# NO. 9 NOTRE DAME 41, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 17
# NO. 25 IOWA 41, WESTERN MICHIGAN 10
# LIBERTY 55, BUFFALO 27
# OHIO 10, IOWA STATE 7
# KENT STATE 38, CENTRAL CONNECTICUT 10
# EASTERN MICHIGAN 19, UMASS 17
# BALL STATE 45, INDIANA STATE 7
# NEBRASKA 35, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 11
# TOLEDO 21, SAN JOSE STATE 17
# KENTUCKY 35, AKRON 3
# MIAMI 31, CINCINNATI 24 (OT)
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* = Story to come
ANN ARBOR, MI -- NO. 2 Michigan pulled away with three third quarter touchdowns to post a 31-6 victory over visiting Bowling Green Saturday at Michigan Stadium.
After surrerdering a first quarter TD, the Falcons hit two field goals to pull within one. However, UM tallied added one more TD before intermission and scored 17 points in the third period. Neither team scored in the final stanza.
Bowling Green quarterbacks Camden Orth and Hayden Thmoscieck combined to complete 14 of 21 passes for 124 yards and two inteceptions. The Falcons committed three turnovers on the day while forcing four Michigan turnovers.
Nick Mosley led BGSU rushing (79 yards) with 4 carries for 33 yards. Levi Gazarek and Ta'ron Keith had three catches each.
NOTRE DAME, IN -- The Fighting Irish registered 578 of offense while pulling away from visiting Central Michigan for a 41-17 victory Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.
Central Michigan trailed 21-14 at intermission but managed just one field goal after that. Notre Dame added 10 points in each of the final two periods.
Myles Bailey r led CMU rushing (131 yards) with 12 carries for 59 yards and a score. Quarterback Jase Bauer also ran for a score and completed 10 of 20 passes totaling 137 yards.
Neither team had a turnover.
IOWA CITY, IA -- Visiting Western Michigan led 10-7 late in the second quarter, but No. 25 Iowa scored a touchdown before halftime and shutout WMU after intermission for a 41-10 victory Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
Leshon Williams led Iowa with 12 carries for 145 yards as the Hawkeyes totaled 254 yards rushing and averaged 5.9 ypc.
Western Michigan had a balanced but modest attack, with 117 yards on the ground and 122 in the air. Bronco QBs Treyson Bourguet (5/16) and Jack Salopek (2/2) combined to complete 7 of 18 with one TD. The former also had a team-high 32 yards rushing.
Keni-H Lovely and Anthony Enechukwu recorded interceptions.
BUFFALO, NY - Quarterback Kaidon Salter tossed five touchdown passes and the Flames run for another 225 yards as Liberty defeated Buffalo 55-27 Saturday at Alumni Stadium.
Buffalo's Cole Snyder was busy, throwing 51 times and completing 29 for 276 yards and four TDs. However, he was intercepted twice and the Bulls were held to 87 yards on the ground.
Liberty jumped out to a 24-0 lead, but UB closed the gap to 24-14 just before intermission. Liberty, which played turnover-free football and outgained the hosts 569-363 overall, pulled away in the second half.
ATHENS, OH - The Bobcats forced two turnovers and Ohio prevailed 10-7 over Iowa State in a defensive battle Saturday at Peden Stadium. It was the 'Cat's first win over a Power Five school since 2017 (Kansas - also at home).
Ohio senior QB Kurtis Rourke completed 16 of 32 attempts totaling 135 yards with one TD. He also ran for a team-high 58 yards on seven carries. The Bobcats totaled 112 yards on the ground. averaging 3.0 ypc. However, the Ohio defense held ISU to 38 yards rushing and 1.7 ypc.
Sam Wiglusz topped Ohio receivers with five catches for 53 yards and a score. Gianni Spetic hit one of two field goal tries, with his 27-yard make at 13:58 of the fourth quarter turning into the game-winner.
Iowa State was held scoreless until 4:15 of the final stanza, when Jayden Higgins tallied on an 18-yard TD pass. However, after forcing an Ohio punt, the Cylones were intercepted by defensive lineman Rodney Mathews two plays into their final drive. Torrie Cox Jr. recorded the 'Cats other interception and senior linebacker Bryce Houston led all defenders with 15 tackles.
KENT, OH -- The Flashes defense held Central Connecticut to 153 yards of total offense as Kent State cruised in a 38-10 victoryt Saturday at Dix Stadium. It was KSU's first win after two losses. Central Connecticut fell to 1-2, as well.
Down 38-0, the Blue Devils posted their only scores of the day in fourth quarter action. Kent State was up 21-0 at intermission.
Most of the Flashes damage came on the ground as they rushed for 295 yards and four scores.. Gavin Garcia led the way with 21 carries for 125 yards and two TDs. Jaylen Thomas carried seven times for 70 yards and one TD.
Junior Michael Alaimo completed 12 of 16 for 172 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Jalani Williams and Khali Saunders registered interceptions
YPSILANTI, MI -- Austin Smith's 50-yard TD pass to Hamze El-Zayat with 1:20 left gave Eastern Michigan a 19-17 victory over UMass Saturday at Rynearson Stadium.
The Minutemen outgained EMU 464-371 and also had a 23-14 advantage in first downs. However Eastern Michigan forced four turnovers. Three came on interceptions by Benneet Walker (2) and Quentavius Scandreft.
Joe Sparacio (14) and Chase Kline (11) paced the Eagles defense, with Kline also registering two sacks.
Junior QB Austin Smith completed 13 of 26 passes for a total of 157 yards and the winning score. Samson Evans and Jaylon Jackson combined for 20 carries, 172 yards and a touchdown to lead EMU rushers.
It was a 55-yard Jackson run that put the hosts of 10-0 early in the second quarter. UMass got three back with a 48-yard field goal before intermission and tied the game 10-10 late in the third period.
Jesus Gomez hit a 45-yard field goal at 14:06 to move Eastern Michigan back in front.
Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams put the visitors in front one last time on an eight-yard run with just 2:42 left, but Smith was able to find El-Zayat for a winning score five plays into the next drive.
Carlos Davis completed 23 of 41 passes for 340 yards and a score. However, he also tossed three picks. Lynch led UMass rushing with 26 carries for 129 yards.
MUNCIE, IN -- After leading 10-0 at halftime, Ball State scored five of the game's six second half touchdowns to post a 45-7 victory over winless Indiana State at Scheumann Stadium. The Cardinals, after two straight losses to SEC foes, raised their record to 1-2.
Cardinal rushers had a big day, piling up 288 yards and averaging 6.9 ypc. MarQuez Cooper led the way with 22 trips totaling 177 yards and a touchdown. Rico Barifield and Carlie Spegal also rushed for scores.
Ball State's Kadin Semonza completed 17 of 22 passes for 137 yards and two TDs. Tanner Koziol topped BSU receivers with seven catches for 60 yards and a TD.
Tyler Potts recorded an interception, and the Cardinal defense notched eight TFL. Lucas Borrow averaged 45.0 yards per boot on four punts.
LINCOLN, NE - Defense has been Nebraska's strength in early 2023 play, and the Huskers used another bushel of it Saturday to key a 35-11 win over Northern Illinois. It was the first win of 2023 for Nebraska (1-2), while NIU (1-2) absorbed its second straight loss.
Northern Illinois, which was already sputtering on offense, managed just 149 total yards against Nebraska. Most of them (123) came through the air. However. Huskie quarterbacks were just 17 of 36 on the day with one TD and one interception. The run game struggled even more, totaling just 26 yards on 22 trips with a long of seven yards.
After Nebraska opened scoring on a 10-yard pass, NIU's Jake Seibert answered with a 30-yard first quarter field goal.
Northern Illinois would not score again until four seconds remained in the game. Christian Carter took a four-yard pass from Ethan Hampton for the TD and the Huskies added a two-point conversion.
TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo scored 14 unanswered points and shut out the San Jose State in the fourth quarter to come away with a 21-17 victory at the Glass Bowl on Saturday.
The Rockets trailed the Spartans 17-7 midway through the third quarter when junior quarterback Dequan Finn scampered for an 18-yard touchdown to put the Rockets within three, 17-14. Five minutes later, senior cornerback Chris McDonald returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown that proved to be the game-winner.
The Rockets' defense took control in the fourth quarter, holding San Jose State to just 43 yards of offense in the final 15 minutes to seal the victory.
Finn rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown while completing 13-of-23 passes for 92 yards and a 15-yard TD to junior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton in the second quarter. Junior running back Peny Boone ran for a career-high 123 yards on 13 carries, 80 of which came in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Willie Shaw III added a career-high 52 yards.
McDonald and junior cornerback Quinyon Mitchell wreaked havoc for the Spartans' aerial attack all night, accounting for six of Toledo's eight pass breakups on the night. Mitchell tied his career high with four breakups wihile McDonald had two. Senior defensive tackle Judge Culpepper collected two of UT's five sacks while junior outside linebacker D'Andre Ragin had 1.5 tackles for loss. Senior safety Zachary Ford led Toledo with nine tackles.
Toledo possessed a staggering advantage on the ground, rushing for a season-high 229 yards while holding San Jose State to just 40 rushing yards on 29 attempts.
(UT Athletics)
LEXINGTON, KY -- Host Kentucky threw for 315 yards and added another 135 on the ground on the way to a 35-3 win over Akron. The Wildcats (3-0) remained undefeated, while UA dipped to 1-2.
Akron again struggled on the ground, netting just 49 yards. Lorenzo Lingard owned 30 of those on seven carries.
Zip quarterbacks, meanwhile, combined to hit 29 of 41 pass attempts producing 190 yards. Josiah Gaithings and Daniel George combined for nine catches and 79 yards.
The hosting Wildcats were up 14-0 at intermission. After a 36-yard Noah Perez field goal for Akron , UK struck back with two big plays - a 58-yard pas play and 55-yard run over the next three minutes.
By MIKE SMITH
CINCINNATI, OH - Miami Head Coach Chuck Martin noted that even Miami alums who don't follow the football team all that closely still want to know when it will happen. When will Miami get the Victory Bell back?
Thanks to his RedHawks' 31-24 overtime victory over Cincinnati Saturday at Nippert Stadium, Martin now has a perfect reply: "The Victory Bell IS back ... (and) it sounds good."
Cincinnati took a 16-game series winning streak into Saturday's contest, and the new Big 12 member was again a solid favorite on its home field. Final stats show the Bearcats outgained MU by 180 yards and nearly doubled the RedHawks in first downs (30-16).
"Obviously, they outgained us," Martin said. "We didn't have a lot of style (points) ... but defensively we found ways to keep (quite a few) points off the board right down to the last fourth down stop."
According to Martin, the RedHawks recipe for upsetting Cincinnati included making some big plays in all phases. Offensively, MU wasted no time. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Brett Gabbert hit Gage Larvadain with a 70-yard touchdown pass. Martin noted the quick strike boosted his players confidence and, although UC evened the score with its own touchdown less than three minutes later, the RedHawks avoided the kind of multiple score deficits that had marked a number of recent MU vs UC matchups.
Cincinnati did go up by three with a field goal at 1:40 of the first period, but Miami reclaimed the lead with a 17-yard Gabbert to Javon Tracy pass at 9:22 of the second quarter.
The Bearcats responded with a long drive of their own and reached the Miami five-yard line. However, MU's defense stiffened and forced the hosts to settle for a 23-yard Carter Brown field goal. That left Miami in front 14-13 at intermission.
Cincinnati was able to edge back in front midway though the third period. However, the RedHawks once again limited damage by forcing a field goal after UC had driven inside the five. The Bearcats eventually finished 5 of 8 on red-zone chances, but Martin called his team's goal line defense - whether preventing any points or limiting the 'Cats to field goals - a key to the game. Cincinnati would finish the night with two TDs and three made field goals. Ultimately, the outcome would be decided in red zone plays.
"They were down there all night," Martin said. "We didn't play good defense to let them down there. But when (they) got down there, we kept fighting. It was ugly ... and our defense kept finding ways to get stops."
Now down 16-14, Miami quickly responded with a nine-play, 75-yard drive. Gabbert completed three passes along the way and scrambled to the Cincinnati one before getting shaken up on the play. He briefly left the game but returned.
Martin noted that although the junior is certainly not known as a running threat, he was able to keep several drives going by picking up first downs. In fact, final stats showed Gabbert providing 75 of MU's 121 rushing yards. "He's as competitive an athlete as I've been around," Martin observed. "He's a steely-eyed competitor. I've really enjoyed being around him this year."
Kevin Davis' one-yard touchdown run at 3:01 of the third quarter put Miami back in front 21-16. However, the Bearcats retaliated with a 17-yard run by quarterback Emory Jones early in the final period. That gave the hosts a 24-21 advantage.
The teams traded punts before Miami began its final scoring drive. Gabbert kick-started the trip with a 38-yard completion to Miles Marshall. A pass interference call against UC and a 23-yard completion to Javon Tracy also helped as MU reached the Bearcat two-yard line. This time, it was UC coming up with a stop, forcing Miami to settle for a 20-yard Graham Nicholson field goal to tie the game at 24-all.
Cincinnati's subsequent drive appeared to fizzle early, but with the 'Cats facing fourth-and-nine, Chamon Metayer took a fake put 27 yards. By the time Miami got another stop, Cincinnati was looking at fourth down and 10 from MU's 18. There were just 19 seconds left and sophomore Carter Brown, who had not missed a field goal in 2023, was set to kick a 35-yarder that would likely win the game.
"I said if we're gong to beat Cincinnati, we're going to need a game-changing special teams play," Martin recalled, adding, I said, "This is our last chance."
Senior Yahsyn McKee, who minutes earlier, made a big tackle, came through, bursting off the edge to block the field goal try. That forced overtime.
Miami got the ball first and scored in just two plays. First, Gabbert ripped off 17 yards on a run. He then found Joe Wilkins on the left edge of the end zone for an eight-yard TD. Nicholson added the PAT.
Cincinnati. meanwhile, made it to the Miami two on just two plays, the second aided by an interference call. However, the 'Cats drew their own penalty one-play later. After two runs moved UC to the one, it was again penalized. One more run put the 'Cats at the two-yard line, but facing fourth down. Jones attempted a pass. The receiver slipped and Mckee was there again -- this time for a game ending interception.
"Our kids fought like crazy tonight and ended up getting what they deserved," Martin said. The immediate reward was a rush to recover the Victory Bell. Beyond that, there's probably a niche in Miami football history. He recently told the team, "If you can be the group that wins it (the bell), people will remember you forever ... People will talk about this win for a long time, especially how it happened."