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AKRON: When the Zips looked at their schedule before the start of the season
the players might have looked over Gardner-Webb and if they didn't they sure
played like a team with too much confidence. Akron allowed Gardner-Webb to
score a late fourth quarter touchdown, sending the matchup into overtime. The
Zips scored on their possession, but the extra point was blocked. Gardner-Webb
responded with a touchdown of its own, but the difference was the team's extra
point was successful, sending Akron to an 0-2 start. Nate Burney led the
ground game with 119 yards, but Alex Allen was just as explosive out of the
backfield, rumbling for 110 yards, to go along with three scores. Quarterback
Patrick Nicely also scored once on the ground and threw a touchdown pass as
well, finishing the game with 165 yards. The Zips will leave the friendly
confines of InfoCision Field for the first time this season on Saturday when
they head to Lexington to battle the Kentucky Wildcats.
BALL STATE: The Cardinals went down early in their matchup against Liberty and
even though the team took over the lead early in the final frame, Liberty
shocked the fans in Muncie, by scoring a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Ball State churned out 145 yards on 34 carries, but the damage was done by a
few different backs, beginning with Cory Sykes, who rushed for 65 yards. Eric
Williams added 44 yards, while MiQuale Lewis chipped in with 29 on eight
carries. After finishing 1-1 in their early home stand, the Cardinals will now
hit the road for the first time in 2010 when they head to West Lafayette to
battle the Purdue Boilermakers.
BOWLING GREEN: The Falcons surrendered 27 points in the first half against
Tulsa this past Saturday and could not recover from the early deficit, falling
to 0-2 on the season. Matt Schilz was 29-of-40 through air for 262 yards for
the Falcons, but was intercepted three times and suffered five sacks. Kamar
Jorden caught 14 balls for 168 yards, while Willie Geter ran for 50 yards on
15 carries. The Falcons will finally host their first football game of the
2010 campaign when they take on the Marshall Thundering Herd this upcoming
Saturday.
BUFFALO: After opening the season with a convincing win over Rhode Island, the
Bulls were knocked back down to earth with a 34-6 loss to Baylor this past
weekend. Not much went right for Buffalo offensively, as the team finished
with just 325 total yards. Jerry Davis struggled mightily, connecting on just
18-of-46 attempts for 163 yards, to go along with one interception. Branden
Oliver led the ground game, but with just 71 yards, while Jeffvon Gill added
57 yards on just three totes. Overall Buffalo collected 20 first downs, but
finished a meager 5-of-19 on third down attempts. The Bulls will now return
home to host the UCF Knights this Saturday.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Chippewas run at a repeat in the MAC took a minor hit
this past weekend when they fell to Temple, 13-10, in overtime. Ryan Radcliff
threw for 299 yards on 25-of-35 efficiency in his second start, but the signal
caller also tossed two interceptions. CMU's lone touchdown came on a one-yard
run by Paris Cotton, but the ground game as a whole for the Chippewas was
ineffective throughout the matchup, as the team finished with just 43 yards.
The Chippewas will remain on the road, and will face another conference foe
this Saturday when they head to Ypsilanti to battle the lowly Eastern Michigan
Eagles.
EASTERN MICHIGAN: The taste of victory has once again eluded the Eagles, as
EMU allowed a fourth quarter touchdown, en route to a seven-point loss to
Miami-Ohio. It was the 14th straight loss for the Eagles, who have not won
since November of 2008. Alex Gillett threw for 171 yards in the contest, and
also tossed two touchdowns, but finished with two interceptions as well. The
ground game was not as effective, as Gillett led the Eagles on the ground with
only 37 yards. Still looking for his first win as the head coach of Eastern
Michigan, Ron English will lead his Eagles in a tough battle against Central
Michigan this Saturday at Rynearson Field.
KENT STATE: The Golden Flashes put up a fight in their matchup against Boston
College, but eventually in the second half the Eagles proved to be too much,
scoring 20 points in the final two quarters to slip past KSU, 26-13. The
Flashes finished with just 205 total yards in the contest, and that led to
just 10 first downs. The ground game was embarrassing, as the Flashes finished
with just four yards. Although Spencer Keith threw for 201 yards in the
matchup, he finished with just one touchdown, and also tossed two
interceptions. It does not get any easier for the Golden Flashes who will now
travel to Happy Valley to take on a Penn State squad that is fresh off a loss
to the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
MIAMI-OHIO: The RedHawks rebounded from a season-opening loss to Florida, by
defeating Eastern Michigan, 28-21, to start league play with a win. Thomas
Merriweather, who was ejected from the opener for throwing a punch, bounced
back in a huge way against the Eagles, rushing for 105 yards and three
touchdowns. Quarterback Zac Dysert added 43 yards on the ground, and also
finished with 164 passing yards and one touchdown through the air. Armand
Robinson was on the receiving end of that score, and led Miami-Ohio with seven
receptions for 89 yards. The RedHawks will remain home this Saturday when they
invite the Colorado State Rams to Yager Stadium.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies scored 13 points in the first quarter against
North Dakota and never looked back, grabbing their first win on the season by
a 23-17 margin. Chandler Harnish did it all for NIU in the win, as the
quarterback threw for 146 yards and one score, while also rushing for 178
yards and another touchdown. Chad Spann also did damage in the rushing attack,
rumbling for 140 yards and one touchdown on just 21 totes. The Huskies will be
back on the road this upcoming Saturday, but will remain in state when they
battle the Illinois Fighting Illini.
OHIO: Ohio went into halftime against Toledo tied at 13 apiece, and while the
Bobcats fought hard, they eventually ran out of gas, and fell to the Rockets
by a 20-13 margin. Four costly turnovers doomed the Bobcats, who seemed inept
offensively, posting just 183 total yards. Three of the turnovers came from
the arm of Boo Jackson, who finished with just 137 yards and one score through
the air. The ground game was even worse, as Ohio tallied just 46 yards on a
mere 1.6 yards per carry. The Bobcats will hit the road for the first time
this season, and the task ahead is a tough one, as coach Frank Solich's squad
will have to battle the dangerous Ohio State Buckeyes.
TEMPLE: Only two weeks into the season and the Owls have already put their
fans through two heart-thumping matchups. After narrowly defeating Villanova
in the final seconds of their opener, Temple made it interesting again in its
next contest against Central Michigan. In fact, the Owls posted their first-
ever overtime victory with a 13-10 decision over the reigning MAC champions,
opening the season with a 2-0 ledger for the first time since 1981. Kicker
Brandon McManus was a hero for the second straight week, as he put the Owls
over the top against Villanova and CMU with two clutch kicks. Temple only
finished with 265 total yards in the contest, but that was just enough to keep
the Owls perfect on the year. Bernard Pierce rushed for 57 yards and scored
Temple's only touchdown, while Matt Brown added 48 yards on the ground.
Chester Stewart completed 16-of-22 passes, but for only 151 yards. Stewart did
not throw a touchdown or interception, but was sacked four times. The Owls
will host their third consecutive matchup to open the season when they tangle
with the Connecticut Huskies at Lincoln Financial Field.
TOLEDO: It was not pretty, but the Rockets earned their first victory on the
season when they defeated Ohio, 20-13, this past weekend. Toledo only posted
212 yards of offense in the win, but the team capitalized on four Ohio
miscues. Adonis Thomas led the way on the ground wit 53 yards, while Austin
Dantin threw for 102 yards and one score. Dantin, however, was intercepted
twice and sacked once. The Rockets will remain on the road this upcoming
weekend when they battle another MAC foe in Western Michigan.
WESTERN MICHIGAN: After falling hard to Michigan Sate in their opener, the
Broncos rebounded with an easy effort against Nicholls State. In the 49-14
victory the Broncos were led by quarterback Alex Carder, who threw for 298
yards and five touchdowns. Four different players hauled in touchdown passes,
but two Carder's five scores went to Jordan White, who tallied 130 yards on
six receptions. The Broncos will remain in Kalamazoo for their next matchup
when they open league play against the Toledo Rockets.