# KENT STATE 33, AKRON 27
# BUFFALO 34, TOLEDO 27
# BOWLING GREEN 34, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 18
# EASTERN MICHIGAN 20, BALL STATE 16
# OHIO 24, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 17
# WESTERN MICHIGAN 16, MIAMI 10
KENT, OHIO -The Kent State Golden Flashes successfully defended the Wagon Wheel on Saturday afternoon, capturing the coveted trophy for the fourth-consecutive year in a 33-27 victory over Akron at Dix Stadium.
Devin Kargman made his first collegiate start on Saturday, throwing for 213 yards and a pair of scores, both to Devontez Walker as the true freshman helped erase an early 10-0 deficit. Walker finished the day with eight catches for 72 yards and three scores, adding a third on a second half rushing touchdown.
Walker also threw a key downfield block on Bryan Bradford's second quarter 58-yard touchdown run that opened the Kent State scoring. The Flashes as a team ran for 242 yards on Saturday, led by 137 from Marquez Cooper.
The Kent State defense forced a trio of red-zone turnovers, two on interceptions by Jojo Evans and Montre Miller and a third on a critical fourth down stop late in the game. The defense's adjustments after the Zips' early success allowed Kargman to settle in and get to work. Kargman found Walker on consecutive drives to close the half, sending Kent State into the locker room with a 21-17 lead at the half.
The Flashes scored the first nine points of the second half on Walkers' rush and the first of two Andrew Glass field goals to open up the largest lead of the game at 30-17. Kent State then ground the game out from that point. The offense added a 42-yard field goal by Glass to go up nine at the start of the fourth quarter and the defense got two late sacks from Zayin West and the aforementioned fourth-down stop to clinch the wheel for the fourth-straight season.
The fourth-straight win is the longest in the rivalry for the Flashes since winning 10-straight from 1942-54.
DJ Irons led the Zips effort, completing 32 of 43 passes totaling 383 yards with one TD and two picks. He also rushed for a pair of scores. Alex Adams caught nine passes, good for 199 yards with one TD, while Shocky Jacques-Louis grabbed 10 balls for a totall of 88 yards.
BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo Bulls rallied from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun Toledo, 34-27 Saturday afternoon at UB Stadium in a battle of the Mid-American Conference's first place teams. The Bulls scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to win their fifth straight game and improve to a perfect 4-0 in the MAC.
The Bulls trailed 27-10 early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Cole Snyder then sparked the comeback with a five-yard touchdown run with 13:13 left to cut the lead to 27-17. UB got the ball right back, marched 80 yards down the field and cut the lead to three points on a 32-yard connection from Snyder to Jamari Gassett with 9:35 left.
An interception by safety Marcus Fuqua gave the ball right back to the Bulls and, four plays later, Ron Cook scampered in from 30 yards out to give UB its first lead of the game, 31-27, with 8:06 remaining.
Fuqua intercepted his third pass of the day with a little over three minutes left to give the ball back to the Bulls and set up an Alex McNulty 42-yard field goal with just 47 seconds left to extend the UB lead to 34-27.
On the Toledo's last drive of the game, Caleb Offord sealed the win with the Bulls' fourth interception of the game. All told, Buffalo forced six Toledo turnovers, including a 72-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Jahmin Muse.
Cook finished the day with a career-high 118 yards rushing and a touchdown and added three receptions for 40 yards. Snyder, who struggled in the first half, found his groove in the second half and finished with 245 passing yards and a TD.
Linebacker Shaun Dolac had another stellar game for the Bulls, finishing with 12 tackles, three tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Cornerback Isaiah King, who was wearing no. 41 in memory of Solomon Jackson, had a career-high 11 tackles and an incredible sequence where he forced and recovered a fumble in the third quarter.
It was a tale of two halves as the Bulls scored 27 points on 299 yards of offense in the second half, while holding Toledo to just seven points on 186 yards of offense in the second half.
Dequan Finn completed 25 of 47 passes for Toledo. He threw one TD but was intercepted four times. Five different receivers owned at least three catches. Jerjuan Newton topped the group with six receptions for 54 yards. Jacquez Stuart had 14 carries for 107 yards to lead UT rushing. Finn also carried 14 times, picking up 66 yards with two touchdowns.
Maxen Hook and Dyontae Jackson each recorded 12 tackles for the Rockets defense. Shanun Dolac (12), Isaiah King (11) and James Patterson (11) reached double figure hits on the Buffalo side.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Matt McDonald completed nearly 86 percent of his passes and the BGSU defense came up big as the Bowling Green picked up a 34-18 win at Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon at Kelly-Shorts Stadium.
McDonald was 18-of-21 for 254 yards through the air. He found Tyrone Broden for a pair of touchdown tosses.
Jaison Patterson ran for 101 yards, and Odieu Hilaire caught four of McDonald's passes for 105 yards in the win.
The BGSU defense had four takeaways on three fumbles and an interception in the game. Karl Brooks had a strip sack in the fourth quarter, with Demetrius Hardamon returning the fumble 45 yards for a score and a 27-10 lead.
With the Chippewas back within nine points and looking to further cut into the lead, Walter Haire had a highlight-reel play with 2:40 left in the game. Haire batted down a pass, then pinned it against the back of the CMU offensive lineman who was blocking him. Haire grabbed the ball away with one hand and returned it 26 yards into CMU territory.
Several plays later, McDonald found Broden in the end zone for the second time in the game.
Harold Fannin Jr. had a rushing TD to open the game's scoring, while Mason Lawler hit a pair of field goals along with four extra points.
Central Michigan's Jase Bauer completed 18 of 25 passes, good for 185 yards with one TD and one interception. He also led CMU recushing with 16 carries for a total of 109 yards. Joel Wilson toppeed Chippewas receivers with eight catches for 75 yards with one touchdown.
MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michiga used timely offense and high-caliber defense to earn a 20-16 Mid-American Conference road victory over Ball State Saturday at Scheumann Stadium.
The victory moves Eastern (5-3, 2-2 MAC) ahead of Ball State (4-4, 2-2 MAC) in the MAC West Division. The Eagles now have sole possession of second place via tiebreakers, and could overtake Toledo for first place in the division with a win over the Rockets next week.
The Eagles were led by sophomore qfuarterback Austin Smith, who completed 20-of-34 passes for a career-best 197 yards through the air. Meanwhile, the Eastern Michigan defense forced three turnovers and allowed just 16 points . Senior Joe Sparacio paced the team with 15 stops.
How it Happened
After three consecutive possessions without scores, two by EMU and one by BSU, it was the Cardinals that found the end zone first, with 14:56 left in the second quarter. Down, 7-0, Eastern responded, going 76 yards in 10 plays to knot things up at seven apiece.
With just four seconds remaining in the half, it was Eastern Michigan that took advantage. After quick-strike offense allowed the Eagles to move the ball into Ball State territory, sophomore place kicker Jesus Gomez drilled a program-record-tying 55-yard field goal as time expired to move EMU in front, 10-7.
Down 16-13 in the fourth quarter, Eastern put together the last scoring drive of the contest. The Green and White used 2:58 to go 28 yards and find the pay dirt on a Smith rushing touchdown. One more defensive stop by the Eagles allowed EMU to secure the 20-16 decision.
Ball State's John Paddock completed 15 of 26 passes, ;good for 178 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Carson Steele led all rushers with 101 yards on 24 carries, adding on another 57 yards on four catches with a touchdown. Jayshon Jackson pulled down four passes for 66 yards.
Cole Pearce combined for 29 tackles to lead the BSU defense, while Joe Sparacio registered 14 stops for Eastern Michigan.
ATHENS, Ohio-- Kurtis Rourke hit Sam Wiglusz with a 22-yard pass midway through the fourth quarter to lift Ohio (5-3, 3-1 MAC) over Northern Illinois (2-6, 1-3 MAC) Saturday at Peden Stadium.
Rourke finished the game 14-for-26 with two touchdowns on 200 yards. Wiglusz recorded two touchdowns on 69 yards and six receptions, while redshirt freshman running back Sieh Bangura had 32 yards on three catches.
On the ground, Rourke set a personal record with a 61-yard rush in the second quarter, netting a total of 64 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown on seven attempts while Bangura net 62 yards on 10 carries.
Defensively, redshirt senior linebacker Keye Thompson led the way with 14 total tackles, five of which were solo. He also recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry. Both graduate student Zack Sanders and sixth year Alvin Floyd finished with nine tackles each.
Freshman kicker Nathanial Vakos went 1-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on PATs. Sixth year Jonah Wieland and redshirt sophomore Jack Wilson each registered two punts while redshirt junior Tristian Vandenberg kicked for five kickoffs, finishing with 312 yards.
The Bobcats' opening drive put Ohio ahead 7-0, ending with a Wiglusz touchdown. With 10:49 remaining in the half, a 38-yard field goal put the Huskies on the board, cutting Ohio's lead to four points. Field goals from both teams left the score at 10-6 heading into halftime.
With 10:56 left in the third quarter, the Huskies concluded a nine-play, 48-yard drive with a 45-yaard field goal, giving the Bobcats a one-point edge. Rourke later wrapped up an 81-yard drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown, extending Ohio's lead to 17-9. However, Northern Illinois answered with a touchdown and a two-point conversion, tying the game, 17-17.
With seven minutes remaining in the game, a 22-yard receiving touchdown by Wiglusz followed by a successful PAT from Vakos gave the Bobcats a 24-17 lead. After four consecutive NIU incomplete passes, Ohio went into victory formation, solidifying a fourth home win of the season.
Northern Illinois outgained the hosts 277-354 overall, with most of the yardage (267) coming on the ground. Antario Brown registered 160 yards on 16 carries, while Harrison Waylee had 18 trips, good for 97 yards. Kacper Rutkiewic tallied NIU's only touchdown of the day on an 11-yard run. He also had a catch to for 41 yards to lead Huskie receivers. Cole Tucker caught three balls, good for 24 yards.
By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- Miami (3-5, 1-3 MAC) pulled a rabbit out of the hat, but Western Michigan (3-5, 2-2 MAC) pulled a win out of the battle Saturday as the Broncos held on for a 16-10 victory over MU at Yager Stadium.
The verdict broke Miami's 16-game home winning streak, which started after a WMU win back in 2018. That game -- a 40-39 verdict -- was also close, and Saturday's matchup came down to the final minute when the Broncos defense stopped the Miami's final drive at Western Michigan's 34 after four straight incompletions by Brett Gabbert.
The junior, who was injured at Kentucky in Week One, was a surprise starter against WMU. Previous indications were he could possibly miss the remainder of the season. While there may have been some "rust," particularly in the first half, the Broncos defense had plenty to do with making things difficult. Western Michigan registered seven sacks (3.5 by Corvin Moment) and brought intense pressure on a number of other plays. WMU also limited the RedHawks run game to a net of 83 yards.
"Offensively, for three quarters, (we did) nothing," Miami Head Coach Chuck Martin said. "We can't throw it versus zone. We can't throw it versus man. We can't run it versus anything."
Overall, Western Michigan surrendered just 305 yards and . . . CONTINUE