MAC Football Final Scores: Thursday, August 28
Akron 41, Howard 0
Central Michigan 20, Tennessee-Chattanooga 16
Northern Illinois 55, Presbyterian 3
Game stories courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Akron 41, Howard 0
Box Score
Postgame Notes
AKRON, Ohio – Behind an offensive attack led by junior QB
Kyle Pohl, the University of Akron football team had no trouble handling Howard in its season opener, cruising to a 41-0 victory at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field on Thursday night.
The decisive win was Akron's first in a season-opening contest since 2007, when the Zips defeated Army 22-14.
Pohl finished the night 22-of-35 with 304 yards through the air and four touchdowns to help Akron rack up 506 yards and 24 first downs as a team. He threw touchdowns to three different receivers and tallied 48 yards rushing on seven carries.
One of Pohl's top targets, sophomore
Mykel Traylor-Bennett, caught four passes for 89 yards and his two touchdowns, his first two TDs as a Zip.
The Akron defense was stout throughout the game, holding the Bison to 216 total yards and 15 first downs.
C.J. Mizell recorded 10 tackles (eight solo) and a fumble recovery to lead the defense as the unit recorded its first shutout since a 41-0 triumph over Morgan State on Sept. 12, 2009.
A consistent pass rush kept Howard QB Greg McGhee off-balance throughout the game. Akron posted four sacks while holding McGhee to 12-of-26 passing for 68 yards.
The Zips started fast, scoring their first touchdown of the season on a 57-yard strike from Pohl to
L.T. Smith just 1:34 into the game. After the Akron defense forced a three-and-out on Howard's first drive, Pohl found Smith on a post route down the middle and the senior receiver raced untouched into the end zone for the score.
The Zips continued their defensive dominance on Howard's ensuing drive, forcing a fumble as
Justin March dislodged the ball from William Parker. Mizell recovered the ball, returning it to the Bison's 9-yard line. Another no-nonsense two-play drive put the Zips up 14-0 as Pohl threw his second touchdown of the game, this one a 9-yard connection to
Imani Davis.
UA needed just 58 seconds to score its first 21 points of the game, all in the first quarter.
Akron did not allow a first down on Howard's first three drives and surrendered just 135 yards in the first half. The Bison reached Akron territory for the first time nearly four minutes into the second quarter and found their way into the red zone just once on the night.
Neither team could dent the scoreboard in the final 24 minutes of the first half and the 21-0 margin remained unchanged until senior running back
Jawon Chisholm dove into the end zone on a 6-yard TD run midway through the third quarter to extend the lead to 28-0.
The Zips return to the field on Saturday, Sept. 6, when they travel to Penn State. Kickoff at Beaver Stadium is scheduled for 12 noon ET and the contest will be televised on ABC.
Central Michigan 20, Tennessee-Chattanooga 16
Box Score
Postgame Notes
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – It wasn’t necessarily a thing of beauty. But Central Michigan will happily take the result and move on.
Thomas Rawls was a smash in his CMU debut, rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown, and the Chippewa defense made four interceptions Thursday as CMU topped Football Championship Subdivision member Chattanooga, 20-16, in the season-opening football game at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
“We are very fortunate we came out of their with a win. I think it was a great effort on the part our team,” said Dan Enos, who improved to 4-1 in season openers as CMU coach. “I give their coach and staff from Chattanooga a lot of credit. They’re a well-coached and disciplined football team.”
CMU trailed 16-0 until sophomore quarterback Cooper Rush tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jesse Kroll with under two minutes to play in the first half to spark the Chippewas, who play at Purdue next week.
“Going into the second half, we just kept our cool,” said CMU defensive tackle Leterrius Walton. “There was no ‘rah-rah’ in the locker room. We knew we just had to focus, go through a little adversity. Coming out of the second half, we knew what to do.”
CMU scored on its first two possessions of the third quarter – Rawls on a 6-yard run, Courtney Williams on a 26-yard pass from Rush – to surge ahead.
While the Chippewa offense struggled to find its rhythm throughout most of the first half, the defense was good – despite surrendering a 70-yard TD pass play -- and got better throughout the evening.
Tony Annese made two interceptions, his second of which sealed the game with just over a minute remaining, and Blake Serpa and Kevin King had one each. Three of those picks came in the second half.
The interceptions, Annese said, “had a lot to do with the defensive line getting after the quarterback. They helped me out. First one was a tipped pass from the D-line and I wouldn’t have gotten a pick if it weren’t for them.”
Chattanooga quarterback Jacob Huesman, the preseason Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year and on the Walter Payton Award Watch List, completed 13-of-24 pass attempts for 150 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 40 yards on 13 carries.
The Mocs, 8-4 a year ago, the reigning Southern Conference champions, and ranked 14th in FCS, finished with 256 yards, only 29 of which came in the second half. Eleven of Chattanooga’s 14 first downs came before halftime.
“I thought our defense was outstanding and gave us a chance,” Enos said. “The defensive line was very disruptive in getting our hands on balls and getting the quarterback to throw sooner than he wanted to, and when you do that you get turnovers. I give a lot of credit to our defensive staff. That’s a very difficult offense to defend when you don’t see it every day.”
Rush, who just one of his first seven passes, finished 15-for-26 for 173 yards. The Chippewas did not commit a turnover, but their kicking game left plenty to be desired. Placekicker Ron Coluzzi missed a 43-yard field goal and an extra point and he had a field goal attempt blocked.
“We have to play better at quarterback,” Enos said. “We have to execute better offensively and our kicking game was really atrocious in the second half as well.
“We took a 20-16 game that should have been a 27- or 30-16 game and everyone could have relaxed more in the last five minutes of the game. We turned it into the nail-biter.
“The good lord has a way of putting you through things and it makes you tougher and stronger. That’s what I told (the players), we probably had to go through that to make us tougher and stronger for something else that may come down the road.”
Northern Illinois 55, Presbyterian 3
Box Score
Postgame Notes
DEKALB, Ill. -- Sophomore
Joel Bouagnon scored four touchdowns as NIU opened the season with a 55-3 victory over Presbyterian College on Thursday night at Huskie Stadium. NIU racked up 635 yards of total offense, 424 coming on the ground, as it extended its Huskie Stadium winning streak to a nation-leading 27 games.
The Huskies ran a program-record 109 plays on offense, surpassing its previous-best of 102 versus Ohio on Nov. 7, 1981.
Bouagnon gained 97 yards on 16 carries while senior
Akeem Daniels rushed for a game-high 118 yards on 15 carries. Eleven different players carried the football for the Huskies.
NIU gained 635 yards of total offense, 424 rushing and 211 passing, while holding Presbyterian to just 127 yards of offensive.
"We came out and did what we were supposed to do," said NIU Head Coach
Rod Carey, whose Huskies recorded the biggest win by the Huskies in a season-opener since 1963. "I wanted to see us play fast and we did, we executed pretty well for the most part. There were some issues when we got some of the younger guys in there but that's to be expected."
Presbyterian received the opening kickoff to start the game and picked up a first down before turning the ball over to the Huskies as junior safety
Marlon Moore forced a fumble, that was recovered by junior
Paris Logan on the NIU 42-yard line.
NIU took the lead on its first possession, going 58 yards in eight plays in just 1:54, taking a 7-0 lead. On second-and-15, junior quarterback
Matt McIntosh connected with senior wide receiver
Da'Ron Brown, who had gotten in behind the Presbyterian secondary, for a 39-yard touchdown reception.
Brown led NIU with seven catches for 91 yards.
After a three-and-out by the Blue Hose, the Huskies added three points with a 32-yard field goal from senior kicker
Tyler Wedel.
The Huskie defense forced another punt and NIU scored again as Bouagnon found the end zone from just a yard out to increase the NIU lead to 17-0 with 1:12 to play in the first quarter.
Presbyterian opened the second quarter with a punt and it took the Huskies just seven plays and 2:20 to go 69 yards for another score. On a third-and-4, Daniels picked up 29 yards around the left side to put the Huskies in scoring position. Two plays later, Bouagnon scored for the second time as the NIU offensive line opened a big hole up the middle from 23 yards out.
Bouagnon scored a third touchdown from nine yards out, capping a 13-play, 73-yard drive as NIU pushed its lead to 31-0 with 2:30 left in the first half.
NIU forced a quick Presbyterian punt and the Huskies moved into scoring range again as Wedel connected on a 26-yard field goal with three seconds left in the second quarter as NIU took a 34-0 lead into the break.
The Huskies added to their advantage on the opening possession of the second half. Sophomore quarterback
Drew Hare ran for 25 yards to get NIU across midfield; he then connected with junior wide receiver
Juwan Brescacin on a 49-yard slant for a touchdown as the Huskies lead grew to 41-0.
An interception by freshman cornerback
Albert Smalls gave the ball back to NIU at the Presbyterian 12. Three plays later, Bouagnon found the end zone for the fourth time, scoring from a yard out.
The Huskies forced three turnovers, scoring touchdowns on all three, and NIU did not turn the ball over.
NIU used all three of its new quarterbacks with McIntosh playing the entire first quarter, Hare taking over in the second and Maddie coming in after the first drive of the third quarter.
"Mac [McIntosh] ran the offense just like I expected him to; Drew came in and ran it well," Carey said. "Anthony was in a different situation with the young guys but I was pleased with all three overall."
Sophomore
Draco Smith scored on a 10-yard run to give the Huskies a 55-0 lead with 3:55 to play in the third quarter. Smith gained 35 yards on five carries on the drive, which was set up by a fumble recovery by sophomore linebacker
Sean Folliard.
Presbyterian got on the scoreboard with a 31-yard field goal by Brandon Morrow just before the end of the third quarter.
NIU will return to action next Saturday, Sept. 6, when the Huskies travel to Evanston to take on Northwestern. Game time against the Wildcats is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
