Shakeups in the schedule are forcing Mid-American Conference teams to make adjustments and are revealing top contenders for the MAC title.
Miami 41, Buffalo 13
Fans in Oxford might have thought they were watching an offensive skills competition rather than a football game for the first quarter of the RedHawks’ game against the Bulls.
Miami quarterback Zac Dysert connected with Dawan Scott for a 71-yard pass to open the scoring. In response, the Bulls’ Chazz Anderson threw to Alex Neutz for a 60-yard touchdown. To regain the lead, Miami put together a 74-yard touchdown drive. Buffalo answered for the last time with an impressive 85-yard scoring drive of their own but missed the extra point.
As the first half drew to a close, Miami had pulled ahead with a comfortable 28-13 lead.
The RedHawks coasted through the second half with two more touchdowns and went on to win 41-13.
“(The Bulls) make you earn everything … I think we were fortunate to come out with a win,” Miami coach Don Treadwell said.
The RedHawks look ahead to Thursday night, when they host the Akron Zips. Akron, who is still looking for its first conference win, could spoil Miami’s hopes of surpassing Ohio or Temple in the MAC East.
Kent State 27, Bowling Green 15
First-year coach Darrell Hazell recorded his first MAC victory as the Golden Flashes snapped a three-game losing streak and earned back-to-back victories against the Falcons for the first time since the 1972 and 1973 seasons.
“For the first time all year, we played all three phases the way we’re capable of playing,” Hazell said.
Kent State and Bowling Green each made a field goal in the first quarter, and the Golden Flashes added a touchdown later in the frame.
Bowling Green had an opportunity to bring the game to within a field goal in the fourth quarter, but the two-point conversion failed.
Roosevelt Nix put the exclamation point on Kent State’s first conference victory when he returned a fumble for a touchdown in the final minute of play. That marked the fourth turnover of the day for the Falcons.
Tonight’s Game: Northern Illinois vs. Toledo
The Huskies throttled the Rockets 65-30 in last year’s game, though the Rockets will be seeking more than revenge tonight in the Glass Bowl.
Only one win separates the teams in the MAC West standings. Toledo comes into the game undefeated in conference play, while the Huskies have lost once versus MAC opponents.
If Northern Illinois wins, it will take a share of the division lead and earn the tiebreak over Toledo.
The Rockets’ key to victory will be containing Huskie quarterback Chandler Harnish, who has dominated opponents through the air and on the ground. Through nine weeks of football, Harnish has combined for 20 touchdowns.
“We have to control what we can control,” Toledo coach Tim Beckman said.
Despite his quarterback’s success through the air, Huskies’ coach Dave Doeren said the key for his team will be establishing a ground attack. Northern Illinois and Toledo rank second in the MAC in rushing offense and rushing defense, respectively.
mm938910@ohiou.edu
