Kent State at Arkansas
Morgan State at Akron
Fordham at Buffalo
Ohio at Florida Atlantic
Miami at UMass
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Eastern Illinois at Bowling Green
Saturday, Sept. 9 - 2 p.m. ET
Doyt L. Perry Stadium - Bowling Green, OH
ESPN+
After coming up short in a loss to Liberty last week, the Falcons will try to open their home slate on a winning note Saturday when they host Eastern Illinois. The Panthers are an NCAA Division I FCS level team that plays in the Ohio Valley Conference. BGSU and Eastern Illinois are meeting for the first time in football.
EASTERN ILLINOIS NOTES:
-- Eastern Illinois opened the season with a 27-0 win at Indiana State on Thursday night marking the first time EIU has opened a season with a win since 2017.
-- Eastern Illinois defense was on-point in the opener forcing six turnovers with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. The last time EIU had six or more turnovers in a game was on Nov. 21, 2015 when the Panthers forced seven turnovers in a win over Eastern Kentucky.
-- Two of Eastern Illinois four interceptions in the game were returned for touchdowns with the two pick six’s taking place in the final minute of the first half. Tyris Harvey had a 19-yard interception return for touchdown while NiJhay Burt had a 67-yard interception return for touchdown.
-- Punter Jacob Horvath was named the Big South-OVC Football Association Freshman of the Week after his collegiate debut. An Australian native, Thursday was not only the first American football game for Horvath but the first he had ever seen in person. His first punt went 57 yards as he finished the day with four punts for a 42.5 yard average and two pinned inside the 20.
-- Pierce Holley made his first start at quarterback for Eastern Illinois on Thursday as the graduate transfer from Georgetown passed for 244 yards with two touchdowns.
-- Kevin Daniels carried most of the rushing load for the Panthers offense on Thursday night as the Northern Arizona transfer finished with 57 yards on 13 carries.
-- Wide receiver Eli Mirza was a versatile weapon for the Panthers offense on Thursday at Indiana State. The junior college transfer was second on the team in rushing yards with 27 on an end around play. He also led the Panthers in receiving yards with 82 including 42 yards after catch on his four receptions
- Tight end Daniel Luoma was called into placekicking duties in the opener after returning AllConference kicker Stone Galloway became unavailable during pregame warm-ups. Luoma had four kickoffs in the game for a 61.2 yards per kick average. A tight end from Finland, Luoma had served as the Panthers kickoff specialist in 2021 averaging 59.2 yards per kick with eight touchbacks.
- Eastern Illinois was one of the least penalized teams in FCS football last year (2022) as the Panthers ranked 11th in the nation.
BOWLING GREEN NOTES:
-- Bowling Green fell behind 24-0 early but fell short last week at Liberty. The Falcons moved within seven points twice in the second half, the last coming on Camden Orth's 32-yard TD pass to Odieu Hillare. That left Liberty with a 31-24 lead at 4:04 in the third quarter. Both defenses stiffened, and the only score of the fourth period was a Flames field goal.
-- Bowling Green has a perfect 11-0 all-time record against current members of the Ohio Valley Conference. The Ohio Valley Conference has merged with the Big South Conference in a football-only alliance starting this season.-- RB Terion Stewart played his first game at Liberty since 2021 after sitting out the 2022 season. He enters Saturday’s game with 762 career rushing yards and nine touchdowns. His 6.7 yards per carry for his career currently ranks No. 1 in program history.
-- The Falcons averaged 6.2 yards per rush at Liberty on 191 rushing yards. Both numbers are the best for the BGSU ground game since the 2021 season when the Falcons played at Buffalo
-- Trent Simms picked up and returned a blocked field goal (by Dontrez Brown) 76 yards for a touchdown in the season opener at Liberty.
Kent State at Arkansas
Saturday, Sept. 9 - 4 p.m. ET
Razorback Stadium - Fayetteville, AR
SECN
Kent State hits the road again in Week Two, and the Flashes have another tough challenge awaiting in Fayetteville. This is the first meeting between the two schools.
Arkansas rolled out to a 35-3 halftime lead before thrashing Western Carolina 56-13 last week. Kent State, meanwhile, fell hard in a 56-6 loss to Central Florida. The Knights scored 14 points in each quarter. KSU was limited to a pair of field goals by Andrew Glass (43 and 45 yards).
ARKANSAS
-- QB KJ Jefferson began the 2023 campaign with a stellar four-touchdown showing in the Razorbacks’ win over the Catamounts, throwing for three scores and adding another one on the ground.
-- WR Andrew Armstrong, making his Razorback debut, caught a team-leading five passes for 78 yards and a touchdown in the Razorbacks’ season opener against Western Carolina.
-- RB Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders ran for a pair of scores in Arkansas’ season-opening win against Western Carolina. Sanders, who is coming off one of the greatest seasons by an Arkansas running back in recent memory after rushing for 10 touchdowns and 1,443 yards — fourth-most in a single season in school history — in 2022, has now run for multiple touchdowns in a game six times in his career.
-- The Arkansas defense generated five turnovers against WCU. Four were interceptions.
-- DB Jayden Johnson posted five tackles along with a forced fumble and an interception in the season opener against Western Carolina. Johnson was the only SEC defender — and one of just four FBS defenders — to intercept a pass and force a fumble in a Week 1 contest.
-- Arkansas limited the Catamounts to 64 yards rushing (2.1 ypc). The Razorbacks, meanwhile, registered 105 yrds rushing.
-- Arkansas finished the year ranked second in the SEC and seventh nationally in rushing, averaging 236.7 yards per game for a total of 3,075 rushing yards on the year.
-- Arkansas is tasked with replacing five of the team’s top six pass catchers from last season. WR Jadon Haselwood led the
Razorbacks in receptions with 59, while WR Matt Landers led the squad in both receiving yards (901) and touchdowns (8).
In total, the Hogs will need to replace 2,399 yards (78.6%), 167 receptions (72.3%) and 21 receiving touchdowns (80.8%)
-- Transfer Tyrone Broden caught 32 passes for 506 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns at Bowling Green last year. Standing six-foot-seven, he was the tallest wide receiver in the nation in 2022, sharing that distinction with three other players.
KENT STATE
-- The Flashes have 11 new starters on offense this year, the top returners are RB-Gavin Garcia (211 rush yards) and WR- Trell Harris (136 yards)
-- Kent State lost 92 percent of its rush yards from a season ago, the Flashes to get Xavier Williams back after missing the 2022 season, Williams has rushed for 1430 yards and 10 TDs in his career. The Flashes also lost 92 percent of its receiving yards from last season.
-- The Flashes registered 239 yards of total offense against UCF.
-- Junior Michael Alaimo got the start at QB1 against Central Florida, completing 12-of-31 passes for 145 yards with one interception.
-- Chrishon McCray led Kent State receivers with 61 yards on three catches.
-- Garcia, a sophomore, logged half the Flashes carries, carrying 18 times for a total of 61 yards.
-- Senior linebacker Devin Nicholson, a Missouri transfer, led all defenders with 13 tackles (11 solo, 2 TFL). Nick Giacolone and D.J. Miller Jr. each picked off a Knights pass.
-- The Flashes have 19 new transfers on the roster.
Morgan State at Akron
Saturday, Sept. 9 - 6 p.m. ET
InfoCision Stadium - Akron, OH
ESPN+
After missing out on an upset of Temple last week, Akron opens its home slate by facing a Morgan State team that pulled out a 17-10 victory over No. 16 Richmond in Week One.
The Bears, an NCAA Division I FCS program and member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, were picked for fourth among six teams in a preseason poll by head coaches and sports information directors. Six Morgan State players were named to the presason team.
Saturday marks the fourth meeting in the series that began with a 41-0 Akron win on Sept. 1, 2009 in the grand opening of InfoCision Stadium. the Zips hold a 3-0 advantage in the series vs. MSU
MORGAN STATE
-- MSU's opener turned into a defensive battle, with neither offense cracking 300 yards. (Richmond 264, Morgan State 213).
-- The two teams did combine for seven turnovers -- three by the Bears and four by Richmond.
-- The Bears played a pair of QBs in their season opener upset against Richmond. Carson Baker started the game and completed 5 of 8 passes for 68 yards, including a pick and was sacked three times. ODU transfer Dominique Anthony finished with 31 yards in the air on 2 of 5 completions.
-- Anthony James and Treveyon Pratt combined for five catches and 66 yards.
-- Senior Jarin Davis (5-9, 172) led MSU's ground game with 12 carries for 73 yards (6.1 ypc).
-- Junior linebacker Erick Hunter recorded 11 tackles, four solo, with 1.5 sacks for a four-yard loss and collected a huge strip-sack on Spiders quarterback Kyle Wickersham to help setup the final score of the night and seal the victory.
-- The season opening win propelled MSU into the FCS rankings at No. 25.
-- RS Keith Jenkins Jr. was one of the top return specialists in the nation as a freshman last year ... The speedster finished the season with two kickoff returns for touchdowns (T-No. 2 in the FCS).
-- Bears Head Coach Damon Wilson on the win over Richmond: “It’s big, but also it’s [a win] in September. You want those big wins to come in November, December. That’s when you’re really talking about some bigtime football. But we’re not going to belittle the fact that we beat a nationally ranked opponent. ”
AKRON
-- In the team’s last meeting against Morgan State on Sept. 8, 2018, sophomore QB Kato Nelson, threw for 232 yards and three TDs to lead Akron to a 41-7 win over the visiting Bears at InfoCision Stadium - Summa Field.
-- Akron led Temple 21-7 late in the second quarter last week. However, the Owls scored all 17 of the game's final points.
-- The Zips went 3-of-16 on third down conversions.
-- Of UA's 279 total offensive yards, 279 came through the air and 74 on the ground.
-- Senior quarterback DJ Iron completed 17-of-29 passes for 205 yards with two TDs and one interception.
-- Eight Zips caught passes against Temple. Lorenzo Lingard's one catch went for 77 yards and a score. Bobby Golden had five catches for 24 yards, while Daniel Goerge grabbed three passes for a total of 60 yards.
-- Drake Anderson led UA rushing with seven carries for 40 yards.
Fordham at Buffalo
Saturday, Sept. 9 - 6 p.m. ET
UB Stadium - Buffalo, NY
ESPN+
After falling short at Wisconsin (38-17) last week, the Buffalo Bulls open their 2023 home slate Saturday against Fordham. The Rams, an NCAA Division I FCS level team and member of the Patriot League, have already played two games, losing to Albany 34-13 before defeating Wagner 46-16 last week.
The Rams are members of the Patriot League and were picked for second in the 2023 preseason poll. They went 9-5 last year, falling to New Hampshire 52-42 in first round action of the FCS championship playoff.
This will be the fourth meeting between Fordham and Buffalo on the gridiron, the first since 1995. The Bulls lead the all-time series, 2-1. Buffalo took the most recent meeting, 49-13, in the season-opener at Buffalo on September 2, 1995.
FORDHAM
-- The 2022 Rams played one Mid-American Conference team, falling at Ohio 59-52. Buffalo is the only MAC team on Forham's schedule this year.
-- Fordham junior linebacker James Conway and graduate student wide receiver MJ Wright were named 2023 NCAA FCS Preseason All-Americans.
-- The Fordham Rams have thrown the most touchdown passes of any NCAA FCS school over the past two years.
-- It was a wild one last week, with Fordham losing (52-42) despite generating 577 yards of offense. New Hampshire gained a total of 664 yards (316 on the ground and 348 through the air).
-- QB Tim DeMorat completed 15-of-41 aerials for 330 yards and three TDs with two interceptions. He also rushed for 58 net yards on ten carries.
-- Montes connected with grad student MJ Wright for two touchdowns with Wright catching eight balls for 96 yards, while grad student Garrett Cody hauled in six passes for 102 yards and one score. Fotis Kokosioulis registered 14 catches for a total of 132 yards.
-- The Rams ran for 247 yards, led by Trey Sneed. He gaine 139 yards on 17 carries (8.2 ypc). Julius Loughridge added 75 yards and a TD among his eight trips.
-- Will Haslett averaged 52 yards per punt on three boots.
BUFFALO
-- Looking to bolster the roster, the Bulls welcomed 28 transfers this offseason, including three from power five programs.
UB’s power five program transfers include wide receivers Darrell Harding (Duke) and Chance Morrow (Louisville) and safety Jerrod Gentry (Tennessee).
-- The Bulls’ first season as a Division I program (FCS) was 1993 and their first victory as a Division I program was at Fordham, 33-14, on Oct. 9, 1993. This is the 15th straight season the Bulls will host an FCS program. UB is 12-2 over the stretch.
-- The Bulls didn’t allow a sack or commit a turnover in their week one game against Wisconsin - the only MAC team to do so in week one.
-- The Bulls have at least one linebacker named All-MAC each of the last 12 seasons. Shaun Dolac was named to the first team in 2022.
-- QB Cole Snyder completed 26-of-41 passes for a total of 194 yards and two TDs at Wisconsin.
-- Twelve different Bulls caught at least one pass. Cole Harrity had five totaling 47 yards with two scores.
-- Marcus Fuqua led the UB defense with 11 hits (5 solo). Devin Grant and Shaun Dolac recorded interceptions.
-- Alex McNulty kicked a 53-yard field goal just before halftime.
Ohio at Florida Atlantic
Saturday, Sept. 9 - 6 p.m. ET
FAU Stadium - Boca Raton, FL
ESPN+
After returning to the winning column last week, Ohio will try to make make it to straight when it visits Florida Atlantic. The Owls are coming off a 42-20 win over Monmouth.
Florida Atlantic is a member of the American Athletic Conference and was ranked fifth of 14 teams in a preseason media poll.
Ohio and FAU have met just once before, with Bobcats winning last year in Athens 41-38.
FLORIDA ATLANTIC
-- The Owls scored 14 points in each of the first three quarters against Monmouth.
-- FAU generated 493 yards of offense while holding the Hawks to 361 yards.
-- Casey Thomas completed 20-of-25 passes, good for 280 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Tony Johnson caught two of the scores among his five receptions for 91 yards. Je'Quan Burton also had two TD receptions while grabbing three passes.
-- Jarrett Jerrels recorded one interception.
OHIO
-- Senior QB Kurtis Rourke sat out last Saturday's 27-10 win over Long Island. Parker Navarro (5-of-7, 60 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) and CJ Harris (7-of-8, 44 yards, 1 TD) filled in for the standout.
-- Three different Bobcats caught TD passes - Tyler Walton, Mason Williams and Bryce Butler. The latter two scored on their only catch of the day, while Walton had four catches for 36 yards.
-- Ohio recorded 199 yards on the ground. Sieh Bangura (MAC Offensive Player of the Week) led the way with 19 carries for 107 yards.
-- Senior linebacker Bryce Houston led the Bobcats defense with 11 tackles (4 solo) 1 sack, 2 TFL and an interception. He was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week.
-- Kicker Gianni Spetic converted both field goal attempts, with a long of 25.
Saturday, Sept. 9 -- 3:30 p.m. ET
Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium
Amherst, MA
ESPN+
By MIKE SMITH
Week One probably wasn't all that enlightening to Miami RedHawks football fans as MU was physically overmatched by a Miami Hurricanes squad brimming with transfers and elite athletes.
"It's hard to gauge (what you can and can't do) off your opener for a lot of reasons when you play a team like Miami," Head Coach Chuck Martin said Monday while reviewing his team's performance in Week One.
Week Two should be much more revealing as MU again hits the road to meet an improved UMass team.
The Minutemen have often struggled, both during their brief time in the Mid-American Conference and subsequently as an independent. UMass is still an independent, one of four such programs in NCAA Division I FBS football. Indeed, it went 1-11 last year, with three of its losses coming to MAC programs. However, there were signs of improvement, and UMass started 2023 with a 41-30 win at New Mexico State. The Minutement fell at Auburn last week, 59-14.
Miami and UMass have met on four previous occasions (all since 2012), with Miami claiming three of the four contests. This will be the first nonconference game between the two programs, as UMass left the MAC to become independent after the 2015 season. The RedHawks are 1-1 all-time in Amherst.
Chuck Martin earned his first win as Miami head coach when the RedHawks erased a 27-point second-half deficit to stun UMass 42-41 on October 4, 2014. The Minutemen drove the ball to the Miami six-yard line in the final seconds, but Joe Donlan made a
tackle as time ran out to secure the victory for the Red and White. Andrew Hendrix finished the day with 528 all-purpose yards, the second-highest single-game total in program history. Sam Martin caught four touchdown passes, matching the team (and stadium) record.
Miami won the last meeting (2015), rallying from a 6-3 halftime deficit to post a 20-13 victory.
UMASS
-- Don Brown returned to the University of Massachusetts football program for his second stint as head coach on November 22, 2021. Brown, who led the Minutemen to the winningest five-year stretch in program history from 2004 to 2008, is known for his aggressive and blitz-heavy attack on defense and has nearly 46 years of coaching experience to his credit.
-- Massachusetts is 6-0 in home openers under Brown. Last season, the Minutemen posted a 20-3 victory over
Stony Brook in Brown’s return to McGuirk Alumni Stadium. During Brown's previous tenure as head coach at UMass, the Minutemen went 5-0 in home openers.
-- The Minutemen added four quarterbacks in the offseason, including redshirt senior transfer Carlos Davis from Western Carolina, redshirt junior transfer Taisun Phommachanh from Georgia Tech/Clemson, freshman Ahmad Haston and walk-on freshman Conner Whitson.
-- UMass trailed Auburn 10-7 after one quarter last week, but the Tigers pulled away with 21 unanswered points in both the second and third stanzas. Both teams added a touchdown in the final period.
-- Phommachanh was 8-for-16 (106 yards, 1 interception) through the air against Auburn, while also running for 34 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt senior Carlos Davis came in the game in the second half, finishing six-for-eight for 106 yards and a touchdown.
-- "They've got a really good quarterback from Georgia Tech who can make big plays with his arm (and) can make big plays with his legs. He's a big, strong, athletic runner," Martin said of the 6-4, 215-pound Phommachanh.
-- Among the UMass receivers is Arizona transfer Anthony Simpson (5-11, 180, JR). He had four catches for a total of 89 yards and a 58-yard TD against Auburn.
-- Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams paced UMass rushing against Auburn, logging 14 carries for 101 yards (7.2 ypc).
-- Martin noted the Minutemen use a lot of pre-snap motion to set up advantageous matchups/situations.
-- Looking back to the UMass' opener, Martin said, "They got after New Mexico State pretty good (and) caused (three) turnovers. He added that the defensive unit has improved in its second year with the system and addition of some transfers. "They are a pretty fast, twitchy, physical group on defense that is really impressive and brings a lot of pressure from a lot of different places. It will be a good challenge for us offensively."
MIAMI
-- The RedHawks registered just 215 yards of offense and converted just 2-of-12 third downs against Miami (FL) last week They were 0-for-3 on fourth down. "Offensively, (there were) too many times we did not execute to the level we are capable (of) and make them earn it," Martin said. "They've got some good players, but we've got to run the ball better."
-- MU was outgained on the ground 251-51, with the RedHawks averaging just 2.0 ypc. That benefitted from some second half runs, but it was no where near enough to offset a Hurricane's offense that punted just once after intermission.
-- Rashad Amos, a 6-2, 234-pound RB formerly with South Carolina, led MU with dight carries for 30 yards (long of 23). Jordan Brunson (6-0, 226, SO) had two carries totaling 22 yards.
-- Junior quarterback Brett Gabbert was back at the helm after missing most of 2022. He completed 12-of-21 passes for a total of 127 yards. Aveon Smith saw late action, connecting on 1-of-3, with the completion covering 37 yards to Cade McDonald.
-- Only two RedHawks caught more than one pass. Gage Larvadain, a 5-10, 165-pound transfer from Southeastern Louisiana, was by far the most productive. He caught eight balls totaling 80 yards.
"Our passing game was just not very good," Martin said. "It was a product of ... everybody."
-- Martin is expecting UMass to play a lot of man-to-man coverage (similar to the Hurricanes) and bring pressure. "It will be a challenge for us," he said.
-- Asked about the team's health, Martin noted the squad took a pounding and could use the extra day gained by playing the opener on a Friday. Some players may still be a game-day decision. One player who won't be back is tight end Jack Coldiron, who suffered a possible season-ending injury at Miami.