Last weekend’s Mid-American Conference slate followed a current trend in the college football landscape, in which offensive schemes are being catered to more explosive play calling, thus resulting in higher scoring.
The six teams that were victorious last weekend combined to score 278 points — an average of more than 46 points per game. Ohio coach Frank Solich said the increase in points is because offenses have developed an increasingly high grab bag of different plays.
“It used to be that you couldn’t score in the red zone through the air as easily as you could on the ground,” Solich said. “There is a lot of ways to attack, teams are working hard to try and figure out defensively how to slow some of this down.”
Miami 56, Akron 49
In the highest scoring affair of the weekend, Miami redshirt senior quarterback Zac Dysert generated 624 yards of total offense and six passing touchdowns. Dysert’s offensive showing set a new MAC record for total offense and a Miami record for touchdown passes in a game.
Dysert connected with sophomore running back Dawan Scott 11 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns.
“Zac continues to be the leader that he is,” said Miami coach Don Treadwell in a MAC media teleconference. “You have a young man who has been, in my opinion, challenged from a schematics standpoint and philosophically, because I am his third head coach in five years and we are the third offensive system in five years. He is just beginning to sink his teeth into what he is being asked to do.”
Kent State 45, Ball State 43
Ball State junior quarterback Keith Wenning threw five touchdown passes in a losing effort Saturday against Kent State.
The Golden Flashes stayed in front for the majority of the game, leading 42-29 with less than 10 minutes to play in the game. Wenning orchestrated two touchdown drives in less than a minute to seize control of the game at 43-42.
With six seconds left in the game, Kent State senior kicker Freddy Cortez made the game-winning field goal to hand Ball State its second loss of the season.
“This was one of our most disappointing performances,” said Ball State coach Pete Lembo. “Usually Monday morning, I have moved on to the next opponent, but I am sick to my stomach about some of mistakes we made in the game.”
nr225008@ohiou.edu
