Close games between Mid-American Conference rivals highlighted week eight of the college football season.
Toledo 28,
Bowling Green 21
The Rockets did not have a long drive home after defeating their MAC rival Falcons, but they did have to find room on the bus for the Battle of I-75 Trophy.
The Falcons led 7-0 heading into halftime but could not hold off the Rockets’ second- half surge. In the second half alone, Toledo rushed for four touchdowns. Running back Morgan Williams led the ground attack with 136 yards and three touchdowns.
With 1:20 left in the game, Bowling Green trailed by fourteen points. Jerry “Booboo” Gates returned Toledo’s post-score kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown and quickly cut the deficit in half, but the Falcons’ onside kick attempt flew out of bounds.
Next weekend, Toledo will try to remain undefeated in MAC play against the defending MAC champions, the Miami RedHawks.
Bowling Green faces a tough challenge against defensive juggernaut Temple.
Eastern Michigan 35, Central Michigan 28
Leading 28-13 with 5:39 remaining in the game seemed to be a safe lead for coach Ron English and the Eagles. It wasn’t.
“We’re still figuring out how to stay mentally focused and execute for four quarters,” English said.
Rival Central Michigan erased the 15-point differential during their next two drives and put pressure on the Eagles. With nearly a minute left on the clock, the Eagles plowed their way to the Chippewas’ 30-yard line. Quarterback Alex Gillett capped the drive with an impressive 30-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles the 35-28 lead.
Working with only 37 seconds, the Chippewas brought the ball to Eastern Michigan’s 28-yard line but fell just short of the tying touchdown.
Miami 9, Kent State 3
Darrell Hazell could not have scripted a better start for his team. On only the second play of the game, Kent State recovered a fumble. Within minutes, the team scored.
But fortunately for Miami, the Golden Flashes’ strong start did not prove to be the theme of the game.
It was a rough first half for both teams, as neither scored after the initial field goal, though Miami had the most trouble. When the RedHawks jogged into the locker room at halftime, they had accumulated only 56 total yards.
“I think we realized where we were at in terms of what we needed to do,” Miami coach Don Treadwell said about his team’s position at halftime.
Defense continued to be the story of the game in the second half until Zac Dysert connected with Chris Givens for a late third-quarter touchdown to give Miami the lead 7-3.
Kent State enters a bye week still searching for its first MAC victory. Coach Hazell, citing his team’s recent play, said he hopes the bye week can clear his players’ heads and hopefully help his struggling team find its love for the game again.
mm938910@ohiou.edu
