Friday's MAC Football Results
Michigan State 30, Toledo 20
Boxscore
East Lansing, Mich. - The University of Toledo suffered a 30-20 setback at Michigan State on Friday in the first game of the Mike Jacobs era, rallying to take a fourth-quarter lead before the Spartans scored the last 11 points of the game.
The Rockets took a 20-19 fourth-quarter lead on Connor Walendzak's career-long 71-yard touchdown run. Walendzak totaled 76 yards on seven carries with the late score on the evening.
Toledo wide receiver Adjatay Dabbs, who finished with two touchdown catches – a 60-yarder and a 6-yarder to cut the margin to a one-score game in the third quarter, finished with 101 yards on four catches to lead Rocket receivers. John Alan Richter was 12-for-21 through the air with two touchdowns and one interception.
Isaac Zay carried the Rockets' defense with a career-high 12 tackles, a sack and a pass breakup. Julian Fox and Mo Conteh each recorded double-digit tackle performances with 10. Conteh's double-digit tackles were a career high. Toledo's special teams included a blocked kick by Tyrell Russell.
This was only the second all-time meeting between Toledo and Michigan State, and the first in over 100 years.
San Jose State 27, Eastern Michigan 21
Boxscore
Ypsilanti, Mich. – The Eastern Michigan University football team fell for the first time in 2026 as the visiting Spartans of San Jose State scored a 27-21 decision inside The Factory at Rynearson Stadium Friday, Sept. 4. The loss saw the Eagles fall to 1-1 overall while the Spartans rebounded from their season-opening loss to move to 1-1.
Following a scoreless first quarter, Caleb Dobbs pulled in his second career interception on a pass deflected by Juan Salas Jr. to set up the EMU offense on its own 42-yard line. The Eagles marched down the field in six plays with Noah Kim hitting Harold Mack, Jr. (Fort Wayne, Ind./Wayne) in the back of the end zone for a 5-yard scoring strike to give the hosts a 7-0 lead. Late in the quarter, the Spartans drove 80 yards to tie the game and added a 45-yard field goal as time expired to give the visitors a 10-7 lead at the break.
Amareon Blue put the Eagles back in the lead early in the third quarter with the first touchdown of his career as the second-year back broke free on a 4th-and-1 play from the 50-yard line. Blue, who entered the game with 55 career yards to his name, brought his total to 80 at the time of the score with EMU ahead, 14-10, with 11:53 to play in the third. On the ensuing drive, the Spartans drove 75 yards to score a touchdown to regain the lead, 17-14, with just over six minutes to play in the stanza.
Late in the third quarter, the Eastern defense stood tall and pushed the Spartans deep into their own territory. On a 2nd-and-11 play from their own 13-yard line, Ronn Hardin got loose on the edge and recorded a strip-sack that forced SJSU's Luke Weaver to lose the ball, which rolled toward the goal line where Bryce Llewellyn outran an opponent and fell on the loose ball in the front corner of the end zone for the defensive score, the first of his career. The scoring play, which put the hosts back in front, 21-17, was the first fumble recovery for a touchdown since David Carter, Jr., ran 99 yards against St. Francis (Pa.) at home, Sept. 21, 2024.
Despite holding the lead heading into the final quarter, the Eagles were unable to secure the win as the Spartans scored twice in the stanza. SJSU reclaimed the lead with 11:19 to play on a 40-yard touchdown reception before adding a 49-yard field goal with 1:37 remaining to bring about the final score, 27-21.
