Saturday's (9/7) MAC Football Results
Pitt 20, Ohio 10 Final
Kent State 26, Kennesaw State 23 (OT) Final
UAB 31, Akron 20 Final
Kansas State 52, Bowling Green 0 Final
No. 13 Utah 35, NIU 17 Final
Ball State 57, Fordham 29 Final
Miami 48, Tennessee Tech 17 Final
No. 17 Wisconsin 61, Central Michigan 0 Final
No. 19 Michigan State 51, Western Michigan 17 Final
No. 15 Penn State 45, Buffalo 13 Final
Kentucky 38, Eastern Michigan 17 Final
Game stories courtesy of MAC Athletic Communication Departments
Pitt 20, Ohio 10 Final
Box Score
PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Ohio junior running back De'Montre Tuggle scored his third rushing touchdown in two games, but the Ohio football team (1-1) suffered a 20-10 setback to host Pitt (1-1) this afternoon at Heinz Field. The Pitt defense limited the Ohio offense to its lowest point total since 2016 and its lowest output of total offense (212 yards) since '14.
Senior quarterback Nathan Rourke went 15-of-27 passing for 177 yards but was sacked six times. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Jerome Bucker led the Bobcats with four receptions and 60 receiving yards. On the ground, redshirt freshman running back O'Shaan Allison led Ohio with 47 yards on 14 carries.
Defensively, three Bobcats registered double-digit tackles. Redshirt junior linebacker Dylan Conner led all tacklers with a career-high 11 total stops. Redshirt junior safety Jarren Hampton set a career-high with 10 total tackles. Redshirt senior safety Javon Hagan logged 10 total tackles. Senior linebacker Eric Popp tallied a career-high nine total tackles and accounted for Ohio's lone sack of the game. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Amos Ogun-Semore set a career high with seven total tackles.
Redshirt senior punter Michael Farkas set a career high 10 punts for 435 yards, averaging 43.5 yards per punt with a long of 56. Four of his punts landed inside the 20 yard line. Ohio's 10 were its most in a game since it punted 13 times against Miami in 2007.
The Panthers put up 481 yards of offense, led by junior quarterback Kenny Pickett, who finished the game 26-of-37 for 321 yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Maurice Ffrench was Pitt's leading receiver with a game-high 10 receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back A.J. Davis finished with a game-high 89 rushing yards on 13 carries while freshman running back Vincent Davis rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown on 12 touches.
The Bobcats and the Panthers exchanged punts on their opening drives of the game. Ohio kept Pitt's second drive alive when the Bobcats were flagged for pass interference on a 3rd-and-2. Pickett made Ohio pay for the penalty, completing passes of nine yards to Ffrench, 12 yards and 18 yards to senior wide receiver Aaron Mathews and 12 yards to redshirt junior wide receiver Taysir Mack, putting ball on the Ohio 11. The Bobcats forced the Panthers to settle for a 27-yard field goal by redshirt junior kicker Alex Kessman, though, giving Pitt a 3-0 lead with just under eight minutes to play in the first quarter.
Ohio drove to the Pitt 24 on its third drive, with Rourke completing passes of six yards to redshirt freshman wide receiver Shane Hooks and eight yards to Buckner, and Allison picking up 17 yards on four rush attempts. A five-yard loss and a false start penalty backed the Bobcats out of field goal range, though, and Pitt forced Ohio to punt. Three plays later, Pickett connected with Ffrench on a 74-yard touchdown, pushing Pitt's advantage to 10-0 early in the second quarter.
After Ohio went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, the Panthers marched 47 yards in eight plays and capped it off with a three-yard touchdown run by Davis, making it a 17-0 lead for Pitt.
The Bobcats' offense came alive on their second drive of the quarter. Rourke found redshirt senior DL Knock for a gain of 19, then threw a 45-yard completion to Buckner to set Ohio up at the Pitt 13. Pitt forced Ohio to settle for a 23-yard field by redshirt senior kicker Louie Zervos, however, making it a 14-point contest with under seven minutes to go in the half.
Pitt had an opportunity to go back up by 17 on the next drive, but Kessman missed a 45-yard field goal attempt short, and the Panthers took a 17-3 lead into halftime. The Panthers tacked on three more points when Kessman ended an eight-play, 55-yard drive by converting a 41-yard field goal with just over six minutes to play in the third quarter.
Ohio then engineered a five-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Rourke completed passes of five yards to Hooks, 27 yards to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Isiah Cox and 34 yards to Allison, setting up a seven-yard touchdown run by Tuggle to cut the Bobcats' deficit to 10 points with just over four minutes remaining in the third. That's as close as Ohio got, though, as the Panthers shut the Bobcats out in the fourth quarter.
Kansas State 52, Bowling Green 0 Final
Box Score
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Kansas State scored touchdowns on five-straight first-half possessions, riding that momentum to a 52-0 win over the Bowling Green State University football team Saturday afternoon at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The Wildcats, now 2-0 on the season, had 521 yards of total offense in the win. including 333 on the ground. Bowling Green running back Davon Jones rushed for 47 yards on eight carries, while eight different Falcons caught at least one pass in the game.
Post-game Notes...
UAB 31, Akron 20 Final
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio -- Akron showed definite improvement from week one to week two, however the Zips fell to defending Conference-USA champion UAB, 31-20, at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field on Saturday afternoon. The Blazers (2-0) utilized 402 yards of total offense in the victory. Fueled by a fourth-quarter comeback, Akron (0-2) totaled 393 yards of total offense.
"First of all, we'd like to congratulate UAB on a great win," head coach Tom Arth said. "It's always difficult to travel and get a victory on the road, so congratulations to them and their coaching staff. Secondly, I wanted to say how proud I am of our players. It would've been easy to pack it in, but not once did we do that. There are a lot of things we can coach, but we can't coach fight and desire. Our team has proven to me multiple times that we are incredibly resilient, and they just keep fighting. It gives a lot of hope for the future and the success we plan on having this season."
Akron was led by junior WR Dustin Burkhart, who had a career-best 217 receiving yards on the day, including a career-long 64-yard catch in the fourth quarter. Burkhart's 217 yards rank second on Akron's all-time receiving yards for a game, behind Jabari Arthur, 223 yards against Western Michigan (Oct., 6, 2007).
Junior QB Kato Nelson also had a career day, resetting his personal bests with 25 completions, 44 attempts, and 359 passing yards. Defensively, three Zips posted double digit tackles, led by senior LB John Lako with 14 tackles. Senior DL Davon'te Jest registered a career-high 11 tackles.
Akron took the opening kickoff and for the second consecutive week, scored on its opening drive. Senior RB Deltron Sands ran the ball into the endzone for the Zips' first touchdown of the year on a two-yard rush. Junior PK Jerry Fitschen missed the extra point as Akron jumped on the scoreboard for a 6-0 edge.
UAB drove the length of the field on its opening drive. After 11 plays and 61 yards, the Akron defense forced the Blazers to a field goal which went wide right.
On its next possession, UAB converted a six-play, 88-yard drive with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Johnston to Parham to put the Blazers up 7-6 in the first quarter. To open the second quarter, UAB kicker Nick Vogel converted a 39-yard field goal to put the Blazers ahead 10-6.
Before intermission, Johnston tossed a 28-yard touchdown to Watkins and Vogel tacked on the extra point, giving UAB a 17-6 advantage.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, UAB added another seven points on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Johnston to Watkins. To open the fourth quarter, Akron utilized an eight-play, 59-yard drive, capped off by a six-yard touchdown pass to junior WR Nate Stewart for his first touchdown of the year. Fitschen tacked on the extra point to give Akron 13 points.
The Zips weren't finished. With 4:42 remaining in the game, Nelson connected with sophomore WR Timothy Scippio on a seven-yard touchdown reception, bringing Akron closer at 31-20. Following a three-and-out, Akron got the ball back with 3:32 to go. The Zips were unable to move the ball and punted for the final time.
Kent State 26, Kennesaw State 23 (OT) Final
Box Score
KENT, Ohio -- Kent State (1-1) snapped a nine-game overtime losing streak against Kennesaw State (1-1) in its home opener at Dix Stadium to record its second overtime victory in program history.
"I'm proud of these guys," said Head Coach Sean Lewis. "I'm proud of the way they fought, proud of the way they responded and the way they battled through the second half and did the things we asked them to do. I'm really proud of these guys."
The Owls grabbed an early lead in the first quarter, 3-0, after a 33-yard Nathan Robertson field goal. Dustin Crumstarted the third game of his career and his first game since 2017. He led the Flashes down the field and Matthew Trickett capped off a nine-play drive with a 32-yard field goal.
After another Robertson field goal, Kennesaw State extended its lead to 13-3 with a Daniel David 2-yard touchdown run.
Crum marched Kent State down the field and scored on a 23-yard run to bring the Flashes within three, 13-10. Robertson added a third first-half field goal to give the Owls a 16-10 halftime advantage.
A muffed punt by Kent State put Kennesaw State in scoring position, but Keith Sherald Jr. picked off David in the end zone to give the ball back to the Flashes. Crum connected with Isaiah McKoy for a 75-yard touchdown pass to give the Flashes their first lead of the contest.
Trickett extended the Kent State lead to four, 20-16, with a 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. The Owls answered with a 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take a 23-20 lead with 1:47 remaining in the game.
Crum moved the Flashes down the field in the two-minute drill and set up Trickett for a 38-yard game-tying field goal to send the game to overtime. Crum finished with a career-high 192 yards passing and a touchdown through the air and on the ground.
The Flashes started on defense in overtime and Matt Bahr stepped up to make a crucial play. Kennesaw State's Shaq Terry fumbled the pitch from David and Bahr jumped on the loose ball to give the ball back to the offense. Bahr finished with a career-high 15 total tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss.
Matthew Trickett nailed a 43-yard field goal to win the game for the Flashes. He made a career-high four field goals, including his first career game-winning kick.
The Flashes defense was all over the field, as six players including Bahr set career highs. Theo Majette recorded 11 tackles, shattering his former career-high of four. Nick Faulkner and Mandela Lawrence-Burke each made 10 stops, while Zayin West made six tackles. McKoy caught seven passes for a career-high 125 yards and a touchdown to lead the Flashes on offense. Jo-El Shaw finished with 93 yards on the ground, including a 54-yard long.
No. 13 Utah 35, NIU 17 Final
Box Score
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Northern Illinois went toe-to-toe with No. 13-ranked Utah in the first half, but the Utes defense limited NIU to just 69 yards of offense in the second half to claim a 35-17 win at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The teams combined for 38 points and nearly 500 yards of total offense in the first half, with the Utes claiming a 21-17 lead at the break. Utah improved to 2-0 with the win while the Huskies fell to 1-1.
"Obviously we're disappointed with the loss," said NIU head coach Thomas Hammock, who suffered his first loss as the Huskies' head man. "We wanted to make it a four-quarter game and we were right there in the first half."
NIU quarterback Ross Bowers was 15-of-21 for 202 yards and a touchdown in the first half, while wide receiver Spencer Tears recorded his first 100-yard game of the season with 106 yards on four catches, most of those coming on a 74-yard touchdown catch and run that tied the game at 14. For the game, Bowers was 21-of-31 for 235 yards with one interception and one touchdown, while Tears finished with five catches for 112 yards.
"I thought [Ross] played well," Hammock said. "We're getting him hit way too much and we've got to clean up the pass protection. We had some explosive plays in the first half and those play a big role in determining the outcome of the game."
NIU took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter after a 12-play, 88-yard drive that took 6:53 off the clock. Bowers went five-for-five passing on the drive and added 15 yards rushing, including the nine-yard touchdown run. The touchdown was NIU's first on the ground of the season.
The teams exchanged punts as the first quarter came to a close before Utah got its offense going as they started a drive on their own 40-yard line. First, the Utes' Moss picked up 25 yards. Three plays later, quarterback Tyler Huntley hit Britain Covey for 21 yards to give the Utes a first down at the NIU 13-yard line. Demari Simpkins put Utah on the scoreboard with a 13-yard touchdown run with 13:41 left in the quarter.
Bowers hit Tears on back-to-back pass plays to put NIU on its own 48 on its next drive, but the Huskies could not advance and a 15-yard penalty on the punt gave Utah the ball on its 30-yard line to start its possession. They took just 3:16 and seven plays to drive 70 yards with Huntley completing passes of 26 and 23 yards before running it in himself from the 16-yard line.
Down 14-7, the Huskies took just two plays to respond. On second and nine from its 26-yard line Bowers hit a streaking Spencer Tears in stride on the sideline and the senior went 74 yards to the end zone for the Huskies' longest touchdown since the 2017 San Diego State game.
Utah came back to re-take the lead as Huntley engineered a nine-play, 75-yard drive. The Utes converted three times on third-and-one on the drive, with Moss going 16 yards for the touchdown on the last of those opportunities. With 2:48 left in the half, Utah took a 21-14 lead.
The Huskies were not done, though. A Bowers to Daniel Crawford completion for 37 yards gave the Huskies a third down conversion of their own and put the ball on the Utah 38-yard line. Passes of nine and eight yards to Tears and Crawford got NIU to the Utah 21 but a sack backed the Huskies up to the 28. From there, John Richardson was good from 46-yards for the longest field goal of his career to pull the Huskies within four, 21-17, at halftime.
Utah dominated the second half, allowing the Huskies just 69 yards of offense and three first downs, two of which came on NIU's final drive behind back-up quarterback Marcus Childers.
Moss scored his second touchdown of the game on a five-yard run to cap a six-play, 70-yard drive to start the half and give the Utes a 28-17 lead.
The Huskies then had fourth and one at the Utah 48 on its next possession but Tre Harbison's run came up short and NIU turned the ball over on downs.
"We have to take advantage of our opportunities," Hammock said. "In the second half we struggled and got out of rhythm."
The NIU defense came up with a big stop of its own to end that drive, forcing a Ute incompletion on fourth down at the NIU 31-yard line.
Neither team was able to move the ball the rest of the quarter and into the fourth period, until Utah took advantage of the Huskies' lone turnover to score its last touchdown and take an insurmountable 35-17 lead. Bowers was picked off at the NIU 22 and three plays later, Huntley hit Jaylen Dixon for a 14-yard touchdown.
Defensively, the Huskies limited Moss to just 80 yards on 18 carries, the 17th straight game NIU has not allowed an opposing rusher to pass the 100-yard mark. Huntley finished 14-of-19 for 214 yards and one touchdown. Devin Haney, who started at cornerback, made nine tackles to lead NIU. The Huskies had six tackles for loss, including 1.5 by linebacker Kyle Pugh.
Ball State 57, Fordham 29 Final
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. -- It wasn't a perfect performance, but it was an entertaining one and, in the end, it was a decisive victory. Drew Plitt tied the Ball State record with six touchdown passes, and the Cardinals rolled up nearly 600 yards of offense in a 57-29 victory over Fordham on the newly minted Gainbridge Field at Scheumann Stadium.
Plitt's 439 yards were 30 fewer than his head coach Mike Neu's school record in the famous 1993 Homecoming comeback against Toledo. But the redshirt junior signal caller didn't get a chance at that one. His sixth touchdown pass of the day, matching Keith Wenning's mark, was his final throw before John Paddock took the snaps on BSU's final possessions.
"We responded from a shaky start," Neu said. "Drew's one of those guys, the ultimate competitor. He settled in nicely and really ran the show offensively. He did a lot of good stuff at the line of scrimmage where he made some adjustments. Six touchdowns passes speaks for itself. Most importantly, it's a win."
Riley Miller and Antwan Davis were both on the receiving end of two touchdowns, while Justin Hallsnagged a 50-yard score and Cody Rudy snuck out of the backfield and caught the first of his career. Miller led the way with 116 receiving yards, while Davis hauled in BSU career highs of five catches and 86 yards.
Ball State (1-1) started slowly, but Plitt's scoring connection to Hall seemed to get things going. Walter Fletcher scored on a 10-yard run late in the first quarter to even the score at 14-all, and the Cardinals went on to score 36 unanswered points on the Rams (0-2).
Caleb Huntley accounted for the other BSU touchdown of the day on a 16-yard scamper for his second score in as many games. The Cardinals' 57 points were the fourth-most in school history and their most since going for 60 in a five-overtime game at Western Michigan in 2005.
"We know we didn't play our best football today," Neu said. "The first half was a little bit sluggish. We overcame a poor start and settled in. We came out in the second half and did a lot of good things, but we still have a lot of things to clean up."
The first good thing of the second half came just eight seconds in when the Cardinals corralled Fordham running back Zach Davis in the endzone for a safety.
Fordham quarterback Tim DeMorat threw for 221 yards and a touchdown on the day, but the Cardinals picked him off twice and nearly scored both times.
Amechi Uzodinma II returned his second interception of the year inside the 5-yard line to set up Rudy's second-quarter touchdown. Tyler 'Red' Potts' fourth-quarter pick-six was called back for a holding penalty, but the Cardinals scored five plays later on Plitt's sixth touchdown pass.
Miami 48, Tennessee Tech 17 Final
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio -- A dominant defensive first half and a solid ground game gave the Miami football team a comfortable 48-17 Homecoming win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday afternoon. Miami (1-1) rushed for 108 yards in the first half and held Tennessee Tech (1-1) to -1 on the ground and never looked back to even its record on the season.
The RedHawks took a short opening kickoff into plus territory to go immediately to work on offense. A Tyre Shelton 13-yard rush set the tone on the drive's first play and Brett Gabbert converted a third down by finding Maurice Thomas to knock on the door to the red zone. Shelton would convert a 4th-and-2 on a two-yard rush to get to the Golden Eagles' 11. The drive stalled there, but Samuel Sloman put points on the board with a 27-yard field goal to cap the 12-play drive.
Miami forced a three-and-out and a Tennessee Tech penalty on the ensuing punt set it up with excellent field position again at the TTU 45. Gabbert opened the drive by hitting Dominque Robinson for a 23-yard gain to the 22. While a holding penalty the next play gave MU an uphill battle, it overcame 1st-and-20 on a 10-yard rush by Thomas and a 16-yard hookup between Gabbert and Robinson that made it first and goal. Three plays later, Davion Johnson punched it in on the ground from three yards out to stake the Red & White to a 10-0 lead with 6:46 left in the opening frame.
After another quick stop, MU got the ball near midfield and appeared poised to add more points to the board as Gabbert completed a pass into plus territory for a big gain, but TTU forced a fumble and took over at its 27. The Golden Eagles got their first sustained drive together after converting a 3rd-and-15 and they eventually reached the RedHawks' 14 before a big Bart Baratti sack stalled the drive and forced them into a field goal that made it 10-3 in Miami's favor at after the first quarter.
The teams traded punts and Miami eventually started again in great position at Tennessee Tech's 23. While MU got into a 3rd-and-11, Gabbert made short work of that by hitting Robinson for 21 and following that by calling his own number for a 3-yard touchdown rush to stake the RedHawks to a 17-3 lead early in the second quarter.
Miami's defense then got into the fun 29 seconds later as Baratti picked off a Bailey Fisher pass and returned it to the house from 35 yards out to make it a 24-3 ballgame. The Red & White forced another turnover with Ben Kimpler picking up a fumble he forced to set them up at the Golden Eagles' 39. Gabbert started the drive by hitting Jalen Walker, who scooted 28 yards to the 11. TTU's defense kept MU from the end zone, but Sloman added a short field goal to extend the lead to 27-3.
With the gap widening, Tennessee Tech reached into its bag of tricks, but Miami was not fooled on a reverse pass. Sterling Weatherford intercepted the bid and returned it to the two-yard line, giving Miami's defense three-straight turnovers forced. Davion Johnson took the next handoff to the house to make it a 34-3 contest.
The RedHawks' defense got another three-and-out and the offense bled out the final five minutes of the half with a 12-play drive that culminated in a quarterback sneak from Gabbert that gave them a 41-3 lead at the break.
Tennessee Tech began the second half with a methodical 20-play drive that saw it reach Miami's one-yard line, but the defense stood tall as Cedric Boswell and Jeremiah Josephs combined for a stop that resulted in a two-yard loss on 4th-and-goal to give the Red & White the ball.
The third quarter went by scoreless, though Tennessee Tech found the end zone on a Luke Ward 16-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth. Miami responded with a 72-yard drive as Zach Kahn punched it in on the ground from a yard out to make it 48-10, though Ward tossed another touchdown on the ensuing possession to cap the scoring.
Miami outgained Tennessee Tech 190-74 on the ground with five rushing touchdowns and had a 349-282 edge in total offense for the day. Shelton led all players with 65 yards on the ground while Kahn chipped in an additional 49 and his first career touchdown. In his second career start, Gabbert finished 10-of-17 for 152 yards through the air while chipping in a pair of touchdown rushes totaling four yards in the first half. Robinson and Jalen Walker tied for the game lead with 60 yards receiving.
No. 15 Penn State 45, Buffalo 13
Box Score
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Buffalo team led 15th-ranked Penn State at the half, but couldn't hold on as the Nittany Lions rallied for a 45-13 win at Beaver Stadium on Saturday night.
Matt Myers connected with Julien Bourassa on a six-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter to give the Bulls a 10-7 lead at halftime, silencing the 104,136 in attendance. The touchdown capped a dominant first-half performance by the Bulls. UB outgained the Nittany Lions, 270-82 in total offense in the first half.
A week after only attempting 10 passes in the opener against Robert Morris, the coaching staff took the training wheels off the Bulls' redshirt-freshman quarterback, letting him throw the ball. Myers responded by completing 11-of-17 passes for 184 yards and a score in the first half, looking poised beyond his years.
Penn State came out of the locker room in the second half with a sense of urgency. However, on its opening drive, a big hit by Joey Banks forced a fumble that was recovered by Aapri Washington and the Bulls were back in business. But on the ensuing possession, Penn State's defense came up with a play that turned the tide and the momentum of the entire game. John Reid stepped in front of a Myers' pass and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown to give the Nittany Lions a 14-10 lead.
After a three-and-out for the Bulls, Penn State's first play from scrimmage was a 23-yard touchdown pass to extend its lead to 21-10.
Alex McNulty connected on a 25-yard field goal, midway through the third quarter, to cut the Penn State lead to 21-13. It was McNulty's second field goal of the night. The redshirt-freshman also made good on a 32-yard attempt earlier in the game.
Penn State was able to capitalize on big plays down the stretch to pull away late.
"I'm really proud of our football team," head coach Lance Leipold said. "They competed really hard and played extremely well for 30 minutes. We came out in the second half and obviously a big switch in momentum, but give credit to Coach Franklin and his staff for their adjustments at halftime and you can see why they are a Top 25 team. They are explosive, but at the same time this group of young men battled and we took a huge step as a football team tonight."
The Bulls rushed for 184 yards in the game, led by Jaret Patterson who finished with 71. Kevin Marks added 64 yards and Dylan McDuffie had 43 yards on only six carries.
Myers finished 16-for-31 for 245 yards. His favorite target was wide receiver Antonio Nunn who had five catches for 113 yards, both career highs. Dominic Johnson, who recently moved from quarterback to wide receiver, had three grabs for 27 yards.
The Bulls ran 90 offensive plays, compared to just 46 for Penn State. Third down was also a big discrepancy as UB converted on third down 10 times while Penn State was just 2-of-9 on third down.
Banks had the best game of his career to lead the defense. The senior safety had a career-high 11 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Chibueze Onwuka added a sack and two tackles for loss to lead a stout defensive line.
"In the first half, the offense was moving the ball well and competing well, throwing the ball and running the ball," Jaret Patterson said. "At halftime we had the momentum and we felt like we could stick with them, but after halftime we put ourselves in some bad situations like third and long, but I am extremely proud of how this team fought and I think this is going to be a special year. It's not how you start, but how you finish."
Kentucky 38, Eastern Michigan 17
Box Score
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Eastern Michigan could not slow the early firepower of the University of Kentucky Saturday, Sept. 7, as the Wildcats controlled the offensive side of the ball in the first half to turn the Eagles aside 38-17 at Kroger Field.
EMU (1-1) battled a tough crowd of 55,240 clad in blue, as UK (2-0) held the ball on offense for 33:01 and outgained the Eagles, 461-386. Though the Green and White finished with more yards through the air, 337 to 222, Kentucky used a dominant run game that outgained EMU 239 to 49.
Senior Mike Glass III threw for 337 yards and two touchdowns, completing passes to nine different receivers. It marked the first time since Oct. 26, 2017, that an Eagle quarterback completed passes to nine-or-more different receivers in a game.
Fellow senior Mathew Sexton led Eastern in receptions with seven for 54 yards, while senior Line Latu had four receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown, and senior Arthur Jackson III added five receptions for a team-high 71 yards. Junior Bryson Cannon caught his first touchdown as an Eagle, and finished the game with three receptions for 20 yards.
The Wildcats started the game with a bang as they needed just three plays and 1:13 to go 26 yards and take the 7-0 lead on their first possession. Eastern's offense was unable to get anything started on its next chance, and after a punt, Kentucky marched down the field on its next possession. The Wildcats capped off a 90-yard, 2:10-minute drive with a 32-yard rush to put the home team ahead 14-0. Eastern would possess the ball three times during the opening quarter, but was never able to work the ball into UK territory.
The second stanza began with UK methodically marching down the field, and as they were knocking on the door of their third touchdown, the Eagles forced a fumble for the first turnover of the game.
Junior defensive end Turan Rush fell on the ball to give Eastern possession on their own one-yard line. Unfortunately for the Eagles, starting the drive from the shadow of their own goal post resulted in a Kentucky interception, and the Wildcats converted the turnover into three points to go ahead 17-0.
Kentucky halted the next Eastern drive in its tracks thanks to the Wildcats' second interception of the game. The Eagles' defense, however, was up to the task, and after UK missed a 48-yard field goal, EMU grabbed the momentum and drove down the field. The Green and White were halted in the red zone, but sophomore Chad Ryland knocked in a 24-yard field goal to put Eastern on the board, 17-3.
EMU outgained UK in the second quarter, 90-75, after the Wildcats dominated from the line of scrimmage in the first quarter, 158-21.
After Kentucky used a 15-play, 7:47 drive to make the score 24-3, Eastern got its own offense going on its second possession of the second half. Glass completed five passes to four receivers on the drive, ending with a 26-yard strike to Latu for the Eagles' first touchdown of the game.
Trailing 31-10 in the fourth quarter, Glass found Cannon for a seven-yard score to cut the deficit to two touchdowns at 31-17. The Wildcats took their final possession of the game to march down the field and add one more touchdown to their total, bringing the score to its 38-17 final.
Kentucky was led by its ground attack, as Kavosiey Smoke and Asim Rose rushed for 92 and 82 yards, respectively, while each scoring a touchdown. Quarterback Terry Wilson threw for 114 yards and rushed for 43 more, including a touchdown, while Sawyer Smith came in and threw for 76 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 19 Michigan State 51, Western Michigan 17
Box Score
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- In its first road contest of the season the Western Michigan football team dropped a 51-17 decision at No.19 Michigan State on Saturday night inside Spartan Stadium.
Senior Jon Wassink was able to attack the Spartan secondary finishing the game going 23-for-37 for 252 yards and one touchdown. With the 23 completions, Wassink moved into 10th on WMU's career completions list. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native found eight different receivers on the night, averaging 11.1 yards per pass.
Wassink's lone touchdown fell into the hands of fellow senior Giovanni Ricci who led the Broncos with six receptions for 53 yards. Ricci now has three touchdowns on the season, matching the most he's had in a season in his career.
Graduate transfer Keith Mixon Jr., continued his stellar start to the season recording 150 all-purpose yards. Mixon Jr., had four receptions for a team-high 71 yards while also having 79 kick return yards. In the first two games this season, Mixon Jr., has accumulated 319 all-purpose yards.
Defensively, senior Justin Tranquill led the Broncos with a career-high 14 tackles (6 solo) and one QB hurry. Junior Treshaun Hayward also had double-digit tackles, posting 10 for the Brown & Gold. Senior Drake Spears ranked third on the team with seven tackles while senior D'Wayne Eskridge had four tackles and three pass break-ups.
Recording the first interception of the year for WMU was senior Najee Clayton, doing so midway through the second quarter off a tipped pass from Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke. Fellow senior Antonio Balabani finished with four tackles and also forced his second career fumble that was recovered by redshirt freshman Will McCabe.
On the night the Broncos registered 352 total yards with 285 yards coming through the air. The Spartans outgained WMU, 251-67 on the ground with the Broncos posting 18 first downs compared to MSU's, 31. Western Michigan also held a 31:51 to 28:09 advantage in time of possession against the Spartans.
The Broncos first touchdown came early in the second quarter as Wassink found Ricci on a 14-yard touchdown pass at the 11:34 mark. WMU traveled 66 yards in 10 plays, spanning over five minutes and converted the 14-yard touchdown on a fourth and two.
WMU scored 10 of its 17 points in the fourth quarter as junior Thiago Kapps got the scoring started, connecting on a 31-yard field goal with 8:41 left. On the Broncos' final drive of the game, sophomore quarterback Griffin Alstott found redshirt freshman Ryan Selig on a 15-yard touchdown strike. It was Alstott's first career passing touchdown as he went 4-for-4 on the nine play, 72-yard drive.
No. 17 Wisconsin 61, Central Michigan 0
Box Score
MADISON, Wisc. -- Jim McElwain did not sugar coat it after his Central Michigan football team took a 61-0 loss from Wisconsin on Saturday before 74,437 fans at the Badgers' Camp Randall Stadium.
"It was a heck of a football team we played," the first-year coach said. "Obviously disappointed in, not our effort, but in how we played. I thought we'd play better, we didn't. It is what it is. Now we've got to pick ourselves back up."
Wisconsin, ranked 16th nationally in the Coaches Poll and 17th by the Associated Press, scored touchdowns on six of its seven first-half possessions and added a safety in building a 44-0 lead at the break.
That made the second half a time for the Chippewas (1-1) to play backups and begin looking ahead to next week, when they entertain Akron in the Mid-American Conference opener.
There is no need for long-range philosophic soul searching in the CMU camp. Wisconsin, behind running back Jonathan Taylor, a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, is just that good and is likely to remain a top-20 team throughout the season.
"I've said from the start I really like this football team, I like our guys, a bunch of good kids," McElwain said. "They're hurting in there right now, disappointed. We'll pick them back up and we'll move forward and get ready to play a conference opponent next week at home."
Taylor ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns and Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan threw for 363 yards and three scores. Wisconsin (2-0) finished with 599 yards in total offense and held CMU to 58.
"It's a great learning experience for our guys," McElwain said. "A great atmosphere for our guys to be in, and I know they're disappointed in how they performed. You know what, that's OK. Sometimes you've got to put yourself out there and you learn a lot from failure. We're going to do that and come back and be a better team next week."
