Nine games this week will include Mid-American Conference (MAC) teams. While some have moved to conference games, others have Power 5 teams to get through first.
From the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to the Big Ten, schedules are loaded with teams ranked on the AP Top 25 list, including one inside the MAC.
Ohio at Kentucky: Tough cats defense on both sides of the field
Ohio will take on Kentucky down in Lexington as the first MAC team to play on Saturday.
The Wildcats of Kentucky are fresh off a loss in a big game versus Georgia, the top-ranked team in the country. This one-point loss came after Kentucky led Georgia for the first three quarters of the game.
The week prior, South Carolina beat Kentucky 31-6 in Kentucky’s home stadium.
On the other hand, Ohio has had a successful past two weeks, beating Morgan State last week and South Alabama the week before that. The Bobcats of Ohio did fall short in their season opener on the road at Syracuse.
In the Bobcats’ most recent win, their defense did not allow Morgan State a single touchdown.
Ohio’s defense had a stellar performance last week against Morgan State. They held the Bears to only three yards per play, allowing them two field goals in the first half.
Blake Leake led the defense in tackles, recording seven in the first half alone. Leake ended the night with twelve total tackles, the most of the Bobcats that night.
Another Bobcat with a big game was defensive end Marcel Walker-Burgess, who recorded an interception in the second quarter. While he was only able to gain a yard, this play was part of Ohio’s impressive defensive feat of not allowing Morgan State a touchdown.
Although Kentucky was not able to keep Georgia from a touchdown, their defense against the top-ranked team in the country was still very successful. The Cats held Georgia to only 262 yards of total offense. Three Kentucky players put up six tackles: Zion Childress, Ty Bryant and D’Eryk Jackson.
Childress played a big role in this game, not only with his six tackles but also in the second quarter when he intercepted a Georgia pass and ran it 55 yards for a touchdown. Childress will likely have more to show in this week’s game.
Big defensive plays on both sides of the field will be something to look out for in this game. Ohio hopes to get their third win in a row to enter MAC play on a winning streak, while Kentucky looks to stop their losing streak. The Bobcats and the Wildcats will battle it out on Saturday at 12:45 p.m.
Akron at South Carolina: Will an injured QB slow down Gamecocks’ offense?
The second MAC team to take on an SEC team this Saturday is Akron, heading to Columbia, South Carolina, to take on the University of South Carolina.
Akron currently holds a 1-2 record for this season. The Zips opened their season with a big loss to Ohio State, the third-ranked team in the country. Last week, Akron beat Colgate in the Zips’ home opener, 31-20.
Akron’s Ben Finley had a breakout game, recording three career highs in this game: passing yards (358), touchdowns thrown (4) and longest pass (56 yards).
The quarterback from Phoenix led the offensive side of the ball, while Darrian Lewis led the defense. The cornerback recorded 12 tackles and had one interception. Akron’s team looks to be improving offensively and defensively every week.
South Carolina is fresh off a highly contested loss to LSU. The game between the Gamecocks and Tigers drew a lot of attention as the host for ESPN’s College Gameday show for week three.
The three-point loss to LSU is made even more painful by the fact that at one point in the game, the Gamecocks were up 17-0. Even in the last two minutes of gameplay, South Carolina led.
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers ran in two touchdowns, one of which was the longest ran by any South Carolina quarterback, 75 yards. Sellers was injured right before halftime, and although he came back in for a short time in the third quarter, he spent the rest of the game on the sidelines. When asked this week if Sellers will be playing against Akron, USC coach Shane Beamer said, “LaNorris assured me he is good and ready to roll.”
Will Seller’s injury hold up? Will Akron continue in its upward progression both offensively and defensively? Saturday’s game will tell.
Bowling Green at Texas A&M
The Falcon football team will head down to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies for the final MAC and SEC game of the day.
Texas A&M is currently ranked #25 in the Associated Press (AP) Poll. This will be the second ranked team BG will face this season, their first being Penn State two weeks ago.
The Falcons held on against Penn State, even leading at the half. Will the same be true this week?
Harold Fannin Jr is a key player to look out for on Bowling Green’s offense.
The tight end from Canton, Ohio, currently ranks among all tight ends in the nation in receiving yards (204), yards after catch (131), first down receptions (13) and missed tackles forced (8). He also ranks second in the nation for receptions (17) and is the only tight end in the top 10.
Texas A&M is coming off an SEC win on the road against Florida. Quarterback Marcel Reed led the Aggie’s offense to 488 total yards and threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Reed worked closely with wide receiver Cyrus Allen, who caught three passes for 81 yards total.
Also impressive was the Aggie’s defense, who had three interceptions and held the Gators to only 52 rushing yards on 25 attempts and 249 passing yards.
Mike Elko, the head coach for Texas A&M, spent five years at Bowling Green as a defensive coordinator. He recognizes the potential of the Falcons and has reported that the Aggies are preparing for a tough game. In their three meetings, Bowling Green won twice. This game could tie their record, but if it goes in the favor of the Falcons, it would be a big win.
Kent State at Penn State: Can Kent State defense show up earlier?
Penn State will take on their second MAC school of the season when Kent State travels to University Park to take on the Nittany Lions at 3:30 pm. The last game Penn State played against a MAC team had them trailing at the half, Bowling Green leading them 24-20. Ultimately, Penn State was able to come out on top, but will this week look different?
Kent State is currently 0-3 on the season, most recently being dominated by Tennessee, 71-0. If there were a high point for the Golden Flashes in that game, it would be their defensive adjustments. In the second half, Kent State’s defense did not allow a Tennessee touchdown.
Rocco Nicholl had ten tackles, leading the team, while Khalib Johns followed closely with eight. The Kent State defense will need to find their footing earlier to stop Penn State’s offense on Saturday.
Penn State’s offense will be their main strength against Kent State. Tight end Tyler Warren had an exceptional game against Bowling Green with eight receptions, a new career-high. Warren also set a Penn State tight end record with 146 receiving yards. This puts the senior from Mechanicsville, Virginia, at third in the country among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) tight ends for receiving yards per game (88), as well as second in the country for yards per reception (16) for tight ends with 11 receptions. With this being the last game before conference play, it will be a great opportunity for Warren to put up more stats.
Kent State will need to be able to make more stops earlier in the game to find success this week. Penn State will have an offensive advantage with a record-setting tight end in Warren. Both teams will play their final non-conference game Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Miami at Notre Dame: Will the Irish fall to another MAC school?
Two weeks ago, Notre Dame faced a MAC school and lost. Northern Illinois University beat the Fighting Irish 16-14, earning them a spot in the AP Top 25 Poll.
This week, Miami University (OH), the reigning MAC champions, hopes to do the same thing. They will travel down to face off against the Irish on Saturday at 3:30.
Miami lost to their rivals in the Battle of the Victory Bell last week, falling to Cincinnati 27-16.
Despite this loss, quarterback Brett Gabbert had a great game, with 339 passing yards. This was Gabbert’s sixth 300-yard passing game of his career and the highest yardage total for him through the air since November 2021.
Cade McDonald also had a good game, with a career-high 135 receiving yards on eight catches. McDonald also had a 51-yard and 43-yard reception, the two longest catches of his career.
Notre Dame is fresh off a dominant on-the-road win versus Purdue. The 66-7 win last week is the second win of the season for the Irish, putting their record at 2-1.
Defensive coordinator Al Golden is working to make sure the team is ready for another MAC team, recognizing the talented Miami offense. Notre Dame has a group of talented but young linebackers. Golden hopes this game will be an opportunity to give this group a chance at playing and getting reps.
One young player Golden is referring to is Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, a true freshman from Inland Empire, California.
“The one thing that stands out in practice with KVA [Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa] is he uses every rep. He maximizes every single rep with every fabric to get better,” Golden said.
This young defensive star will be one to look out for on Saturday.
Miami topped the MAC last year. Two weeks ago, Notre Dame fell to a MAC school. More attention will be on this game with the evident target on the Irish coming from the MAC and their fans. Can another MAC school cause an Irish upset?
Ball State vs Central Michigan
Ball State and Central Michigan will kick off conference play for the MAC in Mount Pleasant on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Both teams are coming off a loss to top-25 teams.
Ball State was down in sunny Florida last week, taking on Miami, sitting at eight in the AP Top 25 poll.
This game left Ball State without a single point. While the Cardinals’ offense was unsuccessful, they have the potential to put up a good game. Quarterback Kadin Semonza is a redshirt freshman with real potential. Semonza had a breakout game two weeks ago and could use this game to get used to the MAC play and find his rhythm without having to face one of the top teams in the country.
Other key offensive players are wide receivers Ty Robinson and Justin Bowick. Both players were out in the last game against the Hurricanes, and it is reported that Robinson will sit this game out as well, dealing with an abdominal injury. Bowick has not said whether he will play in the game Saturday, but if he does, he will add much-needed experience and value to Ball State’s offense.
Central Michigan lost to Illinois last week, and while it was a 30-9 loss, their performance improved immensely from their previous 52-16 loss to Florida International University.
Some notable players for the Chippewas came from their kickers. Placekicker Tristan Mattson went three for three on his field goal attempts. These three field goals were from 32, 29, and 25 yards. This was Mattson’s first time making more than one field goal in a game since being on CMU’s team.
Punter David Chapeau averaged 49.5 yards over four punts. His longest was 56 yards, his longest as a Central Michigan punter. These two kickers could come in handy when needed on Saturday.
The first MAC play of the season could shape up to be a competitive one. Ball State looks to have a healthy offense, while Central finds strength in their kickers. Whichever team can find the defense to back their team up will likely come out on top.
Northern Illinois vs Buffalo
The other MAC game that is happening on Saturday will come at 3:30 p.m. in DeKalb, Illinois, when Buffalo travels to take on Northern Illinois. NIU has found itself ranked twenty-third in the nation after taking down Notre Dame on the road two weeks ago. This massive win for the Huskies will give them momentum and confidence going into this conference game.
Buffalo played future member of the MAC UMass last week, beating them 34-3, which will also give them momentum and confidence going into this week.
NIU has been making headlines across college football the past few weeks. Their win over Notre Dame shocked the country.
Many are still talking about it, but the Huskies know they had to refocus after their historic win.
“Everyone in our organization moved on last week. It’s great for the university, great for the athletic department and great for the football program. But we have a job to do to make sure we can play our best football on Saturday,” head coach Thomas Hammock said.
One key to making this happen is Huskies quarterback Ethan Hampton. Hampton is currently the number one ranked FBS quarterback in passing efficiency with 235.86, connecting on 71.8% of his pass attempts. So far, he has thrown 526 yards and six touchdowns.
Helping him out is running back Antario Brown. Brown was a dual-sport athlete in high school, running track and playing football, and that shows in his play. His size and athleticism allow him to catch the ball with ease out of the backfield.
This offense is accompanied by a group of large defensive tackles, which explains the Huskie’s success so far this season.
Buffalo recognizes the impressive feats of the NIU team, with head coach Pete Lembo admitting that he voted for them in the most recent AP poll. The Bulls have had some impressive plays themselves over the past few games that, if replicated, could contribute to success.
In last week’s game versus UMass, cornerback Marquis Cooper returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown. Plays like this will be what the Bulls need to put up a fight against the Huskies this weekend.
The Huskies look to stay undefeated, while the Bulls hope to go for a two-game winning streak. The Bulls will need something special to stop the momentum the Huskies have produced thus far.
Best of the Rest
Eastern Michigan will host Saint Francis (Pa.) of the Northeast Conference at 2 p.m. in Ypsilanti on Saturday.
Toledo heads down to Bowling Green, Kentucky, to take on Western Kentucky, a member of the Conference USA. That game will take place Saturday at 7 p.m.
