Tue Sep 2 13:11:25 2008

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Mid-American Conference News and Notes

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - AKRON: The Zips had no answer for Wisconsin in their season opener, falling to the 13th-ranked Badgers, 38-17. Akron's front seven was pounded for 404 rushing yards, and out of the 27 first downs allowed by the Zips, 22 came via the run. Not much went right on the offensive side of the ball either for Akron, as the team finished with only 297 total yards. The ground game was practically non-existent as the Zips gained just 70 yards on 22 carries. Dennis Kennedy led the way with 35 yards on eight attempts, but no other player had more than 20 yards on the ground. The only bright spot in the setback was the play of quarterback Chris Jacquemain. The junior completed 22- of-36 passes for 227 yards and two scores in the contest. Next on the schedule for Akron will be a road matchup against Syracuse, followed by the team's first conference game against Ball State.

BALL STATE: The Cardinals soared in their season opener, using a 24-point second quarter to upend the Northeastern Huskies, 48-14. The Cardinals put forth a balanced attack, rushing for 190 yards while throwing for another 297. Ball State was extremely efficient, and out of the 26 first downs collected by the offense, 12 came on the ground and another 12 came through the air. Coach Brady Hoke's squad was a perfect 5-for-5 in the red zone and committed just four penalties. Quarterback Nate Davis was the star of the show, completing an outstanding 21-of-24 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns. Davis' success coincided with the play of Dante Love, who finished with nine catches for 171 yards and one touchdown. Not to be overlooked was the effectiveness of the BSU ground attack, as the Cards rumbled for 190 yards and three scores. MiQuale Lewis was the main option for BSU, racking up 95 yards and one TD on just 11 totes. The Cardinals host Navy next before opening conference action on the road against Akron.

BOWLING GREEN: The Falcons flew into the Keystone State and left with a shocking 27-17 victory over 25th-ranked Pittsburgh. The Falcons were not very impressive offensively, but the team used four Panther turnovers to earn the hard-fought win. BGSU finished with just 254 total yards, and racked up a mere 15 first downs. Tyler Sheehan was rather inconsistent, as the signal caller completed just 24-of-40 passes for 163 yards, tossing a touchdown along with an interception. The multi-talented Freddie Barnes did a little of everything in the win, throwing a touchdown, while catching three passes for 21 yards, and rushing for 14 yards on five carries. The ground game was also ineffective, as the team mustered just 64 yards on 28 totes. Chris Bullock led the team with 44 yards on seven carries, while Anthony Turner and Sheehan both scored rushing TDs in the win. The Falcons host the Minnesota Golden Gophers this week before traveling to Idaho to take on Boise State.

BUFFALO: The Bulls stampeded the UTEP Miners in their season opener, 42-17. Buffalo finished with 221 passing yards in the contest, and added another 263 yards on the ground. Drew Willy was highly efficient under center, completing 10-of-16 passes, with four of those completions going for touchdowns. Naaman Roosevelt was the main target for Willy in the win, as the wideout grabbed four balls for 154 yards and two scores. The Bulls used a two-headed attack out of the backfield, as James Starks and Brandon Thermilus both eclipsed the 100-yard mark. Starks racked up 179 yards on 31 carries in the victory, while Thermilus pounded UTEP for 102 yards and two touchdowns on 16 totes. Buffalo will now travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers, who are coming off a tough loss to Bowling Green.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Chippewas were able to corral their first season- opening victory since 2002 with a 31-12 decision against Eastern Illinois. CMU put forth a balanced offensive attack, rushing for 172 yards while throwing for another 217. The Chippewas racked up 26 first downs, converted 7- of-14 third down attempts and also scored on 4-of-5 red zone chances. Quarterback Dan LeFevour led the charge for CMU, completing 21-of-31 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Bryan Anderson was on the receiving end of one of those scoring strikes, and finished with nine receptions and 66 yards. The ground attack was equally effective, as Ontario Sneed rumbled for 88 yards and one touchdown on 13 totes. LeFevour also did some damage with his legs, rushing for 42 yards on 11 attempts. Unfortunately it will only get harder for CMU, as the team will head south to take on the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs this week.

EASTERN MICHIGAN: The Eagles soared in their season opener, as they hammered Indiana State in a 52-0 final. It was the first season-opening win for EMU since 2004 and the team's first shutout since blanking Akron, 45-0, during the 1997 campaign. The Eagles used a heavy dose of ground work in the victory, shredding the Sycamores for 413 rushing yards. Overall, EMU finished with 637 yards and racked up 30 first downs, 19 of which came via the run. Terrence Blevins had a field day against the front seven for ISU, rumbling for 176 yards and two scores on 21 totes. Starting QB Andy Schmitt also had a strong performance, throwing for 160 yards and one touchdown on 15-of-20 passing. The Eagles take on the Michigan State Spartans this week, and then open conference action with a home matchup against Toledo.

KENT STATE: The Golden Flashes were no match for Boston College last Thursday, as they were blanked by the Eagles in a 21-0 final. The Flashes were completely shut down offensively, racking up just 260 yards while recording a mere 12 first downs. The defense didn't fare much better, finishing with zero sacks or turnovers. Julian Edelman was extremely ineffective against BC, as the signal caller threw for just 123 yards while tossing two interceptions. Edelman also added 32 yards on the ground in the contest, but the rushing attack was led by Eugene Jarvis, however, Jarvis had little success, rumbling for just 51 yards on 11 carries. Kent State will now head to Iowa State to battle the Cyclones before returning home to host Delaware State.

MIAMI-OHIO: The RedHawks had no answers for a much tougher Vanderbilt squad, as they fell to the Commodores in their season opener, 34-13. The main issue for the RedHawks was their inability to stop the run, as Vandy pounded Miami's front seven for 269 yards. There was not much more to be excited about on the offensive side, as the club tallied 340 yards, but turned the ball over three times. The offense also allowed three sacks, and converted just 4-of-15 third down attempts. Daniel Raudabaugh threw for 244 yards and one TD, but the signal caller only completed 19-of-41 passes to go along with three INTs. The rushing attack for the RedHawks was not much better, as the team produced just 96 yards on 25 carries. Thomas Merriweather paced the squad with 59 yards on 10 totes, but 20 of those yards came on one run. The RedHawks will now fly to Ann Arbor to battle the Michigan Wolverines.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies opened their season in heartbreaking fashion, losing to Minnesota, 31-27. After fighting back to take a lead in the fourth quarter, the Golden Gophers pushed a one-yard touchdown across the goal line with just 22 seconds remaining in regulation. Despite the loss there were plenty of positive aspects for NIU to build upon. First and foremost was the play of redshirt freshman Chandler Harnish, who completed 17-of-29 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns. Harnish hooked up with Nathan Palmer for two late scores, and although the wideout only finished with three catches, he amassed 170 yards in the contest. Unfortunately the ground game was not as effective, as NIU only mustered 72 yards on 31 carries. Justin Anderson, who rushed for 1,248 yards a year ago, was bottled up by the Minnesota defense and finished with only 34 yards on 13 totes. This week the Huskies open league action as they travel to Kalamazoo to battle the Western Michigan Broncos.

OHIO: The Bobcats season kicked off on a down note, as they suffered a tough loss to Wyoming, 21-20. After leading for most of the contest, Ohio allowed a touchdown midway through the final frame and could not recover. Defensively the Bobcats were solid, limiting the Cowboys to just 271 total yards while forcing two turnovers. Unfortunately, the offense could not keep up its end of the bargain, as the Bobcats were held to just 287 total yards. It was evident that the Bobcats missed Kelvin McRae in the backfield, because without him they had little success on the ground. On 21 carries, the Bobcats finished with just 39 yards (1.9 ypc). Theo Scott provided the majority of the offense for Ohio, as the signal caller threw for 224 yards and one touchdown. The majority of his passes went to Taylor Price, who hauled in an amazing 14 balls for 139 yards. Unfortunately for this young Ohio squad it does not get any easier, as the Bobcats must now face the very tough Ohio State Buckeyes on the road.

TEMPLE: The Owls opened the season with a win for the first time since 2002, as they soared past Army in a 35-7 final. The win as a result of tremendous defense and strong special teams play. The Owls forced three turnovers, one of which resulted in a touchdown by Morkeith Brown. Jamal Schulters' 98-yard kick-off return to open the second half closed the book on any chance for Army to make the contest interesting. It was a solid win for Temple, but if the team plans on winning many more contests the offense will have to perform at a higher level. Adam DiMichele threw for 159 yards in the win, and also tossed two touchdowns, one of which went to Bruce Francis who finished with five receptions for 45 yards. Where the Owls struggled was on the ground, as the team was stymied for just 84 yards on 30 totes. Marquise Liverpool led the attack with 54 yards, but only averaged 3.4 ypc. Next on the schedule for Temple will be a home matchup against Connecticut, which will be followed by the team's first conference matchup against Buffalo.

TOLEDO: The Rockets did not play this past week, but the squad will open its 2008 campaign with a tough matchup on the road against Arizona. Toledo is coming off back-to-back losing campaigns for the first time since the 1977-78 seasons.

WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos were no match for the Cornhuskers of Nebraska, and that was evident after just the first half as WMU went into the break down 34-10. The Broncos were slightly better in the second half, but eventually fell, 47-24. The production from the offense was completely one-dimensional as the team finished with 350 yards, however, only eight of those yards came via the run. The main source of success was in the passing attack, as Tim Hiller threw for 342 yards and two scores. However, he was picked off once and was also sacked four times. Hiller's main option down field was Branden Ledbetter, who grabbed nine passes for 123 yards. Next up for the Broncos is their league opener at home against Northern Illinois.