scoring from 16 yards out to give Western Michigan a 42-10 advantage. Bellamy added his fourth rushing touchdown late in the third to give the Broncos a 49-10 lead after three.  In the fourth quarter, Bowling Green totaled just three yards as the Broncos ran out the clock rushing the ball 19 times for 79 yards to secure the 49-10 victory.

Ohio 34, Ball State 21
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ohio (4-4, 3-1 MAC) piled up a season-high 316 rushing yards to beat Ball State (4-4, 3-1 MAC), 34-21, in a battle of Mid-American Conference Division leaders that was played in a driving rain today at Scheumann Stadium.

The Bobcats handed the Cardinals their first conference loss of the 2019 season and claimed a victory in Muncie for the first time since 2009. Ohio maintained its hold on first place in the MAC East Division with the win.

"We've all along prided ourselves on no excuses, no limits, regardless of what the weather is. We're going to play football," said 15th-year head coach Frank Solich. "Our guys know that. They take pride in that. They came out, and I thought, executed at a high level for as wet as the ball was. Our line dominated. They played really well. We were able to move the ball on the ground consistently to get first downs and go on long drives, which was a huge help to us."

Solich earned his 110th win as head coach at Ohio, matching former Central Michigan head coach Herb Deromedi (1978-93) for the most by a MAC head coach in the history of the conference.

Ohio boasted a pair of 100-yard rushers, with senior quarterback Nathan Rourke leading the way with a season-high 127 and two rushing touchdowns. He recorded his eighth career 100-yard rushing game and has now scored 44 career rushing touchdowns, which is good for third-most in program history. Redshirt freshman running back O'Shaan Allison rushed for a career-high 104 yards while junior running back De'Montre Tuggle ran for 50 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns, marking his third outing of the season with multiple rushing touchdowns and second in a row.

"Our o-line today really asserted themselves as the dominant o-line of this league," said Rourke. "We had so many long drives. We were able to run the ball on them. In these kind of conditions, that's necessary. They did a fantastic job. We rode them all the way throughout this game, and I can't say enough about that group."

On a tough day for passing the football, Rourke completed eight of his 16 attempts for 131 yards. His top target was redshirt sophomore wide receiver Isiah Cox who caught five passes for 92 yards.

Defensively, the Bobcats limited Ball State redshirt junior quarterback Drew Plitt to just 11 completions on 20 attempts for 109 yards and one touchdown. Plitt did not complete a pass until the third quarter, starting the game 0-for-5. The Cardinals did not convert on third down until the third quarter, going 0-for-5 over the first 30 minutes.

Ball State received the opening kickoff but turned the ball over on the first play from scrimmage. Redshirt freshman linebacker Keye Thompson forced Ball State junior running back Caleb Huntley to cough up the ball, and junior cornerback Marlin Brooks was there to recover for the Bobcats at the Cardinals' 36-yard line. 

Ohio took over possession, and Rourke completed an eight-yard pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Cameron Odom on 3rd-and-10, and the Bobcats moved the chains when Allison picked up three yards on fourth down. Ohio went for it again on 4th-and-1, with Rourke keeping it himself and gaining 12 yards to set up a 1st-and-goal from the four. Two plays later, Rourke scored on a read option to give the Bobcats the lead with 9:10 left in the first quarter.

After forcing Ball State to punt, the Bobcats gave the ball back to the Cardinals when Rourke was picked off by junior cornerback Antonio Phillips, giving the home team possession at its own 38. Graduate running back Walter Fletcher then ripped off runs of 24, 15 and 20 yards to give Ball State a 1st-and-goal at the Ohio three. Two plays, later redshirt junior quarterback Drew Plitt kept it himself and scored from one yard out to help Ball State tie the score with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Ohio picked up a first down on its next drive but was forced to punt, but the Bobcats then forced the Cardinals to go three-and-out. The ensuing punt by Ball State junior Nathan Snyder went just nine yards as Ohio redshirt sophomore safety Alvin Floyd applied pressure, giving the Bobcats a 1st-and-10 from the Cardinals' 22. Ohio moved the chains on 3rd-and-2 when Rourke gained 10 yards on the ground to give the Bobcats a 1st-and-goal from the four. The drive stalled, though, and the Bobcats settled for a 20-yard field goal by redshirt senior placekicker Louie Zervos to take a 10-7 lead with 10:20 remaining in the first half.

Ball State went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and Ohio proceeded to engineer a seven-play, 67-yard scoring march that was highlighted by Rourke competing passes of 25 yards and 29 yards to Cox. Ohio's drive stalled out at the Ball State five, though, and the Bobcats elected to have Zervos kick a 23-yard field goal that extended their lead to 13-7 with five minutes to play in the half.

The Bobcats received the second-half kickoff and moved 75 yards in nine plays. Rourke completed passes of 24 yards to Odom and 17 yards to Cox. Tuggle gained 21 yards on four rushes, with his last carry going for 11 yards and a touchdown and helping to push the Ohio lead to 20-7.

Ball State answered right back, though, as Fletcher ripped off a 73-yard touchdown run on its first play of the ensuing drive, cutting Ohio's advantage to 20-14 with 9:29 left in the third quarter. 

Ohio responded with an eight-play, 65-yard drive in which Rourke gained 38 yards on the ground to set up a one-yard rushing touchdown by Tuggle, making it a 27-14 lead for the Bobcats with just over four minutes left in the third quarter.

The Cardinals got the ball back and moved 72 yards in 12 plays thanks in large part to a 36-yard run by senior wide receiver Malik Dunner. A 10-yard touchdown run by Fletcher was negated by a Ball State holding penalty. The Cardinals were forced to settle for a 24-yard field goal attempt by senior kicker Ryan Rimmler, but the try was blocked by Ohio redshirt sophomore Kai Caesar, preserving the 13-point lead for the Bobcats with just over 14 minutes to play.

After trading punts, Ohio got the ball back with 8:50 to play and went 64 yards in nine plays. Redshirt junior running back Ja'Vahri Portis carried the ball five times on the drive, picking up 36 yards and setting up Rourke for a 12-yard touchdown run that pushed Ohio's lead to 34-14 with just over four minutes to go.

Ball State cut into the Ohio lead again when Plitt threw a 14-yard touchdown to redshirt senior wide receiver Riley Miller with 2:45 to play to cap off a seven-play, 88-yard drive. Rimmler then attempted an onside kick, but redshirt sophomore Tariq Drake was there to recover for the Bobcats. Ohio then ran the clock down to 1:43 before punting the ball back to the Cardinals. Redshirt junior linebacker Dylan Conner and redshirt freshman linebacker Jack McCrory teamed up for a sack, and Drake recorded another to seal the road win for Ohio.

Redshirt senior free safety Javon Hagan led the Ohio defense with eight total tackles, including a team-high five solo stops. Thompson added seven total tackles and accounted for a team-high 1.5 tackles for loss. The Bobcats finished the contest with a season-high four sacks and recorded six tackles for loss, marking the third game in a row Ohio has tallied at least six.

Ball State finished the game with 242 rushing yards, with Fletcher accounting for 156 of them. Defensively, two Cardinals recorded double-digit tackles, with redshirt junior inside linebacker Jaylin Thomas tallying a game-high 13 while senior defensive tackle Chris Crumb added 11, including one for loss.

Northern Illinois 49, Akron 0
Box Score 
DeKALB, Ill. -- Northern Illinois quarterback Marcus Childers threw for three touchdowns and junior running back Tre Harbison ran for a pair as the Northern Illinois University Huskies recorded their first shutout since 2012, blanking Akron, 49-0, on Saturday afternoon at Huskie Stadium.

Harbison rushed for 158 yards on 31 carries and the NIU defense added a pair of touchdowns while holding the Zips to just 145 yards of total offense; pitching its first shutout in 93 games (Nov. 3, 2012 vs. UMass: 63-0).

"I'm proud of the effort of our young men," said NIU head coach Thomas Hammock. "These guys have been grinding the last few weeks to continue to get better and follow the message of the way we prepare and the way we practice. That's indicative of how we play, and we played a clean football game for the most part."

NIU (3-5, 2-2 MAC) scored on its first possession of the game as Harbison capped off a 14-play, 74-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown. The junior running back had six carries for 29 yards on the drive and gave the Huskies a 7-0 lead with 6:08 to play in the opening quarter.

The Huskie lead was still 7-0 when sophomore cornerback Devin Haney intercepted a pass from Akron quarterback Zach Gibson on the first Zips drive of the second quarter.

It took NIU just one play to convert the turnover into points as Harbison cut through the middle of the Akron (0-8, 0-4) defense and went 30 yards for his second touchdown of the day, giving the Huskies a 14-0 lead.

After a three-and-out by the Akron offense, NIU tacked on another touchdown as Childers connected with redshirt freshman Brett Bostad from five yards out, giving the Huskies a 21-0 lead to take into halftime. Bostad's catch was the first of his career.

The NIU defense allowed just 56 total yards in the first half and held Akron to 0-of-5 on third downs.

NIU's first drive of the second half stalled just past midfield but Huskie junior punter Matt Ference pinned Akron at its own three-yard line.

On the first play of the drive, the Zips fumbled inside their own end zone and senior safety Trayshon Foster jumped on it for a Huskie touchdown, the first of his NIU career.

Following another three-and-out by Akron, the NIU offense marched 70 yards in 11 plays, capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass from Childers to junior tight end Mitchell Brinkman. The Huskies ran the ball on each of the first 10 plays of the drive, with Haribson getting six carries while Childers and sophomore running back Jordan Nettles split the other four.

Brinkman had two catches for 36 yards, Nettles finished the contest with 71 yards rushing on 12 carries.

"My goal was to run it 50 times a day," said Hammock. "We knew the weather was going to be a factor, and we wanted to to lean on our offensive line and our running backs, and those guys came through. They played well."

On the fourth play of the fourth quarter, Childers connected with junior Corey Lersch for a three-yard touchdown, finishing an eight-play, 48-yard drive.

Childers went 7-of-9 through the air in the game for 71 yards while also gaining 36 yards on nine carries.

NIU closed the scoring with 9:43 left in the fourth when freshman linebacker Nick Rattin stepped in front of a pass from Robbie Kelley and returned it 31 yards for a Huskie touchdown.

"Our defense and our young players are really improving," said Hammock. "We see it in practice and our young guys – if given an opportunity – are going to make plays. I was impressed with Nick's (Rattin) run after the catch – we certainly may need to use him on offense – Devin Haney the same thing, the run after the catch. He looked good with the ball in his hands.

"Our goal is to get the ball in their hands and make picks and create fumbles. We left a couple of balls on the ground that we could've picked up, but with the defense that we have and the guys we have out there playing, you can see the real potential."

Akron's Brandon Lee rushed for 76 yards, 38 of which came in the fourth quarter. The Zips had just seven first downs, one shy of the NIU record for fewest allowed in a game.

Buffalo 43, Central Michigan 20
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Behind the strength of five defensive takeaways, Buffalo defeated Central Michigan, 43-20, at UB Stadium on Saturday. It was the Bulls second straight win to level their record at 4-4 overall and 2-2 in MAC play.

The game turned quickly in the Bulls' favor early in the second half when UB scored off takeaways on consecutive Central Michigan possessions to turn a 7-3 deficit into a 17-7 lead. The first touchdown was set up by a strip sack by James Patterson that led to an eight-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Vantrease to Antonio Nunn to give UB a 10-7 lead.

On the very first play of the Chippewas' next possession, Joey Banks ripped the ball free from the CMU running back and it was recovered by Kadofi Wright at the Central Michigan 15-yard line. It took only one play for Buffalo to find the endzone as Jaret Patterson ran it in from 15 yards out to extend the UB lead to 10 points.

Buffalo took a 24-7 lead with 3:39 left in the half when Vantrease and Nunn connected for their second touchdown of the game, this time on a 14-yard fade pattern. After CMU scored with just 1:35 left in the half to cut the UB lead to 24-14, the Bulls marched 75 yards on only five plays and scored on a three-yard Kevin Marks touchdown to take a 30-14 lead at the half. The big play on the drive was a 54-yard pass completion from Vantrease to Patterson.

Central Michigan never threatened in the second half. Alex McNulty made two of this three field goals in the second half to help the cause. On the day, the redshirt-freshman made kicks of 29, 29 and 39 yards.

Wright sealed the victory by returning an interception 40 yards for a touchdown late in the contest. It was the second straight game Wright scored a defensive touchdown.

"Causing five turnovers is outstanding and it builds confidence for everyone" head coach Lance Leipold said. "[CMU has] been an explosive offense all year and for us to do a good job ourselves, it's a good day when you can be plus-four in the turnover margin."

Patterson led the Bulls offensively with 149 yards rushing and a touchdown as well as 59 receiving yards to account for 208 yards of total offense. Vantrease threw for 179 and two touchdowns. Nunn was his favorite target with five catches for 77 yards and two scores.

Defensively, it was another standout performance for Banks. The senior safety had a game-high 10 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. Tyrone Hill added eight tackles. Riggins had five stops, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.

Miami 23, Kent State 16
Box Score
KENT, Ohio -- Miami turned in a stellar defensive performance in a 23-16 win over Kent State on Saturday afternoon, forcing a pair of turnovers and blocking a fourth-quarter field goal as the RedHawks outlasted the Golden Flashes in a rainy MAC battle on Saturday at Dix Stadium. Miami improves to 4-4 on the season and holds on to a share of the MAC East Division lead with a 3-1 conference record. Kent State slips to 3-5 (2-2).

The win serves as head coach Chuck Martin's 100th career head coaching victory across his tenures at both Grand Valley State and Miami.

The Golden Flashes entered Saturday averaging 42.0 points and 536.0 yards per game in three Mid-American Conference contests. The Miami defense held KSU to just 336 yards on 84 plays, including limiting KSU quarterback Dustin Crum to 23-of-44 passing for 209 yards. Crum came into the game averaging 243.3 passing yards per game. The RedHawks registered 13 tackles for loss against the Flashes, including three sacks of Crum.

Miami's rushing attack served as a nice sidekick to the defensive effort, rushing for a season-high 289 yards. Freshman Tyre Shelton led all rushers with 148 yards on 14 carries and junior Jaylon Bester added 87 yards, including a game-clinching 47-yard touchdown run with 3:19 left in the contest.

Kent State received the ball to start the contest and punted it over after moving the chains just once. The kick was a good one, as Derek Adams pinned the RedHawks on their own one. Miami quickly broke away from its own goal line, as the first offensive play from scrimmage for the 'Hawks resulted in a 53 yard Shelton rush after he ran through a Kent State defender.

Miami would get on the board first later that drive, as Sam Sloman opened the scoring with a field goal make from 36 yards. After the Miami defense forced Kent State into a quick three and out on the next series, Sloman added another field goal, this time from 41 yards out, to spot the RedHawks a 6-0 advantage. That drive was headlined by a diving 33-yard catch by Dominique Robinson.

Miami would give Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum his first interception of the year, courtesy of Travion Banks. However, Miami wouldn't be able to convert the turnover into points and the ensuing punt was returned by Kent State well into Miami territory as the first quarter came to an end.

The second quarter would open with Kent State kicking a field goal to trim the Miami lead to 6-3. However, that kick would quickly be negated as Miami put together a 66-yard drive on its next series, which featured another big catch from Robinson and a 23-yard Gabbert scramble. Although the RedHawks couldn't find the end zone, Sloman hit his third FG of the game to push the Miami lead back up to six.

The RedHawks would find themselves with a golden opportunity to stretch their lead before the half, having the ball on the Kent State 32 with a minute and a half left in the second quarter. However, Miami would come up empty on three straight pass attempts and a long field goal attempt from Sloman went wide. It would instead be Kent State that picked up the points before the break, driving down the field and picking up a field goal to make Miami's halftime lead just 9-6.

Despite holding just the three-point advantage, Miami controlled most facets of the first half, including nearly doubling Kent State's total yardage (261 to 135).

Miami made a statement drive to open half number two, marching down the field in eight plays to score the game's first touchdown. Shelton set the drive up with another big run, taking the second play of the drive 44 yards to get Miami deep within KSU territory. The 'Hawks would eventually capitalize with a touchdown strike from Gabbert to Luke Mayock.

After both teams punted, the Miami defense forced a second straight three-and-out with around seven minutes left to play in the third quarter. However, the punt from the Flashes would be fumbled by the RedHawks and Kent State would recover for great field position. After a pass interference call on third and long, Kent State had first and goal on the Miami two. The next handoff was fumbled by KSU running back Jo-el Shaw, with both the force and the recovery credited to Miami's Sterling Weatherford to hold the MU lead at 16-6.

Early in the fourth, Kent State would line up for a long field goal to trim the deficit to one score, but Miami's Doug Costin had other ideas as he got a hand on the kick attempt for the block.

The drive following the block would include several major swings. Miami would string together nine plays to move deep into Kent State territory, and it appeared that Sam Sloman converted the drive with a 38-yard field goal. However, a flag on the Golden Flashes for roughing the snapper gave Miami an automatic first down. The RedHawks would come away empty-handed, though, because the very next play was a fumble recovered by the defense.

The Flashes would take advantage of the turnover, stringing together an 11-play, 88-yard drive that got them right back in the game. The series ended with a 12-yard touchdown run from Craig Elmore to make the score 16-13 with six minutes left to play in the game.

Miami put the game away on the next drive as a five-play series led to a huge 47-yard touchdown run from Bester that put the RedHawks back up ten.

Kent State would get a quick field goal after the Bester TD, but the onside kick try was unsuccessful. The Flashes still had a desparation attempt to send the game to overtime with just seconds on the clock, but Lonnie Phelps put an end to those hopes with a key sack as time ticked away.

Toledo 37, Eastern Michigan 34 (OT)
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Toledo junior quarterback Eli Peters hit junior tight end Drew Rosi for a 15-yard touchdown in overtime to lead Toledo to a 37-34 victory over Eastern Michigan at a rain-soaked Glass Bowl on Saturday.

The Eagles took the lead in overtime, 34-31, on a 24-yard field goal by Chad Ryland. Toledo was faced with third-and-10 from the 15-yard line when Peters hit Rosi on a corner route to send the Rockets into a wild celebration.

Sophomore running back Bryant Koback led the Rocket offense with a career-high 259 yards and two touchdowns. Peters, starting his first game of the season in place of injured quarterbacks Mitchell Guadagni and Carter Bradley, completed 9-of-18 passes for 138 and two touchdowns. Junior Shakif Seymour added 94 yards rushing as Toledo racked up 504 yards of total offense, 366 on the ground.

Toledo broke open a 10-10 tied with three consecutive touchdowns in the first six minutes of the third quarter to take a 31-10. But EMU stormed back with three straight scores of its own, the last a 26-yard TD run by Shaq Vann with 2:35 left. The Eagles had a chance to win it in regulation but Ryland's 33-yard attempt sailed wide right with 1:03 to play.

The win moves Toledo to 5-3, 2-2 in MAC play, a game behind Ball State (3-1) and a half-game behind Western Michigan and Central Michigan (both 3-2). Eastern Michigan falls to 4-4, 1-3 MAC.