(getsomaction.com)
# Ball State at Kent State -- Noon
Dix Stadium - Kent, OH
# Toledo at Buffalo -- Noon
UB Stadium - Buffalo, NY
# Miami at Eastern Michigan -- 2 p.m.
Rynearson Stadium -- Ypsilanti, MI
# Akron at Western Michigan -- 3:30 p.m.
Waldo Stadium -- Kalamazoo, MI
# Northern Illinois at Bowling Green -- 3:30
Doyt L. Perry Stadium -- Bowling Green, OH
# Ohio at Central Michigan -- 4 p.m.
Kelly/Shorts Stadium -- Mount Pleasant, MI
Dix Stadium - Kent, OH
Both BSU and KSU are seeking their first MAC victory. For the latter, Saturday is also a chance to pick up its first 2024 win. Ball State does have one victory, but that was over Missouri State (42-34) back in Week One.
The Cardinals lead the series 23-8 and have won the last two meetings.
Kent State won three consecutive home matchups from 2010-19, including dramatic contests in 2012 and 2019 in which the game-winning field goal was kicked in the final 20 seconds of the fourth quarter.
Ball State has allowed 48.2 points per game and ranks 132nd out of 133 FBS teams nationally. The 133rd? Kent State allows 51.4. Don't look for a defensive battle!
KENT STATE (0-5, 0-1 MAC) had a tough non-conference schedule which included two Top Ten teams (No. 7 Tennessee and No. 10 Penn State). The Flashes were outscored 127-0 in those two encounters.
>>> The offense got untracked early last week against Eastern Michigan, and the game was tied 21-21 after Tommy Ulatowski's 65-yard Touchdown pass to Chrishon McCray less than a minute into the third period.
EMU scored the next 24 points before the two teams traded late TDs.
>>> The 33 points scored are the most against a FBS opponent since Nov. 11, 2022, as Kent State found the end zone in all four quarters for the first time during the #KentGRIT era.
>>> QB Tommy Ulatowski had a career performance in his first start of season with 345 yards and three touchdowns through the air and another score on the ground. His 345 yards are the most by a Flashes QB since Oct. 1, 2022 and the most by any MAC player this season against a FBS opponent.
>>> McCray was the favorite target, hauling in five passes for a career-high 188 yards and two scores.
>>> LB Rocco Nicholl is having a breakout junior campaign and leads the team with 45 tackles. Nicholl is tied for fourth in the MAC in total tackles (45) and 23rd nationally in tackles per game (9.0).
BALL STATE (1-4, 0-2 MAC) dropped an offensive shoot-out last week, falling at home to Westgern Michigan 45-42. The game was tied 21-all at intermission, and BSU was up 3-28 midway through the third stanza. However, Western Michigan tallied the next 17 points. After pulling within three with a TD at 1:47, BSU was unable to get the ball back.
>>> The Cardinals were outgained 461-397 but matched the Broncos in first downs (23-23).
>>> Ball State committed three turnovers. WMU had just one.
>>> Western Michigan limited BSU to 68 yards on 30 rushing attempts. Bradeon Sloan provide 65 of them on 18 trips. Sloan also completed a pass for 22 yards and caught three passes totaling 90 yards.
>>> Sloan, an FCS transfer, has netted 347 yards on 77 carries this season, in addition
to 201 yards on 17 catches. Aside from a 13-yard day at No. 10 Miami, the versatile Sloan
has approached or exceeded the 100-yard mark in all-purpose yards in each game: 155 vs.
Western Michigan, 103 vs. Missouri State, 94 at CMU and 72 at JMU. His two highlights
against WMU were a 72-yard reception which was Ball State’s longest offensive play of the
season; and a 22-yard TD pass to Christian Abney that was the first pass attempt of his career.
>>> Freshman QB Kadin Semonza completed 21-of-34 for a total of 307 yards with three TDs and two picks.
>>> Keionte Newsome led Ball State defenders with 11 tackles (7 solo).
>>> Tanner Koziol is 8th in FBS rankings with 7.6 catches per game.
>>> The Cardinals have scored on 10 of 11 trips into the Red Zone, with touchdowns on nine of those drives (7
passing, 2 rushing).
>>> Ball State ranks 15th nationally in time of possession (32:40 per game).
>>> Ball State’s 24.45 yards per kickoff return ranks 20th nationally, and Malcolm Gillie tops all FBS kickoff return men with a 37.3-yard personal average. The Cardinals rank fourth in the MAC in kickoff returns while MAC-rival Northern Illinois leads the country at 45.50.
UB Stadium - Buffalo, NY
After a bye week, Toledo topped Miami last Saturday in a battle of the preseason favorites for a 2024 MAC title. It was a bounce-back win for UT, which fell at Western Kentucky Sept. 21 for its only loss of the season.
Hosting the Rockets is a Buffalo team that is also 1-0 in MAC play but is 3-2 overall after last week's lopsided loss at UConn (47-3).
UB has won three of the last four meetings with Toledo, which took a 31-13 decision last year in the Glass Bowl.
BUFFALO (3-2, 1-0 MAC) was fresh off an upset win over No. 23 Northern Illinois when it ran into a UConn Huskies team clicking on all cylinders.
>>> UConn outgained UB 537-193 overall.
>>> The Bulls were held to 1-of-14 on third down conversions and 0-of-3 on fourth down attempts.
>>> Buffalo ran the ball 27 times for a total of 76 yards (2.8 ypc).
>>> QB C.J. Ogbonna led UB rushing with 14 carries for 38 yards. He also completed 12-of-25 pass attempts, good for 82 yards. Gunnar Gray connected on 4-of-11 (41 yards, 1 INT).
>>> Ted Mardock (14tackles, 6 solo, 1 sack, 2 TFL) and Shaun Dolac (10 tackles, 3 solo, 1 sack, 1 TFL) led the Bulls defense. Dolac leads the nation in total tackles (72) and tackles per game (14.4).
Dolac ranks second in the nation in tackles for loss per game (2.1) while Red Murdock ranks third in the nation in tackles for loss per game (2.0).
>>> Upton Bellenfant hit his only field goal attempt (47 yards). Ethan Duane punted 10 times, averaging 44.6 yards per boot.
>>> This will be only the fifth time Toledo will play at UB Stadium since Buffalo joined the MAC in 1999. The Bulls have won three of the previous four meetings at UB Stadium.
>>> The Bulls are averaging 32 points per game at home compared to 8.7 points per game on the road.
TOLEDO (4-1, 1-0 MAC) took advantage of two Miami special teams miscues to grab an early 14-0 lead in Saturday's showdown. The first was a 32-yard Bryson Hammer return to give UT a short field. That set up the Rockets first touchdown. A short time later, Toledo blocked a Miami punt, again give UT a short field to set up a touchdown.
The Rockets led 20-6 at intermission. Although MU scored two second half TDs, Toledo added 10 points and (Braden Awls) intercepted Miami on a late redzone trip. It was Awls' third interception of the season, which already ties last season’s high for Toledo set by Maxen Hook.
>>> Toledo has outscored its opponents 49-10 in the first quarter and 107-39 in the first half.
>>> Toledo was held to 78 yards rushing. However, QB Tucker Gleason had a big day throwing the ball. He completed 27-of-38 pass attempts totaling 318 yards with two TDs and two interceptions.
>>> Jerjuan Newton topped UT receivers with eight catches totaling 127 yards with one TD. Junior Vandeross III added six receptions for 57 yards. Nine different Rockets caught at least one pass.
>>> Senior tight end Anthony Torres caught his career-best fifth touchdown pass of the season
>>> Toledo had four fumbles, but recovered all four.
>>> Walk-on Dylan Cunanan booted three field goals (21, 48, 47).
>>> Senior defensive tackle Darius Alexander was named MAC Defensive Player of the Week while freshman placekicker Dylan Cunanan took the league’s Special Teams Player of the Week honor.
>>> Through five games, Toledo leads in the MAC in scoring offense (35.8), scoring defense (19.2/tied with NIU), rushing defense (86.6), passing efficiency (158.03), interceptions (6) and sacks allowed (1.0).
Rynearson Stadium -- Ypsilanti, MI
By MIKE SMITH
Eastern Michigan seeks its fourth straight win, and the Miami RedHawks chase a MAC win Saturday when the two teams meet in Ypsilanti. The Eagles are one of two MAC teams with four wins in 2024, and MU lost to the other team (Toledo) last week.
As was the case last week, there is a "good offense versus good defense" challenge to the matchup. Although the RedHawks' "D" hasn't performed to 2023 levels, it still ranks fifth among MAC teams in scoring defense after facing a very tough schedule through five outings. EMU, meanwhile, ranks second in scoring (32.4 ppg), one spot behind Toledo.
The RedHawks and Eagles have battled . . . CONTINUE READING HERE
Waldo Stadium -- Kalamazoo, MI
The Broncos will try to record two straight victories in a row for the first time this season when they host Akron Saturday. The Zips have just one win to their credite (against Colegate) and are riding a three-game losing streak.
This is the 22nd meeting in the series, with WMU owning a 16-5 series advantage. In the last meeting between the two schools (Nov. 9, 2021), Western Michigan prevailed 45-40 in Kalamazoo.
AKRON (1-5, 0-2 MAC) was a tough out last week when it lost to Bowling Green 27-20 at Inforcision Stadium. The Falcons led 17-10 at intermission and added a field goal before UA reeled off 10 straight points to forge a 20-all tie. Bowling Green standout tight end Harold Fannin provided the winning score with a 31-yard run around the left side with 2:28 left.
>>> The Zips were out-gained 386-321 overall.
>>> While BGSU converted 7-of-14 third downs, Akron went 3-of-11.
>>> QB Ben Finley completed 21-of-32 pass attempts, good for 206 yards.
>>> Adrian Norton led UA with three catches totaling 78 yards. Jordon Simmons recorded five catches (32 yards).
>>> Simmons led Akron rushing with nine carries for 73 yards. Finley had eight rushes and 32 yards. The Zips totaled 115 yards on the ground, averaging 5.2 ypc.
>>> Junior LB Bryan McCoy led UA defenders with 12 tackles (4 solo).
>>> Garrison Smith booted two field goals (47, 38). He is 7-of-8 on the season, with a long of 49
>>> The Zips played turnover-free football against Bowling Green and are minus-2 in turnover ratio for the season.
>>> Finley has completed 65.7 percent of his passes on the year.
WESTERN MICHIGAN (2-3, 1-0 MAC) scored 17 straight points and withstood a final Ball State touchdown to edge the Cardinals 45-42 last week.
>>> The Broncos out-gained BSU 461-397 overall. Both teams had 23 first downs.
>>> Western Michigan forced three turnovers while committing just one. The Broncos are even (0) on turnover margin for the year.
>>> WMU gained 197 yards rushing against the Cardinals. Jaden Nixon led the way, averaging 8.9 ypc while picking up 124 yards on 14 carries. That included a long of 57 yards.
>>> Quarterback Hayden Wolff completed 26-of-29 passes, good for 264 yards with three TDs. For his efforts, Wolff was named MAC Football Co-Offensive Player of te Week.
>>> Anthony Sambucci ( 9 catches, 74 yards, 1 TD) and Kenneth Womack (7 catches, 68 yards) led Bronco receivers.
>>> Junior Jaden Nixon (5-10, 185) had a big day, averaging 8.9 ypc on 14 carries for 124 yards with three TDs.
>>> WMU is averaging 27.6 ppg (6th MAC) and is facing a Ball State team allowing 48.2 ppg (11th MAC).
Doyt L. Perry Stadium -- Bowling Green, OH
Both NIU and BGSU got back in the win column last week with hard-fought victories. For the Falcons, the 27-20 win over Akron broke a three-game losing streak. Northern Illinois had dropped two straight before beating Massachusetts last Saturday.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS (3-2, 0-1 MAC) trailed UMass 13-7 at intermission but ran off 20 straight points to grab a 27-20 advantage. The two teams then traded late touchdowns.
>>> The Huskies threw just 10 passes, completing six for a total of 35 yards with one TD and one interception.
>>> NIU averaged 6.8 ypc while totaling 367 yards (4 TDs) on the ground. Gavin Williams led the way with 19 trips for a total of 125 yards and a score. Jaylen Poe contributed 98 yards and two TDs on 15 carries.
>>> The Huskies scored 27 points and ran for 249 yards on 34 carries and four touchdowns in the second half versus UMass to average 7.3 yards per rush. NIU scored on its first four of its possessions in the half on drives of 75, 75, 90 and four yards before running out the clock in victory formation. The Huskies converted eight straight third downs in the half.
>>> With Antario Brown sidelined during the second quarter at UMass, running backs Gavin Williams and Jaylen Poe stepped in and stepped up to the tune of 223 combined yards on 34 carries in the game with all but three of those carries in the second half.
>>> NIU’s five starting offensive linemen have a combined 197 games of experience (all as Huskies) with 139 starts.
>>> Redshirt freshman Jaylen Poe recorded the longest kickoff return by a Huskie since 2021 with an 89-yard return to the four-yard line versus UMass. Prior to Poe’s 89-yard return, NIU had a grand total of two kickoff return yards on the year to rank 132nd - dead last - in the FBS. Following Poe’s return, the Huskies now rank first in the country in kickoff returns with an average of 45.50 yards per return.
>>> : Despite giving up a season high 378 yards to UMass last week, the Huskie defense put together a strong second half. After converting four-of-eight third downs in the first half, the Minutemen were successful on just one of six third downs in the second half. NIU also made three fourth down stops in the second half.
BOWLING GREEN (2-3, 1-0 MAC) led Akron 17-10 at intermission Saturday and added a field goal before UA reeled off 10 straight points to forge a 20-all tie. BGSU standout tight end Harold Fannin Jr. provided the winning score with a 31-yard run around the left side with 2:28 left.
>>> The Falcons out-gained UA 396-321 overall and had five more first downs (20-15).
>>> Bowling Green converted 7-of-14 third downs, while UA was just 3-of-11.
>>> QB Connor Bazelak connected on 24-of-30 passes, good for 268 yards.
>>> Fannin finished with nine catches totaling 135 yards. Finn Hogan and Malcolm Johnson Jr. each had six catches and combined for 111 yards.
>>> Jaison Patterson led BGSU rushing (118 yards) with 18 carries for 52 yards and two TDs.
>>> Jackson Kleather booted two field goals (45, 31).
>>> Fannin, a three-time reigning MAC offensive POW, ranks No. 1 in the nation among tight ends in receptions (46), receiving yards (675), YAC (396), first downs (31), broken tackles (18), and is sec- ond in receiving touchdowns (4). According to Pro Football Focus, Fannin owns the second-high- est overall grade in the nation (95.1) behind only Ashton Jeanty (Boise State). He ranks No. 1 for his pass routes grade (95.4) for all receivers. Among all players, he is tied for No. 3 in receptions and No. 4 in receiving yards. Among all receivers, he ranks highly in broken tackles (1), YAC (2), and first downs (3).
>>> Bazelak enters Saturday with 993 career completions, ranking No. 3 among active players (behind Washington State’s Will Rogers and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel).
>>> • OLB Charles Rosser is tied for No. 15 in the nation (No. 1 in the MAC) with 4.5 sacks. He is tied with Suntarine Perkins (Ole Miss) for the nation’s lead in sacks by a linebacker
Kelly/Shorts Stadium -- Mount Pleasant, MI
The Chippewas are aiming for three straight with a potential win over visiting Ohio Saturday. The Bobcats, meanwhile, got back into the win column with a win over Akron Sept. 28. Both Ohio and CMU are coming off of bye weeks and idential records (3-2, 1-0 MAC).
Central Michigan and Ohio meet for the 36th time in a series dating back to 1972. In the 35-game series, CMU owns a 27-6-2 overall record vs. Ohio, including a 13-2-1 record in games played in Michigan. The two teams last met on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, at Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium, with Bobcats securing their first home victory (34-20) against the Chippewas since 2000.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (3-2, 1-0 MAC) has already claimed two games in the closing seconds this year as they defeated Ball State on a touchdown pass with 16 seconds remaining and San Diego State on a field goal with five seconds left. Combining each the last two seasons, CMU has won seven of its last eight games by seven points or less.
>>> In its last outing against San Diego State, Central Michigan took advantage of two field goal misses in the last five minutes. It then took control of the ball at its own 20-yard line with 1:56 remaining and drove down the field. Labas and company set up Mattson at the 28-yard line with five seconds to play, and he connected on the game-winning boot.
>>> CMU out-gained the Aztecs 452-364 and had five more first downs.
>>> The Chippewas were 6-of-19 on third down but 4-of-4 on fourth down tries.
>>> Central Michigan committed the game's only two turnovers.
>>> Junior QB Joe Labas completed 24-of-43 passes totaling 275 yards with one TD and one pick.
>>> Evan Boyd and Jesse Prewitt recorded six catches each, combining for 93 yards. Gavin Harris and Marion Lukes totaled five catches, 123 yards and 1 score.
>>> Kicker Tristan Mattson hit three field goals (25, 34, 46).
>>> Under Head Coach Jim McElwain, Central Michigan has enjoyed a tremendous home field advantage. The Chippewas are a combined 21-8 under Coach Mac with a .724 winn percentage within the confines of Kelly/
Shorts Stadium since 2019.
>>> Central Michigan holds a 61-34-1 record in 95 all-time Homecoming games.
>>> As a team, CMU averages 30 points per game on 184.6 rushing yards and 245 passing yards. Its opponents average 29.4 points per game.
OHIO (3-2, 1-0 MAC) last played Sept. 28 when it defeated Akron 30-10. The Zips got the only score in first quarter action with a 49-yard field goal. After a Bobcat TD, Akron took its final lead with a Ben Finley pass to Jake Newell at 1:20. However, Ohio covered 75 yards in 1:03 to jump in front 14-10. It was all Ohio in the second half ad the 'Cats scored 16 unanswered points.
>>> Ohio's defense flexed its muscle, recording a safety and shutting out UA (0-11) on third down conversions. The Zips netted minus-18 yards rushing and were intercepted twice (Austin Brawley and D.J. Walker).
>>> Offensively, Ohio ran for 236 yards and threw for 204.
>>> QB Parker Navarro completed 12 of 18 passes, good for 204 yards and two TDs.
>>> Navarro also led Ohio rushing with 13 carries netting 1133 yards (8.7 ypc) with one score. Anthony Tyus III was the workhorse, logging 30 trips for a total of 109 yards.
>>> Coleman Owen topped Bobcat receivers with six catches totaling 130 yards and two TDs.