The Mid-American Conference had a rough week in football action, as eight of nine teams lost games to non-conference opponents.
MAC teams went 0-4 against the Big Ten last weekend, with Temple coming the closest to pulling off an upset before losing 14-10 to Penn State.
Temple head coach Steve Addazio respected Penn State’s shutdown defense, saying it was “probably one of the best defenses in the country and definitely in the Big Ten.”
Late in the game, Addazio decided to risk throwing the ball on the Nittany Lions’ secondary. Penn State read the play and made a game-changing interception.
Later, Addazio said he regretted his decision and should have played it safe with a running play.
Miami traveled to Minnesota to face the Golden Gophers in another Big Ten-MAC showdown. The RedHawks could not stop Marqueis Gray, who played “lights out” in the opinion of Miami coach Don Treadwell. Gray passed for 163 yards and rushed for 171 more. Miami quarterback Zac Dysert recorded 325 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois lost in lopsided games against Michigan and Wisconsin, respectively.
Fans at Scheumann Stadium watched the Ball State Cardinals slowly fritter away a 14-point lead. With 6:28 remaining in the game, Buffalo quarterback Chazz Anderson powered through the Cardinal defensive line for the go-ahead touchdown. With enough time to respond, Ball State drove 75 yards down the field and eventually scored with 29 seconds on the clock.
Cardinal coach Pete Lembo cited the balance of the pass and run game as the reason for his team’s 28-25 victory over the Bulls.
In Ohio, the Bowling Green Falcons lost a nail biter to the Wyoming Cowboys, 28-27. The Falcons could not contain the Cowboys’ pressure on an extra point attempt with three seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson was less upset with his team’s inability to close out the game than its number of turnovers.
“If you turn the ball over six times, you don’t even deserve to be in the game,” he said.
No. 4 Boise State traveled to Toledo for an unusual Friday night game. The Rockets scored first but could not keep up with Broncos’ quarterback Kellen Moore, who completed 32 of 42 passes for 455 yards and five touchdowns. Boise State smacked the Rockets, 40-15.
Toledo has committed 23 penalties in its past two games, a statistic head coach Tim Beckman has not overlooked. He said additional morning practice runs will help eliminate the problem.
The Western Michigan Broncos beat rival Central Michigan, 44-14. Broncos’ coach Bill Cubit was ecstatic to break his team’s five-year losing streak to the Chippewas.
Wide receiver Jordan White led the Broncos with 13 receptions, 177 yards and two touchdowns.
mm938910@ohiou.edu
