Kent State kept their top spot in the Mid-American Conference East with a win last weekend against cross-town rival and defending MAC champions, Akron.
The Golden Flashes (3-2, 3-0 MAC) defeated the Zips (2-3, 0-2 MAC) 37-15 for the first time since 2003 and hoisted the Wagon Wheel over their heads.
Quarterback Julian Edelman completed 17 of 21 passes, including two touchdowns of 15 and 55 yards to Brian Bell and Najah Pruden, respectively. Edelman also ran in for a 4-yard touchdown and totaled 305 passing yards on the day without any interceptions.
Kent State had a total of 156 yards on the ground while holding Akron to just 73. The Golden Flashes defense sacked Akron quarterback Luke Getsy four times.
We got a pretty good front four and we think we can get pressure on the passer without having to blitz and that definitely helps
said Kent State coach Doug Martin, who credited a significant part of his team's success to the defense. A lot of teams you see just zone blitz or they just play man coverage and we do both.
The Golden Flashes came back from an early Akron 7-2 lead in the second quarter with 28 unanswered points.
Edelman led the rushing effort for Kent State with 69 yards in 24 carries. Pruden was the top receiver with four catches for 156 yards.
However, despite their early season success, Martin said the Golden Flashes are not letting the hype get to them.
We have a lot of things to play for and we are the last people that should be overconfident he said
Run, Garrett, Run
Garrett Wolfe was a big factor in Northern Illinois' victory over Ball State this weekend.
Wolfe ran for 353 yards and three touchdowns to help the Huskies to a 40-28 win against the Cardinals. He also secured his place in the Huskies record books by becoming the school's career touchdown leader.
The game's scoring started with a 51-yard touchdown by Wolfe. He scored his second in the third quarter, a 48-yard run, which broke the Northern Illinois' record. His last touchdown came in the fourth quarter after a 53-yard run.
Wolfe remained first in the NCAA in rushing through five games with 1,181 yards and broke his own single-game rushing mark.
MAC leads Div I-A in graduation success rates
MAC football programs are producing the most graduates of any public institutions in Division I-A, according to data compiled this week from the MAC Web site, www.mac-sports.com.
Eight of the 12 MAC schools have a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 70 percent or better and all 12 schools have a GSR of 50 percent or more. The ACC and Big East were the only other conferences with all member schools at 50 percent or more.
The eight institutions with a GSR of 70 percent or more were Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Kent State, Miami, Ohio and Western Michigan.
The data included 99 other schools and no other Div I-A conference had even half of their football student-athletes graduating at a rate of 70 percent or more.
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Michelle Munoz
