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MAC Notebook: Toledo moves to 4-0

The Sports Xchange

October 04, 2015 at 11:47 pm.

Sep 19, 2015; Toledo, OH, USA; Toledo Rockets wide receiver Corey Jones (4),  running back Damion Jones-Moore (24) and  wide receiver Alonzo Russell (9) celebrate after the game winning touchdown during the fourth at Glass Bowl. Toledo Rockets defeated Iowa State Cyclones 30-23. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 19, 2015; Toledo, OH, USA; Toledo Rockets wide receiver Corey Jones (4), running back Damion Jones-Moore (24) and wide receiver Alonzo Russell (9) celebrate after the game winning touchdown during the fourth at Glass Bowl. Toledo Rockets defeated Iowa State Cyclones 30-23. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The best news coming out of Saturday’s games for the Mid-American Conference: Toledo remained unbeaten. The Rockets played without leading running back Kareem Hunt because of an injury, but managed to pull out a 24-10 win at Ball State.

At 4-0 with a quality win at Arkansas, the Rockets should earn their first Top 25 ranking since 2012, which is always good news for the conference. Toledo struggled at times against Ball State, but rushed for 280 yards behind a running back-by-committee effort, with Terry Swanson handling the bulk of the carries.

“We’re like the Justice League: Everybody’s a superhero when it comes down to it,” Swanson said.

The Chippewas showed they might be in line to compete for the MAC title after defeating Northern Illinois for the second straight season. Before the CMU fans start rushing to buy tickets for the MAC Championship game, the Chippewas have to shore up some issues before next week’s key game against Western Michigan. Trailing 10-3, Central Michigan forced three turnovers in the third quarter, turning all three into points to take control of the West Division contest. Quarterback Cooper Rush passed for 182 yards and two touchdowns in tough weather conditions.

“There’s a lot of football left to be played,” CMU coach John Bonamego said. “I think the key to success for any season is to not ride that tidal wave. Don’t get too down after a loss. We’ve had some disappointing losses. On the flipside of that, don’t allow yourself to get too high after a win.”

For NIU, a third straight loss drops them to under .500 at 2-3 on the season and 1-0 in league play. The Huskies have lost three straight games for the first time since the 2009 season. NIU cornerback Shawn Lurry was one of the lone bright spots, as he intercepted his fifth pass of the season in the first quarter. He has four interceptions in the last three games. The loss at Central Michigan snapped NIU’s 15-game MAC road winning streak, as the Huskies committed four turnovers — the most by the team in 47 games.

Bowling Green defeated Buffalo 28-22 in a key early-season East Division battle. The Falcons might have had some form of a letdown after playing Tennessee, Maryland, Memphis and Purdue, then forced to travel to Buffalo. Bowling Green tallied 536 yards of total offense in 71 plays, with quarterback Matt Johnson completed 23-of-29 passes for 324 yards and a touchdown.

Ohio won despite a sluggish effort in a 14-12 win over Akron. The Bobcats were coming off a tough loss at Minnesota, but their defense held Akron without a touchdown to help the Bobcats improve to 4-1 on the season.

“It was not an easy ballgame. I give (Akron) credit. I think they prepared well for us,” said Ohio head coach Frank Solich. “Their up-front people on the defensive side of the ball are pretty special in terms of their defensive group there. Offensively, their quarterback threw the ball well — probably better than he’s thrown it for a while. He put the ball on the money. Sometimes we were able to break it up, sometimes we weren’t. Sometimes they made great catches, sometimes the ball was right there and nobody was contesting them. All in all, we found a way to win a ballgame where I don’t think we played particularly well.”

AKRON (2-3, 0-1)

Game: Ohio 14, Akron 12: Akron notched a field in each of the four quarters, as Ohio’s defense didn’t allow a touchdown. Akron’s defense had a solid effort in the loss, holding the Bobcats scoreless in the second half.

Akron kicker Robert Stein drilled field goals of 40, 33, 41 and 30 yards, while the Bobcats were held to 48 yards rushing.

Takeaway: The Zips’ defense is vastly improved, though that doesn’t show in the record column. Akron’s offense is another story. Despite 231 yards passing, the Zips could muster just four field goals in the East Division loss.

Next: at Eastern Michigan, Oct. 10.

BALL STATE (2-3, 1-1)

Game: Toledo 24, Ball State 10: Toledo scored all 24 of its points in the second quarter and held Ball State to just 262 yards of total offense to improve to 4-0 on the season.

Morgan Hagee drilled a 29-yard field goal in the second quarter and Jordan Williams caught a 51-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter to account for Ball State’s only points.

Takeaway: Tough loss for a Ball State team looking to establish itself after a so-so non-conference showing. The Cardinals scored the final 10 points of the game, and held the Rockets scoreless after allowing a touchdown with 62 seconds left until halftime, so there were some positives to build on for their upcoming MAC games.

Next: at Northern Illinois, Oct. 10.

BOWLING GREEN (3-2, 1-0)

Game: Bowling Green 28, Buffalo 22: Bowling Green’s offense rang up 536 total yards and Matt Johnson passed for 324 yards and a touchdown to spark the Falcons. A week after beating Purdue, the BGSU offense struggled at times against Buffalo after scoring 21 points in the first half. Bowling Green managed just a fourth-quarter touchdown for its only points of the second half.

Takeaway: Not an ideal way to open the conference play after impressive wins over Maryland and Purdue of the Big Ten Conference, but just maybe, Buffalo is a better team than advertised. Still, the Falcons have to learn to put lesser teams away, and allow their defense some rest.

Next: vs. UMass, Oct. 10.

BUFFALO (2-3, 0-1)

Game: Bowling Green 28, Buffalo 22: Buffalo posted a season-high 500 yards of total offense and limited Bowling Green to a season-low of 28 points, but the Falcons scored 21 points in the first half to pull out the win. Buffalo quarterback Joe Licata completed 35 passes for a season-best 348 yards and a touchdown, his third straight 300-yard game.

Takeaway: Buffalo’s offense played well, while its defense also played well in holding the Falcons to a season low in points. So what happened? The Bulls just aren’t at the level of the Falcons, at least this season and at this point of the season.

Next: at Central Michigan, Oct. 17.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN (2-3, 1-0)

Game: Central Michigan 29, Northern Illinois 19: Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns and Northern Illinois scored just nine points following a 10-point first quarter. The Chippewas defeated the Huskies for the second straight season thanks to their defense forcing four turnovers.

“I’m really proud of our team,” CMU coach John Bonamego said. “The way we came out in the second half, the defense responded.”

Takeaway: This was not an upset, not with how the Chippewas played in near losses to Oklahoma State, Syracuse and Michigan State. Cooper Rush is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, while the CMU defense is vastly improved. They held the Huskies to 105 yards passing.

Next: at Western Michigan, Oct. 10.

EASTERN MICHIGAN (1-4, 0-1)

Game: No. 9 LSU 44, Eastern Michigan 22: LSU sophomore running back Leonard Fournette carried the ball 26 times for 238 yards and three touchdowns to fuel his team to a victory. LSU finished with 404 yards of total offense, as the Eagles were led by quarterback Brogan Roback’s 166 yards passing.

Takeaway: A valiant effort by the Eagles in one of the toughest places to play in the country. The Eagles only trailed by six points at halftime and by eight points to start the fourth quarter.

Next: vs. Akron, Oct. 10.

KENT STATE (2-3, 1-0)

Game: Kent State 20, Miami 14. Colin Reardon completed 12 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown and Juantez McRae’s leaping interception ended a Miami comeback to secure a rare win for Kent State.

“It was a good job by our guys to keep fighting and a good job of finishing the game at the end,” Kent State coach Paul Haynes said. “We have to get more of an instinct to close it out early.”

Takeaway: An ugly victory, but a victory is a victory, especially for a KSU program hungry for any win. The Golden Flashes led by 20 minutes with less than six minutes left in the game, but held on for the win.

Next: at Toledo, Oct. 10.

MIAMI (1-4, 0-1)

Game: Kent State 20, Miami 14: Miami scored 14 points in the fourth quarter but Drew Kummer threw an interception late in the game to spoil a possible comeback bid. Kummer passed for 315 yards and one touchdown, but was sacked three times and tossed four interceptions.

Takeaway: Miami’s offense has problems all game until the final six minutes. It’s inexcuseable to throw four interceptions and suffer three sacks, in particular against a struggling Kent State program.

Next: at Ohio, Oct. 10.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS (2-3, 0-1)

Game: Central Michigan 29, Northern Illinois 19: Northern Illinois committed four turnovers and scored just nine points in the final three quarters to lose its third straight game.

The Huskies, once again, had problems throwing the ball. Drew Hare completed just 12 of his 28 pass attempts for 105 yards with a touchdown.

“We’re going to get in the film room and go to work, correct our mistakes and get better,” NIU coach Rod Carey said.

Takeaway: The Huskies have been on the road for their last three weeks, with all three games — Ohio State, Boston College and Central Michigan — against tough opponents. The Huskies had problems with the rainy conditions, but the lack of a breakout runner and a consistent weapons at wide receiver has been evident in the last three games.

Next: vs. Ball State, Oct. 10.

OHIO (4-1, 1-0)

Game: Ohio 14, Akron 12: Ohio quarterback Derrius Vick threw for 179 yards and a touchdown and the Bobcats’ defense held Akron out of the end zone to notch their first Mid-American Conference win of the season.

“It was not an easy ball game,” Ohio coach Frank Solich said. “I give Akron credit. I think they prepared well for us.”

Takeaway: The Bobcats were expected to have a letdown after a tough loss to Minnesota the previous week, but championship-level teams have a way of pulling out wins. The Bobcats are showing they might be one of the best teams in the MAC East Division, especially with an improved Derrius Vick at quarterback.

Next: vs. Miami, Oct. 10.

TOLEDO (4-0, 1-0)

Game: Toledo 24, Ball State 10: Running back Terry Swanson rushed for 139 yards and quarterback Phillip Ely threw for 164 yards and two touchdowns to lead Toledo to a victory.

The Rockets remain unbeaten on the season despite top running back Kareem Hunt sidelined with an injury. Toledo’s defense limited Ball State to 262 yards of total offense and one touchdown.

Takeaway: The Rockets are getting used to life without running back Kareem Hunt, but they will need him when the schedule becomes tougher. Terry Swanson, Damion Jones-Moore and Marc Remy teamed up for 280 yards on 45 carries for the Rockets.

“We’re like the Justice League: Everybody’s a superhero when it comes down to it,” Swanson said.

The Rockets are showing they might be the cream of the conference, in particular with Northern Illinois struggling in a loss to Central Michigan.

Next: vs. Kent State, Oct. 10.

UMASS (1-3)

Game: UMass 24, Florida International 14: UMass senior quarterback Blake Frohnapfel finished 32-for-42 passing for 363 yards and three touchdowns to fuel the Minutemen to their first win of the season. Frohnapfel completed a stellar 76.2 percent of his passes and did not toss an interception.

Takeaway: A healthy Blake Frohnapfel makes a big difference for the UMass offense. Remember what his absence meant to UMass at the end of last season? UMass did a good job rebounding after last week’s blowout loss to Notre Dame, especially the defense.

Next: At Bowling Green, Oct. 10.

WESTERN MICHIGAN (1-3)

Bye week.

NOTES, QUOTES

–Bowling Green’s offense registered 536 yards of total offense in just 71 plays against Buffalo. Matt Johnson, as usual, led the way with 324 yards passing, but attempted just 29 passes.

–Bowling Green junior linebacker James Sanford deserves praise for his second straight solid showing in a MAC opener. He had 13 tackles and an interception, while tallying nine tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the league opener against UMass in 2014.

–Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush overcame rough weather conditions to throw for 182 yards and two interceptions in CMU’s upset win over Northern Illinois. The Chippewas defeated NIU for the second straight season.

–UMass senior quarterback Blake Frohnapfel had another big game, this time throwing for 363 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Florida International. He completed 76.2 percent of his passes and did not throw an interception.

–Toledo played without injured running back Kareem Hunt, but still managed to rush for 280 yards, with Terry Swanson leading the way with a career-high 24 carries for a season-best 139 yards.

–Buffalo quarterback Joe Licata had a strong effort in the loss to Bowling Green. He completed 35-of-59 passes for a season-best 348 yards and a touchdown for his second straight 300-yard passing game.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I thought there were some times in the first four or five minutes of the football game and then the last four or five minutes of the football game where we could have really gotten rattled, but I thought our kids really stayed the course. We made plays where we needed to on both sides of the ball.” — Toledo coach Matt Campbell following a 24-10 win at Ball State.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 5 IN THE MAC:

1. Toledo deserves to be ranked. The Rockets improved to 4-0 on the season after a solid 24-10 win over Ball State despite leading running back Kareem Hunt sidelined with an injury. The Rockets entered the week just one spot out of the AP Top 25 poll, but should crack the rankings for the first time since 2012.

2. Central Michigan has the talent to contend for the conference championship. The Chippewas defeated Northern Illinois, a five-time defending West champion, for the second straight season. Central Michigan nearly defeated Oklahoma State and Syracuse and battled No. 2 Michigan State until the final minutes.

3. Something is wrong with NIU’s offense. Yes, the wet conditions played a factor in NIU quarterback Drew Hare’s ability to hold onto the ball and complete passes, but the Huskies have struggled passing the ball in their three-game losing streak. The Huskies have tallied under 400 yards passing total in their last three games.

4. Ohio squeezed out a victory over Akron. Many expected the Bobcats to suffer some form of a letdown following an agonizing loss at Minnesota. But Ohio survived to improve to 4-1 and 1-0 in the MAC East Division.

5. Bowling Green knocked off Buffalo in an early-season battle of East Division teams. The Falcons, though, lacked the precision on offense that they showed against Tennessee, Maryland, Memphis and Purdue, as they scored a season-low in points.