Mid-American Conference News and Notes

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) –

AKRON: The Zips (1-5, 0-2) were dismantled on their home field as they suffered a 43-3 loss to Ohio University. Akron’s offensive line was not up to par, allowing Kyle Pohl to be sacked eight times. Pohl tallied only 101 yards and an interception on 11-of-26 passing. Jawon Chisholm finished with 60 yards on 15 rushing attempts. The Zips were also plagued by 12 penalties that resulted in 135 yards. Akron held an early 3-2 lead before allowing 41 unanswered points. It gained only 157 yards of total offense and allowed Ohio to pile up 362 yards. The Zips have another difficult game on the horizon with a trip to Huskie Stadium to play Northern Illinois set for Saturday.

BALL STATE: The Cardinals (5-1, 2-0) won their third straight game over a member of a BCS conference as they coasted to a 48-27 decision over the Cavaliers at Virginia. Keith Wenning completed 23-of-41 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns to lead the way. The senior QB became the school’s all-time leading passer with 9,250 yards, surpassing the previous mark of 9,233 by Nate Davis. Jahwan Edwards scored three rushing touchdowns and now has the school record with 35 scores on the ground. Edwards tallied 155 yards on 24 carries while Jordan Williams led the team in receiving with nine catches, 159 yards and a score. Willie Snead was also impressive with six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals will return to MAC play this week when Kent State visits Muncie.

BOWLING GREEN: Matt Johnson passed for 166 yards and three touchdowns for the Falcons (5-1, 3-0) as they handled Massachusetts, 28-7, in a league bout at Doyt Perry Stadium. Travis Greene continued to shine as he produced 160 yards on 22 carries. BGSU held the Minutemen to only 280 yards of total offense and only 15 first downs. Ronnie Moore had a big day with 91 yards and a touchdown on three receptions. Ryland Ward made an impact on the defensive side of the ball with four tackles and an interception that halted one of the Minutemen’s few promising drives. The Falcons will end their non-conference slate in week seven when they hit the road to challenge the SEC’s Mississippi State Bulldogs.

BUFFALO: The Bulls (3-2, 1-0) carried over their momentum into conference play and dispatched Eastern Michigan, 42-14, in their MAC opener at UB Stadium. Branden Oliver had a strong showing as he compiled a season-best 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Joe Licata completed 15-of-22 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns (one rushing). Alex Neutz finished with four receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown, giving him a receiving score in every game this season. Devin Campbell accounted for two touchdowns (one rushing, one kick return) and racked up 160 all-purpose yards. Buffalo converted 7- of-13 third down attempts and outgained EMU in total yardage, 452-329. The Bulls have now won three games in a row and outscored their last two opponents, 83-26. They will try to stay hot for their week seven matchup against the Western Michigan Broncos on the road.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Saylor Lavallii had a big-time performance with 151 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries to lift the Chippewas (2-4, 1-1) to a 21-9 win over Miami-Ohio in Oxford. The victory ended a three-game losing slide for CMU, which allowed 294 yards of total offense in the contest. Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore also made an impact on the ground with 50 yards on 10 attempts. Cooper Rush went 11-of-21 for 110 yards with an interception. The Chippewas went ahead for good late in the third quarter on a Lavallii touchdown run and added some insurance in the fourth frame with a 16-yard touchdown run by Shoemaker-Gilmore. CMU will conclude its three-game road trip this Saturday at Ohio.

EASTERN MICHIGAN: The Eagles (1-4, 0-2) fell further into a hole as they were handed a 42-14 setback by Buffalo in a league bout at UB Stadium. The Bulls converted 7-of-13 third down attempts and outgained EMU in total yardage, 452-329. Tyler Benz completed his first four pass attempts for 44 yards before finishing 12-of-19 for 157 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Brogan Roback also saw action under center and went 4-of-8 for 25 yards with an interception. Bronson Hill was held to 57 yards on 14 carries. Ryan Brumfield found the end zone on a 75-yard touchdown run and picked up four yards on his only other rushing attempt. The Eagles are riding a four-game losing streak into Saturday’s non-conference finale at Army.

KENT STATE: Dri Archer gave the Golden Flashes (2-4, 1-2) an early boost with a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown, however it was not enough as they fell at home, 38-24, to Northern Illinois in a rematch of the 2012 MAC Championship at Dix Stadium. The Huskies racked up 698 yards of total offense, including 454 yards on the ground. KSU finished with only 392 yards and held possession of the ball for nearly 12 minutes less than the visitors. Colin Reardon threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-35 passing. Trayion Durham finished with 72 yards on 14 rushing attempts. Archer set the pace for the Golden Flashes’ receivers with 80 yards and a touchdown on four catches. KSU has another tough matchup in week seven when it begins a two-game road trip against the Ball State Cardinals in Muncie.

MASSACHUSETTS: The Minutemen (0-5, 0-1) remain winless after being defeated, 28-7, by Bowling Green in their MAC opener at Doyt Perry Stadium. Jamal Wilson was a bright spot in the lopsided loss with 119 rushing yards on 20 carries. A.J. Doyle had a rough outing, completing only 4-of-17 pass attempts for 20 yards. Mike Wegzyn came off the bench to hit on 7-of-8 attempts for 76 yards with one touchdown and one interception. UMass finished with only 280 yards of total offense and was penalized eight times for 62 yards. Coach Charley Molnar’s career record dropped to 1-16 with the loss. He will hope to improve upon that mark when his team hosts Miami-Ohio on Saturday.

MIAMI-OHIO: The offensive woes continued in Oxford as the RedHawks (0-5, 0-1) let a 9-7 third quarter lead slip away and lost, 21-9, to Central Michigan in their MAC opener. Coach Don Treadwell was relieved of his duties following the setback and quarterbacks/wide receivers coach Mike Bath was promoted to interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Austin Boucher completed 12-of-26 pass attempts for 161 yards and a touchdown, while under center for Miami, which has lost nine games in a row dating back to last season. Austin Gearing also saw action at quarterback for Miami and went 3-of-6 for 24 yards in addition to his team-high 108 yards rushing. David Frazier led all receivers with 66 yards and a score on four catches. Although both sides finished for 294 yards of total offense, Miami was penalized nine times for 74 yards. CMU was flagged only twice for 24 yards. Bath will lead the RedHawks as they play their first road MAC game on Saturday at Massachusetts.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS: Jordan Lynch played a supporting role for the first time in his career as the Huskies (5-0, 1-0) claimed a 38-24 victory over Kent State in a rematch of the 2012 MAC Championship at Dix Stadium. Lynch finished with 244 yards and two touchdowns against a pair of interceptions on 21-of-35 passing. He also had 94 rushing yards on 14 attempts. Lynch was still overshadowed by Cameron Stingily, who tallied 266 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 37 rushing attempts. NIU amassed 698 yards of total offense and moved the chains on 10-of-17 third-down plays. The victory helped the Huskies crack into the top 25 and they will try to continue their climb in the rankings on Saturday when they take on Akron at home.

OHIO UNIVERSITY: The Bobcats (4-1, 1-0) were sharp on both sides of the ball during their 43-3 rout of Akron at InfoCision Stadium. Tyler Tettleton completed 14-of-21 pass attempts for 171 yards and two touchdowns to pace the offense. Beau Blankenship had 67 yards on 14 attempts, while Donte Foster was the team’s top receiver with 76 yards and a touchdown on four catches. The Bobcats held the Zips to only 157 yards of total offense and recorded eight sacks. Thad Ingol scored a defensive touchdown on an 18-yard fumble return and Ty Branz registered 2.5 sacks. The Bobcats, who have outscored their opponents 81-3 in their last two games, will look to continue their dominance on Saturday when they welcome Central Michigan to Peden Stadium.

TOLEDO: David Fluellen continued to roll as Toledo (3-3, 2-1) dominated Western Michigan in a 47-20 win at the Glass Bowl. Fluellen racked up 220 yards on 23 carries to tie Chester Taylor’s program record of four career 200- yard rushing games. Terrance Owens completed 11-of-25 pass attempts for 149 yards and a touchdown while Bernard Reedy reeled in four catches for 85 yards and a score. The victory was the third in four games for the Rockets, who gained 528 yards of total offense including 360 yards rushing. WMU amassed only 87 rushing yards on 40 attempts. The Broncos also committed four turnovers without registering a takeaway in the lopsided setback. Toledo jumped out to a 47-7 lead before allowing WMU to score 13 fourth quarter points once the game was all but over. The Rockets have week seven off before their Oct. 19 non-conference tilt versus Navy.

WESTERN MICHIGAN: First-year head coach P.J. Fleck is still winless after his Broncos (0-6, 0-2) were defeated, 47-20, by Toledo in MAC action at the Glass Bowl. WMU allowed 528 yards of total offense including 360 yards rushing. The Broncos were held to only seven points through the first 45 minutes of play as their offense was bottled up by the Rockets’ defense. Tyler Van Tubbergen went 9-of-19 for 104 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Corey Davis led the Broncos in receiving with five catches and 77 yards. Zach Terrell saw action under center and hit on 10-of-13 pass attempts for 184 yards with one interception. Dareyon Chance finished with 80 yards and a touchdown on 25 rushes. The loss was the eighth in a row dating back to last season for WMU, which will try to end the losing streak when it hosts Buffalo on Saturday.

Categorized in: NCAA Football