MICHIGAN STATE 31, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 7
MIAMI (FL) 38, MIAMI (OH) 3
YPSILANTI, Mi -- Two huge kick returns helped pave the way for a 30-9 halftime lead and Eastern Michigan went on to post a 33-23 victory over Howard Friday at Rynearson Stadium.
The Eagles, who registered just one rushing and one passing touchdown on the evening. opened scoring with a Samson Evans 2-yard run at 11:17 of the first quarter. Their lead went to 9-0 after a safety late in the period. Howard's free kick moments later came all the way back as Jaylon Jackson returned it 84 yards for the score.
Austin Smith's 20-yard pass early in the second quarter put EMU up 23-0.
Howard finally got on the scoreboard with a 69-yard pass play with 9:45 left before intermission. However, Hamize El-Zayat returned the following kick 96 yards.
A Bison field goal cut EMU's lead to 30-9 at halftime, and Howard added two third quarter TDs to pull within seven at 30-23.
Both defenses stiffened, and Eastern Michigan tallied the game's final three points with Kenyon Boyer's 25-yard field goal.
EMU's Austin Smith completed 19-of-28 passes for 175 yards with one TD and one interception. Evans carried 16 times for 52 yards and a score to lead the ground game. Tanner Knue had eight catches for 73 yards and a score.
MICHIGAN STATE 31, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 7
EAST LANSING, Mi -- Central Michigan stayed within three points through most of three quarters, but Michigan State eventually pulled away with three more TDs to post a 31-7 win Friday at Spartan Stadium.
Overall, Michigan State outgained the visiting Chippewas 406-219, although the Spartans had just two more first downs. Central Michigan also had a 34:26-25:34 advantage in time of possession.
Central Michigan QB Bert Emmanuel Jr. completed 11-of-17 passes totaling 87 yards with one TD and one interception. Jase Bauer went 2-of-8 for nine yards.
Emanuel also led CMU rushing with 17 carries for a total of 41 yards. Bauer had two rushes for 27 yards. No other Chippewas player had more than six carries or 19 yards as the team finished with 123 yards on the ground.
Kyle Moretti and Donte Kent paced CMU defenders with a combined 24 tackles. Jacques Bristol registered two TFL.
Michigan State's Nathan Carter ran for 113 of the team's 127 yard rushing total. Noah Kim completed 18-of-31 passes, good for 279 yards and two TDs.
MIAMI (FL) 38, MIAMI (OH) 3
MIAMI GARDENS, Fl -- A stiffling Hurricane defense held visiting Miami (OH) to 51 yards rushing and nine first downs on the way to a 38-3 victory Friday at Hard Rock Stadium.
Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke completed 17-of-22 passes while UM totaled 243 yards thorugh the air and another 250 on the ground. The Hurricanes averaged 6.9 yards per carry and tallied three rushing scores with three different runners. The RedHawks, meanwhile, had minus-three yards rushing at intermission and finished with an average of 2.0 ypc.
Miami (OH) quarterback Brett Gabbert connected on 12-of-21 pass attempts for 127 yards, while Aveon Smith hit one-of-three tosses, good for 37 yards.
The Hurricanes got on the board quickly, moving 56 yards in three plays. Colbie Young covered the final 44 yards on a pass from Van Dyke. That would be UM's only touchdown of the first half, but the Hurricanes forced four Miami (OH) punts in five possessions before intermission. Two Miami (FL) field goals followed before the RedHawks broke through with Graham Nicholson's 48-yard field goal. Just 1:35 remained. However, UM, which controlled the ball for 18:32 during first half action, squeezed in one more field goal with 58 seconds left to take a 16-3 lead.
As the RedHawks defense wore down, Miami (FL) turned from field goals to touchdowns. The Hurricanes scored TDs on three of their first four possessions. Miami (OH punted twice and surrendered on downs three times over the final 30 minutes.