KENT, Ohio – Dru DeShields threw and rushed for a touchdown, Sean Leonard set a program record with a 53-yard field goal, and the Kent State Golden Flashes opened MAC play with a 26-13 victory over Ball State Saturday afternoon at Dix Stadium. The Flashes improved to 2-2 overall, and 1-0 in MAC play in front of 11,059 fans, while the Cardinals fell to 1-3, 0-1.

It marked Kent State's first MAC-opener win since October 1, 2022, when the Flashes knocked off Ohio 31-24 at Dix Stadium, and the program's first victory over Ball State since a 41-38 win in Kent on November 23, 2019.

Kent State controlled the tempo from the opening drive, marching 74 yards on 11 plays before DeShields found Brandon White on a 7-yard scoring strike, the first touchdown of White's collegiate career, to put the Flashes on top 7-0 midway through the first quarter. The Golden Flashes kept their foot on the gas in the second quarter, stringing together an 11-play, 93-yard march that DeShields capped with a 7-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 14-0. It marked the second time this season DeShields has thrown and rushed for a score in the same game, matching his total from all of last year. With time expiring in the first half, Leonard connected on a 53-yard field goal, shattering the previous program record of 52 yards set by Nate Reed against Central Michigan on October 27, 2007, to give Kent State a 17-0 advantage at the break.

Ball State trimmed the deficit to 17-7 on a Donovan Hamilton touchdown catch late in the third quarter, but the Flashes responded with a pivotal fourth-quarter sequence. DeShields capped a nine-play, 58-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Da'Realyst Clark to push the lead to 24-7, and moments later, the Dark Side Defense delivered a highlight of its own. On Ball State's ensuing possession, Joel Cordoba recorded the first sack of his career, driving Tyler Mizzell into the end zone for a safety, the first for the Flashes since 2018 against Howard, making it 26-7. Ball State added a late touchdown to close the final margin to 26-13, but a game-sealing fourth-down sack by Jaihien Roy in the final minute snuffed out any chance of a Cardinal comeback.

DeShields finished 16-of-25 for 189 yards and two touchdowns through the air while adding 76 yards and a score on the ground for 265 total yards of offense. Clark led all receivers with six catches for 73 yards and the touchdown, the first score of his season, and he now leads the team in receiving in both home games played at Dix Stadium this year. Ardell Banks chipped in two receptions for 58 yards, and Wayne Harris added three catches for 38 yards. On the ground, Mason King carried 11 times for 46 yards while White contributed 26 yards on 10 carries to complement his receiving touchdown.

The Dark Side Defense put in a complete performance. Ball State managed just 46 rushing yards on 27 attempts, the fewest rushing yards allowed by the Flashes all season. The Cardinals converted just 5-of-14 third-down opportunities. Cordoba's career-first sack headlined a defensive effort that also featured two sacks on the final Ball State drive of the game. Cordoba finished with a team-high six tackles, while Derrick Jackson III and Angelo Stockstill each recorded four stops.
 

TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo football team stormed out to a 14-point halftime lead on Saturday and kept its foot on the gas in the second half, defeating San Diego State 41-16 at the Glass Bowl. 

Toledo (3-1) trailed 3-0 and then scored the next 34 points – seven in the first quarter, 10 in the second and 17 in the third to put the game out of reach. The Rockets had three touchdown drives of three or fewer plays, and sophomore linebacker Isaac Zay had a 67-yard pick-six. 

San Diego State's offense drove 68 yards on the first possession of the game but were put into hibernation by the Rockets' defense the rest of the afternoon. UT forced two turnovers and limited the Aztecs to just 48 rushing yards and 3 for 14 on third down. The Rockets had three sacks, six tackles for loss and forced two turnovers. 

Senior safety Armorion Smith finished with 11 tackles, two pass breakups and 0.5 sacks. Zay added eight stops to his pick-six. Junior safety Nicholas Thompson had 1.5 tackles for loss, while Smith, Zay, sophomore defensive end Zach Johnson, junior defensive end Andrew Zock were each credited with one TFL.

Junior quarterback John Alan Richter completed 16 of 22 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. He had six passing plays of more than 15 yards, accounting for 222 yards of offense. Junior wide receiver Bryson Hammer was the recipient of two touchdown passes (78 yards and 38 yards), finishing with six receptions for 133 yards. Junior Autavius Ison (89 yards) and senior Connor Walendzak (61 yards) led on the ground, with Walendzak supplying the Rockets' lone rushing score.

OXFORD, Ohio— "Give it to 'Big Country', right?"

When Chuck Martin woke up on gameday, he had no idea who was getting the ball.

Martin knew he liked a certain play design in a 3rd-and-short or 4th-and-short scenario, but the banged-up RedHawks were down a few key bodies at the ballcarrier position if they ended up using that particular call.

"Christian Ross usually plays that position. Obviously, he's not there. Our next guy we were going to put there had a bad hand," Martin explained. "It's like, 'Okay, who's left?'"

The answer turned out to be...Brach Rice.

Yes, THAT Brach Rice.

Rice, a defensive lineman (or defensive-lineman-turned-fullback, at least for today), came through with a two-yard run to move the sticks on a key fourth down with less than eight minutes remaining. That ultimately set up the game-winning Brady Stidham field goal from 33 yards out in Miami's thrilling 24-21 Homecoming win over Connecticut Saturday afternoon.

Rice downplayed his offensive role in the outcome when asked about his first career carry. "I mean, I played quarterback my senior year [of high school]," Rice smiled. "So I've always had the ball in my hands. It really wasn't that big of a deal."

But the win it led to was a massive deal for Rice and the RedHawks, who evened their record at 2-2 heading into Mid-American Conference play next weekend. Miami trailed by 14 points in the first quarter before rallying, and held on in the final minute after a key 4th-and-10 stop by the defense for the dramatic three-point victory.
 

ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio football team (2-2) returned home for family weekend and picked up a big win over the Stonehill Skyhawks (1-4), 35-7. The running game on both sides of the ball was the story for Ohio, as the Bobcats rushed for 301 yards and four rushing touchdowns while holding the Skyhawks to -1 rushing yard.  

Individually, junior quarterback Matt Vezza (Elmhurst, Ill.) threw for 207 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 39 yards and two touchdowns. Graduate running back Victor Rosa (Bristol, Conn.) ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns, while redshirt freshman running back Irving Brown (Teachy, N.C.) had 97 yards on eight carries. Redshirt sophomore receiver Riley Neer (Bellefontaine, Ohio) led with 113 receiving yards, while redshirt sophomore wide receiver Dom Dorwart (Leonardtown, Md.) had one catch for 42 yards and a touchdown.  

Defensively, redshirt freshman linebacker Jermaine Minnis (Hyattsville, Md.) had four tackles and a tackle for loss. Redshirt junior cornerback Kendall Bannister (Woodbridge, Va.) had four tackles, along with redshirt senior linebacker Michael Molnar (Mason, Ohio) and redshirt junior defensive tackle RJ Keuchler (Pickerington, Ohio). Redshirt senior defensive tackle Nathan Hale (Wichita, Kan.) finished with three tackles and a sack.  

The Bobcats started the game with a bang as Vezza dropped in a perfect pass to Neer downfield for a 33-yard gain on the first play. Ohio drove the ball down the field, getting just outside the red zone before turning the ball over on downs to end the drive. The Bobcat defense showed out early, forcing a three-and-out on Stonehill's first drive after the first play was a tackle for loss. 

On the next drive, Ohio found themselves in a fourth-down situation once again, this time picking up a first down with a wide receiver screen to redshirt freshman receiver Preston Bowman (Pickerington, Ohio). The Bobcats picked up another fourth-down conversion on the drive before Vezza used his legs on a great scramble to get in the end zone on an 18-yard run, giving Ohio a 7-0 lead.  

Stonehill got on the board on its next drive, finding the end zone on a long touchdown pass on fourth down to tie the game at seven.  

Neer made a big play on the next drive, putting Ohio into Stonehill territory. From there, the offense kept rolling, eventually getting into the red zone and punching it in with Rosa for his third touchdown as a Bobcat. 

The defense made a big stop on the next drive, getting off the field on third down after forcing an incompletion.  

Vezza and his connection with Neer remained unstoppable, as the junior signal caller found Neer two more times for key gains on the next drive. The Bobcats once again got near the end zone, but with less than a minute before halftime, a Stonehill defensive lineman hauled in a tipped screen pass to regain possession for the Skyhawks. 

Stonehill had little time to do anything on offense before the break, and Ohio went into halftime leading 14-7. 

Both teams traded punts to start the second half, and Ohio's defense again came through in a big way, getting off the field thanks to some great coverage in the secondary.  

The Bobcat offense broke through on the next drive. Dorwart had a big gain on a reverse to get Ohio into Stonehill territory and then caught a 42-yard bomb from Vezza for a touchdown on the very next play. Dorwart's second career touchdown put the Bobcats up 21-7.  

The Bobcat defense kept things rolling as well, with senior defensive lineman Nehemiah Dukes (Douglasville, Ga) getting a big tackle for loss to force a punt.  

Ohio's rushing attack exploded on the ensuing drive, with redshirt freshman Irving Brown (Teachy, N.C.) getting loose for a 60-yard gain before getting tripped inside the 10-yard line.  

A few plays later, Vezza kept it himself for another Bobcat touchdown, his second rushing touchdown of the game. The score gave Ohio a 28-7 lead that it would carry into the fourth quarter.  

Another big play from the secondary got the Bobcats off the field, with redshirt sophomore Darren James-Hamilton (Charlotte, N.C.) breaking up a pass on fourth down. The run game stayed consistent, as Ohio ran the ball on every play of the next drive, capping it off with a six-yard touchdown from Rosa to take a 35-7 lead halfway through the fourth quarter. 

After another stop, the reserves came in, and Ohio coasted the rest of the way, running both the ball and the clock, on its way to a 35-7 win. The win marked Ohio's second of the season and 15th straight at home.

 

Turnovers were costly for the Bulls as they had three in the game of which two were turned into Robert Morris touchdowns.

The Colonials struck first with a 29-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead after one quarter of play.

Nino Hill found the endzone for the first time in his career on a four-yard run to tie the game, 7-7, with 8:57 left in the second quarter.

Robert Morris responded with a 50-yard touchdown run on a quarterback scramble to regain a 14-7 lead with 6:08 left in the second quarter.

UB quarterback Jason Wright showed off his legs when he ripped off a 25-yard touchdown run, with just 27 seconds left in the half, to tie the game at halftime.

The Bulls came out of the locker room after halftime and drove right down the field to take the lead for good. Hill scored his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard plunge.

Wright connected on a nine-yard touchdown pass to Chance Morrow, early in the fourth quarter, to put the Bulls up 28-14. It was Morrow's sixth touchdown reception of the season.

Robert Morris recovered a fumble for a touchdown to cut the UB lead to 28-21. On the next UB possession, Oliver Hautanen drilled a 48-yard field goal to put the Bulls up 31-21.

The Bulls had a season-best 442 yards of total offense in the game. Wright threw for 140 yards and a touchdown and added 95 yards rushing and another score.

Bradley Ilunga-Bisselele led the defense with a team-high eight tackles in the game. Fellow linebacker Zach Bergmann had four tackles and two pass breakups on the day.

Buffalo is back in action next Saturday when it hosts defending Mid-American Conference Champions Western Michigan at Broadview Stadium.
 

YPSILANTI – Benson Prosper recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game and added his first touchdown to help a strong offensive showing that was backed by stout defensive play as the Eastern Michigan University football team grabbed a 29-3 home win over Lindenwood University inside 'The Factory' at Rynearson Stadium Saturday, Sept. 26. The Eagles, who halted a three-game losing streak, moved to 2-3 on the year while the Lions fell to 1-3.
 
The Eagles got off to a similar start to their game at Wisconsin one week prior as Eastern kept the Lions off the scoreboard on their first possession before cashing in on a score of their own as Amareon Blue capped an 8-play, 64-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run on the Eagles' first drive for a 6-0 lead. After forcing another Lindenwood punt, Eastern added to its lead as Noah Kim found Prosper for a 24-yard touchdown pass over the top of the defense with 3:53 to play in the stanza, marking his first career touchdown grab. The Eagles, who held their third consecutive visiting opponent scoreless in the first quarter, took a 13-0 lead into the second quarter.
 
Eastern added to its lead early in the second quarter as Rudy Kessinger connected on a career-long 51-yard field goal to make it 16-0. The kick bettered his career-long of 50 he kicked on the road against Kentucky, Sept. 13, 2025. His kick also marked the 20th field goal of his career, which ranked him No. 10 on the program's all-time list. Kessinger was true from 42-yards late in the stanza to extend the Eastern Michigan lead to 19-0 heading into halftime.
 
After halftime, the Eagles drove the field on their first possession, but Kessinger's 44-yard field goal attempt was no good after it hit the left upright. He came back on the next drive, however, and connected on a 28-yard attempt to extend the Eagles' lead to 22-3 with 1:23 to play in the third. In the fourth, Eastern added the final points of the game as Kim connected with Harold Mack Jr. on a 19-yard pass for a touchdown as the 10-play, 67-yard drive cemented the 29-3 victory for the hosts.