Philadelphia, PA (Best E Casino) - AKRON: The Zips moved their record to 2-2 on the season with a solid 22-3 victory over the Army Black Knights this past weekend. The Zips racked up 357 total yards, more than enough to earn the victory. Chris Jacquemain led the passing attack with 204 yards and one touchdown. That TD went to Andre Jones, who finished with 100 yards on five catches. The ground attack was also solid in the win, as Akron rumbled for 153 yards on 4.1 ypc. Dennis Kennedy led the way with 73 yards and one score on 19 totes, while Andrew Johnson added 55 yards on 5.5 ypc. The defense was outstanding in the win, as Akron limited Army to just 223 total yards. The Zips forced five turnovers in the contest, and finished with three sacks. Akron will now return home to face the Cincinnati Bearcats this weekend.
BALL STATE: The Cardinals improved to an outstanding 4-0 on the season with a 42-20 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers on the road. However, the win came at a painful cost, as wideout Dante Love was seriously injured during the contest. Love suffered a cervical spine fracture, and underwent a five hour surgery to stabilize the fracture. Fortunately, Love has movement in all four extremities. With heavy hearts for their teammate, the Cardinals were still able to rack up 463 total yards against Indiana. Ball State pounded the Hoosiers for 224 rushing yards on 5.3 ypc, and the main contributor was MiQuale Lewis who rushed for 166 yards and four touchdowns. The passing attack was also solid in the win, as Nate Davis threw for 239 yards and one touchdown on 16-of-25 passing. Myles Trempe was on the receiving end of the touchdown and finished with 80 yards on just two catches. Ball State will return to conference play this weekend when they host the Kent State Golden Flashes.
BOWLING GREEN: After starting the year with a 27-17 victory over Pittsburgh, the Falcons have dropped their last two matchups, including a 20-7 setback to Boise State back on September 13th. Bowling Green was off this past weekend. BGSU will return to the field this Saturday when the team travels to Laramie to take on the Wyoming Cowboys.
BUFFALO: The Bulls fell to 2-2 on the season this past weekend, but not without a fight, as Buffalo hung tough with the Missouri Tigers. The Bulls trailed by just six points late in the third frame, but 22 straight points by Missouri left the Bulls on the wrong end of a 42-21 final. Buffalo only racked up 286 yards in the loss, and struggled on the ground, rushing for just 49 yards on 35 carries (1.4 ypc). The Bulls were able to rack up 18 first downs in the loss, but converted just 4-of-17 third down attempts. The passing attack was decent for Buffalo, as Drew Willy threw for 237 yards and two scores. Unfortunately, the signal caller also tossed an interception in the setback and was sacked four times. Naaman Roosevelt led the team with 87 yards and nine catches, but Ernest Jackson was the big target, as the wideout caught both TD passes and finished with four receptions for 55 yards.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Chippewas fought hard this past weekend, but eventually fell to Purdue, 32-25. Although CMU was lost, the team still racked up 440 total yards of offense, including 149 yards on the ground. Quarterback Dan LeFevour led the way with 112 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries, but no tailback finished with more than 25 yards. LeFevour was not as effective with his arm. Sure, the signal caller threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns, but completed 25-of-44, while also throwing two interceptions. Overall the Chippewas collected 26 first downs, but the team could not make the big plays, as CMU converted just 3-of-13 third down attempts. The Chippewas will now return to league action this weekend, when they host the Buffalo Bulls.
EASTERN MICHIGAN: Since winning their season-opener, the Eagles have dropped three consecutive games, including a 51-24 setback to Maryland this past weekend. Despite the lopsided setback, the Eagles put forth an impressive display offensively, racking up 453 total yards. EMU collected 25 first downs in the contest, but converted just 2-of-12 third down attempts and that definitely played a role in the team's loss. The Eagles rumbled for 171 yards on the ground, with the majority of the damage done by Terrence Blevins and Dwayne Priest. Blevins finished with 61 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries, while Priest rushed for 54 yards on 6.0 ypc. Kyle McMahon also did well for EMU, as the quarterback threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. However, McMahon also tossed two interceptions and was sacked three times. The defense was unable to stop Maryland throughout the contest, and by the final whistle, EMU had surrendered 486 total yards and allowed the Terps to convert all seven of their red zone chances.
KENT STATE: The Golden Flashes were pounded this past weekend by UL-Lafayette, falling to the Ragin' Cajuns by a 44-27 margin. It was the third loss of the season for KSU. The Flashes finished with 396 total yards, but the majority of the damage came from the ground attack, which churned out 227 yards on 5.5 ypc. Julian Edelman dominated ULL for 136 yards and two touchdowns on just 19 totes. However, the quarterback did not have similar success under center, as Edelman threw for just 81 yards and one touchdown on 10-of-20 passing. Edelman also tossed an interception in the loss and was sacked twice. Kent State finished with 19 first downs in the loss, but was a pathetic 3-of-15 on third down chances. The Flashes will finally open their Mid-American schedule when they travel to Muncie to take on the Ball State Cardinals.
MIAMI-OHIO: The RedHawks dropped their third game of the season this past weekend with a 45-20 setback to Cincinnati on the road. Not much went right for the RedHawks offensively, as the team finished with just 301 total yards. The ground game was ineffective, finishing with just 66 yards on 2.2 ypc. Thomas Merriweather led the way, but the tailback did very little, collecting just 50 yards on 17 totes. The passing attack was not much better, as Daniel Raudabaugh threw for 235 yards and two scores, but also tossed an interception and was sacked once. Miami will not be on the field this weekend, but the team will return to action on October 4th when the RedHawks head to DeKalb to battle the Northern Illinois Huskies.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The bye week definitely benefited the Huskies, as Northern Illinois pounded Indiana State this past weekend, 48-3. It was a much needed win for NIU, which opened the season with two consecutive losses. The Huskies finished with 363 total yards, and the main reason for the team's success was the ground game, as NIU churned out 285 yards on 7.7 ypc. Chris Spann led the way with 73 yards and one touchdown on just three totes, while Montell Clanton and DeMarcus Grady rushed for 61 and 50 yards, respectively. Both players also scored one touchdown apiece in the win. With all the success surrounding the running game, NIU only threw for 78 yards in the contest. Surprisingly the Huskies only collected 15 first downs, but the team was able to convert 5-of-7 red zone chances. NIU will return to conference play this Saturday when the Huskies take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles in Ypsilanti.
OHIO: The Bobcats remained winless on the season with a tough 16-8 setback to Northwestern this past weekend. The Bobcats looked completely inept offensively, as the team racked up only 232 total yards. The ground game was no-existent, as Ohio finished with just four yards on 28 carries. Boo Jackson was better under center, as the quarterback threw for 228 yards and one touchdown on 27-of-42 passing. However, the signal caller also threw two interceptions and was sacked five times. Nothing went right for the Bobcats, as the team finished with four turnovers, and converted just 5-of-17 third down chances. The Bobcats have a good chance at a win this weekend, as they will return home to battle VMI.
TEMPLE: After two close setbacks the Owls were no match for Penn State, as Temple was pounded by the Nittany Lions, 45-3. The Owls were bottled up by the ferocious Penn State defense, as Temple finished with just 138 total yards, including just 16 rushing yards on 28 carries. The loss was much worse considering quarterback Adam DiMichele was injured early in the matchup, and is likely lost for the team's next contest. Chester Stewart came in for DiMichele, but the signal caller was overwhelmed by the PSU defense and finished the game with just 116 yards on 16-of-30 passing. Stewart also tossed three interceptions and was sacked six times. The Owls had just as much trouble defensively, as the unit surrendered 546 total yards. The front line was pounded for 303 rushing yards, and also surrendered 243 yards through the air. The Owls will return to league play this weekend when they host the Western Michigan Broncos.
TOLEDO: The Rockets suffered a heartbreaking loss this past weekend, as Toledo fell to Fresno State, 55-54, in double overtime. Toledo racked up an impressive 598 total yards, including 297 yards on the ground. Morgan Williams and DaJuane Collins both pounded Fresno State, as Williams rumbled for 142 yards and one touchdown, while Collins scampered for 138 yards and two TDs. The passing attack was equally impressive, as Aaron Opelt threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns in the setback. John Allen finished with eight receptions, 93 yards and two scores, while Stephen Williams finished with 114 yards and one touchdown on six catches. Toledo collected 28 first downs in the loss and also converted on all six of its red zone opportunities. The Rockets will remain home this weekend and will host the Florida International Golden Panthers.
WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos won their third consecutive game this past weekend with a convincing, 41-7 decision over Tennessee Tech. The Broncos pounded Tennessee Tech for 633 total yards, and also collected an impressive 30 first downs in the win. WMU converted 8-of-13 third down attempts as well, and also made good on 5-of-6 red zone chances. The Broncos finished with 274 rushing yards in the contest, but the majority of the damage was done by Brandon West, as the tailback rumbled for 133 yards and one score. Even more impressive was the passing attack, as quarterback Tim Hiller threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns. Nine different players caught atleast one pass in the contest, but the main target was Jamarko Simmons, who grabbed 10 passes for 115 yards and one score. Western Michigan will now return to league action this weekend when the Temple Owls come to Kalamazoo.
