Mid-American Conference News and Notes

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) –

AKRON: Kyle Pohl passed for 208 yards and accounted for both of the team’s touchdowns as Akron (4-7, 3-4 MAC) held on to defeat Massachusetts, 14-13, at Gillette Stadium. Pohl completed 20-of-33 pass attempts for 208 yards and a score, and also rushed for a touchdown to lead the Zips to back-to-back victories for the first time since the 2008 season. Jawon Chisholm was the recipient of Pohl’s lone touchdown pass and paced the Zips on the ground with 72 yards on 10 attempts. Zach D’Orazio reeled in six receptions for 82 yards, while Fransohn Bickley also finished with six catches for 55 yards. The Zips managed to leave Foxboro victorious despite moving the chains on only one of their 13 third-down opportunities and losing three fumbles. UMass went 7-of-17 on third-down plays, but turned the ball over on downs three times. Akron has a bye this week before playing its regular season finale versus Toledo on Nov. 29.

BALL STATE: The Cardinals (9-2, 6-1) pushed the undefeated Northern Illinois Huskies to the limit, but came up short down the stretch and lost, 48-27 in DeKalb last Wednesday. Keith Wenning threw for 324 yards and a touchdown on 35-of-49 passing, and also added a rushing score, but the signal caller’s effort went to waste as Ball State’s offense was shut out over the final 15 minutes. Wenning also threw a pick-six in the final minute once the game was already out of reach. Jahwan Edwards racked up 156 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries in defeat. Willie Snead finished with 12 catches for 121 yards, including a three-yard grab in the end zone. Ben Ingle anchored BSU’s defensive effort with 13 stops. The Cardinals will have an open week before concluding the regular season versus Miami-Ohio on Nov. 29.

BOWLING GREEN: The Falcons (7-3, 5-1) held a 460-172 advantage in total yards while scoring on all four of their trips to the red zone en route to a 49-0 victory against Ohio last Wednesday. Travis Greene rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, as Bowling Green tied Buffalo for first place in the East Division standings. Matt Johnson threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-17 passing, but was also intercepted once. Heath Jackson had five receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown. The BGSU defense registered six sacks, nine tackles for loss and a pair of turnovers to completely frustrate the Bobcats offense. The Falcons make the trek to Ypsilanti to square off with Eastern Michigan this Saturday.

BUFFALO: The Bulls (7-3, 5-1) could not overcome their poor start and suffered their first MAC loss of 2013 as they fell, 51-41, to Toledo at the Glass Bowl. Buffalo trailed 31-0 at halftime before staging a rally in the second half. Joe Licata threw for a school-record 497 yards and four touchdowns, while Branden Oliver gained 102 yards to register his sixth straight 100-yard outing. Fred Lee set career-highs with eight receptions and 110 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown grab. Alex Neutz tallied 168 yards and a pair of scores on eight catches. The Bulls outgained Toledo, 601-551. Khalil Mack tied a career-high with 15 tackles, including two for a loss. He is now second in NCAA history with 69.5 career TFL. Buffalo is scheduled for another Tuesday night matchup at Miami-Ohio this week.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Zurlon Tipton led the way as the Chippewas (4-6, 3-3) kept their postseason hopes alive with a 27-22 win at Western Michigan on Saturday. Tipton racked up 114 yards and two scores in his first full game of action since being injured in the season opener, while Titus Davis caught nine passes for 122 yards. Cooper Rush was intercepted three times, two of which came on consecutive passes early in the third quarter and led to 10 points for Western Michigan. Tony Annese gave the team a lift as he returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown. CMU’s defense also forced a turnover on downs to end the Broncos’ final drive. WMU’s defensive unit forced five turnovers and allowed only 285 total yards. However, the Broncos offense was held in check by the Chippewas, who allowed only one touchdown in five trips by the Broncos to the red zone. Central Michigan will try to continue its momentum this Saturday when it hosts Massachusetts.

EASTERN MICHIGAN: The Eagles recently picked up their second win of the year, the first in conference, and got to take the week off as a result. EMU will try to make it two in a row when it plays host to Bowling Green this Saturday.

KENT STATE: The senior class left Dix Stadium for the final time as winners, as Kent State (3-8, 2-5) coasted to a 24-6 win over the Miami-Ohio RedHawks last Wednesday. The victory snapped a five-game losing streak for KSU. Trayion Durham led the way for the Golden Flashes with a game-high 109 yards and a score on 17 rushing attempts, while Dri Archer pitched in with 83 yards and a TD on 12 carries. Colin Reardon converted 13-of-22 pass attempts for 147 yards. Miami averaged a mere 3.3 yards per play, the Golden Flashes nearly doubled that with 6.5 yards per snap, en route to 447 yards of total offense. They will conclude their 2013 season on Tuesday at Ohio University.

MASSACHUSETTS: A.J. Doyle started under center for UMass (1-9, 1-5) after missing the team’s previous game due to injury, but his return was not enough as the Minutemen fell, 14-13, at home to the Akron Zips. Doyle hit on 13-of-21 throws for 75 yards and was picked off once before leaving the game mid-drive in the third quarter. Mike Wegzyn took the rest of the snaps for the Minutemen and was much more effective as he passed for 76 yards and a score on 4-of-7 efficiency, but he was also intercepted once. Jamal Wilson carried the ball a game-high 22 times for 70 yards, while Lorenzo Woodley was held to just 31 yards on 10 attempts. UMass went 7-of-17 on third down plays, but turned the ball over on downs three times, including its final drive. The Minutemen will begin their season-ending two-game road trip this Saturday at Central Michigan.

MIAMI-OHIO: For the 14th game in a row, the RedHawks (0-10, 0-6) were defeated as they came up on the short end of a 24-6 final versus Kent State last week. The RedHawks could not operate with efficiency offensively, failing to reach the end zone while generating just 176 yards of total offense. Quarterbacks Drew Kummer and Austin Gearing combined to convert just 5-of-14 passes for a mere 64 yards and an interception, with both signal callers being sacked twice. Gearing led the group with 81 rushing yards on 24 attempts. Dayonne Nunley was the team’s lone bright spot as he tallied a game-high 11 tackles. The RedHawks will ply their final home game on Tuesday night when te Buffalo Bulls invade Yager Stadium.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS: Jordan Lynch threw for 345 yards with two touchdowns to Da’Ron Brown, while rushing for 123 yards and two scores on 20 carries to help NIU (10-0, 6-0) earn a 48-27 victory over Ball State last Wednesday in a battle of the top teams in the West Division standings. The win was the 25th straight at home for the Huskies, and also their 23rd consecutive MAC victory, which gives them the longest active streaks nationally in both home and conference games. Brown registered his first career 100-yard receiving game with eight catches for 209 yards, while Tommylee Lewis set a new personal best with 12 receptions for 74 yards. NIU trailed by four points at intermission and the game progressed into the fourth quarter tied at 27-27. Joe Windsor put the punctuation mark on the win with a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final minute to conclude the team’s 21-0 run to the finish line. The Huskies can secure a spot in the MAC Championship Game this Wednesday when they take on Toledo at the Glass Bowl.

OHIO UNIVERSITY: Tuesday night was unkind to the Bobcats (6-4, 3-3) as they were limited to 172 yards of total offense in their 49-0 loss to Bowling Green. The Falcons racked up 460 total yards while their defense registered six sacks, nine tackles for loss and a pair of turnovers to completely frustrate the Bobcats offense. Tyler Tettleton finished 15-of-27 for 93 yards with an interception. Ohio produced only 56 rushing yards on 29 attempts, and punter Grant Venham was called on nine times. The Bobcats have now been outscored, 79-3, over the past two weeks. They will play again this Tuesday as they return home to Peden Stadium for an East Division tilt versus Kent State.

TOLEDO: Kareem Hunt rushed for a career-high 186 yards on 31 carries and scored a touchdown to lift the Rockets (7-3, 5-1) to a 51-41 victory over Buffalo at the Glass Bowl last Tuesday. Terrance Owens completed just 11-of-20 passes, but he threw for 228 yards with two touchdowns to Bernard Reedy, who finished with three receptions for 149 yards. Chase Murdock led the Toledo defense with 16 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. Although Buffalo amassed 601 yards of total offense and Toledo tallied 551 yards, the Rockets recorded two takeaways. Toledo dominated early on as it took a 31-0 lead into the intermission before holding off a late rally by the Bulls. The Rockets will try to hand Northern Illinois its first loss of the season when the Huskies come to town on Wednesday night.

WESTERN MICHIGAN: Zach Terrell completed just 14-of-35 passes for 147 yards and threw a costly pick-six as the Broncos (1-10, 1-6) came up short and lost, 27-22, to Central Michigan at Waldo Stadium. Dareyon Chance carried 14 times for 93 yards and a score. WMU managed to overcome a 14-0 deficit with four consecutive scores before the Chippewas answered with consecutive touchdowns to go ahead by 11. The Broncos came up short despite holding a 311-285 advantage in total yards, as they were forced to settle for field goals on four of their five visits inside the opposition’s 20-yard line. Justin Currie was a force on the defensive side of the ball with 10 total tackles, one sack, a forced fumble and one of the team’s three interceptions. The Broncos had a chance to take the lead back in the late stages of the contest, but their final drive ended on downs at CMU’s 26-yard line. WMU will enjoy its final bye week before ending the regular season at Northern Illinois on Nov. 26.

Categorized in: NCAA Football