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AKRON: The Zips opened the season on Saturday against Syracuse of the Big
East Conference, and that home game resulted in a one-sided 29-3 defeat.
Patrick Nicely had a rough opener for Akron (0-1), as the quarterback
completed just 12-of-35 passes for 111 yards. Jeremy LaFrance was the main
target in the contest, as the receiver hauled in seven passes for 75 yards.
Syracuse finished with 431 total yards, while the Zips only posted 166 yards
of total offense. Igor Ivelijic nailed a 40-yard field goal with just over a
minute remaining in the opening half to account for the team's only points in
the clash. The level of competition will not be as high this upcoming weekend
when Gardner-Webb of the FCS comes to town.
BALL STATE: The Cardinals opened the 2010 campaign on Thursday against
Southeast Missouri State, and the result of that tilt was a 27-10 victory.
Offensively, Ball State did most of its damage on the ground, racking up 243
rushing yards and three scores. Eric Williams led the charge with 105 yards on
20 carries, while Cory Sykes reached the end zone on two of his 14 carries. A
key to the win for the Cardinals was that they recovered all three fumbles
that they forced. Of the 27 points scored, 17 came during an impressive third
quarter. Ball State will face a second consecutive FCS opponent this upcoming
weekend when Liberty comes to town.
BOWLING GREEN: On Saturday, Bowling Green began the season with a road clash
at Troy, and that game proved to be one of the most competitive and
entertaining of the college football weekend. Unfortunately for the Falcons,
they came out on the wrong end of the 30-27 decision. Matt Schilz threw for
221 yards and a touchdown to lead the way for Bowling Green (0-1), while Kamar
Jorden hauled in nine passes for 111 yards in a losing effort. Willie Geter
added 93 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the Falcons. Bowling Green
permitted Troy to rack up 29 first downs in the contest. The Falcons will
remain on the road this upcoming weekend to take on non-conference foe Tulsa.
BUFFALO: The Bulls were impressive in their season opener on Thursday, as they
blanked Rhode Island by a 31-0 final. Quarterback Jerry Davis put up big
numbers, completing 21-of-35 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns with one
interception. For that reason, the Bulls were able to overcome a rather low
total of 91 rushing yards. Marcus Rivers was sensational at the wide receiver
position, as he hauled in 10 receptions for 155 yards and a score. The Buffalo
defense posted five sacks and posted a pair of takeaways. The level of
competition spikes this upcoming weekend for Buffalo as the Bulls take on
Baylor of the Big 12 Conference on the road.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Chippewas posted their first season-opening shutout
since 1979 when they blanked Hampton on Thursday by 33-0 final. That victory
was the first for Dan Enos, who was making his debut as head coach of CMU. The
Chippewas got a touchdown run and a touchdown pass from Ryan Radcliff, who
threw for 242 yards without an interception. Paris Cotton ran for 94 yards and
a touchdown on 18 carries, and Carl Volny posted a rushing touchdown as well.
The CMU defense recorded three sacks and a pair of takeaways. The Chippewas
will play a second straight Thursday game, as they open MAC action against
Temple on the road this week.
EASTERN MICHIGAN: On Saturday, Eastern Michigan opened the season against Army
in front of the home crowd, and the result was a heart-breaking 31-27 defeat.
The Eagles (0-1), who have lost 13 straight games since the start of last
season, were led by Dwayne Priest, who rushed for 142 yards and two
touchdowns. Quarterback Alex Gillett only threw for 31 yards and one
touchdown, but the signal caller added 126 yards and another score on the
ground in the setback. Clearly, three turnovers by Eastern Michigan played a
prominent role in the loss. Up next for the Eagles is a matchup with Miami-
Ohio, a game that represents the MAC opener for both squads.
KENT STATE: The Golden Flashes kicked off the 2010 campaign with an impressive
41-10 romp over Murray State on Thursday. Quarterback Keith Spencer played
quite well under center, connecting on 24-of-35 passes for 275 yards and three
touchdowns. Sam Kirkland was the top target on the outside, as he made nine
catches for 126 yards and a score. The Golden Flashes were sensational
defensively, as they limited the Racers to minus-65 yards rushing. It
certainly helped matters that KSU posted five sacks totaling 44 yards in
losses. Up next for the Golden Flashes is a meeting with Boston College of the
ACC this upcoming weekend.
MIAMI (OHIO): The RedHawks had the unenviable task of opening the season against
a talented Florida squad in The Swamp, but things certainly looked promising
early on. After one quarter of play, the RedHawks owned a 3-0 lead, and the
defense was playing tremendous football. Unfortunately, Florida scored 21
points in the second quarter and went on for a 34-12 win over Miami. Zac
Dysert threw for 191 yards and was intercepted four times in defeat. It is
remarkable that the RedHawks were able to hold the ball for more than 34
minutes considering the fact that they finished the game with four net rushing
yards. Florida posted a mere 99 yards on the ground. Miami hopes to even its
record this upcoming weekend against Eastern Michigan in the MAC opener for
both schools.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies suffered a disappointing 27-10 loss to Iowa
State on Thursday in the season opener for both teams. NIU has now lost its
last seven season openers. The Huskies gained only 249 total yards in the
clash while allowing 403 yards to the Cyclones. Demarcus Grady completed only
14-of-29 passes for 93 yards with zero touchdown passes and three
interceptions. Sure, Grady did score once on the ground, but his passing
performance simply wasn't good enough. NIU was only able to make good on 3-
of-13 third down conversion attempts. Up next for the Huskies is a
OHIO: The Bobcats faced Wofford on Saturday to open the 2010 season, and the
result was a convincing 33-10 victory. Give a great deal of credit to the
defense for the win, as Ohio limited Wofford to 220 total yards while also
forcing three fumbles. Bobcats' quarterback Boo Jackson wasn't able to make
many big plays through the air, but he did score a rushing touchdown in the
second quarter of the contest. Wofford was only able to make good on 2-of-12
third down conversion attempts against the swarming Bobcats. MAC play begins
this upcoming weekend for Ohio, which will take on Toledo at home.
TEMPLE: The Owls faced Philadelphia are rival and FCS national champ Villanova
in the season opener on Friday, and the result was a thrilling 31-24 victory.
Brandon McManus hit four field goals in the tilt, including a 43-yarder with
three seconds remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, Justin Gildea intercepted a
lateral attempt and raced to the end zone to close out the contest. Temple QB
Chester Stewart, who finished with a career-highs in completions (16) and
yards (200), threw one touchdown pass and wasn't intercepted. Bernard Pierce
rushed for 75 yards on 20 carries. The Owls will begin conference action on
Thursday with a home game against Central Michigan, so they will have a short
week of preparation.
TOLEDO: Toledo faced Arizona at home on Friday to begin this new campaign, and
the home crowd looked on in disappointment as the Rockets were throttled by a
41-2 final. Austin Dantin completed 14-of-23 passes for 103 yards and an
interception for the Rockets (0-1), who went 5-7 in 2009. Adonis Thomas ran
for 52 yards on 10 carries, while Eric Page hauled in four passes for 43
yards. This was the first time that a Pac-10 school traveled to a school from
the Mid-American Conference. Toledo was outgained 518-183 in total yardage in
the contest and turned the ball over twice. The Rockets travel to Athens, Ohio
this weekend to take on the Ohio Bobcats in the conference opener for both
squads.
WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos faced a tough task this past weekend, opening
the season against Michigan State on the road. As expected, WMU fell by a
38-14 final. Alex Carder was 27-of-49 for 220 yards with two scores and a pick
for the Broncos (0-1), who are coming off a disappointing 5-7 showing in 2009.
Jordan White posted eight receptions for 82 yards, while Blake Hammond and
Juan Nunez each caught a touchdown pass. The Spartans amassed 297 yards on the
ground, averaging 8.0 yards per carry. The Broncos, meanwhile, managed just 85
rushing yards behind only a 2.7 yard per carry average. The level of
competition decreases significantly on Saturday, as the Broncos face Nicholls
State in front of the home crowd.