MAC Football Week 14 Schedule:
Friday, November 29
Central Michigan 49, Toledo 7
Buffalo 49, Bowling Green 7
Kent State 34, Eastern Michigan 26
Ball State 41, Miami 27
Game stories courtesy of MAC Athletic Communication Departments
Central Michigan 49, Toledo 7
Box Score
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. -- A West Division title, and a trip to the league championship game. Might have seemed like a pipe dream in July, when the Central Michigan football team was picked to finish sixth in the six-team Mid-American Conference West Division preseason poll. Now, it's reality.
Central Michigan dominated an old nemesis on Friday, hammering Toledo 49-7 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium to improve to 8-4 and finish atop the West at 6-2 for its first outright divisional championship since 2009.
"What we accomplished today," CMU senior linebacker Michael Oliver said, "I waited four years to do. It's a great feeling right now. A great, great feeling."
The Chippewas will play Miami (Ohio) in the MAC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 7 (noon) at Ford Field in Detroit.
It is yet another amazing milestone for the Chippewas under first-year coach Jim McElwain, who took over the program a year ago after it had won just one game in 2018.
"When I first got here, I saw that we had all the talent in the world," said CMU quarterback Quinten Dormady, a graduate transfer who joined the Chippewas prior to the season. "I knew we had that aspect. And when you start visually see people starting to buy in, that's kind of what changes a program.
"This has been the most fun year of college football I've had. There's no doubt about it. It's a special group in the locker room and I'll say that for years to come. I'm happy for the guys who were here last year and endured what they did, and then came back and bounced back this year. It's just special. … We've still got more to accomplish."
The Chippewas scored on all five of their first-half possessions for a 35-7 halftime lead in ending a nine-game losing streak against Toledo, the team that was picked to win the MAC West.
It was CMU's third-consecutive victory and its sixth in its last seven starts. CMU won all six of its home games this season, becoming the first Chippewa team to go 6-0 at Kelly/Shorts since 1980.
"It's just short of amazing from where these guys started," McElwain said. "A team that was picked dead last and to see how far they've come; just great to see the joy on their faces. Our guys were ready to play, they knew what it was all about.
"This one is obviously something really special because of where these guys came from. To be picked where they were at the beginning of the season … and for them to choose to invest in themselves; I've seen a lot of growth. I'm just really proud of these guys.
"It's exciting for the university, it's exciting for the community, it's exciting for all the Chippewas out there and that's what it's all about. For our kids to be able to go play on a stage like that, it's awesome. I just want them to really enjoy it and take it all in."
CMU finished with 552 yards in total offense in its most-lopsided victory over the Rockets since a 44-0 win in 1977. CMU finished with 30 first downs to the Rockets' 15, and it held Toledo to 83 rushing yards.
The Rockets entered the game averaging a MAC-best 237.4 yards per game rushing.
The Chippewas dominated from the opening kickoff as Kobe Lewis ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, and Jonathan Ward had 88 and a TD on 13 attempts. CMU finished with 289 yards on the ground, an average of 6.1 per carry.
CMU quarterback Quinten Dormady completed 15 of 19 pass attempts for 250 yards and two scores.
His first TD pass went for 48 yards to a wide-open Tyrone Scott less than six minutes into the game, and the Chippewas were on their way.
Quarterback Tommy Lazzaro ran for two TDs and Ward and Lewis both scored on short runs as CMU held a 28-point halftime lead. Dormady connected with Tony Poljan for a 9-yard TD pass in the third quarter and Lewis capped the scoring with an 8-yard TD run midway through the fourth quarter.
"Now it's on to next week," McElwain said. "We're going to enjoy this today and get to work tomorrow and get ready to get on a bus and drive down to Detroit and hope we get a bunch of Chippewa fans there. That'll be great to see Ford Field full of that maroon and gold and a bunch of people saying 'Fire Up Chips' as they're walking down the streets of Detroit. We've got a lot ahead of us and a lot to play for. Just really proud of these guys."
Ball State 41, Miami 27
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State head coach Mike Neu had to fight back emotions. From an outside perspective, there really wasn't all that much for his Ball State football team to play for in Friday's season finale against Miami. Despite marked, visible strides this season, there was no MAC championship game appearance on the line, no bowl eligibility.
From the inside, though, there were plenty of reasons to lay it all out there. The chance to beat the rival RedHawks, to eclipse last season's win total and, the one that really got Neu choked up, to send his 16 seniors out in memorable fashion.
Ball State did just that with a 41-27 victory at Scheumann Stadium and made it even more memorable by coming from 17 points down and outscoring the MAC East Division champion RedHawks 27-0 in the second half.
"It's special," Neu said. "You always remember your last one, no matter what … We believed in each other. (At halftime) we knew we had 30 minutes left together with this group. It's a really special group. These 16 guys have done a lot, so we wanted to get a win for them. They set the standard to be honest with you. You talk about building a program and trying to do things the right way. The set the standard."
The stats in this one really weren't close. The Cardinals (5-7, 4-4 MAC) out-gained Miami 578-275 and limited the RedHawks to just 79 yards and one first down after halftime. The majority of that damage came on a 45-yard pass midway through the fourth quarter after BSU had already taken the lead.
Drew Plitt threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns -- two of them to Yo'Heinz Tyler -- and Caleb Huntleyran for 134 yards and three scores.
If not for blocked punts by Miami (7-5, 6-2 MAC) on back-to-back BSU possessions in the second quarter, this one might have been a runaway. Lonnie Phelps blocked the first one to set up a Miami touchdown and scooped up the next one for a score of his own to stake the RedHawks to a 24-7 lead early in the second quarter.
But the rout was not on for Miami. Instead, the script completely flipped. Ball State outscored the RedHawks 34-3 the rest of the way.
"I'm proud of the guys for staying together on the sideline," Neu said. "Nobody got flustered, nobody got down. We just came back out in the second half and fought. It's great to have a moment like this. We've had so many gut-wrenching losses, and we just wanted to go out the right way."
Plitt found Tyler deep for a 40-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter, and Huntley's second score of the day, which came on a 4th-and-2 play, pulled the Cardinals even on the first play of the fourth.
Meanwhile, the Ball State defense was shutting Miami down. Amechi Uzodinma II picked off passes on back-to-back RedHawk possessions. The second set up another 40-yard connection between Plitt and Tyler as BSU grabbed its first lead.
The Cardinals got the ball right back and needed just one play for Huntley to scamper 30 yards for an insurance touchdown. And that was it. A game that looked completely in Miami's control early ended with Ball State in the victory formation.
The Cardinals swarmed the field and sung the fight song with the crowd one last time. The 2019 season didn't always unfold how they had hoped, especially down the stretch. A few plays here and there over the past few weeks, and there may have been more on the line Friday.
"For this year, this is as good a moment as I can have," Neu said. "I'll never forget the celebration with this group of 16 guys."
Buffalo 49, Bowling Green 7
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo sophomore running back Jaret Patterson rushed for a school-best 298 yards and scored a MAC-record six touchdowns to lead Buffalo to a 49-7 win over Bowling Green on Friday afternoon at UB Stadium. Patterson led a rushing attack that rolled up 455 yards on the ground, the most ever in a game in UB's FBS era.
Patterson wasted little time on his assault on the record book as, on the first play from scrimmage, he ripped off an 81-yard touchdown run to quickly give the Bulls a 7-0 lead. The sophomore running back scored on a 35-yard run on the Bulls' third possession and added a 30-yard touchdown run the following possession to give Buffalo a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Patterson added a nine-yard and a one-yard TD run in the second quarter and by halftime, he had rushed for 272 yards and five touchdowns. The Bulls led the Falcons, 35-7, at the break.
Patterson scored his MAC-record sixth touchdown on a one-yard run early in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 298 yards on 26 carries to break the single-game school record of 282 yards previously held by Jordan Johnson.
Kevin Marks tallied UB's final rushing touchdown on a three-yard run midway through the fourth quarter. He broke off a 70-yard run a play earlier to set up the score. Marks finished with 107 yards in the game to go over 1,000 on the season, joining Patterson as the first duo in school history to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.
"Getting those type of yards is awesome, but it's even more impressive to me when everyone knows that's what you're going to do," head coach Lance Leipold said. "We're not fooling anyone that we're running the football and that it's coming. For us to start off the game the way we did and to play at that level says a lot."
Quarterback Kyle Vantrease had a solid afternoon, finishing 10-of-14 for 131 yards in the game. Antonio Nunn had four catches for 67 yards and Daniel Lee and Zac Lefebvre each added two grabs.
The defense, led by Joey Banks' eight tackles, limited the Falcons to 187 yards of total offense. Matt Otwinowski added seven tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
The Bulls finished the regular season 7-5, marking the first time since 1958 and 1959 UB has won seven or more games in back-to-back seasons. Buffalo will now await a likely bowl invitation.
Kent State 34, Eastern Michigan 26
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Kent State (6-6, 5-3 MAC) is bowl eligible for the first time since 2012 with a 34-26 victory over Eastern Michigan (6-6, 3-5 MAC) and three straight wins to close the season.
The Golden Flashes are looking toward their fourth bowl game in program history and are eligible for just the fourth time in the last 30 years. The last time the Flashes went bowling was in 2012 when Dri Archer and company led Kent State to the GoDaddy.com Bowl.
"The kids did a tremendous job," said Head Coach Sean Lewis. "All of the things we have been preaching to them all season, being resilient and seeing it through. I am really proud of them. To be peaking and paying our best ball at the right time, that's what being an alpha is all about. They did that. They found a way to win. At the end of the day, a win is a win. We are at six and we are a pretty attractive and exciting football team. Hopefully we get another opportunity here to put our gold's on and go to work in a bowl game."
The Eagles got off to a fast start, marching down the field and taking a 7-0 lead. Xavier Williams quickly answered with an 8-yard touchdown run.
Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum rushed for two first-half touchdowns and Keith Sherald Jr. secured his second interception of the season to give the Flashes a 24-14 advantage at the break.
Kent State's Jamal Parker got things cooking in the second half, taking the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. It was the first kickoff return touchdown by a Golden Flash since Dri Archer did so against Northern Illinois in 2013.
After Matthew Trickett missed a 47-yard field goal, Mike Glass drove the Eagles down the field and brought EMU within 11, 31-20. The extra point was blocked by the Flashes.
Eastern Michigan scored midway through the fourth quarter, but the Flashes stuffed the two-point conversion attempt and held a five-point lead, 31-26, with just under eight minutes to play.
Kent State ran down the clock – in large part due to Joachim Bangda's 46 rushing yards on the drive – and Trickett drilled a 24-yard field goal with 1:27 on the clock to put the Flashes up eight points. EMU had the ball and was driving, but Sherald Jr. made the game-clinching interception to vault the Flashes to their sixth win of the season and lock down bowl eligibility.
"I blacked out during that second interception," said Sherald Jr. "I just knew we were going bowling man. It was crazy."
Sherald Jr. was the defensive MVP in the game, finishing with 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a career-high two interceptions. Cepeda Phillips led the team with 13 tackles.
Crum finished 17-for-23 passing for 197 yards. He rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns. Williams led the Flashes with 79 rushing yards and a score. Will Matthews finished with 74 rushing yards. Kavious Price hauled in six receptions for 79 yards, while Isaiah McKoy caught five passes for a team-high 83 yards.
