Saturday's MAC Football Results
Eastern Michigan 34, Illinois 31
Cincinnati 35, Miami 13
Florida Atlantic 41, Ball State 31
Central Michigan 45, Akron 24
Louisiana Tech 35, Bowling Green 7
Liberty 35, Buffalo 17
Marshall 33, Ohio 31
Western Michigan 57, Georgia State 10
No. 8 Auburn 55, Kent State 16
Toledo 45, Murray State 0
Nebraska 44, NIU 8
MAC Notes:
-Eastern Michigan's 34-31 win at Illinois extended the MAC streak of defeating a Big Ten opponent for the 14th consecutive season (2006-2019), the longest streak in MAC history. During this 14-year stretch, MAC teams have defeated 12 different Big Ten programs —Illinois (4); Indiana (5); Iowa (3); Maryland (1); Michigan (1); Michigan State (1); Minnesota (2); Nebraska (1); Northwestern (3); Penn State (1); Purdue (6) and Rutgers (2) for a total of 30 wins during this stretch.
-Eastern Michigan has defeated a Big Ten opponent on the road in each of the last three consecutive seasons -- Illinois (34-31 on Sept. 14, 2019), Purdue (20-19 on Sept. 8, 2018) and Rutgers (16-13, Sept. 9, 2017).
Game stories courtesy of MAC Athletic Communication Departments
Eastern Michigan 34, Illinois 31
Box Score
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Eastern Michigan left a Big Ten Conference stadium with a win for the third consecutive season after beating Illinois, 34-31, on Sept. 14, at historic Memorial Stadium. A back-and-forth contest, the game was tied with three seconds on the clock when sophomore kicker Chad Ryland drilled a 24-yard, game-winning field goal to down the Illini. Ryland has now used a last-second field goal to beat a Big Ten foe in consecutive season after walking-off Purdue, 20-19, in West Lafayette, a season ago.
"Awesome, awesome day for our program," said Head Coach Chris Creighton said. "Our defense played well. We knew we weren't going to shut them out, because they are really good, but we did what we needed to. Our guys just executed. I love this team. What a great bunch of guys."
Senior quarterback Mike Glass III was 23-of-36 for 316 yards and three touchdowns. Jairus Grissom rushed three times for 52 yards, while Willie Parker had 23 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. After winning the coin toss and electing to receive to start the game, the Eagles failed to score in their opening drive, eventually falling behind, 3-0, when Illinois quickly hit a 57-yard field goal to open the game's scoring.
Eastern took flight in its second drive of the afternoon, however, marching 75 yards in just five plays to take its first lead of the game, 7-3. In as a wildcat quarterback, Grissom exploded on a career-best 47-yard run, setting up Glass, who capped-off the drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Arthur Jackson III. The score was Jackson's first this season, and the sixth of his EMU career.
After relinquishing the lead in the next drive, 10-7, the Eagles and Illini traded three-and-outs before Glass and the Eagles struck again. This time, the St. Louis native fired a 54-yard dart to Mathew Sexton, who scored his first TD since Oct. 27, 2018, against Army. Ryland added the extra point to give Eastern Michigan a 14-10 advantage.
A first-half filled with counter-punches, Eastern found itself down again, 17-14, at the end of the first quarter. Working quickly, the Eagles offense put together a five-play, 70-yard drive, scoring its third touchdown of the game when Glass found Jackson in the endzone for the second time during the afternoon. This time, it was a 31-yard dime to the senior wide out. Although the extra point was missed, the Eagles regained the lead, 20-17.
Holding the Illini scoreless for the remainder of the of the first half, EMU was able to extend its lead to six, 23-17, when Ryland drained a career-best 52-yard field goal with 4:43 left in the second frame. The kick is tied for the second-best in school history, and is the longest made EMU field goal since the 2015 season, when Dylan Mulder set the school record with a 55-yard make against Miami (Ohio), Nov. 7.
The 23 first half points were the most by EMU since they put up 28 against Toledo, Oct. 13, 2018.
Stingy in the middle quarters of the game, the EMU defense was able to hold the Illini scoreless in both the second and third frames. The feat marks the ninth time in EMU's last 16 games that Neal Neathery's unit has held its opponent scoreless in the third quarter. Additionally, in Illinois first four drives of the game, it ran 21 plays for 173 yards. In its ensuing six drives, the Illini ran just 25 plays for 74 yards.
Reining MAC Defensive Player of the Week Brody Hoying was again critical for the Eagles, especially in the third quarter, where he earned his sixth-career forced-fumble, recovering it to give the Eagles offense the ball back. Hoying forced another fumble in the fourth quarter, however the Illini were able to recover.
Elsewhere in the secondary, Korey Hernandez committed robbery on the Illinois receiving corps in the third quarter to tally his first-career interception. In addition to the high-level play of the secondary, the Eagles defense finished the game with six sacks, the most in a single-game this season.
Although it was unable to score in the third quarter, the Eagles offense rallied in the fourth quarter. Up 23-17, Glass led an eight-play, 49-yard drive that was capped by a four-yard Willie Parker touchdown run. The score was the third of Parker's career. After a successful two-point conversion, the Eagles led 31-17 with 11:20 to play in the game.
Up seven, 31-24, the Eagles had Illinois down to its final down before Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters converted on a 32-yard pass to keep the drive alive. With 1:44 on the clock, the Illini scored, to tie the game at 31-31.
Uninterrupted by the late adversity, Glass marched the Eagles down the field, putting together an eight-play, 68-yard drive in which he completed 4-of-4 passes. The senior quarterback finished his day having completed 23-of-36 passes, for 316 yards, and three touchdowns.
After two Illinois timeouts to try and "ice," the kicker, Ryland stepped in and hit the game-winning field goal.
Cincinnati 35, Miami 13
Box Score
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Miami football grabbed a 10-0 first quarter lead in its rivalry game at Cincinnati, but could not sustain that start as it fell 35-13 on Saturday afternoon. The RedHawks drop to 1-2 with the setback.
The Bearcats forced the RedHawks to go three-and-out on their opening possession and took control with good field position at their own 40. Miami's defense was even more stout, however, opening with an Andrew Sharp sack. A holding penalty on Cincinnati pushed it back even further and Miami forced a pair of incomplete passes for a three-and-out of its own.
Taking over at its own 40, MU's second drive went right to work, picking up a first down on the ground in two plays before Brett Gabbert hit Jack Sorenson for 13 yards into UC territory at the 37. After the ground game grabbed another first down, MU took advantage of a pass interference penalty to get to the UC 11. After Tyre Shelton got another first down inside the one on three carries, Shelton capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to give the Red & White a 7-0 lead.
Playing with a lead, the RedHawks forced the Bearcats to move backwards again, stuffing an opening run for a one-yard loss before Kameron Butlersacked Desmond Ridder on second down of an eventual three-and-out drive that gave Miami the ball at its 44.
A roughing the passer penalty moved the RedHawks into Bearcat territory and they got another first down to sniff the red zone before eventually stalling. Nevertheless, Samuel Sloman put points on the board with a 41-yard field goal to give Miami a 10-0 lead with 3:13 to go in the opening frame.
Cincinnati's offense countered by driving the field for the first time, going 77 yards in 10 plays. The Bearcats eventually capped the drive with a Michael Warren eight-yard touchdown rush to pull to within 10-7 early in the second.
It appeared Miami was poised to answer that touchdown as Gabbert evaded pressure and hit Jalen Walker for a 23-yard completion and dropped a dime over the top to Dominique Robinson for 42 yards to get into the red zone. After MU got to the UC 13, a sack and fumble stopped the drive in its tracks as Cincinnati regained possession and kept points off the board. The RedHawks' defense pushed the Bearcats back thanks to a holding penalty and Dean Lemon sack that recorded the unit's third three-and-out of the first half.
The teams traded punts near midfield as some promising drives stalled around there. Miami then went three-and-out deep in its own territory as Cincinnati took over in plus territory with just over two minutes left until the break. The Bearcats went for it on 4th-and-6 at the RedHawks' 40 and Ridder found Rashad Medaris for an 11-yard gain to keep the drive going and eventually Warren ran in his second score of the day to stake UC to a 14-10 halftime lead.
Cincinnati began the second half with possession. A Butler sack made it 3rd-and-20, but a pair of MU penalties allowed UC to escape and continue driving into plus territory. Miami forced a 4th-and-5 situation, but Ridder hit Josh Deguara for a 27-yard score to make it 21-unanswered points for UC as it took a 21-10 lead.
Miami was forced to punt again, but this time its defense came up with a big play as Travion Banks intercepted a third-down pass from Ridder at the Bearcats' 40 to set the RedHawks up with a short field. However, MU was unable to capitalize as it could not pick up a first down in four tries. Four plays later, Ridder hit Thomas Geddis for a 51-yard touchdown to make it a 28-10 ballgame with 5:27 left in the third.
On the ensuing possession, Gabbert quickly moved the Red and White into plus territory as far as the 18-yard line, but the drive stalled there. Still, Miami stopped the scoring drought with a 36-yard field goal by Sloman to pull to within 28-13. However, the Bearcats added another score two plays from scrimmage later as Warren ran 73 yards for his third touchdown of the day to make it 35-13.
Cincinnati outgained Miami 420-207 on the day, including 234-64 on the ground. Gabbert finished the day 10-of-18 with 143 yards passing while Shelton led MU with 39 yards rushing.
Florida Atlantic 41, Ball State 31
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State created points off early turnovers Saturday, but the Cardinals had a tough task defending a high-powered Florida Atlantic passing attack in a 41-31 setback at Scheumann Stadium.
Jordan Williams' fumble recoveries on back-to-back scrimmage plays, including one returned for a touchdown, gave the Family Weekend crowd something to cheer about early. But the Cardinals (1-2) finished with four turnovers of their own on a sometimes wild afternoon that featured nearly 1,000 combined yards and six total takeaways.
FAU quarterback Chris Robison threw for 366 yards and connected with receiver John Mitchell for three of his four touchdown passes on the day. The Owls (1-2), coming off opening losses to top-20 teams Ohio State and UCF, scored late in the second quarter to take a 21-17 lead into the break and then pulled away in the second half.
"Fixing the turnover margin is something we've emphasized from day one," Ball State head coach Mike Neu said. "We can't have the self-inflicted wounds. Guys fought. The effort was good. But overcoming four turnovers is difficult."
Ball State looked primed to grab the lead back on its second possession of the third quarter after a 46-yard connection from Drew Plitt to Riley Miller and two straight 13-yard runs from Caleb Huntley. But Huntley lost the ball when he was hit at the 4-yard line on the second of those carries, and FAU recovered in the endzone for a touchback.
The Owls moved down the field in just 1:30 and scored on a Larry McCammon touchdown run. So instead of taking the lead, the Cardinals found themselves trailing 28-17. FAU led by double digits the rest of the way.
Ball State's best shot to make it interesting came early in the fourth quarter when it was down, 34-24. After scoring on a Plitt-to-Malik Dunner connection and forcing an FAU punt, the Cardinals had the ball near midfield. But Plitt was stripped while attempting to pass, and the Owls recovered. James Charles scored for FAU seven plays later.
Ball State added a late touchdown from Plitt to Antwan Davis, the third scoring connection for that duo in the past two games, but FAU recovered the Cardinals' onside kick attempt and ran out the clock.
Plitt, the MAC's leading passer, threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns, while Huntley ran for 86 yards on 14 carries.
Williams scored the first BSU defensive touchdown in five seasons, picking up a fumble forced by Chris Crumb and racing 60 yards down the sideline. Bryce Cosby forced another fumble on FAU's next offensive snap, and Williams recovered it again. The Cardinals scored just one play later when Plitt found a wide open Yo'Heinz Tyler in the corner of the end zone for a 14-7 lead.
"We've been wanting to score a defensive touchdown, that's been on our list," Williams said. I thought my teammates were happier than I was. The energy definitely went up."
But that was Ball State's last touchdown until the final minute of the third quarter.
"Things can change fast during the course of a football game," Neu said. "Our guys battled, but you can't tun the ball over like that, no matter what team you are playing against, and expect to win."
Central Michigan 45, Akron 24
Box Score
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. -- Central Michigan quarterback David Moore threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns and Kobe Lewis amassed 183 yards and three scores on 30 touches on Saturday as the Chippewas topped Akron, 45-24, before 18,641 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. It was the Mid-American Conference opener for the CMU (2-1), which won a league game for the first time since Nov. 24, 2017.
"Just can't tell you how proud I am of our football team and this coaching staff," first-year CMU coach Jim McElwain said. "It goes back to me feeling so good for these players, who maybe didn't feel great about themselves (before) and yet understanding that the work you put in to it is what's going to help you in whatever you do in life, and they saw that.
The Chippewas amassed 533 yards in total offense, surpassing by four yards the total they posted in their season-opening win over Football Championship Subdivision Albany. Their point total was their highest in 19 games, dating to 56-9 victory over Ball State midway through the 2017 season.
The Chippewas built a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter and were never seriously threatened after that.
"I looked at this game, to me it was going to be a measure," McElwain said. "A measure of where we are at. To play someone in conference, to see where that kind of matches up. I thought our guys took it to them. I think we imposed our will at times, which is something that really good teams learn to do and it's something we need to continue to move forward with."
Moore, subbing for injured starter Quinten Dormady, completed 20 of his 31 pass attempts and tossed TD passes to Tony Poljanand Kalil Pimpleton. He was not sacked and the Chippewas turned the ball over just once.
It was Moore's first Football Championship Subdivision start after transferring from Garden City (Kan.) C.C.
"I've got total trust in him; I said that from the get-go," McElwain said. "I thought he had a great command of the huddle, I thought he was great on the sideline with information. Our staff did a really good job preparing him. Proud of him as I am for all of our guys. It's next man up and he was the next man up and he did a great job."
Lewis, a sophomore, made the most of his first career start as well, subbing for injured Jonathan Ward. He carried 27 times for 146 yards and three TDs, and caught three passes for 37 yards.
Pimpleton led the receiving corps with seven catches for 116 yards, while Poljan made five grabs for 90. The Chippewa defense posted seven sacks among 13 tackles-for-loss and held the Zips to 47 yards rushing.
La Tech 35, Bowling Green 7
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Bowling Green fell to Louisiana Tech, 35-7 on Saturday afternoon at Doyt L. Perry Stadium as the Falcons held their annual Homecoming celebration.
The Falcons (1-2) opened the game with an efficient seven-play, 68-yard drive that culminated in one-yard touchdown run from Bryson Denley. However, Louisiana Tech responded with a three-play, 60-yard touchdown march and followed that by returning an interception for a touchdown on BGSU's next possession.
Bowling Green had an opportunity to tie the game early in the second quarter after a short punt gave them the ball at the Bulldogs' 29. The Falcons turned the ball over on downs at the doorstep of the end zone, and Louisiana Tech traveled 94 yards in four plays to pull ahead 21-7.
The Falcons' defense accumulated five sacks and two takeaways, while the offense was led by Quintin Morris' 90 receiving yards and Davon Jones' 48 rushing yards...
Full Story/Notes.
Marshall 33, Ohio 31
Box Score
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. -- Senior quarterback Nathan Rourke (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) threw for three touchdowns and 215 yards and ran for 118 yards and another score, but the Ohio football team (1-1) suffered a tough 33-31 loss to host Marshall (2-1) in a Battle for the Bell matchup tonight at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
Ohio suffered its first loss to Marshall since a 44-14 defeat the hands of the Thundering Herd on Sept. 13, 2014, in the program's last trip to Huntington.
The Bobcats were outgained by the Thundering Herd, 511-438, including 305-223 on the ground.
"Marshall is a good offensive football team, big upfront," said 15th-year head coach Frank Solich. "They've got good backs. They've got a downhill type of running attack. The second half I thought we played much better, but there were crucial times in the second half too that they were able to gash us."
Rourke's four total touchdowns matched his career high and gave him 84 touchdowns responsible for, breaking the previous school record of 82 set by former quarterback Tyler Tettleton (2009-13). He threw for multiple touchdowns in a game for the 14th time in his career and tallied at least three passing touchdowns for the sixth time. The contest marked just the second time in his career that he threw for at least 200 yards and ran for at least 100 more. He passed Anthony Thornton (5,199; 1987-90) for the third-most career passing yards with 5,217. He is now tied with Kalvin McRae (2004-07) for the second-most rushing touchdowns in program history with 45.
"I think there is some good to take out of this, but I think we have to get started quicker," said Rourke. "Our special teams put us in some really good situations early, and we didn't take advantage of them. That's something that we still have to work on. It seemed like we were taking a long time to get going on offense, and that puts our defense in a tough spot when they're playing from behind. We have to be better at that. It was good to get a rhythm going, but we need to win games."
On the opening drive of the contest, Marshall redshirt sophomore quarterback Isaiah Green completed a 15-yard pass to redshirt freshman wide receiver Corey Gammage, then hit redshirt senior wide receiver Tavin Richardson for a gain of 29 yards. Redshirt junior tight end Xavier Gaines then checked in at quarterback, took the snap and raced 26 yards into the end zone to give the Thundering Herd the early lead.
The Bobcats and the Thundering Herd traded punts, with Ohio redshirt freshman Jerome Buckner (Columbus, Ohio) returning the punt by Marshall redshirt junior Robert LeFevre 19 yards. A personal foul by the Thundering Herd that was tacked on to the end of the play gave the Bobcats 15 more yards and put the ball on Marshall's 33 yard line. The Bobcats were unable to pick up a first down on the ensuing drive, but redshirt senior kicker Louie Zervos (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) converted a season-long 44-yard field goal attempt to make it a 7-3 score with just under eight minutes to go in the first quarter.
Marshall countered with a 10-play, 54-yard scoring drive that was highlighted by a 24-yard run by Gaines. The drive stalled out at the Ohio 21, though, forcing the Thundering Herd to settle for a 38-yard field goal by redshirt senior kicker Justin Rohrwasser that made it a seven-point lead again for Marshall.
The Bobcats tied the game less than a minute into the second quarter with a 20-yard touchdown pass on a 3rd-and-4 from Rourke to redshirt freshman wide receiver Shane Hooks that capped off an eight-play, 59-yard drive. Hooks' first career touchdown reception was set up by five-straight runs by redshirt freshman running back O'Shaan Allison (Norristown, Pa.) that netted 33 yards, including a long run of 19 yards.
The Thundering Herd answered with a 10-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown by redshirt sophomore running back Brenden Knox, who picked up 52 yards on the ground on the scoring march.
The back-and-forth battle continued on Ohio's next drive. Junior running back De'Montre Tuggle (Channelview, Texas) recorded back-to-back runs of nine yards, then Rourke completed a pass to redshirt junior tight end Ryan Luehrman (Athens, Ohio), who picked up a career-long 36 yards on the play. On 3rd-and-7, Rourke found Tuggle out of the backfield, who raced to the pylon for an 18-yard touchdown reception and tied the game again. The receiving touchdown marked his first as a Bobcat and his fourth total touchdown in three games.
Marshall retook the lead on the next drive, ending a seven-play, 75-yard march with Green throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore tight end Devin Miller.
After forcing Ohio to punt on the next drive, the Thundering Herd extended its lead to 27-17 with 54 seconds left in the half, moving 45 yards in seven plays. Knox set up a 37-yard field goal by Rohrwasser by picking up 27 yards on the ground on the first play of the drive.
On the ensuing drive. Rourke completed passes of 12 yards to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Isiah Cox (Jasper, Ala.) and 32 yards to Buckner to set Zervos up with a 43-yard field goal attempt with one second left. His try went wide left, though, sending the Thundering Herd into halftime holding 10-point lead over the Bobcats.
Ohio and Marshall traded punts on the first two drives of the second half. On their second drive, the Bobcats drove to the Marshall 7 after Rourke completed a 14-pass to Luehrman, kept it himself and ran for a gain of 22 and completed a 22-yard pass to Cox. That set the stage for a seven-yard scoring strike to Luehrman, pulling the Bobcats to within three points of the Thundering Herd. The touchdown marked Luehrman's second of both his career and season. He finished the contest with a career-high four receptions and 60 receiving yards.
With 11:14 remaining in the contest, Rourke ripped off a 72-yard run for a touchdown to put the Bobcats in the lead, 31-27.
Unfortunately for Ohio, the advantage on the scoreboard did not last long. Marshall drove 75 yards in seven plays, with the march ending in Green connecting with Gaines for a 43-yard touchdown pass to put the Thundering Herd back in front.
Ohio got the ball back with 7:45 to play. Rourke completed a 10-yard pass to Tuggle on 3rd-and-8 to move the chains, but the drive stalled and the Bobcats were forced to punt the ball back to Marshall. The Thundering Herd then sealed the victory by driving to the Ohio two-yard line and kneeling down twice to run the clock out and end the game.
For Marshall, Green finished 17-of-28 for 206 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 50. Knox led all rushers with 133 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, four Bobcats finished with double-digit tackles. Redshirt senior safety Javon Hagan (Jacksonville, Fla.) led the way with total tackles while redshirt junior safety Jarren Hampton (Fostoria, Ohio), redshirt junior linebacker Dylan Conner (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and redshirt junior linebacker Jared Dorsa (Kings Mills, Ohio) all recorded 11.
Ohio closes out its 2019 non-conference schedule when it hosts Louisiana next Saturday (Sept. 21) in a Parents Day weekend contest at Peden Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ as well as on the radio on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.
Liberty 35, Buffalo 17
Box Score
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The University at Buffalo football team dropped a non-conference road game at Liberty, 35-17, at Williams Stadium on Saturday night. The loss dropped the Bulls to 1-2 on the season.
Liberty took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards on only five plays to score the game's first touchdown and set the tone for the night. The Bulls seemed to right the ship early in the second quarter when Matt Myers found Dylan McDuffiefor a 13-yard touchdown to tie the game, 7-7. It was McDuffie's first career touchdown.
However, Liberty scored 21 unanswered points to take a 28-7 lead at the half. The difference in the game were big plays and Liberty's ability to capitalize on them. The Flames scored on touchdown passes of 33 yards, 36 yards and 55 yards in the game.
Myers connected with Cole Burniston on a five-yard touchdown pass with 6:09 left in the game. It was Myers' second touchdown pass of the game and Burniston's first career touchdown reception.
Alex McNulty added a career-long 45-yard field goal in the third quarter.
"I want to give credit to Liberty. They outcoached us, they outplayed us and that's the responsibility of myself," head coach Lance Leipold said. "We knew they had the ability to be explosive on the outside and create some things and they did a great job of taking it to us."
Tight ends had been the favorite target of Myers through the first two games, but with Zac Lefebvre and Julian Bourassa both out with injuries, it seemed to stifle the Bulls a bit on offense.
UB was effective running the ball, rushing for 206 yards in the game. Kevin Marks had a game-high 108 yards rushing on only 18 carries. Jaret Patterson finished with 69 yards on 17 carries.
Myers threw for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the game. Antonio Nunn led the Bulls with four catches for 49 yards.
The UB run defense had another impressive game, holding the Flames to just 76 yards rushing, with most of it coming in the fourth quarter. Tyrone Hill had a career-high eight tackles. Malcolm Koonce and Ledarius Mack each had a sack in the game.
No. 8 Auburn 55, Kent State 16
Box Score
AUBURN, Ala. – The Kent State football team (1-2) fell to Auburn (3-0), 55-16, in a nearly sold-out Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. The Tigers closed the game on a 41-6 run.
Kent State received the ball to start the game and marched down the field for a 21-yard Matthew Trickett field goal. The Flashes used a 17-play, 71-yard drive in which they converted four third downs.
Auburn scored the next 14 points and took a 14-3 lead into the second quarter. Dustin Crum linked up with Isaiah McKoy on a 53-yard touchdown with 10:47 to go in the first half to pull the Flashes within a score, 14-10.
Bo Nix led the Tigers on a 60-yard drive following McKoy's touchdown that he capped off with a one-yard touchdown run. Anders Carlson added a 45-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 24-10 advantage at the break.
Auburn scored the first 14 points of the second half, including a 49-yard flea flicker from Nix to Eli Stove.
Woody Barrett and Kavious Price hooked up for a 15-yard touchdown to bring the score to 41-16. The reception for Price was his first touchdown since 2017 against Buffalo.
Crum led the Flashes through the air, going 15-for-24 for 198 yards and a touchdown. He set a career high with 228 total yards. McKoy paced Kent State with four receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. Akeam Peters set a career high and led the Flashes with nine total tackles.
Toledo 45, Murray State 0
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Toledo senior quarterback Mitchell Guadagni threw for a career-high 266 yards and three touchdowns as the Rockets cruised to a 45-0 victory over Murray State before a home-opening crowd of 25,361 at the Glass Bowl Saturday night.
The victory was the first shutout for the Rockets in 19 years, a span of 228 games going back to a 42-0 Toledo win over Marshall on Oct. 14, 2000. It was also the first time Murray State had been shut out since 2005.
Guadagni, who suffered a concussion in Toledo's 38-24 loss at Kentucky two weeks ago, completed passes to nine different players and threw for touchdowns of 8, 11 and 43 yards. Guadagni's favorite target was junior tight end Drew Rosi, who caught a career-best five passes for 84 yards and one touchdown. Toledo's offense racked up 538 yards of offense, 348 in the air and 190 on the ground.
Toledo's defense kept the Racers in check all night, forcing two turnovers and holding them 331 total yards, just 93 of which came in the second half. The Rockets' defense came up big when it counted, too, holding Murray State to 4-of-15 on third down and 0-of-3 on fourth down...
Full Story/Notes.
Western Michigan 57, Georgia State 10
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – On the 28th annual CommUniverCity Night inside Waldo Stadium, the Western Michigan football team racked up 694 of total offense in a 57-10 victory over Georgia State on Saturday night.
It was a historic night on the ground for the Broncos, registering a program record seven rushing touchdowns with four different players. The seven rushing touchdowns are also the fifth most by a Mid-American Conference team in a single-game.
Senior LeVante Bellamy led the offensive charge with 15 carries for 192 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. Bellamy averaged 12.8 yards per carry and broke off a career-high 73-yard run for a score early in the second quarter. Bellamy become the first Bronco with three or more rushing touchdowns since Jamauri Bogan had four against Bowling Green in 2018.
For the first time in his career, freshman Sean Tyler went over the 100-yard mark with 138 yards on six carries with two touchdowns. Tyler became the first Bronco rookie with two touchdowns in a game since Bogan recorded four against MTSU in the 2015 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.
The 450 rushing yards by the Brown & Gold is the most under head coach Tim Lester. It's also the fifth time under Lester that WMU had two rushers go over 100 yards. It's also the fourth time the Broncos have went over the 50-point plateau under the third year head coach.
Through the air, senior Jon Wassink was 15-of-20 for 246 yards and one touchdown. The senior quarterback also had four carries for 33 yards and one rushing touchdown. Wassink now has 37 career passing touchdowns, moving him into sole possession of seventh on the all-time WMU career chart.
Defensively junior Treshaun Hayward had a solid performance in his first start of the season with a career-high 15 tackles (6 solo) along with 1.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
The Bronco defense forced three Georgia State turnovers with one fumble and two interceptions. Senior Justin Tranquillearned his second career interception and first of the season late in the second quarter while sophomore Harrison Taylorearned his second career interception and first of the season as well midway through the fourth.
Overall the Bronco offense totaled 694 yards to Georgia State's, 336 and held the Panthers scoreless after the first quarter. Western Michigan improves its overall record to 2-1 and hits the road next weekend for its final non-conference match-up against Syracuse on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 12:00 p.m. on the ACC Network.
It was a fast and furious first quarter for both teams as WMU and Georgia State combined for 494 yards and 34 points as the Broncos held a 24-10 lead after the first 15 minutes of play. All four of WMU's scoring drives were under three minutes in the first quarter highlighted by touchdown runs of 60, 36 and 61 from Bellamy and Tyler.
The Broncos exploded out of the gate in the second quarter thanks to Bellamy breaking away for a 73-yard touchdown run just three minutes into the quarter to extend WMU's lead to 30-10. WMU added two more rushing touchdowns in the quarter to take a 43-10 lead into halftime.
At halftime, WMU had 490 total yards with 319 of it coming on the ground with six touchdowns. Of the six rushing touchdowns, Bellamy was responsible for three in the first half.
After a Georgia State punt on the opening drive of the third quarter, WMU marched down the field on its next possession. The Broncos embarked on an 11-play 96-yard drive lasting 5:04 resulting in a 41-yard touchdown pass from Wassink to redshirt freshman DaShon Bussell. It was the first career touchdown reception for Bussell.
WMU's final touchdown came with three minutes left in the fourth as senior Davon Tucker ran it in from 19 yards out for his eighth career rushing touchdown. In the second half, the Bronco defense held Georgia State to just 38 yards of total offense en route to the 57-10 victory.
Nebraska 44, NIU 8
Box Score
LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska used a balanced offensive attack and explosive plays on offense, while the 'Huskers defense kept the Northern Illinois University offense out of the end zone to earn a 44-8 victory Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.
With the loss to its second consecutive Power 5 opponent, NIU falls to 1-2 heading into an open date next week, while Nebraska improved to 2-1.
"This game is on me, completely," said NIU head coach Thomas Hammock. "I take full responsibility for the way we played. It wasn't good enough. We played a good Nebraska team and they capitalized on some things we knew going in. We knew they had guys on their team that can be dynamic and explosive in space. We will respond and have a great chance next week to improve and get ourselves better."
Nebraska gained 525 yards, 238 on the ground and 287 through the air as quarterbacks Adrian Martinez and Noah Vedral combined to complete 19-of-32 passes. The 'Huskers averaged 8.1 yards per play, despite NIU owning a significant advantage in time of possession, 37:58 to 22:02.
The Huskies gained 350 yards on 81 plays but were unable to get into the end zone despite twice advancing inside the Nebraska 10-yard line in the second half. On its first drive of the second half, NIU drove to the 'Huskers nine-yard line on a 12-play, 66-yard jaunt highlighted by Jordan Nettles' 22-yard rush and a Ross Bowers to Daniel Crawford 28-yard pass. But a sack on second and goal forced the Huskies into a John Richardson 27-yard field goal, his second of the game.
The field goal proved to be NIU's last score of the night. Late in the third quarter, after Nebraska extended its lead to 37-8 on a 10-yard run by Martinez, the Huskies began a drive from their 40. Bowers completed six straight passes to five different receivers, including 16 and 15-yard catches by Cole Tucker, to put NIU at the Nebraska eight. Spencer Tears ran for six yards to the two. After two Tre Harbison runs netted just one yard, Bowers' pass to Crawford was knocked away on fourth down to end the Huskies' best threat.
Bowers finished the game 25-of-44 for 248 yards while 12 different Huskies caught passes with Crawford (5 for 71) and Tucker (5 for 50) leading the way. Jordan Cole led NIU on defense with nine tackles, including three for loss, while Jalen McKie had a pair of pass break-ups to add to his two blocked kicks and Antonio Jones-Davis had five solo stops, one for loss and a blocked kick.
Nebraska led 30-5 at halftime after a wacky first half that saw punts fumbled and blocked, field goals and PATs blocked, a Huskie safety and the Huskers taking advantage of explosive plays to build an insurmountable lead.
Nebraska started the scoring on its first drive, going 58 yards in eight plays to the NIU 19. From there, Isaac Armstrong connected on a 36-yard field goal. After a pair of incompletions to start the drive, Martinez connected on passes of 41 and 17 yards to set up the three-pointer.
Jack Heflin forced a fumble that was recovered by Marshe Terry to stop a Nebraska drive at the NIU 16, but the Huskies could not take advantage and on the ensuing punt attempt, punter Matt Ference did not make contact with the ball in the face of a rush and Nebraska recovered the fumble on the NIU 21-yard line.
One play later, Martinez pushed a pitch forward to Maurice Washington who took it in for the score and a 10-0 Nebraska lead.
Nebraska took over after a rush on the fake punt by Ference fell short. They drove to the NIU 20, where Antonio Jones-Davis blocked Armstrong's field goal attempt and Devin Haney returned it to the Huskie 49-yard line.
The 'Huskers pushed the lead to 16-0 in the second quarter on a 60-yard touchdown run by Washington. McKie blocked the extra point.
NIU got on the board on its next possession as Bowers completed passes to Tears, Crawford and Tyrice Richie before the drive stalled at the Nebraska 27-yard line. Richardson's 45-yard field goal was good, making the score 16-3 Nebraska with 7:48 left in the half.
The Huskies' momentum was short-lived as an onside kick attempt went out of bounds and Nebraska started its next drive at the 50-yard line. On third-and-10, Martinez hit Mike Williams on a 26-yard pass to the 24 and Dedrick Mills picked up 24 of his 116 yards on the night on the ensuing play for the touchdown. With the PAT, Nebraska led 23-3.
The Huskie defense continued to make plays. After Nebraska blocked Ference's next punt to take over at the NIU 14-yard line, the Cornhuskers lost a yard and were forced to try a 32-yard field goal. That attempt was blocked by McKie for NIU's third blocked kick of the night.
NIU drove from its 15 to the 50 with Bowers once again making use of the tight ends. On fourth and six, Bowers lined up in shotgun formation and executed a perfect quick kick punt that was downed at the four-yard line. One play later, Cole tackled Washington in the end zone to record NIU's first safety since the 2011 Eastern Michigan game.
With Nebraska's lead cut to 23-5, NIU went three-and-out after the free kick and Bowers punted again on fourth-and-one. From its 13 with 44 seconds left in the half, Nebraska drove 87 yards in five plays and scored on a 27-yard pass from Martinez to Kanawai Noa for a 30-5 halftime lead.
"I saw our guys continue to fight," Hammock said. "We've got to continue to keep working to get better. We had some young guys in there, especially on special teams, and we knew that. We tried to give ourselves the best possible chance."
NIU played without injured starters Kyle Pugh and Quintin Wynne on defense and were also missing defensive tackle Ben LeRoy due to injury.
The Huskies have an open week on Sept. 21 before returning to action at Vanderbilt September 28 in Nashville. Game time for that contest will be announced Monday.
