Dominance seemed to be the theme for Mid-American Conference (MAC) football this week; whether that meant coming out winners or losers, teams seemed to do it big this week.
Larger Power Five conference schools were paying many teams to come to play them, helping those larger teams come out with a better record and giving both exposure and money to those smaller schools; however, this does not always go as planned. The MAC has been proving that this season.
Toledo dominates Mississippi State
In a game where Toledo was paid $1.2 million, most everyone would assume they had no chance of winning. The Rockets proved this to be highly incorrect in what has been described as a “humbling and humiliating defeat” for the football team from Mississippi State.
At the half, the Rockets were up 28-3 against the Bulldogs. A key player for the Rockets was their quarterback, Tucker Gleason. Gleason completed 23 of 28 passes for 285. He threw three touchdowns and had zero interceptions on the night. In the second quarter alone, the Rockets scored 21 points, holding the Bulldogs to 3.
The second half was better than the first for Mississippi State. Quarterback Blake Shapen threw for two touchdowns. They scored 14 points in the second half; however, against Toledo’s incredibly impressive second quarter, as well as their additional 13 points scored in the second half, the Bulldogs’ efforts were not enough.
Toledo proved that payout games do not have their ending already written, much like Northern Illinois showed college football fans last week. These teams are helping bring more viewers into the MAC and proving that this year will shape up to be a good one to watch within the MAC.
Ball State Shut Out by Miami
Several games in Florida were delayed last night, including Ball State taking on Miami down in Florida. After waiting two hours due to the weather, the Cardinals and the Hurricanes finally played one another. Unfortunately for Ball State fans, this game turned out to be the most dominant victory in the history of Miami’s program.
From beginning to end, the Hurricanes dominated this game. In the first quarter, they put up 10 points. The second quarter put Miami up to 3 sacks in the first half. At the end of the first half, Elijah Alston gets an interception. Within 20 seconds, the Canes have scored and put themselves up 31-0. The third quarter comes with field goals and runs, putting them up 41-0 going into the last quarter. The final quarter is just as electric as the previous three. Ajay Allen has a 56-yard run for a touchdown. This run is a small indicator of the Canes’ running game, which was a large factor in their dominance.
The final score came out to be Miami 62, Ball State 0. While the Canes found a way to shut out the Cardinals, there were some highlights for the Cardinals. One of these was in the second quarter when Ball State’s defense was able to stop the run and some balls by Miami QB Cam Ward. This will be something for Ball State to focus on going into MAC play in their game against Central Michigan on Sept. 21.
Tennessee Dominates in Game Against Kent State
Tennessee shut out the Golden Flashes of Kent State on Saturday at Rocky Top. The Volunteers put up 71 points, 65 of which were scored in the first half, not allowing Kent State on the board. One standout player for Tennessee was running back Dylan Sampson.
The junior from Baton Rouge rushed for 101 yards and four touchdowns within the first half of the game. Samuelson has rushed for over 100 yards in the past four games he has appeared in.
“You can only control what you’ve got in the moment. That’s the way you find out who you are,” Sampson said. “The (running back) position is all about grit.” Sampson had some help from fellow running back Desean Bishop.
Bishop, a freshman out of Knoxville, rushed for 120 yards and had two touchdowns within the first half. This put the Volunteers up 65-0 at the half, the most ever scored in one half in the history of Tennessee football.
Kent State fell short this week, and they look on to another tough week ahead, facing the Nittany Lions of Penn State this weekend.
Central Michigan Falls to Illinois Following a Record-setting Field Goal
Central Michigan fell 30-9 against Illinois Saturday in Urbana-Champaign. This loss puts the Chippewas at a 1-2 record. CMU was outgained 379-309 in total yards and 242-167 in passing yards. They led the Illini in rushing yards, 142-137.
Illini kicker Ethan Moczulski hit a 59-yard field goal in the second quarter. This accomplishment earned him the longest field goal in the history of Illinois Football, beating out the previous record of 57 yards. It also put Illinois up 13-6 against CMU going into the half. They were able to hold onto this lead and come out on top. This win put Illinois at a 3-0 record.
Cincinnati tops Miami (OH) in the Battle for the Victory Bell.
The Victory Bell was returned to the Cincinnati Bearcats’ possession Saturday after the Bearcats won 27-16 versus their victory bell rivals, Miami University (OH). Last year was the first year since 2006 that Miami won claim over the victory bell; however, they fell short trying to replicate their victory in this year’s game. This puts Miami’s record at 0-2 for the season so far.
While the RedHawks beat out the Bearcats 356-186 in passing yards, they were significantly topped in rushing yards, putting up only 24 yards to Cincinnati’s 215. Miami had a 30-yard field goal hit from Dom Dzioban to tie the game in the first minute of the second quarter; however, they were once again topped by Cincinnati in what seems to be the biggest story to come out of this rivalry game.
Nathan Hawks came through twice for the Bearcats on Saturday. The first time came with 3:27 seconds left in the first quarter when he nailed a 55-yard field goal. This field goal tied him for the second-longest in Cincinnati history. This feat alone is impressive, but what makes it even more impressive is the fact that this was his first career FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) field goal attempt. Hawks then hit a 50-yard field goal with 59 seconds left in the game. This made Hawks UC Football’s first kicker to connect on multiple field goals 50 yards or longer in one game.
The Battle for the Victory Bell will come to an end in 2026, giving both teams only two more opportunities to claim the rivalry game. As it stands, Cincinnati holds a 61-60-7 record in this rivalry.
Best of the Rest: MAC Dominates
- Buffalo vs. UMass
Buffalo win, Final: 34-3
- Ohio vs. Morgan State
Ohio win, Final 21-6
- Akron vs. Colgate
Akron win, Final 31-20
- Western Michigan vs. Bethune-Cookman University
Western Michigan win, Final 59-31
- Eastern Michigan vs. Jacksonville State
Eastern Michigan win, Final 37-34
