James Knapke put on a show in Bowling Green's big win over Indiana. (Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports)
Bowling Green’s performance against Indiana was another highlight for the conference. The Falcons joined the ranks of Northern Illinois and Central Michigan this season in knocking off a Big Ten team with a stirring 45-42 comeback win over Indiana.
Hosting their first Big Ten team at Doyt Perry Stadium since 2008, the Falcons received a sterling performance from sophomore quarterback James Knapke, who passed for 395 yards, but he ran BGSU’s past-paced offense to near perfection by completing a school-record 46 passes on 73 attempts for 395 yards and three touchdowns. Knapke’s outing is a positive for the Falcons in several ways, not only due to notching a big nonconference victory but building momentum for a run at a second straight conference title.
On the surface, the Falcons defense doesn’t look as strong as last season’s unit, but starting quarterback Matt Johnson’s season-ending injury in the opener put some doubt on whether the Falcons could even have a winning season. But Knapke showed plenty of moxie in leading the Falcons back from fourth-quarter deficits of 35-32 and 42-39, hooking up with Roger Lewis for a 2-yard touchdown with nine seconds left to beat the Hoosiers. Knapke was hoping to attend Indiana, but never got an offer from the coaching staff.
“Last week, in my first start, it was about getting my feet wet and finding out what it’s all about,” Knapke said of his first career start against VMI. “This week, getting an opportunity to play Indiana, the home-state team and a Big Ten team, was a great opportunity. I couldn’t asked for more.”
Northern Illinois added another noteworthy victory with a 48-34 triumph at UNLV. The Huskies (3-0) don’t have the firepower or name recognition with Jordan Lynch graduating, but showed they still might be in line for another West Division title and bowl bid. Sophomore quarterback Drew Hare might be entrenched as the start after another solid game.
“It felt awesome, just a good rhythm with the team,” Hare said of his first career start. “Our line was awesome, our playmakers outside, they stepped up when they needed to.”
The Huskies have another chance at a milestone victory at Arkansas next Saturday. They received a big day from last season’s leading rusher, Cameron Stingily, who saw his first extended action this season and rushed for 102 yards.
Overall, the MAC had a good weekend with Bowling Green and Northern Illinois both winning big games, but Central Michigan’s 40-3 loss to Syracuse was a telling sign. The Chippewas were coming off a win at Purdue, but the Orange scored 40 unanswered points to run away with the win. UMass might be a surprise come conference play. At 0-3, the Minutemen have played solid football in losses to Boston College, Colorado and then dropping a 34-31 decision at Vanderbilt.
Of all the games, Ball State’s 27-20 home loss to FCS, Indiana State, is a bad sign. The BSU defense had a solid effort at Iowa the week before, but the Cardinals played without emotion and took a step in the wrong direction against Indiana State.
AKRON (1-1)
Off
Next: vs. Marshall, Sept. 20.
BALL STATE (1-2)
Game: Indiana State 27, Ball State 20. Indiana State, an FCS school, defeated Ball State for the first time since 1987 as the Cardinals’ nine-game home winning streak came to an end.
“We didn’t cause any turnovers, and we have to start doing that,” Ball State coach Pete Lembo said. “I thought they made more plays and had some incredible catches by their receivers.”
Takeaway: All the momentum from last week’s near win at Iowa was deflated with a home loss to an FCS school. The Cardinals are a hard read after the first three games this season, playing at a high level for spurts then struggling at times.
–WR Jordan Hogue, a true freshman, caught his first career touchdown pass in the second quarter, tallying career highs of four catches for 59 yards.
–S Martez Hester has been big part of a solid BSU defense in the first three games. He finished with a career-high nine tackles in the loss to Indiana State.
Next: at Toledo, Sept. 20.
BOWLING GREEN (2-1)
Game: Bowling Green 45, Indiana 42. Bowling Green quarterback James Knapke, in his second career start, tossed a 2-yard touchdown to Roger Lewis with nine seconds left in the game to knock off the Big Ten Hoosiers on Friday. Knapke had a big game by completed 46-of-74 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns, while Lewis tallied 16 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown.
Takeaway: Well, the Falcons are certainly a hard time to measure, but their win over Indiana is a plus for the program and the conference. Knapke’s arm might be sore after throwing 74 passes, but his stellar effort is a plus for the Falcons, whose season looked in trouble after quarterback Matt Johnson’s season-ending injury in the opener.
Notes:
–QB James Knapke had a game to remember, completed 46 of his whopping 74 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Roger Lewis with nine seconds left in the game.
–WR Roger Lewis showed great chemistry with his new starting quarterback, catching 16 passes for 149 yards and the winning touchdown.
Next: at Wisconsin, Sept. 20.
BUFFALO (1-2)
Game: No. 8 Baylor 63, Buffalo 21. Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty threw for 416 yards and four touchdowns in a rout at Buffalo.
“Disappointing loss against a very good football team, quality opponent,” Buffalo coach Jeff Quinn said.
Takeaway: Through three games, Buffalo’s defense has a sore spot. The Bulls haven’t been able to stop teams from compiling points. Beating or even competing against a highly-ranked Baylor team can’t be expected at this point.
Notes:
–QB Joe Licata put up solid numbers in the loss, completing 14-of-25 passes for 171 yards and one touchdown.
–WR Devon Hughes had one of the few UB offensive highlights with a 41-yard touchdown. Hughes finished with six catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Next: vs. Norfolk State, Sept. 20.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (2-1)
Game: Syracuse 40, Central Michigan 3. Syracuse scored 40 straight points to take the luster off CMU’s win over Purdue last week. The Chippewas took a 3-0 lead following Brian Eavey’s 26-yard field, but couldn’t score again. Syracuse quarterback Terrel Hunt threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns.
“Went from the penthouse to the outhouse pretty quick,” CMU coach Dan Enos said. “It was humbling today — that was a good football team and beat us in all three phases, really. We have to move forward from here.”
Takeaway: A disappointing effort after a big win at Purdue last week. The Orange controlled all phases of the game, and quickly squashed any thoughts off an upset with 40 straight points. The Chippewas continue their up-and-down ways this season, struggling at home in both of their games. But the Chippewas did play without their top two weapons on offense, with running back Thomas Rawls and wide receiver Titus Davis both out.
Notes:
–QB Cooper Rush was 18-for-34 passing for 183 yards, but was sacked five times and struggling finding time throwing the ball.
–WR Jesse Kroll established career bests with five receptions for 86 yards, including a 35-yarder for the longest play by the Chippewas in the loss.
Next: at Kansas, Sept. 20.
EASTERN MICHIGAN (1-2)
Game: Old Dominion 17, Eastern Michigan 3. On a rainy night, Old Dominion played stout defense in holding the Eagles to 10 points. The Eagles’ defense had a good night as well, allowing just 10 points — the fewest by an EMU defense since Oct. 22, 2011. ODU scored a touchdown on special teams.
Takeaway: The EMU defensive play was a positive, and Rod Bolden came in at quarterback in the third quarter to lead the team to their only scoring drive. The Eagles racked up 143 yards rushing.
Notes:
–LB Great Ibe lived up to his name with a team-high 11 tackles as the EMU defense had one of its best efforts of the season.
–RB Bronson Hill led the Eagles with 16 carries for a team-high 78 yards rushing.
KENT STATE (0-3)
Game: No. 22 Ohio State 66, Kent State 0. Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett threw six touchdown passes as the Buckeyes returned to the win column after a tough home loss to Virginia Tech.
Takeaway: The Golden Flashes were the sacrificial lambs after the Buckeyes endured a rough week of practices following a disappointing loss to Virginia Tech on national television. The Golden Flashes rushed for just 47 yards and passed for 79.
Notes:
–S Nate Holley led Kent State in tackles for the fifth straight game dating back to last season, finishing with 12 tackles.
–LB Marques Moore, a freshman, racked up a career-high six tackles and forced his first career fumble.
Next: bye week.
MIAMI (0-3)
Game: Michigan 34, Miami 10. The RedHawks scored all 10 of their points in the second quarter but remained winless on the season as Michigan tallied 460 yards of total offense compared to 198 yards for the RedHawks.
Takeaway: Much like Kent State in its loss at Ohio State, the RedHawks had the misfortune of playing a Michigan team coming off an embarrassing loss. Miami battled strong with a 10-point second quarter, but couldn’t move the ball and stop Michigan’s running game.
Notes:
–DB Jarrell Jones led all players with a game-high 12 tackles, including seven solo stops.
–QB Andrew Hendrix completed 12-of-26 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown and one interception.
Next: at Cincinnati, Sept. 20.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS (3-0)
Game: Northern Illinois 48, UNLV 34. In a rare trip to Sin City, the Huskies remained unbeaten by taking a 28-5 lead before the Rebels battled back to tie the game at 34-34, but the Huskies scored the final 14 points to improve to 3-0.
“We knew it was going to be a four-quarter battle,” NIU coach Rod Carey said. “I’m proud of our guys. They fought through adversity, Give (UNLV) credit, they fought back and played a heck of a third quarter. Give us credit, we made plays when we had to.”
Takeaway: A week after dispatching Northwestern in Evanston, the Huskies added UNLV to the list with an impressive start followed by an even more impressive finish. The Huskies have won 17 straight road games, and quarterback Drew Hare had a solid first start and continued his chemistry with wide receiver Da’Ron Brown.
Notes:
–WR Da’Ron Brown and quarterback Drew Hare continue to form an impressive duo, with Brown catching six passes for 138 yards, including a 54-yard go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
–QB Drew Hare, in his first collegiate start, completed 18-of-28 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns and wasn’t sacked. Hare tossed a 54-yard touchdown pass to Da’Ron Brown to break a 34-34 tie in the fourth quarter.
Next: at Arkansas, Sept. 20.
OHIO (1-2)
Game: Marshall 44, Ohio 14. Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato completed 17-of-29 passes for 429 yards. Cato tossed a 77-yard third-quarter touchdown to Angelo Jean-Louis, and the Thundering Herd rolled up 705 yards of total offense.
Takeaway: The Bobcats look like a shell of the team that’s played in several bowl games in the last few season. Ohio had another disappointing effort, and could easily be 0-3 on the season if not for a late win over Kent State.
Notes:
–QB Derrius Vick completed 18-of-29 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown and added a career-high 51 yards rushing.
–S Nathan Carpenter collected his first interception of the season and fifth overall in his career, picking off a pass in the end zone.
Next: vs. Idaho, Sept. 20.
TOLEDO (1-2)
Game: Cincinnati 58, Toledo 34. The Bearcats scored a touchdown on its first six possessions in taking leads of 34-0 and 41-7, but the Rockets cut the lead to 41-34 early in the fourth quarter before running out of gas. Toledo tallied 563 yards of total offense compared to 584 for the Bearcats.
Takeaway: Not a bad second career start for quarterback Logan Woodside. In an NFL venue on a Friday night against a rested Cincy team, Woodside completed 27-of-40 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns. The Rockets showed that they have the offensive firepower, but defense is a trouble spot that might keep them from contending for a conference championship.
Notes:
–QB Logan Woodside posted career highs in four categories, with 27 completions on 40 attempts for 322 yards and three touchdowns. He completed passes to eight different targets.
–WR Alonzo Russell had five receptions for a team-best 114 yards and two touchdowns. He caught a 38-yard touchdown in the second quarter and added a 54-yarder in the third quarter.
Next: vs. Ball State, Sept. 20.
UMASS (0-3)
Game: Vanderbilt 34, UMass 31. In a matchup of winless teams, Vanderbilt blocked a punt for a touchdown and added a touchdown with 68 seconds left in a comeback win over the Minutemen.
Takeaway: The Minutemen racked up another moral victory in a close loss to the SEC Commodores. For those keeping score, UMass could easily be 3-0 on the season but suffered close losses to Boston College, Colorado and now Vandy. An impressive showing by the offense came undone by several late mistakes.
Notes:
–WR Rodney Mills tallied two first-half touchdowns in finishing with a game-high 76 yards receiving.
–LB Jovan Santos-Knox had a big day with a game-high 15 tackles to raise his season total to 42 tackles.
Next: at Penn State, Sept. 20.
WESTERN MICHIGAN (1-1)
Game: Western Michigan 45, Idaho 33. The Broncos made the best out of their bye week as Zach Terrell passed for 242 yards and three touchdowns and freshman running back Jarvion Franklin added a career-high 33 carries for 211 yards and three touchdowns.
Takeaway: The Broncos needed a win at this point. Coach P.J. Fleck’s brought in some talented recruits, but wins have been in scarce supply. This is a quality 12-point road win in a tough venue in front of nearly 15,000 fans.
Notes:
–RB Jarvion Franklin is one of the hidden gems in the conference. Two games into his career, Franklin had another sterling effort with a career-best 33 carries for 211 yards and three touchdowns.
–DL Cleveland Smith had a key sack in the fourth quarter to finish with three sacks in the game; his first multi-sack game in his career.
Next: vs. Murray State, Sept. 20.
