Mid-American Conference News and Notes

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) –

AKRON: The Zips fell to UCF in their season opener for the second consecutive season as they suffered a 38-7 setback to the Knights at Bright House Networks Stadium. Blake Bortles picked Akron’s defense apart, completing 18-of-24 attempts for 314 yards and three touchdowns. For the Zips, Kyle Pohl hit on 16-of-21 attempts, but finished with just 98 yards and was intercepted once. Jawon Chisholm was bottled up and limited to only 10 yards on 11 carries. Defensively, Nico Caponi posted two sacks and a forced fumble. Akron will continue its campaign when it hosts James Madison on Saturday for its home opener.

BALL STATE: Keith Wenning led the way with 340 passing yards and three touchdowns to lift the Cardinals to a 51-28 win over Illinois State. Willie Snead was unstoppable as he made nine receptions for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Williams also had a big impact with six catches for 64 yards and a score. Jahwan Edwards and Horactio Banks both rushed across the goal line once and combined for 92 yards on 24 carries. Nathan Ollie recorded three tackles for loss. Ben Ingle also stayed busy, registering nine total stops, two for loss, a sack and an interception. Ball State stays at home this week for a non-conference bout with Army.

BOWLING GREEN: Replacing Anthon Samuel didn’t seem to take too long as William Houston rushed for three touchdowns to lead the Falcons to a decisive, 34-7 win over the defending Conference USA champion Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Doyt Perry Stadium. Bowling Green made a quarterback change early on, replacing Matt Schilz with Matt Johnson, who went 11-of-23 for 151 yards with an interception. The Falcons’ defense limited Tulsa to just 12 first downs, 51 yards rushing and 273 yards of total offense in the outing. BGSU begins its MAC slate next week when it visits Kent State.

BUFFALO: Heading to Columbus as huge underdogs, the Bulls got off to a slow start in their matchup with Ohio State. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 23-0 lead, but Buffalo regained its composure and won the final three quarters before eventually losing, 40-20. Khalil Mack finished with nine tackles, 2.5 sacks and returned an interception for six points. Joe Licata went 19-of-32 for 185 yards with two touchdowns to one interception. Alex Neutz was his primary target as he made nine catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. Branden Oliver had trouble finding running room and tallied just 73 yards on 26 carries. Buffalo has another tough road game up next as it heads to the Lone Star State to tangle with Baylor.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Chippewas were dominated by their in-state rival Michigan as they were routed, 59-9, in The Big House. The Wolverines gained 463 yards of total offense to CMU’s mere total of 210. The Chippewas’ starting QB Cody Kater, left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury after going only 2-for-6 for 13 yards. Alex Niznak relieved Kater and went 11-of-22 for 131 yards and was picked off once. Ron Coluzzi’s three made field goals accounted for all of CMU’s points. Jason Wilson, Kavon Frazier and Jarret Chapman all made an interception in the loss. The Chippewas will play New Hampshire in their home opener on Saturday.

EASTERN MICHIGAN: The Eagles needed a fourth quarter rally, but got the job done and captured a 34-24 victory over Howard at home in Ypsilanti. EMU trailed 24-13 with 4:20 left in the third frame before a pair of touchdown runs by Bronson Hill gave them the lead and a 19-yard dash to the end zone by Darius Jackson put it out of reach. Hill produced 101 yards on 28 carries in the win while Tyler Benz went 19-of-26 for 210 yards with two touchdowns to one interception. Sean Kurtz paced the defensive unit with 13 total stops and an interception. EMU will play its first road game on Saturday when it visits Penn State.

KENT STATE: The Golden Flashes had trouble moving the ball after they lost star wideout Dri Archer in the first quarter to a leg injury, but outscored Liberty 10-0 in the fourth frame to escape their opener with a 17-10 decision. Colin Reardon went 21-of-28 for 194 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which game with just 4:28 left to play. KSU had to overcome nine penalties in coach Paul Haynes’ debut to run its regular-season winning streak to 11. The Golden Flashes limited Liberty to just 222 yards of total offense in the contest. They will begin their MAC slate on Saturday when they host Bowling Green, which is the only other school from the East Division with a winning record after week one.

MASSACHUSETTS: The Minutemen’s second year as a member of the FBS didn’t get off to the start they would have liked as they were defeated, 45-0, by Wisconsin in their first-ever trip to Camp Randall Stadium. Mike Wegzyn was just 9-of-23 passing, for 73 yards and one interception for UMass. A.J. Doyle also saw action under center and went 5-of-7 for 39 yards. Stacey Bedell posted 70 yards on 19 carries. The Badgers amassed 598 yards of total offense on 62 plays with 393 coming on the ground. The Minutemen will take on Maine at home on Saturday as they try to climb to the .500 mark.

MIAMI-OHIO: The RedHawks did a great job in the first half of their visit to Joan C. Edwards Stadium as they went into the intermission tied with Marshall at 14, but the Thundering Herd took control after the break and handed Miami a 52-14 loss. Austin Boucher failed to impress under center in his first appearance as the full-time starter, completing just 10-of-22 passes for 165 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The RedHawks were ineffective on the ground, rushing for 74 yards on 34 attempts (2.2 ypc). Jay Mastin made 12 tackles and an interception, while J’Terius Brown registered 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack in the setback. Miami will look to bounce back when it visits Kentucky on Saturday.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The defending MAC champions gave coach Rod Carey his first career win in dramatic fashion as the Huskies outlasted Iowa, 30-27, at Kinnick Stadium. Jordan Lynch led the way for NIU, completing 25-of-41 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Lynch also led the team in rushing with 56 yards on the ground. Da’Ron Brown caught seven passes for 92 yards and a touchdown while Tommylee Lewis managed five receptions for 82 yards and two scores. Jimmie Ward made an interception with 1:24 left to play to set up a game-winning 36-yard field goal by Matthew Sims. NIU will have a bye week before it visits Idaho on Sept. 14.

OHIO UNIVERSITY: The Bobcats were no match for Teddy Bridgewater and the No. 9 Cardinals and were dismantled, 49-7, by Louisville on Sunday. Beau Blankenship was limited to 22 yards on 12 carries after running for a single-season school record 1,604 yards last year, and Tyler Tettleton threw for just 140 yards on 11-of-23 attempts in the humbling loss. Ryan Boykin spoiled Louisville’s shutout bid on the final play of the third quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run, but that was all Ohio could muster. The Cardinals amassed 615 total yards of offense to the Bobcats’ 273 in the contest. Ohio’s season continues on Saturday when North Texas visits Peden Stadium.

TOLEDO: The Rockets were kept out of the end zone as they were downed, 24-6, by the 10th-ranked Florida Gators. A pair of Jeremiah Detmer field goals accounted for the Toledo’s only scoring. Florida out-gained Toledo, 415-205, and held the Rockets to just 50 yards on the ground. Terrance Owens completed 17-of-38 passes for 155 yards with an interception in defeat. Junior Sylvestre paced the defense with 11 total stops. Toledo stays on the road this Saturday as it visits Missouri.

WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos were stifled by the Spartans’ defense as they were beat, 26-13, in East Lansing. In the school’s first game under new head coach P.J. Fleck, Tyler Van Tubbergen was intercepted twice before he was knocked out of the game due to an injury. Zach Terrell was then inserted. Terrell fared slightly better, completing 12-of-28 pass attempts for 120 yards and two scores, though he was intercepted once. Corey Davis caught eight passes for 96 yards and a score. Johnnie Simon made two tackles for loss and recorded a sack in the defeat. WMU continues its season with its home opener on Saturday versus Nicholls.

Categorized in: NCAA Football