Although not on par with the ACC’s record-breaking 11-0 record versus non-conference opponents in Week 2, the Mid-American Conference had a breakout showing with several big wins.
At the top of the heap was Central Michigan’s 38-17 win over Purdue. Even though Northern Illinois’ 23-15 victory at Northwestern was probably the more impressive nonconference triumph, the Chippewas’ win bodes well for the overall strength of the West Division and conference.
Playing without senior star wide receiver Titus Davis, who sat out with a sprained left knee, and punter Ron Coluzzi missing nearly the entire game due to a likely concussion, the Chippewas managed to notch a 38-17 win at West Lafayette. The Chippewas bounced back from a sluggish opener to improve to 2-0. Oddly, the Chippewas improved to 4-0 in games that Davis has missed, and notched their second win over a Big Ten in the last three years.
“It’s tough to win on the road anywhere but to come into a Big Ten stadium and win, I was in that league for a while, and it is very difficult,” CMU coach Dan Enos.
The Chippewas were one of the elite teams for several years during the Dan LeFevour era, but taken a slight step back in recent years. At 2-0, with a victory over Purdue already this season, the Chippewas are starting to make noise again.
As for Northern Illinois, victories over BCS teams are becoming such a norm that they don’t move the needle much anymore. The Huskies finally beat Northwestern for the first time in their series after losing the six previous meetings and tying one. The Huskies can now officially claim themselves as the best program in the state, if there was any doubt anyway after their recent success. Despite not naming Matt McIntosh the starter until a couple days before the game, NIU coach Rod Carey added more intrigue by playing all three of his quarterbacks, with Drew Hare and Anthony Maddie also getting reps. The Huskies, though, still defeated the wounded Wildcats with all three quarterbacks avoiding throwing an interception and moving the chains in a 23-15 win over Northwestern.
“I’m so happy for these guys and this group of seniors,” Carey said. “I’m so proud of them that I can barely stand it. Are we a finished product? No. We’ve got a lot to clean up, but we made enough key plays at key moments to get this win.”
Ball State just missed out on complete a trio wins at Big Ten schools when Iowa mounted a late comeback to pull out a 17-13 win over the Cardinals. Ball State led 13-3 but the Hawkeyes managed to score two touchdowns in their final two drives.
“This was an Iowa football team,” Ball State football coach Pete Lembo said. “They stick to their plan, they don’t panic, they don’t give up cheap ones, and they wear you down in the second half. That is what they did to us on both sides of the ball.”
Surprisingly, UMass nearly added a signature win but Colorado rebounded with a late rally for a 41-38 comeback win. Toledo had a disappointing effort in a 49-24 home loss to Missouri. The Rockets’ home loss was compounded by a potential serious injury to quarterback Phillip Ely. The Dino Babers era at Bowling Green endure a rough first week of the season with a blowout loss at Western Kentucky, then a few days later the news that starting quarterback Matt Johnson will miss the rest of the season with a hip injury. But the Falcons rebounded with a 48-7 win over VMI.
AKRON (1-1)
Game: Penn State 21, Akron 3. After nearly knocking off Penn State last season, the Zips had another solid effort at University Park but couldn’t take advantage of forcing three Penn State turnovers. The Zips finished with 277 yards of total offense but struggled in the red zone
Takeaway: Terry Bowden’s decision to change his hair color to a reddish-orange might have been the biggest news from this game, but his hair choice aside, the Zips had several chances to pull off the upset and the 18-point loss wasn’t a true indicator on the closeness of the game.
Notes:
–QB Kyle Pohl threw for 208 yards on 24-of-46 passing but the Zips had problems in the red zone, converting one of their three trips inside the Penn State’s 20-yard line into points.
–WR Zach D’Orazio paced the offense with five catches for 61 yards, including a long of 19 yards.
Next: bye week.
BALL STATE (1-1)
Game: Iowa 17, Ball State 13. Iowa scored a pair of touchdowns in the final three minutes and forced a late rally to stop a Ball State comeback to avoid the upset loss at home. The Cardinals allowed just three points in the first three-plus quarters, but Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock tossed a pair of late touchdowns.
Takeaway: This one is going to sting for some time, especially for a program used to winning against top-tier teams on the road. The Cardinals’ defense played outstanding, but the Hawkeyes wore them down and scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes.
–RB Jahwan Edwards rushed for a game-best 81 yards to move into third place on Ball State’s career rushing list with 3,496 yards.
–WR KeVonn Mabon is becoming a player with some upside after leading the Cardinals in receiving for the second straight game. He caught three passes for 44 yards to raise his season totals to 14 catches for 154 yards.
Next: vs. Indiana State, Set. 13.
BOWLING GREEN (1-1)
Game: Bowling Green 48, VMI 7. The defending MAC champions bounced back from a loss in their opener by scoring 34 points in the first half to cruise to a victory. Travis Greene led the way with 129 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while Fred Coppet added 73 yards.
Takeaway: The 41-point blowout definitely helped massage away some of the pain from the train wreck of a loss in the opener. The Falcons looked like last year’s team, running and passing the ball with equal efficiency and getting a solid effort on defense. “This kind of helps us flush last week out of our system,” BGSU receiver Roger Lewis said.
Notes:
–QB James Knapke started in place of injured Matt Johnson, who could be out for the season, by completing 22 of his 31 passes for 237 yards and one touchdown.
–RB Travis Greene helped Knapke’s adjustment by rushing for a game-high 129 yards on 18 carries and scoring a pair of touchdowns.
Next: vs. Indiana, Sept. 13.
BUFFALO (1-1)
Game: Army 47, Buffalo 39. Army’s Larry Dixon rushed for a career-high 174 yards and two touchdowns as the Black Knights tallied 341 yards rushing to end a five-game losing streak.
Takeaway: The Bulls struggled early in falling behind 47-17, but showed some heart by fighting back in a 22-point rally. Buffalo quarterback Joe Licata, who threw for 396 yards and five touchdowns, had a big game but Army’s defense intercepted three passes.
Notes:
–QB Joe Licata mixed in some good with some bad in the loss. He completed 34-of-49 passes for 396 yards and five touchdowns, but threw three interceptions.
–RB Anthone Taylor had another solid effort in leading the Bulls in rushing, carrying the ball 16 times for 79 yards.
Next: vs. Baylor, Sept. 12.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (2-0)
Game: Central Michigan 38, Purdue 17. The Chippewas scored the first 14 points and Thomas Rawls rushed for 155 yards to knock off the Boilermakers for the program’s second win over Big Ten opponent in the last three years.
Takeaway: A step in the right direction for Central Michigan after a questionable opening game effort against an FCS opponent. The Chippewas’ road win was even more impressive due to star receiver Titus Davis sitting out the game with an injury and punter Ron Coluzzi leaving the game and not returning after the second series due to a possible concussion. “We played a good game today,” CMU coach Dan Enos said. “I thought our defense played very well and we were very physical. We knew we were going to have to be to win.”
Notes:
–RB Thomas Rawls, a senior, is becoming the main force in the offense. He rushed for 155 yards on 31 carries and scored two touchdowns. Rawls also caught three passes for 50 yards.
–CB Jason Wilson was a big part of CMU’s dominating defensive effort. He compiled a team-high nine tackles, including eight solo stops. Wilson had a critical third down tackle to stop a Purdue rally.
Next: vs. Syracuse, Sept. 13.
EASTERN MICHIGAN (1-1)
Game: Florida 65, Eastern Michigan: Florida racked up 655 yards of total offense and scored the most points in the Will Muschamp’s four-year tenure. Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel passed for 248 yards and a touchdown.
Takeaway; The Eagles just aren’t ready to compete on the road against a high-caliber SEC team. The fact that Florida was one of the few teams not to play a game before the EMU contest wasn’t helpful, as the hungry Gators shredded EMU’s defense for 655 yards.
Notes:
–KR Tyler Allen was the lone bright spot for the offense, getting in some extra duty with six kickoff returns for 132 yards.
–DB Willie Creear had three solo tackles to finish with four tackles against Florida.
Next: at Old Dominion, Sept. 13.
KENT STATE (0-2)
Game: South Alabama 23, Kent State 13. Despite a solid defensive effort, the Golden Flashes made too many mistakes and failed to move the ball in falling to 0-2 on the season. “Again, we came up short, but I still like our fight. I still like our attitude,” Kent State coach Paul Haynes said.
Takeaway: The Golden Flashes still haven’t recovered from last season’s slow start when injuries hurt them. Kent State continues to be hampered by issues on offense, with the running game mustering just 64 yards on 28 carries to average 2.3 yards per carry against South Alabama.
Notes:
–TE Casey Pierce had a solid effort with a team-best four catches for 80 yards and one touchdown.
–WR Ernest Calhoun, a sophomore, stepped up with three catches for 57 yards, including a 34-yard reception.
Next: at Ohio State, Sept. 13.
MIAMI (0-2)
Game: Eastern Kentucky 17, Miami 10. Miami quarterback Andrew Hendrix threw for 359 yards and one touchdown, but the RedHawks couldn’t capitalize despite compiling 419 yards of total offense.
Takeaway: Another frustrating loss for Miami, but another small step for the program in the right direction after last season’s winless record. The RedHawks have lost 18 games in a row.
Notes:
–QB Andrew Hendrix is showing that he maybe should’ve gotten a shot at playing at Notre Dame, completing 25 passes for 359 yards but throwing three interceptions with one touchdown.
–WR David Frazier caught a team-best seven passes for 106 yards, including a 31-yarder.
Next: at Michigan, Sept. 13.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS (2-0)
Game: Northern Illinois 23, Northwestern 15. The Huskies scored all 23 points in the second half to defeat Northwestern for the first time in school history. The Huskies have won three straight games over Big Ten teams dating back to last season. Drew Hare, one of three quarterbacks used by the Huskies, led the offense to three second-half touchdowns by completing six of his 10 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns.
Takeaway: Another big win for the program. The Huskies are making noise once again despite a potential quarterback issue. The Huskies held the Wildcats scoreless until just under five minutes remained in the third quarter. The defense might be the slightly improved from last season, at least if the first two games are any indication.
Notes:
–WR Da’Ron Brown had a monster game in Evanston, catching six passes for 128 yards and snagging touchdown passes of 18 and 59 yards from Drew Hare.
–DL Rasheen Lemon was part of NIU’s sterling defensive effort, finishing with a career-high two sacks and also a personal-best nine tackles.
Next: at UNLV, Sept. 13.
OHIO (1-1)
Game: Kentucky 20, Ohio 3. Ohio struggled moving the ball and avoided the shutout when Josiah Yazdani drilled a 44-yard field goal in the third quarter. The Wildcats avenged a 28-16 loss to Ohio in 2004 by getting 170 yards passing and 59 rushing from quarterback Patrick Towles.
Takeaway: After squeezing out a win over Kent State last week, the Bobcats had a lackluster effort at Kentucky. The two-game sample is mixed with some good, but more troubling for an Ohio program looking to not take a step back. Still, the Bobcats barely beat a depleted and emotionally spent KSU team and failed to score a touchdown against Kentucky.
Notes:
–QB J.D. Sprague made his season debut and completed 13 of his 25 passes for a career-high 143 yards, while rushing for 20 yards.
–LB Jovon Johnson was part of a solid effort by Ohio’s linebackers, leading the group with 12 tackles.
Next: at Marshall, Sept. 13.
TOLEDO (1-1)
Game: No. 24 Missouri 49, Toledo 24. Missouri scored 28 unanswered points to break open a 7-7 game to knock off the Rockets. Toledo quarterback Phillip Ely completed 17 passes for 204 yards and one interception, but left the game and did not return with an apparent knee injury in the third quarter.
Takeaway: Talk about a momentum killer. The Rockets were all fired up to play a ranked SEC team, and welcomed former UT coach Gary Pinkel back home. But the Tigers blitzed the Rockets with 28 unanswered points, and then Ely, an Alabama transfer, left the game with a knee injury.
Notes:
–RB Kareem Hunt rushed for 148 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns to lead the Rockets. The sophomore scored on a 38-yard run in the first quarter and added a pair of one-yard scoring runs in the third.
–WR Alonzo Russell caught six passes for 89 yards, and now has hauled in at least six catches in three straight games dating back to last season.
Next: at Cincinnati, Sept. 12.
UMASS (0-2)
Game: Colorado 41, UMass 38. In a contest with a combined 845 yards of total offense, including 585 passing, Colorado scored three second-half touchdowns in a 12-minute span to avoid an upset. The Minutemen scored 14 points in the second quarter and finished with 371 yards of total offense.
Takeaway: Another close loss at home against a quality opponent for UMass. The Minutemen might be winless on the season, but their effort and ability to move the ball is a positive sign.
Notes:
–QB Blake Frohnapfel completed 20-of-38 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns, but was sacked twice and threw an interception.
–WR Tajae Sharpe hauled in five receptions for 83 yards, with a long catch of 41 yards.
Next: at Vanderbilt, Sept. 13.
WESTERN MICHIGAN (0-1)
Bye week.
