Mid-American Conference

MAC Football Final Scoreboard:  Thursday, September 3

Ball State 48, Virginia Military Institute 36  Final
Oklahoma State 24, Central Michigan 13  Final
Ohio 45, Idaho 28  Final
Toledo 16, Stony Brook 7  Half --- Game suspended due to weather delays

Game stories courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments


Ball State 48, Virginia Military Institute 36   
Box Score  
Postgame Notes

MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State sophomore running back Darian Green rushed for three touchdowns and sophomore quarterback Jack Milas threw for one score as the Cardinals defeated Virginia Military Institute, 48-36, on Thursday Night at Scheumann Stadium.  Milas was 34-of-52 passing for 338 yards passing and one touchdown in leading the Ball State offense to 567 yards of total offense.

Green ran for three touchdowns and caught one more to tie the school record with four total touchdowns. Freshman James Gilbert added two scores on the ground, while sophomore quarterback Jack Milas threw for a career-high 338 yards.


Oklahoma State 24, Central Michigan 13   
Box Score  
Postgame Notes

MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan junior quarterback Cooper Rush threw for 225 yards passing and added one rushing touchdown, however the Chippewas dropped a 24-13 decision to Oklahoma State on Thursday night at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.  

Rush added a 22-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter to give Central Michigan a 13-10 lead, however the Cowboys scored the final 14 points for the 24-13 final.

Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph threw for one touchdown and ran for another as Oklahoma State came from behind to beat Central Michigan in the season opener for both teams.

The Cowboys were just the fifth Power Five conference school in the last 20 years to visit Kelly/Shorts Stadium, and had to work hard to avoid becoming the first one to lose.

Central Michigan coach John Bonamego was making his debut just 13 days after his final radiation treatment for tonsil cancer. The Chippewas had more total yards in the first three quarters, but Oklahoma State was finally able to adjust to their screen-heavy offense.

The Cowboys led 13-10 at the half, but the Chippewas took the kickoff and drove 75 yards, with Cooper Rush's 16-yard scramble giving them a 13-10 lead.

That seemed to wake Oklahoma State up, and they only needed 1:21 to regain the lead, with Rudolph scoring on a 21-yard run. The Cowboys could have expanded the lead late in the third, but Ben Grogan missed a 43-yard field goal try.

With Central Michigan stalling on offense, though, Oklahoma State was able to put together a sustained drive, going 83 yards in 12 plays. Rudolph finished it, hitting Marcell Ateman for an 18-yard score and a 24-13 lead.

Grogan missed another field goal, this one with 1:14 to play, but the Chippewas ran out of time.

Rush put the Chippewas in trouble on their second play from scrimmage, throwing an interception at the Central Michigan 11, but Oklahoma State was only able to get a field goal out of the drive.

Central Michigan made it 3-3 on Brian Eavey's field goal late in the quarter, but Oklahoma State was finally able to put a sustained drive together that stretched into the second period. Backup quarterback J.W. Walsh came in as part of a goal-line package and scored on a 1-yard run to give the Cowboys a 10-3 lead.

The Chippewas tried to keep Oklahoma State off balance with a variety of offensive looks, including one series where they switched out all 11 players after the first-down play, and did the same thing after second down.

The next trick worked, though, as wide receiver Jesse Kroll took a backward pass from Rush, then hit Mark Chapman for a 40-yard gain. Had Kroll not underthrown Chapman, the play would have gone for a touchdown, but the Chippewas ended up punting.

Central Michigan got to the Cowboys' 4 in the final minute of the first half, but a false-start penalty and two incomplete passes by Rush meant they had to settle for a 26-yard Eavey field goal.


Ohio 45, Idaho 28  

Box Score 
Postgame Notes

MOSCOW, Ida. – Ohio used 21 quick first quarter points to roll to a 45-28 win at Idaho on Thursday night at the Kibbie Dome.  With the win, Ohio head coach Frank Solich earned his 73rd career coaching victory for the Bobcats which ties for fifth-most in MAC history with former Toledo head coach Gary Pinkel.

Ohio starting quarterback Derrius Vick threw for 192 yards on 13-of-16 passing and two touchdowns in the victory.  Vick’s two first quarter passing touchdowns and linebacker Jovan Johnson intercepted a Matt Linehan pass and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown in the victory. Senior running back Daz Patterson added 85 yards and one touchdown on the ground and sophomore Brendan Cope finished with 129 receiving yards and one touchdown.

As a team, Ohio had 205 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground, while the Bobcats recorded 284 yards and three touchdowns passing.


Toledo 16, Stony Brook 7

TOLEDO, Ohio -- Toledo's season opening contest vs. Stony Brook Thursday night was suspended due to severe weather after one half of play with the Rockets holding a 16-7 lead. The game will not be replayed and is officially listed as "no contest." Stats from the game will not count.

The contest featured three weather delays before the game was finally called off at 12:13 a.m.

Stony Brook opened the game with a methodical 13-play drive that covered 76 yards, culminating with a two-yard TD pass on third down from Cal Daniels to Conor Bednarski. Toledo got on the board on its second drive of the game, cutting the lead to 7-3 on a 33-yard field goal by Jameson Vest on the second play of the second quarter.

Before the Rockets had a chance to kick off, the game was suspended due to a nearby lightning strike. After a 1:19 delay, play was ready to resume when more lightning extended the delay another 1:41 for a total of three hours.

When play finally resumed at 10:51 p.m., the Rockets came out firing. After Toledo’s defense forced a three-and-out, junior Damion Jones-Moore bolted down the right sideline for a 37-yard score to give the Rockets their first lead. Following senior safety Chaz Whittaker’s second interception of the night, Jones-Moore struck again with a seven-yard score. A failed two-point conversion made the score 16-7 with 4:28 to play in the half. Toledo tried to score on the last play of the half but Ely’s pass was intercepted in the end zone.

The two teams lined up for the second half kickoff when officials stopped the game once again. After a 25-minute delay, the contest was called off for good.

The Rockets will head to Little Rock to face Arkansas a week from Saturday (Sept. 12).