Saturday, Oct. 8 -- All times are Eastern
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# KENT STATE AT MIAMI -- 3:30 PM
# EASTERN MICHIGAN AT WESTERN MICHIGAN -- NOON, CBSSN
# BUFFALO AT BOWLING GREEN -- NOON, ESPN+
# AKRON AT OHIO -- 2 P.M., ESPN3
# BALL STATE AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN -- 3:30 P.M.
# TOLEDO AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS -- 3:30 PM
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By MIKE SMITH
Suffice it to say the Kent State Golden Flashes have Miami head coach Chuck Martin's respect and attention.
Miami and KSU meet Saturday at Yager Stadium, where the last RedHawk loss was against Western Michigan (40-39) back in 2018. Saturday's homecoming tilt is just MU's second home game of the 2022 season, and Martin is expecting a huge challenge. Speaking at his Monday morning press conference, Martin observed, "It will be the most complete Kent State team we've faced by far."
While Miami (2-3, 0-1 MAC) is coming off a "gut wrenching" 24-20 loss at Buffalo, Kent State (2-3, 1-0 MAC) is fresh off an impressive 31-24 victory over Ohio. "They had 733 yards (of offense) last week," Martin said. "That's a mind-boggling number. Yes, it went to overtime, but they only got 25 yards in overtime, so they had 708 yards in regulation."
Martin also noted the Flashes offensive balance. "They ran for 398. They threw for 335, so they can do both. They have a new quarterback (Colin Schlee). He will be one of the most athletic players in the league. ... He runs really fast. He's strong and fast, and he's got a howitzer for an arm."
Schlee is actually second among MAC quarterbacks in pass efficiency (152.4). He is also second among Kent State runners (47 carries, 256 yards, 5.4 ypc). Marquez Cooper leads the ground game with 112 carries for a total of 510 yards (4.6 ypg) with six touchdowns. He had 240 yards and scored the winning touchdown in overtime last week. Junior Bryan Bradford (6-0, 251) is also available for some of those tough yards through the trenches.
Miami's defense has been strong against the run (No. 1 MAC), limiting opponents to 84.8 ypc and 2.8 ypc. However, Martin noted, the RedHawks will also be thoroughly tested through the air. Not only does Schee have a strong arm, Kent State has outstanding speed and talent among receivers. Dante Cephas (6-1, 186) leads the MAC with an average of 100.2 receiving yards per game. Sophomore Devontez Walker (6-3, 192) is another big threat. Like Cephas, he averages over 16 yards per catch (21 catches, 252 yards, 3 TDs).
"The Cephas kid is as good as anybody in this league," Martin said. "The guy on the other side, the more I watch (him), the more he looks like Cephas."
As much as Martin respects the KSU offense, he has also been impressed with KSU's defensive improvement this year. "They are much, much better on defense. They held Oklahoma scoreless for (almost) an entire half and they held Georgia down."
As for his own team, Martin feels the RedHawks are "playing better football every week, ... (but) we don't have as big a margin for error, because we're not going to be as explosive offensively" after losing junior QB Brett Gabbert in Week One.
Creating turnovers and some short fields have helped, particularly when combined with MU's solid defense. That turned out to be a winning formula in Miami's win at Nothwestern two weeks ago. However, penalties (11 for 96 yards against Buffalo) and some execution slips, thwarted several RedHawk scoring opportunities last week. "We've got to finish drives," Martin said. "We moved the ball . . . but when we had opportunities to generate more points, we made mistakes and -- credit Buffalo's defense -- they made the plays."
In spite of its offensive stumbles, Miami moved ahead of the Bulls 20-17 late in the third quarter. When UB put together a final drive, it appeared to kick a game-tying field goal with 46 seconds remaining. But the RedHawks were flagged for offsides. Buffalo took the points down and accepted a first down. Three plays later, Cole Snyder hit Justin Marshall on a 15-yard TD that became game-winner.
"Our defense has played lights out for two-plus games," Martin said. But "we didn't play our best defense on the last drive, ... and they got us in the end."
Offensively, freshman QB Aveon Smith completed 14 of 26 passes for 119 yards with one interception. That pick proved costly as it was returned 51-yards to set up a Buffalo touchdown.
Smith also led Miami rushing with career-high 12 carries for 142 yards and both RedHawk TDs. One rush went for 73 yards and the RedHawks' first touchdown. Keyon Mozzee, meanwhile, had 14 carries for 62 yards. Overall, Miami ran for 240 yards. Mac Hippenhammer was the top receiver (4 catches, 90 yards).
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After finishing up their non-conference schedules with wins last week, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan face off Saturday at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo.
For WMU, its a chance to go 2-0 in the conference. Eastern Michigan is still looking for its first MAC victory after falling to Buffalo in an offensive shootout two weeks ago.
This is also the first test for each team in the Michigan MAC Trophy competition. It is one of just two regularly-awarded trophies contested for by three teams. Central Michigan is the third trophy rival.
EMU has won the last three meetings against Western Michigan, but the Eagles have never won four straight in the series.
Last year's verdict was a 22-21 EMU triumph in whch Eastern Michigan rallied from a 21-9 deficit late in the third quarter. Chad Ryland's 20-yard field goal with 3:55 left was the game-winner.
Here's more on the two teams . . .
WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS (2-3, 1-0 MAC)
>> After failing to score an offensive touchdown against San Jose State in Week Four, the Broncos exploded for a 44-7 win over New Hampshire last Saturday.
>> WMU forced four turnovers, including a 97-yard interception return for the game's final score.
>> The Broncos scored four touchdowns within the game's first 19 minutes. They broke out early, scoring with a 75-yard Jack Salopek to Corey Crooms pass on the first play from scrimmage. Salopek also found Sean Tyler with a 76-yard TD pass at 1:13 of the first period. Crooms led WMU receivers with five catches totaling 109 yards.
>> Overall, Salopek completed 13 of 223 passes for 252 total years with three TDs and one interception.
>> Despite last week's success, the Broncos rank 10th (MAC) in scoring offense (22.6 ppg). Western Michigan is last in total offense (301.6 ypg).
>> WMU is third among MAC teams in scoring defense (28.0 ppg) and total defense (379.2 ypg).
EASTERN MICHIGAN EAGLES (3-2, 0-1 MAC)
>> The Eagles failed to score in the first half and were down 13-0 in the third quarter before rallying last week against UMass. Austin Smith's 8-yard TD pass to Darius Lassiter finally put EMU on the board at 8:36 of the third quarter. Smith hit Tanner Knue with a 39-yard touchdown later in the period to put the Eagles in front 14-13. Darius Boone's 8-yard fourth quarter TD was the game's final score.
>> Eastern Michigan outgained the visitors 339-255 overall.
>> Sophomore Austin Smith completed 13 of 24 pass attempts for 122 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Knue was the top receiver (5 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD).
>> Eastern Michigan totaled 217 yards rushing. Senior Samson Evans (6-0, 218) led the way with 16 carries for 122 yards (7.6 ypc). After five games, he tops the MAC with an average of 108 rushing yards per game.
>> Jaylon Jackson tops MAC kick returners with an average of 29.5 yards per return.
>> As a team, the Eagles rank fourth (MAC) in scoring 28.8 ppg and seventh in scoring defense (33.4 ppg).
>> Sophomore punter Mitchell Tomasek was named Mid-American Conference West Division Special Teams Play of the Week Oct. 3. He averaged 46.0 yards per punt against UMass. His 55-yard book was his fifth kick of over 50 yards this season.
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After five weeks of competition, Buffalo is the only Mid-American Conference team with two league wins. UB will try to make it three straight Saturday when it visits Bowling Green at Doyt L. Perry Stadium. Like UB, the Falcons are coming off a conference win. Both teams could move their season record to .500 with a victory. Bowling Green leads the all-time series, 12-7. The Falcons won the last meeting, 56-44, at UB Stadium last season.
Here's more on the two teams . . .
BUFFALO BULLS (2-3, 2-0 MAC)
>> The Bulls have been able to string an impressive scoring streak together to start the season. UB has scored points in 17 straight quarters. The last time they didn’t post any points was the third quarter at Maryland in the season opener.
The Bulls have been able to get off to good starts recently, scoring on their first possession in three straight games, including touchdowns in each of their last two games.
>> After leading through much of three quarters, the Bulls fell behind Miami 20-17 last Saturday. A late Buffalo drive reached MU's red zone. After kicking an apparent field goal to tie the game, UB accepted an offsides penalty by Miami for a first down. Three plays later, Cole Snyder hit Justin Marshall for a 15-yard TD with 31 seconds remaining. That turned out to be the winning score in a 24-20 Bulls win.
>> Snyder completed 10 of 35 passes totaling 188 yards with one touchdown and one interception against MU. Quian Williams and Marshall combined for 14 catches, 129 yards and the one TD. Both players rank in the top 10 in the MAC in receptions and receiving yards
>> The Bulls are ranked fourth among MAC teams in passing offense (245.6 ypg) and eighth in rushing (123.4 ypg).
>> Junior linebacker Shaun Dolac registered 14 tackles (12 solo) with three TFL against Miami. His late second quarter red zone tackle for a big loss forced Miami to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown. The four-point difference matched UB's final advantage.
>> Dolac is sixth among MAC defenders with an average of 10.6 hits per game. Fellow linebacker James Patterson is eighth (8.4 tackles per game). Originally a walk-on, Dolac entered the starting lineup late last season. In his seven total games as a starter, he has averaged 11 tackles per game and totaled seven tackles for loss.
BOWLING GREEN FALCONS (2-3, 1-0 MAC)
>> BGSU took an early 10-0 lead and held off hosting Akron 31-28 last week. Matt McDonald's 18-yard pass to Odieu Hillare with 12:12 left in the fourth quarter gave Bowling Green a 31-21 advantage. Akron closed within three with 8:11 remaining, but the Falcon defense stopped UA's final drive on downs and BGSU ran out the final 1:33 to seal the verdict.
>> Senior Matt McDonald connected on 18 of 29 pass attempts, good for 247 yards with three TDs and one interception. He is fifth among MAC passers, averaging 234.3 ypg. His 13 passing touchdowns tops the conference. McDonald is third in passing efficiency (138.2).
>> Three different Falcon receivers scored TDs. Hillare led the group with four catches for 95 yards and a score.
>> Bowling Green registered 175 yards on the ground at Akron. Jamal Johnson and Jaison Patterson combined for 24 carries and 136 yards.
>> The Falcons did not have a rushing TD. They did, however, get a defensive score as Jalen Burton returned his interception 29 yards for Bowling Green's first touchdown. The Falcons committed just one turnover while forcing three.
>> Eleven different players have at least one full sack this season, which is tied for tops in the nation.
>> Tight end Christian Sims is No. 7 in the national among tight ends with 4.0 receptions per contest.
>> A victory would give BGSU its first 2-0 start in the MAC since 2015. The Falcons started league play 6-0 that season.
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The Zips and Bobcats battle for a first MAC win Saturday at Peden Stadium in Athens. Both teams fell in MAC action last Saturday.
Ohio led host Kent State with 3:54 to go last week, but the Flashes drove 75 yards on eight plays to tie the game at 24-all with 1:44 remaining. When the game went to overtime, KSU prevailed with a 1-yard Marquez Cooper run.
Akron, meanwhile, never led but stayed within 10 points of the visiting Falcons. When the Zips pulled within three points for the fifth time on the day, there were still eight over eight minutes left. Akron forced a punt and got one more drive. Bowling Green stopped that trip on downs after 11 plays to seal the victory.
The Bobcats and the Zips have met 38 times since 1919. The last time they faced off in 2021, Ohio won 34-17.
Here's more on the two teams . . .
AKRON ZIPS (1-4, 0-1 MAC)
>> Quarterback DJ Irons completed 20 of 33 passes, good for 224 yards with three touchdowns and one interception against Bowling Green. He also paced the Zips rushing attack with 23 carries for 105 of UA's 184 rushing yards. Clyde Price III carried 17 ties for another 71 yards and a score.
>> Alex Adams and Shocky Jacques-Louis combined for nine catches, 156 yards and two TDs. The latter also contributed 104 yards on kickoff returns, including one runback for 88 yards. He ranks third among MAC returners with an average of 25.1 yards per return.
>> Tony Grimes Jr. tops MAC punt returners, averaging 14.5 yards per trip, with a long of 58.
>> Senior linebacker Bubba Arslanian leads all MAC defenders with an average of 11 hits per game and 55 total tackles. He registered 12 against Bowling Green. Junior DB Nate Thompson also reached double figures with 10 tackles. KJ Martin was credited with one interception.
>> Akron ranks last among MAC teams in scoring offense (15.2 ppg) and 10th in scoring defense, allowing 38.0 ppg.
>> The Zips offense is last in rushing (78.2 ypg) and fifth in passing (244.6 ypg).
>> Akron ranks last in run defense (203.8 ypg) and eighth in pass defense (267.4 ypg).
OHIO BOBCATS (2-3, 0-1 MAC)
>> Running up 450 yards of offense is not a bad number on most days. However, the Bobcats met a Kent State team last week that registered 736 yards of total offense -- 708 in regularion and another 25 in overtime.
>> KSU had a 36-19 advantage in first downs despite committing two turnovers while Ohio played turnover-free football.
>> Bobcats quarterback Kurtis Rourke completed 25 of 39 attempts for 322 yards with two TDs. Ohio also picked up another 128 yards on the ground. Sieh Bangura led Ohio rushers with 18 carries for 99 yards and a score. Sam Wiglusz topped Ohio receivers with with six catches for 115 yards and a TD. Among the receptions was a 71-yard TD.
>> Two Flashes players, in particular, hurt the 'Cats. Marquez Cooper rushed 40 times, picking up 240 of Ohio's 338 rushing years. He also scored two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Dante Cephas caught 13 passes, totaling 246 yards with a score.
>> Rourke is tops among MAC quarterbacks with a passing efficiency rating of 154.2. He is second in passing yards per game (303.3 ypg) tied for second in passing TDs (11).
>> Overall, Ohio ranks fifth (MAC) in scoring (28.2 ppg) and last in scoring defense (42.0 ppg).
>> The Bobcats are first in passing offense (315.4 ypg) and 10th in rushing (107.4 ypg).
>> Ohio's defense is 10th against the run (197.2 ypg) and last/12th while defending the pass (380.6 ypg)
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Fresh off a double-overtime victory over defending MAC champion Northern Illinois, the Ball State Cardinals will try to make it make it two straight Saturday when they visit Central Michigan. A BSU win would tie the all-time series, which the Chippewas lead 27-26-1. CMU has won five of the last seven meetings with the Cardinals, including a 37-17 Chips triumph last year in Muncie.
Home field has not necessarily been an advantage for each program as the road team has won the
last four games. In fact, each team holds a winning record on the opposition’s home turf. Ball
State is 13-12 in Mount Pleasant, while Central Michigan is 15-13-1 in Muncie.
Here's more on the two teams . . .
BALL STATE (2-3, 1-1 MAC)
>> The Cardinals only non-conference win this year was a 31-0 shutout over Murray State Sept. 17. However, BSU will finish its non-conference slate Oct. 15 when it hosts UConn.
>> Ball State dropped a 37-30 home tilt with Western Michigan in Week Two. However, the Cardinals evened their MAC record with a 44-38 double overtime win over Northern Illinois last week. Ball State improved to 8-2 all-time in overtime, which includes wins in each of its last four instances.
>> NIU scored the game's first 21 points. However, Ball State tallied the last 17 points and 30 of the final 37. It was the third largest comeback in Cardinal history.
>> Junior John Paddock led the way offensively after throwing 40-of-58 for 403 yards and three touchdowns. It’s the most yards thrown by a Cardinal since Drew Plitt had 439 vs. Fordham on Sept. 7, 2019 and the eighth-most passing yards in program history.
>> Jayshon Jackson had his second-straight game of at least 10 catches for 100-plus yards as he racked up 116 yards on 10 grabs. Koziol hauled in seven catches for 89 yards and two scores, bringing his total to a team-high five on the year. Yo’Heinz Tyler added seven catches for 73 yards and Brady Hunt contributed six receptions for 82 yards and a score. Steele had 77 yards on the ground and three touchdowns to lead the rushing attack.
>> Defensively, Amos had a team-high 12 tackles and an interception, while Jordan Riley added 11.
>> Ball State surrendered 332 rushing yards on 57 carries by NIU. It marked the 17th time since the year 2000 that a MAC team has allowed over 300 rushing yards in a conference game and still came away with the win.
>> The Cardinals average 445.4 total offensive yards per game, which leads the MAC. Through five games this season, Ball State put up at least 440 yards of offense four times, which is the most in the MAC and tied for the secondmost nationally.
>> Through his first five games as the team’s primary signal caller, Paddock is 151-of- 233 through the air with 1,538 yards and 11 touchdowns.
>> Steele has racked up 486 yards on the ground with five touchdowns through 108 carries this season. Steele’s rushing total ranks third in the MAC and is 21st nationally. In addition, he’s racked up three 100-yard games rushing, which is tied for eighth-most in the nation.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (1-4, 0-1 MAC)
>> The last time these two teams met in Mount Pleasant, the Cardinals got a victory, 45-20, on their way to winning a MAC Championship. It was BSU’s second straight win at CMU.
>> This year's Central Michigan squad owns just one win and has lost two in a row. The most recent setback (38-17) was CMU's conference opener at Toledo. The Chippewas scored first on a 42-yard Marshall Meeder field goal. However, UT responded with 31 straight points before intermission. Daniel Richardson tossed two second half touchdowns before Toledo added a final TD of its own.
>> Richardson completed 25 of 46 passes against UT, good for 252 yards and two TDs. The sophomore hs completed 56.9 percent of his pass attempts and ranks eighth among MAC quarterbacks in passing efficiency (122.9).
>> Noah Koenigsknecht (3 catches, 71 yards, 1 TD) and Carlos Carriere (7 catches, 54 yards) led CMU receivers last week. The latter is fourth among MAC receives, averaging 77.3 yards per contest.
>> Central Michigan was held to 33 yards on the ground at Toledo. RB Lew Nichols III logged 18 carries for 32 yards. On the season, he ranks fifth among MAC backs with an average of 71.4 ypg. He is third in carries (102) and fifth in total rushing yards (357).
>> While the Chippewas’ offensive line lost two players to the NFL, they do return three veterans up front in center Jamezz Kimbrough and guards Deiyantei Powell-Woods and Tyden Ferris.
>> Central Michigan leads the nation in blocked kicks with five. CMU has blocked four punts and one point-after attempt. It is also tied with South Carolina for the most blocked punts.
>> Kicker Marshall Meeder has hit seven of eight PATs and is two of six on field goals. However, two of those attempts were from outside 50 yards.
>> DL Thomas Incoom has registered four sacks totaling 35 yards in losses. Linebacker Kyle Moretti tops the Chippewas with 35 stops.
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After recording four losses over the regular season last year, the Northern Illinois Huskies have reached that mark after five weeks of competition in 2022. Heading into Saturday's matchup against Toledo in DeKalb, NIU is riding a four game losing streak. The Rockets, meanwhile, registered their third victory of this season last week when they downed Central Michigan.
UT leads the series with Northern Illinois, 32-17. The Huskies won in Toledo last year, 22-20. However, UT won the last game played in DeKalb, -- a 41-24 victory on Dec. 5, 2020 in the fifth of six games played in the “COVID Year.” It was the first Rocket win at Huskie Stadium since 2006 following a string of five straight defeats.
From 2010-19, the Toledo-NIU game was played in November and either determined the outcome of MAC West Division title race or was played with at least one team still fighting for the crown in all 10 seasons.
Here's more on the two teams . . .
NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES (1-4, 0-1 MAC)
>> This week's homecoming game is NIU's only home tilt of October. The Huskies are 74-30-10 all time on homecoming and have won 21 of their last 23 homecoming matchups.
>> Northern Illinois is coming off a 44-38 double overtime loss at Ball State last Saturday. The Huskies led 21-0 and were up 24-7 at intermission. However, BSU scored 30 of the game's last 37 points.
>> The Huskies owned a 526-480 advantage over Ball State in total offense.
>> Quarterback Rocky Lombardi has missed the last two games due to injury thusfar and did not play against Ball State. Freshman Ethan Hampton stepped in, completing 17 of 29 attempts, good for 194 yards with two TDs and one interception.
>> Kacper Rutkiewicz and Cole Tucker led Huskies receivers, combining for 14 catches, 176 yards and 2 TDs. Tucker is third among MAC receivers, averaging 89.4 ypg. Rutkiewicz, a transfer from Illinois State, is tied for the MAC lead in TD receptions (5).
>> Harrison Waylee had a huge day at Ball State. His 30 carries netted 230 yards and three TDs. The sophomore's work included touchdown runs of 52 yards, 1 yard and 68 yards.
>> Amariyun Knighten led NIU defenders with 10 tackles (6 solo). C J Brown and Devin Lafayette recorded interceptions.
>> The NIU offense has scored 158 points through five games, averaging 31.6 ppg. That's the most points through five games for an NIU team since the 2013 Huskies produced 211. Northern Illinois is currently the second-highest scoring offense in the MAC. Toledo is first (33 ppg).
>> Northern Illinois is second among MAC teams in rushing defense (125 ypg, 3.6 ypc). Opponents have scored a league-low five touchdowns on the ground.
>> The Huskies have recovered two of three onside kicks this year.