MAC Football Final Scores: Saturday, September 6
Central Michigan 38, Purdue 17
Penn State 21, Akron 3
Army 47, Buffalo 39
Missouri 49, Toledo 24
South Alabama 23, Kent State 13
Colorado 41, UMass 38
Iowa 17, Ball State 13
NIU 23, Northwestern 15
Eastern Kentucky 17, Miami 10
Kentucky 20, Ohio 3
Bowling Green 48, VMI 7
Florida 65, Eastern Michigan 0
Game stories courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Staffs.
Central Michigan 38, Purdue 17
Box Score
Postgame Notes
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - From the start, the Central Michigan football team asserted itself.
The Chippewas built an early 14-0 lead behind two big plays - one from the defense, the other from the offense - then took command behind another big rushing day from Thomas Rawls Saturday in beating Purdue, 38-17, before 36,410 at Ross-Ade Stadium.
"We played a good game today, we executed well," said CMU coach Dan Enos, who both played and coached at Michigan State. "I thought our defense played very well and we were very physical. We knew we were going to have to be to win.
"It's tough to win on the road anywhere, but to come into a Big Ten stadium - I was in that league for a while - and it's very difficult."
CMU is 2-0 for the first time since 2002 and Saturday's victory was its first over a Big Ten foe since a 32-31 win at Iowa in 2012. The Chippewas are 6-23 all-time against Big Ten opponents, but 4-4 in their last eight meetings with teams from that conference.
Cornerback Brandon Greer returned an interception 57 yards for a touchdown to give CMU a 7-0 lead before the game was five minutes old, then quarterback Cooper Rush connected with Anthony Rice on a 65-yard TD pass play to extend CMU's lead to 14-0 with 7 minutes, 29 seconds to play in the first quarter.
"I just played the ball and it goes back to practice," said Greer, who later forced fumble that he recovered. "You practice hard, you play hard. Once I saw it up there, I just focused on it. The bonus was the six."
Rawls continued his early season surge with 155 yards and two TDs on 31 carries, all career highs. The senior, who is in his first year at CMU after transferring from Michigan, ran for 123 yards a week ago in a 20-16 season-opening win over Chattanooga.
"I'm one of those running backs where if I catch my rhythm that's when I'm at my best," said Rawls, who also caught three passes for 50 yards. "Coach did a great job with the game plan and those big guys up front, they blocked their tails off. Just like last week, I felt that rhythm."
Rush completed 11-of-16 pass attempts for 172 yards and two touchdowns. He threw one interception, but that came in the fourth quarter with the Chippewas holding a 31-10 lead.
"He had the bad pick at the end, but I thought he was very efficient and he got the ball to the right guys," Enos said of Rush, a sophomore. "He played very soundly and did what we needed him to do."
Central Michigan's defense surrendered 326 yards, but it forced three turnovers - cornerback Jason Wilson also had an interception - and never allowed speedy Purdue running back Raheem Mostert to get on track. The Chippewas were also credited with six pass breakups, and they recorded two sacks.
Mostert, a Big Ten sprint champion in track, finished with 53 yards rushing on 19 carries, and had 31 yards on five receptions. The Boilermakers finished with 122 yards on the ground, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry.
Quarterback Danny Etling was 17-for-32 with 126 yards. Austin Appleby, who relieved Etling in the fourth quarter, was 7-for-17 for 78 yards and a TD.
After CMU built its 14-0 lead, the Boilermakers (1-1) drew to 14-7 on Etling's 4-yard TD run early in the second quarter.
The Chippewas counter punched on their next possession, marching 73 yards in five plays with Rawls scoring on a 2-yard plunge. That re-upped the lead to two scores, 21-7.
"When they got it to 14-7, that next drive was key and we went down and scored another touchdown and I thought that was a good sign for our football team," Enos said.
A 42-yard Paul Griggs field goal capped Purdue's first drive of the second half and drew the Boilermakers within 21-10, but the Chippewas again answered, this time going 75 yards in seven plays with Rush hitting Ben McCord with an 11-yard TD pass to extend the lead to 28-10.
Redshirt freshman Brian Eavey's 23-yard field goal, the first of his collegiate career, increased CMU's lead to 31-10 early in the fourth quarter.
The game unfolded in much different fashion than did CMU's opener, when the Chippewas rallied from a 16-0 first-half deficit to top Chattanooga. This time, CMU seized the early lead and built on it.
"Every football game's going to be different," Enos said. "You're going to be up, you're going to be down. Sometimes you've got to come back, sometimes you've to protect a lead. That's just another step for our football team.
"I think we were really uptight last week when we started the game. The guys put too much pressure on themselves to not make a mistake because they wanted to play well for their teammates.
"I think today they came out and just turned it loose and played."
Penn State 21, Akron 3
Box Score
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Akron defense forced three turnovers but the Zips were only able to convert them into three points as UA dropped a 21-3 decision at Penn State on Saturday.
Akron (1-1) picked off Christian Hackenberg twice and forced a fumble on the day, while the offense was without a turnover for the second-straight week. However, Penn State (2-0) would post 425 yards of total offense.
The Zips finished with 277 yards of total offense, but went 1-of-3 in the redzone and 5-of-17 on third down.
QB Kyle Pohl finished the game going 24-of-46 for 208 yards. Jawon Chisholm led the Zips with 30 yards on seven carries. Devonte Morgan led the Zips with seven tackles.
Hackenberg led the Penn State air attack, connecting on 22-of-36 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns to go with his two interceptions.
The Zips opened the game moving the ball well, driving 60 yards on 11 plays to the Penn State 7-yard line. However, back-to-back sacks pushed Akron back to the PSU 14 and Tom O'Leary missed on a 31-yard attempt.
After both teams posted unsuccessful drives, PSU broke the stalemate on a 22-yard TD pass from Hackenberg to Bill Belton to complete a four-play, 58-yard drive (2:58, 1st).
PSU would drive into the Akron redzone on its next possession, but Martel Durant ended the drive with his second-career interception with 12:55 to go in the first half. From there, neither team was able to put points on the board as the Nittany Lions would take a 7-0 advantage to the locker room.
The Akron defense opened the second half by forcing a PSU fumble on the third play of the half. Robert Stein would connect on a 28-yard field goal to cut the PSU lead to 7-3 with 11:11 on the third-quarter clock.
With the third quarter coming to an end, Hackenberg led Penn State on a 10-play, 79-yard drive to take a 14-3 lead. The drive was extended by a 28-yard Hackenberg completion on third-and-25.
With Penn State driving, Bre' Ford picked off Hackenberg at the UA three and returned it 51 yards to the PSU 47. It looked like the Zips would convert a first down three players later, but an official review ruled Chisholm stepped out-of-bounds just shy of the marker. Conor Hundley would be stopped in the backfield on fourth-and-1, giving the ball back to Penn State with 9:23 left in the game.
Hackenberg connected with TE Jesse James two plays later for a 44-yard touchdown, giving PSU a 21-3 lead with 8:58 remaining.
Akron would take its next possession to the Penn State 13, but would not be able to convert on fourth-and-10 with 4:09 to go.
The Zips have a bye week before they play host to Marshall on Saturday, Sept. 20, at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field. Game time will be announced on Monday.
Army 47, Buffalo 39
Box Score
WEST POINT, NY – Trailing, 47-17, in the fourth quarter, the University at Buffalo football team fought back and nearly capped an improbable comeback, but ultimately lost to the Black Knights, 47-39, at Michie Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Joe Licata threw for 396 yards and an FBS-era school-record five touchdown passes in the game. The junior signal-caller hit 11 different receivers. His favorite target was Marcus McGill who had six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns – all career highs. Devin Campbell also had a pair of touchdown receptions.
Army, playing its first game of the season, featured a strong running attack, utilizing the triple-option offense. The UB defense struggled to defend the offense and allowed 341 yards on the ground, one week after holding Duquesne to just 51 yards rushing.
The Bulls got off to a great start as, on the third play of the game, Lee Skinner force a fumble that was recovered by Witney Sherry. UB drove down the field and a Patrick Clarke 22-yard field goal gave the Bulls a 3-0 lead. However, Army would control the remainder of the half and led 21-3 at the break.
The Black Knights went ahead, 28-3, midway through the third quarter before the Bulls finally found the endzone. Licata hit Devon Hughes across the middle for a 20-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 28-10.
The teams would trade quick scores. First, a 41-yard touchdown run by Army put the Black Knights back up, 34-10. The Bulls quickly answered as Licata hit McGill with a quick screen and the junior wide receiver outraced everyone 65 yards for a touchdown.
Back-to-back quick touchdowns by Army made the score 47-17 and seemingly out of reach. But a common theme with any Jeff Quinn coached team is their refusal to quit. First, Licata hit Campbell with a shovel pass and the junior running back outraced the defenders to the pylon for a touchdown – 47-24.
A perfectly executed onside kick by Clarke was recovered by McGill and the Bulls were back on offense. UB drove 47 yards on eight plays and Licata found McGill from three yards out to cut the lead to 47-31 with 6:01 left.
The UB defense was able to force an Army fumble that was recovered by Lee Skinner at the UB 33-yard line with 5:03 left. The Bulls marched 67 yards in 2:21 and Licata and Campbell connected for their second touchdown of the game, this time from eight yards out. Willoughby caught the two-point conversion attempt and all of the sudden the Bulls were down by only eight points.
UB had one more chance as the defense held and the Bulls got the ball back at their own 25-yard line with 57 seconds left and no timeouts. However, the drive stalled and so did UB's chances of completing the comeback.
"I'm disappointed," Quinn said. "We came here to win a football game and we didn't play well enough for four quarters. We take a lot of pride in playing four quarters of football. We didn't do that in the first half. I thought there were some things in the second half that clearly showed more of what we expected out of our players."
The Bulls actual outgained Army in total offense, 549-466. Licata's 396 passing yards were the 10th most in a single game in school history. His 34 completions were two shy of his own school record. His five touchdown passes were an FBS-era record and tied Cliff Scott (at New Haven 9/12/92) for second all-time at UB - one behind Marty Barrett (vs. Alfred 11/12/83) who holds the school record,
It will be a quick turnaround for the Bulls as they host 10th-ranked Baylor on Friday night at UB Stadium.
No. 24 Missouri 49, Toledo 24
Box Score
Postgame Notes
TOLEDO, OH - Sophomore Kareem Hunt rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns but it wasn’t enough for Toledo to match No. 24 Missouri, as the Tigers defeated the Rockets 49-24 at the Glass Bowl Saturday afternoon.
To make matters worse for Toledo, UT junior quarterback Phillip Ely went down with a knee injury in the third quarter. Ely was helped off the field and taken to the locker room. Toledo head coach Matt Campbell said Ely was still being evaluated and his status for next week should be determined by Monday. Ely finished 17-of-34 for 204 yards and one interception.
Missouri was led by sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk, who completed 21-of-32 passes for 325 yards and five scores to four different receivers.
The Tigers broke open a 7-7 game with three unanswered touchdowns in the first half, then scored on its first possession of the second half to take a commanding 35-7 lead.
Missouri got on the board on its second drive in the first quarter courtesy of a 16-yard scoring strike from Mauk to Russell Hansbrough that completed a four-play, 45-yard drive. The two teams then exchanged punts before Toledo struck back on a 38-yard touchdown run by Hunt. The Tigers answered with a five-play, 75-yard drive that was set up by a 45-yard pass play from Mauk to Darius White. White finished the drive with a seven-yard scoring run.
Toledo missed a great opportunity on Missouri’s next series when senior safety Jordan Haden picked off a Mauk pass and returned it to the Tiger 12-yard line but was stripped by Tiger receiver Bud Sasser. Missouri recovered the fumble, denying Toledo a great opportunity to score.
Another Rocket turnover led to Missouri’s next touchdown. Mizzou cornerback Aarion Penton snagged an Ely pass and returned it 38 yards to the Toledo 25-yard line. On the next play Mauk hit Sasser for a 24-yard play to the Rocket one-yard line. Two plays later Mauk ran around left end to make the score 21-7 with 12:43 to play in the half.
On its next drive Toledo drove the ball to the Missouri five-yard line but came up empty. A penalty and a sack pushed the Rockets back to the 27-yard line. Jeremiah Detmer’s 44-yard field attempt was blocked, his first miss after making 15 in a row and only second in his last 40 attempts.
Missouri made it 28-7 thanks to a short field set up by a 34-yard punt return by Marcus Murphy to the Toledo 39-yard line. The second of two Mauk completions was a 13-yard TD pass to Jimmie Hunt.
Toledo got the ball to start the second half but failed to gain a first down on its first possession. Missouri countered with a 13-play, 85-yard drive to make the score 35-7.
But the Rockets would not quit. Hunt scored his second TD of the game from one yard out, set up by his own run of 45 yards on the previous play. Junior Christian Dukes then picked off Mauk on third-and-long on the Missouri 43-yard line. Four plays later, Hunt scored his third TD from one yard out and cut the Tiger lead to 35-21.
But Missouri struck back quickly, with Mauk hitting Sasser on third-and-seven for a 47-yard gain. Mauk went right back to Sasser for a 25-yard score down the sideline to push Mizzou’s cushion back to three touchdowns.
The news got worse for Toledo on its next possession when Ely went down with an apparent knee injury. The junior signal-caller crumpled to the ground as he set himself to make a pass. He was helped off the field and did not return to the game.
Hunt caught his second TD pass of the game to close out the scoring for Missouri with 7:35 left. Toledo’s final drive resulted in a 40-yard field goal by Detmer.
The Rockets’ next test will be at Cincinnati in a Friday night game vs. the Bearcats at Paul Brown Stadium.
South Alabama 23, Kent State 13
Box Score
KENT, Ohio – Inconsistency continued to haunt Kent State in a 23-13 loss to South Alabama on Saturday at Dix Stadium.
The Golden Flashes watched too many negative plays either stall their own drives or extend their opponent's. After struggling to move the chains for most of the day, their offense created sparks of hope late in both halves. On defense, the Flashes forced the Jaguars to punt on five consecutive second-half possessions before finally wearing down on a game-sealing touchdown march in the final minutes.
Before that final drive closed in a 23-yard touchdown run by Jay Jones with 1:12 to play, Kent State still managed to put itself in position for a 32-yard field goal that could have tied the game with 4:04 remaining.
The kick by Anthony Melchiori narrowly missed. Adding insult to injury, a South Alabama player appeared to jump and stay in the neutral zone just prior to Melchiori's attempt. The protest that followed drew Kent State's second flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, shortening the field for the Jaguars game-clinching drive.
"Again, we came up short," said Kent State head coach Paul Haynes, whose Golden Flashes fell to 0-2 at home to start the season. "I still like our fight. I still like our attitude … But we are not good enough to get negative plays and overcome them.
"There is a lot of football to play. We have to make sure we continue to do the things we are doing well, and then make sure we look at the things we are not doing well and improve."
For the second consecutive week, Kent State's biggest issues were on offense. The running game managed just 64 yards on 28 attempts for a 2.3-per-carry average. Quarterback Colin Reardon also struggled, despite tossing touchdown passes of 8 yards to Nick Holley late in the second quarter and 44 yards to Casey Pierce in the fourth.
Reardon completed just one of his first 10 passes as South Alabama built an early 16-0 lead, then finished with 213 yards on 17-of-40 passing, including a late interception.
"The good thing is you look at these first two games and we still had chances to win," said Haynes. "If we play a little better early, we are probably ahead … We had a couple of good runs, and that helped us, but we have a long way to go to be consistent in running the football. It will help us throwing the football if we can become a better running team."
The touchdown throw to Holley marked the first career score for the sophomore wide reciever-turned-running back. Holley also led the Flashes with 47 yards on 14 carries.
South Alabama grabbed 2-0 first-quarter lead on a safety after Reardon was called for intentional grounding while trying to elude pressure on a throw from his own end zone. The Jaguars extended their advantage to 9-0 on a 1-yard touchdown throw from Brandon Bridge to Shavarez Smith.
Two plays before that first touchdown, Kent State lost what they thought was a drive-ending, tipped-ball interception in the end zone by Nate Holley when cornerback Najee Murray was flagged for a questionable pass-interference penalty.
The Jaguars added another 1-yard touchdown on a Jones run with 8:01 to play. But after that, Kent State's defense held strong until the final minutes.
"They played hard," Haynes said of his defense. "They got us off the field with those three-and-outs … When you play a spread team with two running backs, it is tough to defend. You are playing the game from 20-yard line-to-20-yard line. So, we don't talk about yardage because you are going to give up yardage. You just have to buckle down in the red zone, and our guys did a good job of buckling down on those (five) straight drives in the second half."
Bridge completed 15-of-25 passes for 161 yards while Jones finished with 102 yards on 21 carries for South Alabama (1-0).
Kent State (0-2) will travel to Ohio State next weekend for a noon kickoff with the Buckeyes.
Colorado 41, UMass 38
Box Score
Postgame Notes
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Blake Frohnapfel threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns but Colorado managed to overcome a 21-point deficit and defeat Massachusetts 41-38 at Gillette Stadium Saturday.
UMass (0-2) finished with 371 yards and collected 23 first downs. The Minutemen also rushed for 125 yards and had two scores on the ground. The back-and-forth contest saw 845 yards of total offense, including 585 through the air.
Frohnapfel finished 20-for-38 with an interception and was sacked twice. Sefo Liufau threw for 318 yards on 26-of-42 with three TDs and an interception.
Jovan Santos-Knox finished with 12 tackles, a sack and two hurries for the Minutemen.
CU struck first, moving the ball 48 yards before Will Oliver made a 35-yard field goal.
After an unsuccessful possession by each team, Frohnapfel led UMass to its first score of the game with an efficient 85-yard drive, culminating in a 14-yard fade route to Rodney Mills.
On CU's next possession, Liufau completed a swing pass to Shay Fields, who scampered down the right sideline on a 19-yard play to put CU ahead 10-7.
Oliver added a 47-yard field goal midway through the second quarter to extend the Buffalo lead to 13-7.
UMass regained the lead on Jean Sifrin's first career touchdown, as the junior college transfer hauled in a 12-yard toss from Frohnapfel. That and the Blake Lucas extra point put the Minutemen back on top 14-13 with 6:07 left in the half.
Tony Jones capped an 85-yard drive with a 5-yard rush to swing the momentum back in the visitor's favor and a 20-14 lead late in the first half.
Randall Jette then made the defensive play of the game, stealing the ball away from Fields over his head and retuned it 29 yards to the 2-yard line. The Minutemen needed just one play, followed a play later by Jamal Wilson TD run. UMass took a 31-20 lead with 12:24 in the third quarter.
CU answered with a strong drive, moving 77 yards & using a 14-yard run by Christian Powell to cut the UMass lead to 31-27 with 8:02 left in the third quarter.
CU regained the lead on a 70-yard TD pass to Nelson Spruce as he gets behind UMass defense on scramble play. The Buffs got their largest lead of the game at 41-31 with 11:16 to play when Spruce caught a 3-yard pass in the back of the end zone.
Marken Michel scored for UMass with a 7-yard TD run on the jet sweep to pull UMass to within 41-38 with 2:55 left in regulation.
UMass will return to play next week when it opens s 2-game road trip at Vanderbilt. Kickoff at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville is set for Noon Eastern Time. The game will be broadcast by FSN.
NIU 23, Northwestern 15
Box Score
Postgame Notes
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northern Illinois University Huskies used a 23-point second half offensive outburst and an unrelenting defense to defeat in-state foe Northwestern, 23-15, Saturday at Ryan Field in Evanston. The Huskies won their third consecutive game over a Big Ten Conference opponent after recording wins over Iowa and Purdue a year ago, and claimed their first win in eight tries over the Wildcats.
NIU improved to 2-0 on the season and has won 25 consecutive regular season games. The Huskies lead the nation with 16 consecutive wins in true road games dating back to Oct. 1, 2011. NIU is now 5-3 versus Big Ten teams since 2009.
"I'm so happy for these guys and this group of seniors," said NIU Head Coach Rod Carey following the win. "I'm so proud of them I can barely stand it. Are we a finished product? No. We've got a lot to clean up, but we made enough key plays at key moments to get this win."
Drew Hare, the third quarterback to play in the game for NIU, sparked the Huskies to three second half touchdowns and was responsible for all of the team's scoring drives. The sophomore from O'Fallon, Mo. (Fort Zumwalt West HS) completed six-of-10 passes for 109 yards and two scores and ran for another touchdown. He hit senior receiver Da'Ron Brown (Chicago/Morgan Park HS) with scoring passes of 18 and 59 yards and scored on a four-yard run.
Brown finished the game with six catches for 128 yards to post his second career 100-yard receiving day. Senior Akeem Daniels rushed for 81 yards on 16 carries to power a Huskie rushing attack that totaled 221 yards on 55 carries by seven different players.
The Huskie defense shut out Northwestern in the first half as the teams played to a 0-0 tie. NIU got a spectacular interception in the end zone from junior cornerback Paris Logan (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge HS) to thwart one Wildcat drive and forced five punts in the half.
NIU was unable to get anything going on offense, either, until sophomore Anthony Maddie relieved starter Matt McIntosh at quarterback and led the Huskies on a 14-play, 72-yard drive to the NIU eight-yard line. From there, kicker Tyler Wedel missed a 25-yard field goal with 3:55 to play before halftime.
Hare took over to start the third quarter and led NIU on a 10-play, 60-yard drive to the Wildcat 15, where Wedel's field goal attempt from 32-yards was good for the first score of the game.
Northwestern responded to the Huskies' score with a four-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Trevor Siemian to Kyle Prater and gave the Wildcats their only lead of the game at 7-3 with 4:51 to play in the third quarter.
From there, the Huskie defense proceeded to make life miserable for Northwestern, and especially the Wildcat quarterbacks. NIU recorded three of its five sacks in the second half and Northwestern finished the half with zero (0) net yards rushing on 12 carries for the half. The Wildcats were also penalized for holding several times in the final half while trying to control the NIU defenders. Linebacker Rasheen Lemon and defensive end Jason Meehan each collected a pair of sacks in the game, NIU broke up six passes and forced three fumbles.
NIU took the lead for good with 52 seconds to play in the third quarter when Hare hit Brown from 18 yards out to complete a 13-play, 82-yard drive. Two possessions later, Hare hit Brown with a 59-yard laser to the end zone to give NIU a 16-7 lead (after the PAT was blocked).
After the NIU defense forced a Northwestern three-and-out, Chad Beebe's 36-yard punt return set up NIU on the NU 22. Four plays later, Hare ran it in from four yards out and Wedel's PAT made it 23-7 with 3:27 to play.
Northwestern got a late touchdown pass and two-point conversion after a roughing the passer penalty kept their drive alive. Brown recovered Northwestern's onside kick attempt and NIU ran out the clock for the win.
The Huskies next take on the UNLV Rebels in Las Vegas on Saturday, Sept. 13. NIU returns home on Saturday, Oct. 4.
Iowa 17, Ball State 13
Box Score
Postgame Notes
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Ball State football team came up a few plays shy of another signature win Saturday as Iowa came back in the fourth quarter for a 17-13 win at Kinnick Stadium.
The Cardinals, who were seeking to defeat a power conference team for the fourth straight season, fell to 1-1 on the year, while the Hawkeyes improved to 2-0.
“This was an Iowa football game,” Ball State head coach Pete Lembo said. “They stick to their plan, they don’t panic, they don’t give up cheap ones, and they wear you down in the second half. That is what they did to us on both sides of the ball.”
The game was a defensive battle with Ball State giving up only a field goal through most of the afternoon to take a 13-3 lead into the closing minutes.
But Iowa managed to score touchdowns on its final two drives of the day. A 12-yard pass from Jake Rudock to Derrick Willies cut the Ball State lead to three points with 2:52 to play, and the Cardinals then went three-and-out before giving the ball back to Iowa at the Hawkeyes’ 41-yard line with 2:23 left.
Rudock then engineered a six-play drive and capped it with another 12-yard touchdown pass, this time to Jake Duzey, giving Iowa its only lead of the day. Ball State got the ball back with one minute to play, but quarterback Ozzie Mann was hit and fumbled. Iowa recovered to seal the comeback win.
“Late in the game when they went to basically everything through the air, that is when we started giving up yards in chunks,” Lembo said. “We were not able to get a great pass rush late, and the two scores were the result of some technique and mental issues.”
Ball State’s defense kept the Cardinals in the lead throughout the day. Three times Ball State stood strong in the red zone to force field goal attempts the Hawkeyes missed. It was even the defense that produced the team’s lone touchdown when sophomore lineman Blake Dueitt returned an Iowa fumble 35 yards for the first score of the day.
Eric Patterson recorded his first career sack and two tackles for loss for the Ball State defense, while Zack Ryan finished with a team-high 10 tackles.
An Iowa field goal late in the first half ended the shutout and sent the teams to the locker room with Ball State on top, 7-3. Scott Secor then connected on two field goals in the third quarter to push the Ball State lead to 10 points before the Hawkeyes’ comeback. The second field goal was set up when the Ball State special teams created a turnover on the kickoff that followed the first.
In the end, the Cardinals could not generate the offense they needed, finishing the day with 219 total yards.
“In a game like this, there is very little margin for error,” Lembo said. “You know that going in, so every mistake you make will get magnified. Against a team like this, you have to play an extremely clean football game, and in all three phases we did some good things and we competed, but we did not play a clean enough football game.”
Ball State returns to Scheumann Stadium on Saturday for a 3 p.m. kickoff against Indiana State before opening Mid-American Conference play at Toledo, Sept. 20.
Kentucky 20, Ohio 3
Box Score
Postgame Notes
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Ohio University football team fell 20-3 to the University of Kentucky, Saturday afternoon at Commonwealth Stadium.
The Wildcats got on the board early, scoring on their first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Bobcats got on the board early in the second half when redshirt junior Josiah Yazdani connected on a 44-yard field goal with 12:12 left in the third quarter to make it 17-3.
Kentucky would get another field goal in the third quarter to make the score 20-3.
Offensively, Redshirt sophomore JD Sprague went 13-for-25 for 143 yards. Sprague also had six rushes for 20 yards. Junior Daz Patterson had 44 yards on 14 attempts.
Redshirt freshman Brendan Cope led the Bobcats in receiving, pulling in four passes for 57 yards, his longest, a 36-yard reception on the first play of the third quarter.
Defensively, redshirt Junior Jovon Johnson led the Bobcats with 12 tackles. Lexington, Ky. native, freshman Kylan Nelson had two tackles. Redshirt freshman Quentin Poling recorded his first two career sacks, both in the second quarter. He also recorded 10 tackles, two and a half of them for loss.
The Bobcats return to action Saturday, Sept. 13 when they head to Huntington, W. Va. to take on Marshall. Kickoff is set for Noon at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. The game will be aired on CBS Sports Network.
Bowling Green 48, VMI 7
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Bowling Green rang up 526 yards of total offense and two special teams touchdowns en route to a 48-7 win over VMI on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 6). The game was the 2014 home opener for the Falcons as well as the debut for starting quarterback James Knapke.
The Falcons began the game on defense and forced VMI to punt after just four plays. That began a string of successful stops for the BGSU defense, which did not allow the Keydets to cross midfield until the middle of the second quarter.
Bowling Green's offense began their first drive at their own 29 yard line. The 71-yard touchdown march was dominated by Knapke and Travis Greene. Greene carried on the first three plays, after which Knapke converted a third down with a 17-yard pass to Roger Lewis.
After two more short rushes, Greene burst through the middle for a 33-yard run on his sixth carry of the drive. On the following play, Knapke plowed into the middle of the line for a one-yard touchdown run. Tyler Tate's extra point gave BGSU a 7-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.
BGSU faltered on their second possession and did not obtain a first down. However, the Falcons' defense forced two more punts from VMI. On the second, Ryan Burbrink and Ronnie Moore appeared to collide as they both attempted to catch the punt at BGSU's 25-yard line. Burbrink came away with the ball and weaved his way through traffic for a 75-yard touchdown return and a 14-0 lead.
The next possession for Bowling Green began on their own 12-yard line after the fourth Keydet punt. This time, Knapke joined with Fred Coppet to drive the Falcon offense to a touchdown in only eight plays. Knapke completed three passes for 17 yards and ran for another 17 on the march, but Coppet ran for 54 yards on just four carries, including a 21-yard burst. He scored untouched around the left end on a 15-yard jaunt for a 21-0 lead less than one minute into the second quarter.
Another three-and-out by VMI put the Falcons offense back on the field, and they scored in under two minutes for the second consecutive drive. Knapke completed all three passes he threw for 50 yards, including a 41-yard dart to Lewis. Greene had three more big runs for 38 yards, and his 21-yard jaunt up the middle capped the six-play, 88-yard drive. His score pushed the Falcon lead to 28-0.
In those two drives alone, BGSU ran 14 plays that accumulated 174 yards and took only 3:26 to do it.
VMI answered with a touchdown to close to 28-7, but late in the half, the Falcons answered. Ryland Ward secured the team's first turnover of the season with an interception of Al Cobb with 3:26 left in the half. Knapke passed twice to Heath Jackson for 30 and 12 yards, and Greene completed the three-play, 46-second drive with a seven-yard run. The Falcons took a 34-7 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Bowling Green cruised to their victory by pitching a shutout in the final two quarters. They completed the day with two more touchdowns, one each in the third and fourth quarter.
On VMI's first drive of the second half, Hayden Alford lined up to punt for the Keydets. The snap was low, and Alford bobbled it. This allowed Herve Coby to block the punt attempt, and he recovered the ball and ran 14 yards for the Falcons' second special teams touchdown of the day.
Bowling Green's final scoring drive of the day again went the length of the field. Knapke guided the team 86 yards in 10 plays, and the touchdown came on a 51-yard rainbow pass to Lewis down the right sideline. With the extra point, BGSU had the final points in hand for their 48-7 win.
The Falcons ran 71 plays for 526 yards, an average of 7.4 per play. They did their business equally on the ground and through the air, as they rushed 37 times for 260 yards and passed 34 times for 266 yards. The Falcons' defense held VMI to 97 yards rushing on 35 attempts.
Knapke produced quality numbers in his first start, as he completed 22 of 31 passes for 237 yards, one touchdown and one interception. True freshman Cody Callaway saw his first career action in the fourth quarter, and he completed all three of his passes for 29 yards.
Lewis had a breakout game with six catches for 140 yards and a touchdown, while Jackson added six more catches for 59 yards.
On the ground, Greene produced 129 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Coppet's nine carries resulted in a touchdown and 73 yards. Andre Givens ran for 41 yards in the fourth quarter, and Knapke added another rushing score.
Bowling Green produced three turnovers on defense. That included Ward's interception, as well as fumble recoveries by Paul Senn and Gus Schwieterman. Schwieterman added a sack, while Senn led the team with 13 tackles. Terrance Bush added a second sack for BGSU.
Three quarterbacks played for the Keydets, led by Al Cobb, who threw for 224 yards by completing 26 of 43 attempts. Jabari Turner led VMI with 43 yards rushing, while Doug Burton produced 76 receiving yards.
Bowling Green (1-1) resumes their season next Saturday when they host the Indiana Hoosiers. That game will begin at 12:00 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
Eastern Kentucky 17, Miami 10
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio—In its second game of the season, the Miami University football team (0-2) was clipped by the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (2-0) at Yager Stadium on Saturday afternoon, 17-10.
Miami racked up 419 yards off offense and had the ball for 38:38 of the game compared to EKU’s 280 yards of offense and 21:22 time of possession, but six turnovers stymied the RedHawk attack.
Senior quarterback Andrew Hendrix finished with 359 yards passing, completing 25-of-52 attempts but threw three interceptions. Senior wide receiver David Frazier led all players with 106 receiving yards, while sophomore receiver Rokeem Williams finished with 105 receiving yards.
Defensively, junior linebacker Kent Kern led all players with 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, and had two pass break ups. Junior linebacker Joe Dolan followed with nine tackles.
Miami struck quickly, putting its first score on the board less than a minute into the game. Hendrix connected with sophomore wide receiver Jared Murphy on a 40-yard touchdown pass at the 14:01 mark to cap a three-play, 75-yard drive. The junior Kaleb Patterson extra point handed the RedHawks an early 7-0 lead.
A RedHawk special teams’ turnover on their own 15-yardline allowed EKU to put its first points on board with a 37-yard field goal at the 2:05 mark of the first quarter as the Colonels pulled within four of Miami, 7-3.
Each team had chances to score in the second quarter but neither was able to convert, leaving Miami holding a 7-3 edge at the half. Miami had a 21-yard field goal blocked with 6:39 to go in the second quarter, before senior defensive back Quinten Rollins came up with a brilliant interception in the end zone to prevent an EKU touchdown at the 4:34 mark.
Miami extended its lead in the third quarter when Patterson booted a 22-yard field goal at the 6:39 mark to hand the RedHawks a 10-3 lead. Eastern Kentucky knotted the game when Stanley Absanon intercepted a Hendrix pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown with 3:53 remaining in the third. The Andrew Lloyd extra point evened game at 10 apiece.
Eastern Kentucky took its first lead of the game on a 43-yard pass from Jeff Glover to Deno Montgomery with 4:43 to go up, 17-10.
At halftime, Miami retired the jersey number of Travis Prentice, an All-America running back from 1996-99.
The RedHawks hit the road for three straight games, beginning with a 3:30 p.m. game at Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 13.
Florida 65, Eastern Michigan 0
Box Score
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In it first road contest of the 2014 season, the Eastern Michigan University football team suffered a 65-0 setback at the hands of the University of Florida Saturday afternoon, Sept. 6, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Gators' offense jumped on the board early with 17 first quarter points as the Eagles were kept off the scoreboard for the first time in 69 games, dating back to Sept. 27, 2008, against Northern Illinois University.
The contest marked the first loss of the season for the Green and White as well as the first with Head Coach Chris Creighton. Meanwhile, UF snapped a seven-game losing skid to improve to 1-0 after having its game a week earlier cancelled due to weather.
Five turnovers hurt the Eagles as the offense picked up 125 yards. Brogan Roback went 5-for-10 as Eastern used three different quarterbacks throughout the day. EMU starting quarterback Reginald Bell was the team's leading rusher alongside Tyler Allen as both Eagles ran for 20 yards on the ground, with all of Bell's coming in the opening half. Tyreese Russell caught two passes for 20 yards, while Dustin Creel added 16 yards receiving on two catches.
On the defensive side of the ball, Great Ibe and Ray Tillman tallied a team-high 11 tackles. Tillman's double-digit day set a career best, tying the amount of tackles he recorded throughout the entire 2013 season. Reigning MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week Nathan Adams also chipped in on defense, making a tackle behind the line of scrimmage on a Florida fourth down play in the red zone.
Florida's Jeff Driskel went 31-for-45 for 248 yards, while backup quarterback Treon Harris completed a pair of passes for 148 yards. Demarcus Robinson led the receiving corps with six catches for 123 yards, including a 70-yards touchdown reception. The Gators chalked up 259 yards rushing as well for a total of 655 yards from scrimmage on the day.
Florida put the game's first points on the scoreboard as the Gators converted twice on fourth down. UF marched 63 yards down the field in 16 plays, taking 6:31 off the clock. On third and five from the EMU 16-yard line, Kevin Johnson made a spectacular breakup at the goal line to force the Gators to settle for three. A 33-yard attempt by Frankie Velez split the uprights to give Florida a 3-0 lead.
The Gators increased their lead to double digits after an EMU fumble gave Florida prime field position. On the next play, Kelvin Taylor found the end zone from 31 yards out, making it 10-0 with 6:00 remaining in the first quarter.
After another touchdown in the opening quarter, Florida added 13 more points in the second quarter. Midway through the quarter, Coach Creighton made a switch at quarterback, sending in Roback in place of Bell. The sophomore moved the EMU offense across midfield before the UF defense stood tall and forced a punt. Going into the locker room, the Eagles found themselves trailing, 30-0.
Bell led the EMU rushing attack in the first half with 20 yards on seven carries. Allen added a 16-yard rush on a jet sweep that gave the Eagles a first down. Through the air, Roback was 3-of-6 for 20 yards, while Bell completed two of his six passes for 12 yards. Russell and Creel both caught a pair of passes, totaling 16 and 12 yards, respectively. On defense, Ibe, Johnson and Tillman recorded six tackles apiece.
Turnover plagued Eastern in the first half as two fumbles gave Florida great field position. The Gators racked up 308 yards in the opening half, including 178 through the air by Driskel, who completed 23-of-33 passes. Driskel's favorite receivers were Clay Burton, who caught six passes for 39 yards, and Quinton Dubar, who made a 42-yard catch as part of a five-reception 81-yard first half. On the ground, Matt Jones ran for 61 yards, while Taylor added 41 of his own.
In the second half, Florida continued to put points on the scoreboard, including three touchdowns in the third quarter. Towards the end of the quarter, transfer quarterback Rob Bolden made his EMU debut to guide the Eagles' offense.
The Eagles remain of the road next week, traveling to Norfolk, Va. to face Old Dominion University, Sept. 13. Kickoff against the Monarchs is set for 6 p.m. and can be heard on the airwaves of WEMU 89.1 FM.
