Saturday's MAC Football Results
Toledo 31, Western Michigan 24
Central Michigan 42, Eastern Michigan 16
Ball State 27, NIU 20
Ohio 21, Buffalo 20 (OT)
No. 8 Wisconsin 48, Kent State 0
No. 9 Notre Dame 52, Bowling Green 0

Game stories courtesy of MAC Athletic Communication Departments

Toledo 31, Western Michigan 24
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Toledo senior quarterback Mitchell Guadagni threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more to lead Toledo (4-1, 1-0 MAC) to a 31-24 victory over Western Michigan (3-3, 1-1 MAC) before a Homecoming crowd of 22,141 at the Glass Bowl on Saturday.

For the third straight week, the outcome of Toledo's victory was not settled until the game's final possession. Clinging to a 31-24 edge, the Rockets stopped the Broncos on fourth-and-22 from the Toledo 24-yard line when Western Michigan quarterback Jon Wassink was tackled two yards shy of the first down by sophomore linebacker Saeed Holt with 1:44 left. Toledo was able to get a pair of first downs on runs by sophomore Bryant Koback to run out the clock and claim the victory.

Guadagni threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the first half as Toledo jumped out to a 24-7 lead at the break. However, the Broncos fought back, scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter and another in the fourth to set up the game's dramatic finish.

Guadagni completed 14-of-22 passes for 200 yards and two scores. Junior Bryce Mitchell paced the Rockets with four catches for a career-high 119 yards. Sophomore Bryant Koback led the rushing attack with 177 yards on 21 attempts.

The defense was led by Holt, who tied his career high with 12 tackles and a key sack at the end of the game; junior cornerback Samuel Womack, who had four tackles and broke up three passes; and senior defensive tackle Nae Childress, who blocked a field-goal attempt and batted down two passes. The Rockets held Wassink to under 50 percent passing (25-of-51) and held the Bronco offense to 7-of-18 on third down...Full Story.

Central Michigan 42, Eastern Michigan 16
Box Score
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. -- There are bounce-back wins, and then there are bounce-back wins with style points. On Saturday, it was the latter for the Central Michigan football team. Jonathan Ward rolled up 205 combined yards in rushing and receiving and scored three touchdowns as the Chippewas posted a resounding 42-16 Mid-American Conference victory over Eastern Michigan before 15,235 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
 
"Heck of a win," first-year CMU coach Jim McElwain said. "(Eastern) was a good football team that's been playing really good. I don't think we left any doubt (about) kind of where our program is. Complete win, offensively and defensively. My hat's off to our guys. I can tell you, this team has come light years. Can't tell you how much I like this team and how proud I am of them."
 
The win lifted the Chippewas to 3-3, 2-1 MAC and came one week after they lost, 31-15, at rival Western Michigan. EMU is 3-2, 0-1. The Chippewas used the big play in rolling up season-highs in rushing yards (308) and total yards (587).
 
Among Ward's three TDs were a 64-yard pass play and an 86-yard run. The Chippewas also got a 28-yard TD run from Kobe Lewisand an 80-yard TD pass play from Kalil Pimpleton. The Chippewas built a 21-3 halftime lead and increased it to 28-3 midway through the third quarter.
 
"One of the things that we have been lacking are early scores and explosive plays," McElwain said. "We've moved the ball pretty well throughout the year at times. We needed to get some explosives in; today we finally got some."
 
Ward finished with 132 yards the ground, while Lewis added 81. Both carried 12 times. Ward caught three passes for 73 yards. Pimpleton led the Chippewas with 112 yards on five catches. CMU quarterback David Moore completed 15 of his 24 pass attempts for 279 yards and two TDs.
 
The early lead helped to make the Eagles one-dimensional, and the Chippewa defense teed off, collecting five sacks among 10 tackles-for-loss. They held Eastern to 77 yards rushing.
 
The victory could be a turning point for the Chippewas, who won just one game a season ago and now stand at .500 at midway through the regular season.
 
"You've got to go out and prove if it's turned the corner," McElwain said. "I believe in this team, I really do, and yet we've got to continue to grow, we've got to continue to understand how to go about your daily business to be successful.
 
"I know how far they've come, I know how far this program has come in a short, short period of time. Yet I'm not sure we've shown it on the field. We've shown it at times. Hopefully we answered some questions of ourselves and we can build on that as we move forward."

Ball State 27, NIU 20
Box Score
DeKALB, Ill. -- Ball State (2-3, 1-0 MAC) forced three second-half turnovers and Caleb Huntley got loose after the break, as the Cardinals overcame an unremarkable first half to claim the Bronze Stalk trophy for the first time since 2008.
 
"Great team win for us," Ball State head coach Mike Neu said. "It's been a long time since we had the Bronze Stalk trophy. We made the bus trip up here expecting to take that trophy back with us. I am proud of our football team for the fight and grit."

Huntley ran 35 times for 157 yards, two shy of his personal high, and two touchdowns, while Ryan Rimmler made good on a career-high four field goal attempts. The Ball State defense pitched a second-half shutout until the final minutes, and the BSU special teams units seemed to always leave the Huskies (1-4, 0-1 MAC) pinned against their own end zone.
 
The Cardinals outscored NIU 24-3 in the second half, including 21 unanswered points, despite not completing a single pass after the break. They only attempted three of them in weather conditions that made it difficult for either team to move the ball through the air.
 
"Obviously the first half was not a well-played half by us as a team in any phase," Neu said.  "Our guys did a really great job coming out after halftime, knowing the conditions were going to be extremely tough. With heavy rain, you are obviously one-dimensional on offense at that point. I thought our defense and special teams were fantastic throughout the second half." 

Jordan Williams' fumble recovery inside the NIU 10-yard line midway through in the third quarter was just the spark Ball State needed. Huntley found the end zone on the next play for the Cardinals' first touchdown of the day. To that point, they had mustered just two Rimmler field goals. The senior kicker's third make of the day two possessions later tied the game at 17 heading to the fourth quarter.
 
NIU's first eight possessions of the second half read like this: punt, punt, fumble, fumble, punt, punt, interception, turnover on downs. Actually, after touchdowns on their opening two possessions of the game, including one set up by an interception on Ball State's first play from scrimmage, the Huskies managed just two field goals the rest of the way.
 
Meanwhile, Ball State stuck with its ground game, and Huntley finally broke through. His 45-yard touchdown run less than 30 seconds into the fourth quarter gave the Cardinals their first lead.

An Amechi Uzodinma II interception minutes later set up Rimmler's last field goal, as the Cardinals went up 10 points. NIU finally got on the board in the second half with a late field goal, but Williams recovered the Huskies' ensuing onside kick, and the Cardinals' celebration followed shortly.
 
"To look at those young men on the sideline and see a twinkle in their eye and tears running down their face … all the blood, sweat, tears, hard work and tough times we had together … it was certainly special at the end of the game," Neu said.

Ohio 21, Buffalo 20 (OT) 
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Ohio redshirt freshman running back O'Shaan Allison scored a game-tying five-yard touchdown, then redshirt senior placekicker Louie Zervos converted the extra point to lift Ohio (2-3, 1-0 MAC) to a 21-20 victory over Buffalo (2-4, 0-2 MAC) in its 2019 MAC opener this afternoon at UB Stadium.

Ohio put a halt to a three-game losing skid with the win over Buffalo and won its MAC opener for the ninth year in a row and 12th time in 15 tries under head coach Frank Solich.

"We're even closer than what we were coming in. And we were a close football team coming in," said Solich following the win. "You don't have things happen the way they did for us in the first four ball games, and come play a tough football team and play the way we did to pull it out without having it be with a special group of guys."

The overtime win marked Ohio's first since defeating Eastern Michigan on the road, 27-20, on Sept. 23, 2017, to open up  conference play that season.

The Bobcats snapped a four-game losing skid in games played at UB Stadium, earning their first victory in Buffalo since a 27-24 triumph on Nov. 10, 2009.

"I'm feeling amazing. That was a win we really needed," said senior linebacker Eric Popp (Loveland, Ohio), who produced a forced fumble in the second half of the victory. "That's huge for us."

With the score knotted at 14-all, Ohio won the overtime toss and elected to go on defense to start extra frame. The Bulls converted a 3rd-and-6 with a 10-yard run by sophomore running back Kevin Marks to give Buffalo a fresh set of downs at the Ohio 11. After runs of three yards and five yards by Marks, redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Vantrease kept it himself and scored from three yards out to give the Bulls a six-point lead. The extra point attempt by freshman placekicker Jackson Baltar failed, however, giving the Bobcats a chance at victory on their overtime possession with a touchdown and a successful extra point.

The Bobcats turned to Allison on all five overtime plays. He gained six yards, five yards, eight yards and one yard on the ground, setting the stage for his five-yard touchdown run on 3rd-and-1 to even the score -- the eighth third down conversion in 13 attempts on the game for Ohio. Zervos then calmly knocked down the extra point, sending his teammates rushing onto the field to meet him in celebration.

"We knew, if we get in the end zone, we're going to win," said Allison. "I ran my hardest. I just stuck to what I had to do each and every play. It means a lot. This is a game to remember."

Allison accounted for 96 of Ohio's 186 rushing yards and scored the first two rushing touchdowns of his collegiate career. Senior quarterback Nathan Rourke (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) added 63 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown while completing 12 of his 19 pass attempts for 155 yards.

"He ran behind a very good performance from our o-line," said Rourke of Allison. "That drive in overtime, I really just handed the ball off and let them go to work."

The overtime was set up by missed field goals in the fourth quarter by both teams.

With 9:42 to go in the fourth quarter, Rourke broke off a 29-yard run on 1st-and-10 from Ohio's 34 to put the ball on the Buffalo 37. A holding penalty and a sack hampered Ohio's progress, however, and the Bobcats were forced to attempt a 52-yard field goal. Zervos' try bounced up in the air off the crossbar and was no good, keeping the score even at 14-all.

On the ensuing Buffalo drive, sophomore running back Jaret Patterson, Vantrease and Marks combined to gain 29 yards on the ground. On 3rd-and-8 from the Ohio 36, Vantrease completed a seven-yard pass to Marks, setting up a 4th-and-1. After the two teams traded timeouts, the Bulls sent Baltar on to attempt a 46-yard go-ahead field goal, but the try sailed wide right. Ohio got the ball back but went three-and-out, forcing the overtime period.

Buffalo received the opening kickoff to start the game and moved 68 yards in seven plays, thanks in large part to Patterson picking up 61 yards on a catch-and-run. The drive stalled out at the Ohio seven, though, and the Bulls were forced to settle for a 24-yard field goal attempt. The try by Baltar was off the mark, though, keeping the contest scoreless. 

Ohio moved the ball into Buffalo territory on its first drive, but the Bobcats stalled at the Bulls' 42 and were forced to punt. The Bulls took over at their own 10, then proceeded to march 90 yards in 14 plays and 8:14, capping the drive off with a four-yard touchdown pass from Vantrease to junior wide receiver Dominic Johnson to put Buffalo in front with 12:30 to play in the first half. 

On the ensuing drive, Ohio used a 16-yard completion from Rourke to redshirt freshman wide receiver Jerome Buckner(Columbus, Ohio) and a combined 38 rushing yards by Rourke and Allison to set up a 1st-and-goal for the Bobcats at the Buffalo one. The Bobcats were unable to punch it in on three straight runs, though, and then failed to complete a pass on 4th-and-goal, preserving Buffalo's 7-0 lead. 

The Bobcats entered halftime trailing by a touchdown and Buffalo holding a 214-83 advantage in total yards over them.

Ohio received the second-half kickoff and moved 78 yards in eight plays and just over four minutes. After throwing for just 32 yards in the first half, Rourke picked up 34 through the air on the drive, completing passes of 14 yards to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Isiah Cox (Jasper, Ala.) and 20 to redshirt junior tight end Ryan Luehrman (Athens, Ohio) on the first two plays. Rourke and Allison combined to gain 24 yards on the ground, and Cox added 15 more on a run. That set up a five-yard touchdown run by Rourke on 3rd-and-goal, allowing the Bobcats to even the score with the Bulls. 

Buffalo moved the ball to the Ohio 26 on the next driver, with Marks gaining 20 yards on three carries and Vantrease completing passes of 23 yards and six yards to freshman running back Ron Cook, Jr. The Bobcats produced their third takeaway of the year, however, on 1st-and-10 from the 26 as Popp forced Vantrease to fumble on a keeper and redshirt senior safety Javon Hagan (Jacksonville, Fla.) fell on the loose ball to give Ohio possession. Hagan finished second on the team with seven total tackles (three solo) in the contest.

Ohio appeared poised to take the lead after marching to the Buffalo 22 on the ensuing drive, but Rourke was picked off by junior Kadofi Wright at the nine. The Bulls went three-and-out on the next drive, but the Bobcats turned the ball over again on the ensuing possession, with Buffalo junior defensive end Malcolm Koonce forcing a fumble on a strip sack of Rourke and junior defensive end Taylor Riggins there to recover. On the very next play, Vantrease threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Antonio Nunn to give the Bulls the lead with 14:47 left in the contest.

After Ohio and Buffalo traded punts, the Bobcats moved 48 yards in four plays and tied the contest on a one-yard touchdown plunge by Allison – the first touchdown of his career. The score was set up by a 34-yard catch-and-run by redshirt freshman wide receiver Shane Hooks (Orlando, Fla.) that gave the Bobcats a first down at the Buffalo 14.

Buffalo totaled 181 yards on the ground in the contest, with Marks accounting for a game-high 112 on 22 carries while Patterson added 52 on 13 touches. Vantrease went 16-of-23 for 197 yards and two touchdowns through the air and added 19 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Nunn led all receivers with 53 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, junior safety Tyrone Hill led all tacklers with 15 stops, including a game-high 12 solo tackles.

Redshirt junior safety Jarren Hampton (Fostoria, Ohio) led Ohio with eight total tackles, including a team-high seven solo stops.

No. 9 Notre Dame 52, Bowling Green 0
Box Score
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Bowling Green suffered a 52-0 loss at No. 9 ranked Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium.  Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book threw for five touchdowns and was 16-of-20 passing for 261 yards in the victory. For the Falcons, quarterback Grant Loy went 13-for-25 passing for for 106 yards.

Bowling Green wide receiver Quintin Morris caught 10 passes for 92 yards vs. the Fighting Irish, setting a career high in receptions and falling just one yard shy of his career best for receiving yards. Saturday's game was the final non-conference contest of the 2019 season for the Falcons...Post Game Notes.

No. 8 Wisconsin 48, Kent State 0
Box Score
MADISON, Wis. -- Kent State (2-3) closed out its non-conference portion of its schedule with a 48-0 loss to No. 8 Wisconsin (5-0) at Camp Randall Stadium. 

Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor started things off for the Badgers, bouncing outside for a six-yard score early in the opening quarter. Taylor followed that up on the next Wisconsin drive with a 19-yard scamper to put the Badgers in front, 14-0.

Taylor and the Wisconsin offense continued to dominate in the second quarter. The two-time top-10 Heisman Trophy finalist scored his third touchdown on a four-yard carry. He then caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Jack Coan for his fourth touchdown in the first half. Wisconsin took a 28-0 lead into the halftime locker room.

Wisconsin started with the ball in the second half and Taylor picked up where he left off, getting loose for a 48-yard touchdown to bring his total to five on the day. The Badgers top-ranked defense stifled the Kent State offense, holding the Flashes to just 124 total yards in the game.

Joachim Bangda led the Flashes with 32 rushing yards, while Raymond James posted a team-high 28 receiving yards. Matt Bahr led the team with eight total tackles. Mario Nunez forced a fumble for Kent State and recovered it as well.