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NORTHERN ILLINOIS 30, BALL STATE 29
CENTRAL MICHIGAN 54, KENT STATE 30
The Rockets limited Bowling Green to just 196 yards of offense and UT scored five straight TDs on the way to a lopsided 49-17 victory in the Battle of I-75 rivalry.
Bowling Green (3-7, 1-5 MAC) never led, but it trailed by only four (14-10) midway through the second quarter. Toledo (5-5, 3-3 MAC) then broke the game open with three touchdowns over the last 3:34 before intermission. UT added two second half touchdowns before the Falcons added a final score of their own.
Toledo used a balanced offense with 270 passing yards and 269 on the ground. Bryant Koback carried 19 times for 121 yards and two scores to lead all rushers. DeQuan Finn completed 18 of 24 passes, with three going for touchdowns.
Bryant Koback and Micah Kelly combined for 29 carries, 201 yards and two TDs to lead Toledo's rushing attack.
Bowling Green completed just 12 of 25 passes totaling 67 yards with one touchdown and one INT. Nick Mosley topped Falcon rushers with 10 carries for 53 yards, while Terion Stewart logged 13 carries for 42 yards and a score.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 30, BALL STATE 29
John Richardson booted a 32-yard field goal as time expired to send Northern Illinois (7-3, 5-1 MAC) past Ball State 32-29 at Huskie Stadium. It was a bounce-back win for NIU, which suffered its only conference loss of the season last week against Kent State. Ball State fell to 5-5 (3-3 MAC) and remains one win shy of bowl eligibility with home games against Central Michigan and Buffalo remaining.
NIU's Rocky Lombardy completed 23 of 38 for 264 yards with one TD and one pick. Trayvon Rudolph (8 catches, 108 yards) and Cole Tucker (6 catches, 103 yards, 1 TD) led Huskie receivers. Jay Ducker led the run game with 24 carries for 155 yards and a score.
Ball State's Carson Steele eclipsed the century mark with 21 trips for 109 yards and WR Justin Hall registered 79 rushing yards with two scores.
The Cardinals went up 14-0 early and led for most of the first half. However, NIU put up 10 points just before intermission to forge a 17-17 tie.
Ball State recorded a safety and Hall TD when play resumed, but Northern came back with 10 points for a 27-26 edge at 2:42 of the final stanza. Both teams kicked field goals in the remaining time.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN 54, KENT STATE 30
After trailing 14-0 after one period, Central Michigan put four straight TDs on the board before taking a 26-17 halftime lead. Each team scored two third period touchdowns before CMU put the game away with two unanswered TDs in the final period.
Central Michigan (6-4, 4-2 MAC) helped its cause with a 0-3 turnover advantage. That helped it hold the ball for 36:59 to limit the Fast Flash offense's ultra-quick pressure. The Chippewas were also able to ride their own ground game for 221 yards. Lew Nichols III carried 21 times for 215 yards and all four CMU rushing TDs.
QB Daniel Richardson, meanwhile, completed 21 of 27 passes, totaling 268 yards with four touchdowns.
Kent State (5-5, 4-2 MAC) was led by Dustin Crum's 322 passing yards with two TDs as he completed 28 of 38 attempts. Dante Cephas topped receivers with five catches for 100 yards and a score. Four different receivers had at least five catches.