Mid-American Conference

MAC Football Final Scores:  Tuesday, November 4th

Bowling Green 27, Akron 10  Final
Toledo 30, Kent State 20  Final

Game stories courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Staffs.


Bowling Green 27, Akron 10
Box Score

AKRON, Ohio -- Bowling Green defeated Akron, 27-10, at InfoCision Stadium Tuesday night (Nov. 4) in a crucial MAC East matchup. Stiff winds and constant rain affected both teams, making offensive drives difficult to sustain. The victory pushes Bowling Green to 6-3 overall and makes the Falcons bowl eligible.

A pair of second-half turnovers forced by the Falcon defense turned the momentum completely in BGSU's favor. After a 44-yard Joe Davidson punt was downed at the Akron nine-yard line early in the third quarter, defensive lineman Taylor Royster recovered a fumble in the end zone after a high snap on Akron's next play from scrimmage. The defensive touchdown gave Bowling Green a 13-3 lead.

On the Zips' ensuing drive, true freshman defensive back Nick Johnson intercepted his second pass of the evening. Johnson, who was tracking an Akron receiver down the Falcon sideline, turned around just in time to leap for the ball and pick it off at the BGSU 38-yard line. Eleven plays later, James Knapke found Roger Lewis for an 11-yard touchdown pass on third-and-goal. The score gave the Orange and Brown a 20-3 lead with 4:54 remaining in the third quarter.

As a whole, the Bowling Green defense forced a season-high five turnovers – four of which were caused in the second half.

With the win, Bowling Green moves to 6-3 (4-1 MAC), while Akron falls to 4-5 (2-3 MAC). The Falcons now sit two games ahead in the loss column to the next closest team in the East division.

BGSU outgained Akron on the ground, 219-94, and posted 389 yards of total offense. Bowling Green gained 21 first downs and held Akron to just four successful third-down conversions across 18 attempts.

Running backs Fred Coppet and Andre Givens – who both rushed for over 100 yards, and each set new career highs – led the Falcon rushing attack. Coppet rushed for 113 yards on 18 carries, while Givens ran for 101 yards on 14 touches with one score. Knapke connected on 17-of-34 passes for 170 yards and one touchdown. Redshirt-junior Ryan Burbrink led all Bowling Green receivers with a team-high seven receptions for 52 yards. Gehrig Dieter added three catches for 61 yards, while Lewis hauled in four passes for 36 yards and the third-quarter touchdown.

Defensive backs Jude Adjei-Barimah and Ryland Ward registered a team-high 10 tackles for the Falcons. Defensive lineman Kendall Montgomery recorded BGSU's lone sack, while linebacker D.J. Lynch and defensive linemen Bryan Thomas and Izaah Lunsford also chipped in with tackles for loss. Along with the touchdown on the fumble recovery, Royster recovered a second fumble – his fourth of the season – in the third quarter. To go along with his two interceptions, Johnson notched nine tackles and three pass breakups. Adjei-Barimah and Thomas also forced a fumble apiece.

Tyler Tate connected on a first-quarter field goal from 30 yards out and added a second-quarter field goal from 45 yards out to stake BGSU to a 6-3-halftime lead.

The Falcon defense limited the Zips to just 129 total yards of offense in the first half, while getting off the field on 8-of-9 of Akron's third-down attempts. Johnson's first interception ended an Akron drive that was moving deep into Falcon territory.

On a second-and-10 play from the BGSU 17-yard line, quarterback Kyle Pohl's pass sailed over the head of his attempted receiver and Johnson made a diving interception that resulted in a touchback. Bowling Green proceeded to drive 53 yards over nine plays, setting up Tate's 45-yard kick that put the Orange and Brown on top, 6-3.

Royster's fumble recovery for a touchdown at the 9:23 mark of the third period gave the Falcons the lead that they would never relinquish. Akron did pull within 10 after a rushing touchdown early into the fourth quarter, but an interception by true freshman Clint Stephens – the Falcons' fifth forced turnover of the contest – set up a Givens' 46-yard rushing touchdown with 2:38 remaining that put the game on ice.

Bowling Green will host Kent State Nov. 12 at Doyt L. Perry Stadium at 8 p.m. A win will clinch BGSU a spot in the MAC Championship Game on Dec. 5.


Toledo 30, Kent State 20
Box Score
Postgame Notes

KENT, Ohio -- Toledo sophomore running back Kareem Hunt enjoyed his homecoming to Northeast Ohio as he rushed for 141 yards to lead Toledo to a 30-20 victory over Kent State in a rain-drenched Dix Stadium Tuesday night.

The victory moves Toledo into bowl eligibility at 6-3, and more importantly keeps the Rockets on top of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference at 5-0.  On the horizon is another big November showdown at Northern Illinois (6-2, 3-1 MAC) on Nov. 11.

On the negative side for UT, senior All-MAC center Greg Mancz and sophomore quarterback Logan Woodside both left the contest in the second half with injuries. Their status for next week’s contest is uncertain.

Hunt, who rushed for more than 5,000 yards as a prep at nearby Willoughby South High School, went over, around and through the Golden Flashes, going over 100 yards in the first half alone (117) for the third time this season. His best run was a 43-yarder in the first half. Freshman Terry Swanson added 77 yards on 17 carries. Woodside was solid in the poor weather conditions, completing 16-of-25 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the game with an apparent leg injury in the third quarter.

Senior placekicker Jeremiah Detmer also overcame the rain and a driving wind to knock down 3-of-3 field goals in the first half, his most productive game since he kicked five field goals as a sophomore in 2012 in a 29-23 upset over No. 18 Cincinnati.

Toledo held a 16-0 halftime lead and then hung on to survive a second-half Kent State rally. Trailing 30-7 with 3:53 left in the third quarter, the Golden Flashes cut the lead to 30-20 with 13:15 left in game.  But Toledo’s defense held KSU off the board the on its final three drives to secure its fifth-straight league victory.

In the first half, the Rockets consistently moved down the field behind the legs of Hunt and Swanson, but ended up settling for the right leg of Detmer. Detmer connected on field goals of 26, 28 and 45 yards to give the Rockets a 9-0 lead early in the second quarter.

UT finally found the end zone with 2:54 left in the half when Woodside hit senior Justin Olack for a 16-yard score to put the Rockets up, 16-0. The biggest play on the drive was a 27-yard catch and run by Swanson.

Toledo extended the lead to 23-0 on its first drive of the second half on an eight-yard pass from Woodside to junior Alonzo Russell.

Kent State got on the board when sophomore Nick Holley broke a tackle on fourth-and-one and took it 50 yards for the score, cutting the lead to 23-7. But the Rockets came right back and marched 75 yards in eight plays to push the lead back to 23 points, 30-7. The drive was capped by junior Kishon Wilcher’s first career touchdown catch, a two-yarder from Woodside.

But KSU did not give up, scoring touchdowns on its next two possessions to cut the lead to 30-20 with 13:15 left in the contest. Quarterback Nathan Strock set up the first score with a 65-yard run to the 11-yard line. The next TD was aided by a snap that went over punter Nick Ellis’ head, with Kent State taking over on at the Toledo 25-yard line. Five plays later, Strock hit Casey Pierce for a three-yard score. KSU’s two-point conversion attempt was no good, keeping the Rocket margin at 10 points with much of the fourth quarter left to play.

Toledo ended any comeback threat by stopping the Golden Flashes on their final three drives. Sophomore defensive tackle recovered a fumble to snuff out the first drive and KSU was forced to punt on its next possession. Then on KSU’s final drive of the game, junior Trent Voss tipped a Strock pass into the air and brought the ball in for a game-clinching interception with 27 seconds remaining. It was the third turnover forced by the Midnight Blue & Gold defense in the game.

The Rockets will resume action at Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Nov. 11 in a contest that could determine the MAC West champion.