# TOLEDO 52, KENT STATE 31
# BALL STATE 25, UCONN 21
# BUFFALO 34, UMASS 7
# OHIO 33, WESTERN MICHIGAN 14
# CENTRAL MICHIGAN 28, AKRON 21
# NORTHERN ILLINOIS 39, EASTERN MICHIGAN 10
BOWLING GREEN, OH - It was a battle of struggling offenses. In the end, the home offense did enough to win Saturday as Bowling Green edged Miami 17-13.
The Falcons (3-4, 2-1 MAC) entered Saturday ranked 10th among MAC teams in total offense, while Miami 3-4, 1-2 MAC) was No. 11, with a mere five-yard difference between the two.
The RedHawks had made their struggles work a week earlier when they upset high-powered Kent State 24-17. This time, however, MU was on the road, and this time its opponent virtually shut down the RedHawk run game.
Miami owned 415 yards of offense overall and churned out 236 on the ground against Kent State. Bowling Green, however, limited . . . CONTINUE
Finn's six touchdown passes tied a school record that is shared by Bruce Gradkowski (twice, in 2003 and 2004) and Logan Woodside (2017), both of whom went on to play in the NFL. Finn also rushed for a score, which set a Toledo record for seven touchdowns accounted for in one game.
The victory moves Toledo to 5-2, 3-0 in the Mid-American Conference, a full game ahead of second-place Ball State (4-3, 2-1 MAC) in the West Division. Kent State falls to 2-5, 1-2 in the MAC.
Toledo trailed 21-0 barely five minutes into the game before Finn and the Rockets began their rally. Finn ran for a 27-yard touchdown in the first quarter, then threw for touchdown passes of 27, 36 and 39 yards in the second quarter to tie the score at 28-28.
In the second half, Finn threw for scores of seven, 41 and eight yards. He also ran for 87 yards on 14 attempts.
Toledo's defense stiffened after Kent State's early outburst, holding the Golden Flashes to just 91 offensive yards in the second half. Toledo outgained Kent State, 490-393, and held its opponent scoreless after halftime.
First Quarter
Kent State wasted no time, scoring on its first possession in six plays following a 46-yard kickoff return by Ja'Shaun Poke to open the game. After a three-and-out by Toledo, the Golden Flashes struck again with quarterback Collin Schlee taking it into the end zone from 12 yards out to cap a six-play, 76-yard drive to make it 14-0 just five minutes into the game. Moments later, a Rocket turnover led to a 19-yard touchdown run by Marquez Cooper to put KSU up, 21-0, with 9:40 to play in the quarter. Toledo then got on the board when quarterback Dequan Finn scrambled up the middle on third-and-20 for a 27-yard touchdown to trim the lead to 21-7.
Second Quarter
Kent State made it 28-7 on the first play of the second quarter, a 10-yard run by Schlee. Toledo countered with a 27-yard TD pass from Finn to Devin Maddox to cut the lead to 28-14. The Rockets made it a one-touchdown game when Finn connected with Jerjuan Newton for a 36-yard score. Moments later Finn struck again from long distance, this time hitting Mikel Barkley from 39 yards out to tie the score at 28-28 with 3:52 left in the half. Kent State finished off a wild 30 minutes with a 21-yard field goal on the final play of the half.
Third Quarter
Toledo tied the game at 31-31 when Thomas Cluckey nailed a 43-yard field goal with 8:43 left in the quarter. Kent State missed a chance to re-take the lead when Andrew Glass' 35-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right. Toledo took the lead for the first time, 38-31, when Finn connected with Jamal Turner from seven yards out on a third-down play.
Fourth Quarter
Toledo added seven more points when Finn hit Newton from 41 yards out to increase the lead to 45-31. Finn tacked on another score with an eight-yard completion to Barkley with 7:39 to play, putting the score at 52-31.
The Cardinals (4-3) also overcame deficits of 21 vs. Northern Illinois (Oct. 1) and 10 at Central Michigan (Oct. 8) in their last two games.
"My hat is off to our players. They deserve credit for the fight, for the attitude and finding a way to win. It was an awesome team effort," BSU Head Coach Mike Neu said.
UConn (3-5) opened the game by scoring touchdowns on three of its five first-half possessions, racking up 149 yards on the ground and 121 yards by going 12-of-12 through the air.
Carson Steele, who had a career game on the ground, barreled in from a yard out to cap a 12-play, 73-yard scoring drive in the first quarter. Ben VonGunten added a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter to complete the scoring as the Huskies took a 21-10 lead into the locker room.
An opportunistic defense and a heavy dose of Steele guided Ball State in the second half.
Mirroring its previous comeback against NIU, the Cardinals got a big play from their defense on the third play of the second half as a tipped pass by Jaquan Amos was intercepted by Cole Pearce at the 50-yard line. VonGunten would drill a 38-yard field goal to make it a one-possession game at 21-13.
In the fourth quarter, Steele took over. The sophomore totaled 102 yards on 13 carries, including a pair of scores.
The scoring began following a forced fumble by Tavion Woodard that was recovered by Amechi Uzodinma II inside UConn territory. Steele had three carries for 24 yards within the next four plays and found pay dirt from two yards out. Ball State failed its two-point conversion attempt and trailed by just two at 21-19.
The Cardinals then forced a 3-and-out on defense, setting up the offense for a crucial drive that began at their own 41-yard line.
Steele had four carries for 50 yards, including a highlight-reel 17-yard run as he dove over the pylon to make it 25-21 in favor of Ball State.
The Cardinals then forced the Huskies to turn it over on downs and, after a first down run, took a couple of knees to seal the win.
In total, Steele had a career-high 179 rushing yards on 32 carries and three scores.
The Ball State defense held UConn to just 53 yards on 30 plays in the second half and induced a pair of turnovers.
Jordan Riley led the defense with a game-high 13 tackles, while Clayton Coll added 12, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss. Pearce had eight stops with a sack and an interception, while Woodard had seven tackles with 1.5 tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble.
Jayshon Jackson led the charge on the outside with eight catches for 71 yards. Brady Hunt added five receptions for 25 yards.
It was a dominant defensive performance as the Bulls held the Minutemen to only 220 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the offense was keyed by big plays enroute to rolling up 480 yards of total offense.
The Bulls jumped out to a 10-0 lead thanks to an Alex McNulty 39-yard field goal and a four-yard pass from Cole Snyder to Quian Williams. Buffalo extended its lead to 17-0 early in the second quarter when Al-Jay Henderson ripped off a career-long 84-yard touchdown run.
After the Minutemen scored to cut the lead to 17-7, Justin Marshall quieted the UMass threat by hauling in a 49-yard touchdown catch with 5:07 left in the second quarter to put the Bulls back up by 17.
All the scoring in the second half went the way of UB. McNulty drilled his second 39-yard field goal of the game in the third quarter and Cole Harrity capped the scoring with his first career touchdown catch as a Bull – a 27-yard reception from Snyder in the fourth.
UB's defensive line was the difference in the game. The Bulls registered 15 tackles for loss and four sacks on the afternoon. Defensive end Ibrahim Kante had five tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. Defensive tackle Jaylon Bass had six tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss and fellow defensive tackle Daymond Williams had three tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.
Snyder had his second three-touchdown passing performance of the season. He finished 20-31 for 277 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with 10 different receivers, led by Jamari Gassett who had four catches for 85 yards.
"An unbelievable performance by our defense," said head coach Tim Albin. "The turnovers were the difference in the game. We challenged the team all week, and they responded."
Redshirt junior quarterback Kurtis Rourke went 22-for-34, finishing with 264 yards in the air. Graduate student wide receiver Sam Wiglusz led the receivers with 76 yards on eight receptions. On the ground, redshirt freshman running back Sieh Bangura had two touchdowns on 77 yards, while Rourke had one rushing touchdown.
Defensively, redshirt senior defensive end Vonnie Watkins finished the day with five tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Redshirt freshman Torrie Cox Jr. and graduate student Zack Sanders each notched two interceptions, while redshirt senior Bryce Dugan recorded one interception.
Freshman kicker Nathanial Vakos went 4-for-5 on field goals and was 3-for-3 on PATs. His 55-yard field goal marked a personal record as well as tied him for the third-longest field goal in program history.
The Bobcats' opening drive ended with a rushing touchdown from Bangura. The Broncos evened the score the following drive and they entered the second quarter tied, 7-7.
With 12:59 remaining in the second quarter, Bangura recorded his second touchdown of the day, putting Ohio ahead by seven. A 26-yard field goal by Vakos extended Ohio's lead, but Western Michigan answered with a 74-yard pass, closing the gap to just three points. With six seconds left in the half, Vakos kicked a collegiate career-long 55-yard field goal, putting the Bobcats ahead 20-14.
After a scoreless third quarter, Ohio extended its lead with a 33-yard field goal from Vakos with 13:48 remaining in the game. Rourke's rushing touchdown put the Bobcats ahead by 16 and a final field goal from Vakos put the score at 33-14.
Marion Lukes, who wears uniform No. 9 on offense, delivered a career performance and No. 9 on defense, Thomas Incoom, made the play of the day – maybe the play of the season – in leading CMU to a 28-21 Mid-American Conference victory over Akron at the Zips' InfoCision Stadium.
The victory, CMU's first of the season in league play, allowed Central Michigan to snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 2-5, 1-2 MAC.
Lukes finished with 249 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns in place of injured starter Lew Nichols III, who did not the make the trip because of injury.
The plan called for Lukes and Myles Bailey, Nichols' two backups, to share the load. But Bailey left the game with a broken wrist, leaving it to the 5-foot-9, 195-pound Lukes to tote the mail.
The sophomore delivered, rushing for 160 yards and two TDs, catching four passes for 71 yards and one TD, and returning a kickoff 18 yards for good measure. He touched the ball 31 times, averaging just over 8 yards per touch.
All of his numbers from scrimmage were far and away career highs.
As sensational as Lukes was, Incoom delivered the most impactful play.
The 6-4, 265-pound defensive lineman scooped up an Akron fumble and raced untouched 63 yards for a touchdown with under two minutes remaining to break a 21-21 tie. The dramatic played turned the game in CMU's favor after Akron had rallied from a 21-7 deficit to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter.
Akron drove from its own 48 to the Chippewa 32 when quarterback DJ Irons' handoff to running back Clyde Price fell harmlessly to the turf and bounced away. Incoom was the first to reach it and was off to the races.
"When I saw the ball, the first thing I did is my eyes got wide," Incoom said. "I had the ball in my hands and I was like, I put the game on my back and bring the victory home."
It was the first collegiate touchdown for Incoom and the first time he reached the end zone since he played tight end in high school in Stone Mountain, Ga.
Ironically, the difference-making play was an unforced error in the backfield after the Chippewas had done a solid job all game long of pressuring Irons, a dual-threat who broke loose on a 53-yard TD run on the third play of the game.
The Chippewas recorded a whopping eight sacks among a dozen tackles-for-loss and held the Zips to 20 rushing yards.
With the win, NIU improved to 2-5 on the season, 1-2 in the MAC, while Eastern Michigan fell to 4-3, 1-2. The victory snapped the Huskies' five-game losing streak.
"They never lost the faith; they kept believing in one another and we're fighting to be a team," Hammock said. "I thought they did a great job today in all three phases."
Defensive tackle James Ester gave the Huskies an early lead by tipping a pass at the goal line and catching it for NIU's first defensive touchdown of the year, and the defense continued to harass EMU quarterback Taylor Powell and bottle up the Eagles' offensive weapons throughout the game. The Huskies totaled five sacks by four different players, limiting the Eagles to just 29 rushing yards on 27 carries. NIU was particularly effective on third down as Eastern Michigan converted just twice in 13 chances.
Most importantly, NIU kept the Eagles out of the end zone. After EMU tight end Andreas Paaske got behind the Huskie defenders to score on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Powell at 10:34 of the first quarter, the Eagles did not even make it inside the NIU 20-yard line the remainder of the game. EMU's lone second-half score came on a 46-yard field goal by Jesus Gomez in the third quarter that cut the Huskies' lead to 20-10.
Offensively, NIU ran for 287 yards on 49 carries to average 5.9 yards per rush, thanks in large part to a pair of long touchdown runs. Antario Brown scored on a 47-yard run with 4:03 to play in the first quarter, giving NIU a lead it would never relinquish, 14-7. Brown finished with 86 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns.
His partner at running back, Harrison Waylee, totaled 158 yards on 16 carries with his 76-yard run around the right end closing out the scoring for NIU. The third member of NIU's rushing attack was quarterback Justin Lynch, who started the game in place of an injured Ethan Hampton. Lynch tallied 38 yards on eight carries.
In all, four different players took snaps from center Saturday, including Rocky Lombardi, who saw his first action since week three versus Vanderbilt. Lombardi completed 11-of-15 passes for 115 yards with Cole Tucker on the receiving end of five passes for 58 yards.
The Huskie special teams played their part in the victory as well. John Richardson was four-of-four on field goals with makes of 41, 39, 28 and 33 yards, while his variety of kickoffs kept the Eagles' dangerous kick return game at bay. His squib kickoff late in the third quarter was fumbled by Eastern Michigan and recovered by the Huskies' Joey Rattin, setting up Richardson's fourth field goal and giving NIU a 32-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. In addition to Richardson, Tom Foley's first punt pinned EMU on its five-yard line and helped lead to Ester's scoring play.
NIU led 14-7 after one quarter behind Ester's defensive score and Brown's long run for touchdown. They got a pair of Richardson field goals to bookend the second quarter – the first with 14:03 on the clock from 41 yards and the second from 39 yards out with six seconds to play in the half. NIU led 20-7 at half.
After Gomez made a 47-yard field goal for EMU's lone second half score to close the gap to 20-10, Richardson and NIU responded with a 28-yard field goal for a 23-10 lead which Brown extended to 29-10 at the end of the third on a six-yard rush. The Huskies tacked on 10 points in the fourth quarter on Richardson's last field goal and Waylee's long run.
The NIU defense made one last stop as Izayah Green-May sacked Powell on fourth-and-12 from the NIU 35 with 6:07 to play and the Huskies ran – literally ran -- out the clock for their first win since September 1.