It’s only two weeks into the college football season, but the teams in the Mid-American Conference are showing early signs of how their years will play out.
Monday morning, all 13 MAC coaches phoned in for their weekly conference call, breaking down last weekend’s games while previewing the week ahead.
Standouts From Saturday
Central Michigan coach Dan Enos was impressed with redshirt freshman quarterback Cooper Rush, who started the season as the third string but was called up to take control of the Chippewa offense. Rush went 19 of 32 for 326 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-21 victory against New Hampshire.
The Chippewas will travel to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas this Saturday, with Rush as the starter.
The first MAC game on the schedule was played this past Saturday when host Kent State lost 41-22 against Bowling Green.
“Give them credit for coming in and getting the win,” said Golden Flashes coach Paul Haynes.
Bowling Green had five players record a touchdown, evenly distributing their offensive attack.
“Anytime you can find a win on the road in this league it’s a good thing,” Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson said. “Now the challenge is doing that every week.”
The Falcons’ quarterback Matt Johnson, a redshirt sophomore, finished 19-25 for 357 yards and two touchdowns, earning the MAC Offensive Player of the Week award.
Clawson also said that three of Johnson’s incompletions were dropped passes.
Week 3 Storylines
The first two weeks of the season sometimes place mismatched schools up with one another in nonconference play, as was evident in Ohio’s week one matchup with No. 7 Louisville.
Week three is no different, as multiple MAC schools visit some of the most difficult places to play in the country.
Kent State will go down to the Bayou and play No. 8 Louisiana State, while Akron will go north to the ‘Big House’ and take on No. 11 Michigan.
Buffalo, who has already played Ohio State and Baylor on the road, can take relief as the Bulls match up with FCS opponent Stony Brook for the Bulls’ first home game.
After Ohio beat North Texas, the Mean Green will get their second straight week of MAC opponents, hosting Ball State on Saturday.
The Cardinals’ coach Pete Lembo noted that it is hard to get explosive plays against North Texas and said that North Texas is a “hostile environment in a lot of heat.”
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