Mid-American Conference

Midweek MACtion On Wednesday, Nov. 12th
Kent State at Bowling Green, 8 pm ET (ESPN2)
Ball State at UMass, 8 pm ET (ESPNU)


Kent State at Bowling Green, Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 8 pm ET (ESPN2)

Kent State Notes:
Kent State (1-8, 0-5 MAC) at Bowling Green (6-3, 4-1 MAC)
• SERIES RECORD: Bowling Green leads 56-19-6.
• THE COACHES: Paul Haynes, 5-16 (2nd year) at Kent State. Dino Babers, 6-3 (1st year) at Bowling Green, 25-10 overall career record.
• TV: ESPN2. Play by Play: Tom Hart; Analyst: David Diaz-Infante.

Kent State looks for its first MAC victory and first road win of the season, visiting East Division rival Bowling Green Wednesday night. The Golden Flashes and defending MAC champion Falcons will be in the national spotlight for the second straight week of November MACtion on ESPN’s Family of Networks. Kent State looks to carry the momentum of a strong second half against MAC West leader Toledo after outscoring the Rockets 20-14 in the final 30 minutes.

Facts In A Flash
• Twenty different Flashes (10 offense, 10 defense) have gotten their first career start this season.
• Sophomore QB Colin Reardon is in 6th place in both career completions (362), and career passing yards (3,841) and is in a tie for 7th in career TD passes (21) at Kent State.
• Kent State’s offensive line has allowed only one sack of Reardon in its last five games. 
• Senior tight end Casey Pierce has made 25 catches in four games for 231 yards and three TDs.
• Senior receiver Chris Humphrey is in eighth place in career receptions at KSU with 111.
• Sophomore safety Nate Holley ranks fourth in the nation in total tackles (12.2) and fourth in solo tackles (7.0) per game.
• Junior Anthony Melchiori ranks 16th in the nation with a 44.6 yard punting average. He placed four of his six punts against Toledo inside the 20.
• Senior cornerback Malcolm Pannell has five interceptions in his last 15 games.
• Sophomore Nick Holley ran for a career-high 95 yards against Toledo. Since game two, he is averaging 71.9 yards per game rushing/receiving.
• Kent State had a season-high 171 yards rushing against Toledo.
• Junior linebacker Matt Dellinger had a career-high 13 tackles against the Rockets.
• The Golden Flashes are wearing number 54 on the right side of their helmets throughout the year, paying tribute to Jason Bitsko.

Security Blanket
Senior tight end Casey Pierce has now made three or more cacthes in 10 consecutive games and two or more catches in 16 straight games. He now leads the Flashes with 42 grabs on the year.

Solid On 4th Down
Against Toledo, the Flashes improved to 8-of-12 on fourth down attempts which ranks 18th in the nation. On the other side, the Kent State defense has held opponents to a 38 percent (5-of-13) conversion rate which ranks 26th in the nation.

Young Starters On 'D'
Against Toledo, redshirt freshman Dustyn Moore (LB) and sophomores Terence Waugh (DE) and Brice Fackler (TE) became the 18th, 19th and 20th different players to get their first career starts this season. All but one of the 20 are freshmen and sophomores. Fourteen of those 20 starters played in their first career game at Kent State this season. Moore became the fifth different freshman to start on defense, joining NT Jon Cunningham, LB Marques Moore, DL Jontey Byrd, and CB Demetrius Monday.

In the previous two weeks, three others (Byrd, S Nick Cuthbert and CB Kerrick Rhone) got their first career starts on deefense. Cuthbert was named
MAC East Defensive Player of the Week (16 tackles 12 solo) in his only start. The other first-year starters on defense have been sophomores Elcee Refuge and Najee Murray.  Six other freshmen (Zach Singer, Matt Sommers, Kevin Bourne, Eric Church, Jerrell Foster, James Alexander) have seen valuable time on defense.

Holding Their Ground
Despite that youth taking on more of the load as the season goes, the defense has allowed 17 points or less in each of the last two road games.

Rushing Battle Is Key
Since 2012, Kent State is 14-2 when outgaining opponents on the ground. The Flashes are 2-17 when the opposition runs for more yards with their only wins during that time coming against Ar my in 2012 and 2014. The Golden Flashes outgained their opponents by over 100 rushing yards in each of their four wins last season.


Bowling Green Notes:

Bowling Green (6-3, 4-1 MAC) will host Kent State (1-8, 0-5 MAC) in a MAC East showdown on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. inside of Doyt L. Perry Stadium.  The Falcons are coming off a 27-10 win at Akron on Tuesday (Nov. 4) night. The win made the Falcons one of five teams in the MAC to become Bowl eligible thus far in 2014.  With a win against Kent State, the Falcons would clinch the MAC’s East Division for the second consecutive season.  The Golden Flashes enter the game with an overall record of 1-8. KSU is 0-5 in the MAC following a 30-20 loss to Toledo on Tuesday (Nov. 4). Kent State’s lone win of the season came against Army.

Familiar Territory
• 2014 marks the third consecutive season in which Bowling Green football has started 6-3 (4-1 MAC) through their first nine games of the season. But, each season has taken a very different course to get to that record.
• This season, the Falcons went 2-2 in non-conference play with wins in both weeks two and three. After winning the first three games of the MAC schedule, the Orange and Brown suffered a defeat before beating Akron to improve to 6-3 (4-1 MAC).
• Last season, the Falcons won five of their first six games, before losing two straight to drop to 5-3 (3-1 MAC). The 2013 Falcons would win five straight from that point forward to claim the MAC championship.
• In 2012, the Falcons struggled to a 1-3 start, but won the next six games to improve to 7-3 (5-1 MAC). That season, the Orange and Brown finished 8-5 with an appearance in the Military Bowl.

To Win The East You Have To Win Against The East
• Since the beginning of the 2012 season, Bowling Green has been dominant against competition from the East Division. It is no coincidence, that for the third straight season, the Falcons are once again in position to win the East Division in November.
• Bowling Green has gone 15-1 against East Division competition since the start of the 2012 campaign. The Falcons’ lone loss proved costly, as a 2012 loss vs. Kent State decided the MAC East division.
• Last season, the Falcons went 6-0 against teams from the East to win the division, and this year the Falcons are 4-0 against teams from their division.

Falcons Defense Stifling Opponents
• Over the past 14 quarters, Bowling Green’s defense has played up to their potential, holding opponents to 56 points.
• Allowing just 4.0 points per quarter since halftime of the Buffalo game, the BGSU defense is a big reason why the Falcons sit 4-1 in the MAC and at the top of the standings in the East Division.
• The Falcons defense knows how to turn up the pressure in November. The win at Akron marked the sixth straight November game in which BGSU has
allowed one touchdown or less to opponents.

Forcing Turnovers
• Bowling Green has become prolific at forcing turnovers this season, registering 19 takeaways through the first nine games of 2014.
• The Falcons forced a season-high five turnovers at Akron, including four in the second half.
• Taylor Royster recovered two fumbles in the game, including one for a touchdown. His four fumble recoveries are best in both the MAC and FBS football.
• Nick Johnson’s two interceptions in the game vaulted him to the top of the MAC rankings. His four INTs have him tied for first in the MAC and 20th nationally.
• Bryan Thomas also forced his MAC leading fifth fumble of the season against Akron. Thomas is fourth in the country in that category.

Stop It, Coppet
• True sophomore Fred Coppet stepped up nicely once Travis Greene went down due to injury in the win against Akron, rushing for a career-high 113 yards on 18 carries.
• Coppet has been impressive this season, rushing for nearly 500 yards thus far.
• The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. native is averaging 5.3 yards per carry this season and has found the end zone five times.

Given Them The Business
• Andre Givens (Youngstown, Ohio) registered a career-high 101 yards rushing in the Falcons’ Tuesday night win at Akron last week.
• With his 46-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter, Givens has now recorded Bowling Green’s two longest rushing touchdowns of the season.
• The redshirt junior has been a part of six plays of 20-or-more yards this season, including two last week.

Dominating November
• Bowling Green has been dominate in the month of November since the end of 2012, winning six consecutive games in the month.
• During that six game winning streak, the Falcons’ defense has not allowed more than 10 points in a game.
• Bowling Green is outscoring opponents 224-34 during the November hot streak.



Ball State at UMass, Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 8 pm ET (ESPNU)

Ball State Notes:
Ball State (3-6, 2-3 MAC) at UMass (2-7, 2-3 MAC)
• SERIES RECORD: Tied 1-1
• THE COACHES: Pete Lembo, 28-19 (4th year) at Ball State, 107-55 (14th year) overall. Mark Whipple, 51-33 (7th year) at UMass, 123-66 (17th year) overall career record.
• TV: ESPNU. Play by Play: Mike Couzens; Analyst: Rene Ingoglia.

Cardinals Quick Notes:
• Ball State suffered a 35-21 home loss to Northern Illinois Wednesday in a nationally televised game from Scheumann Stadium in Muncie, Ind.  With the loss, the Cardinals fell to 3-6 on the season and 2-3 in Mid-American Conference action.
• The Cardinals are 14-4 in their last 18 MAC games.
• Senior running back and Ball State's career leading rusher Jahwan Edwards pushed his career rushing total to 4,226 yards and now has 920 rushing yards in 2014.  He needs 80 rushing yards to join Marcus Merriweather (2000-02) as only the second player in school history with three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

• Jahwan Edwards rushed for a touchdown with 8:40 remaining in the first quarter vs. Northern Illinois to become Ball State's all-time leader in points scored.  He now has 288 career points and passed placekicker Ian McGarvey, who held the record with 287 from 2007-10.
• Senior placekicker Scott Secor has been named one of 20 semifinalists for the 2014 Lou Groza Award, which goes to the nation's most outstanding placekicker.  He is the only student-athlete from the Mid-American Conference listed among the 20 semifinalists.
• Ball State has suffered three of its six losses this year by seven points or fewer. 
• Ball State has generated 12 turnovers in the past three games. The Cardinals forced two turnovers vs. Northern Illinois and five turnovers in each of the two games prior. Against Akron, the Cardinals tallied four interceptions and one fumble recovery.  At Central Michigan, Ball State registered three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
• The Cardinals have 19 takeaways on the season with 12 in the past three games and 17 in the last six games.
• Ball State ranks 13th in the nation in turnover margin (+0.89), 18th in fewest turnovers lost (11) and 20th in turnovers gained (19).
• Ball State ranks 18th in the nation in red zone defense, having allowed opponents to score on only 74.4 percent of trips inside the 20-yard line.
• The Cardinals rank eighth nationally for fewest penalties (38), 10th in the nation for fewest penalties per game (4.22), 18th in the NCAA for fewest penalty yards (363) and 19th in the nation for fewest penalty yards per game (40.33). Ball State ranks No. 1 in the MAC in all four of those categories.

Edwards Rushing Through the Record Books:
Jahwan Edwards scored his 48th career touchdown vs. Northern Illinois to extend his own school record for rushing TDs and total touchdowns (48).  Edwards has 821 rushing attempts in his career to rank second in Ball State history.  With his 21 rushes vs. Northern Illinois, he moved past Bernie Parmalee, who had 805 rushes from 1987-90.  Marcus Merriweather owns the Ball State career record with 851 rushing attempts from 1999-2002.

Edwards' MAC and National Rankings:
Jahwan Edwards moved into a tie for seventh in Mid-American Conference history with 48 career rushing touchdowns when he scored one vs. Northern Illinois.  He moved into a tie with former NIU quarterback Jordan Lynch.  Edwards is 13th in MAC history with 4,226 career rushing yards and 16th with 821 career rushes.  He ranks 23rd in the nation in rushing yards (920), 23rd in rushing yards per game (102.2) and 32nd in rushing TDs (9).  With 4,226 career rushing yards, Edwards ranks second among active players in career rushing yards and is behind only the 4,227 career rushing yards of Ameer Abdullah of Nebraska.  Edwards ranks 10th among active players with 93.9 rushing yards per game for his career.

Edwards' 100-Yard Games:
Jahwan Edwards rushed for 121 yards and one touchdown vs. Akron. It marked the 16th time in his career he has rushed for 100 or more yards in a game. He moved into second in Ball State history for 100-yard rushing games in a career. Edwards trails only Marcus Merriweather, who is the school's all-time leader with 19 from 1999-2002.

Jack the Quarterback:
Jack Milas threw his first career interception on his final pass of the first half vs. Northern Illinois. It snapped a string of 138 passes without an interception to start his career. He made his first collegiate appearance vs. Western Michigan Oct. 11, and passed for 326 yards and four touchdowns. The four TD passes matched the most ever by a Ball State quarterback in his starting debut. The 326 yards passing by Milas in the Western Michigan game marked the most ever by a Ball State freshman in a single game. On the season, Milas has completed 81-of-155 passes for 923 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions.

Kicking Game:
Scott Secor made a career best five field goals in Ball State's win over Akron. The five field goals matched Ball State's single-game record and set a Scheumann Stadium record. His 21 field goals this season rank third on Ball State's single-season list. The school record is 25 by John Diettrich in 1985 and Steven Schott in 2012. Secor is second in the nation with 21 field goals made in 2014. He is now 38-of-46 in his career on attempts of 45 yards or fewer. His career long 55-yarder at Central Michigan won the game for the Cardinals and surpassed the 49 yarder he made earlier this season at Toledo. Secor ranks first in the nation with 2.33 field goals per game, 14th in scoring with 9.6 points per game and 31st nationally with a .808 field goal percentage.


UMass Notes:

UMass will host its first-ever mid-week night game when Ball State visits McGuirk Stadium for the nationally televised game on Wednesday. The game will be televised on ESPNU as part of the league’s #MACtion series of games which are played on Tuesday and Wednesday night’s in November ensuring the teams receive the most national exposure possible.  The game will be televised on ESPNU and streamed online via www.WatchESPN.com or on mobile devices via the WatchESPN App.  Mike Couzens will call the play-by-play action, while UMass Hall of Fame running back Rene Ingoglia will provide color commentary.

Quick Slants
• UMass scored 40+ points in 3 straight games this year. In 131 prior seasons (1,166 games), UMass had done that just 2 other times - 1972 and 1963.
• Tajae Sharpe was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List on Oct. 7 after an outstanding start to the season. Sharpe ranks No. 2 in the MAC with 107.2 yards per game & is also No. 1 with 965 overall receiving yards.
• Blake Frohnapfel is the fastest quarterback to hit 2,000 yards passing to start his career at UMass. He accomplished the milestone in just seven games which was faster than Todd Bankhead, Liam Coen and Jeff Krohn.
• UMass’ pass offense ranks 6th overall nationally and leads the MAC (331.2 yards/game). UMass also ranks 22nd nationally (2nd in the MAC) in yards per completion (13.87 yards).
• The UMass defense had its best game of the year against Eastern Michigan allowing just 14 points, pitching a second half shutout and posting four QB sacks.
• After allowing 35+ points per game to start the year, UMass has allowed just 24.3 points over the last three games.
• A total of 23 points separate UMass from being bowl eligible this season - its third at the FBS level. The Minutemen have lost five games by a combined 19 points. In five games this year, UMass has carried a lead into the fourth quarter.

MACtion Invades McGuirk Stadium
• UMass dropped a shootout at Toledo, 42-35, in its last game played which was over two weeks ago. Blake Frohnapfel threw for 438 yards and five touchdowns, however, the Rockets were able to score in the final minute of regulation to seal the win.
• The tandem of Blake Frohnapfel and Tajae Sharpe have begun to catch the attention of the MAC and the NCAA. Sharpe was named to the Biletnikoff Watch List after his breakout start to the season. Frohnapfel ranks 5th in the NCAA for passing yards this year (2,483), while Sharpe also ranks 5th for receiving yards (890).
• UMass was one of two teams in the country (Louisiana Monroe) to play four non-conference games against teams from the Power Five conferences (ACC, PAC-12, SEC, Big Ten).
• Today is Heroes In Action Night at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Throughout the game, veterans, active military members and first responders will be honored in various ceremonies. Also, the Wing Commander of Westover Air Force Base, Colonel Albert V. Lupenski, will be among the honored military guests tonight.

Scoring Is Up Under Whipple
• Through nine games in 2014, the UMass offense is already drastically improved under head coach Mark Whipple and his pro style offense. The Minutemen have scored 36 offensive touchdowns in those games compared to a total of 14 for all of 2013 and 17 for all of 2012. UMass has 12 rushing TDs and 24 passing TDs this season compared to 5 rushing and 9 passing in 2013 and 8 rushing and 9 passing in 2012.
• The 123 combined points scored in the Bowling Green, Miami, and Kent State games marking just the 3rd time in 132 years of football at UMass to score 40+ points in three straight games. UMass had 135 points in three games during the 1972 season and 131 points in three games in the 1963 season. UMass has never had four straight games with 40+ points after falling just short of the 40 point mark in the 36-14 win over Eastern Michigan.

Close Games Showing Progress
• During the non-conference games, UMass played its opposition tightly. Against Colorado and Vanderbilt, the Minutemen held double-digit leads in the second half only to fall by three points in each game.
• In it’s MAC opener, UMass and Bowling Green traded leads seven times with the Falcons holding on a for a 47-42 win.
• The Minutemen had a pair of games in 2013 decided by a single point (Akron, Western Michigan), while in 2012, UMass had one loss by three points.

Frohnapfel Takes Charge
• Marshall transfer Blake Frohnapfel was named the starting quarterback by Mark Whipple after the second week of training camp. Frohnapfel, a graduate student in the Isenberg School of Management who has two years of eligibility, graduated from Marshall in three years after backing up Rakeem Cato who was the 2012 Conference USA MVP.
• At Marshall, Frohnapfel was 35-of-53 for 386 yards and five touchdowns - including one to his twin brother Eric who is a tightend for the Herd.