There’s one more week of non-conference play before “MACtion” begins.
This last week of non-conference play seems to be quieter than previous weeks. With no teams ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll on the schedule, many Mid-American Conference (MAC) teams get the luxury of playing at home this week.
Some teams find themselves on the road, whether they are playing an out-of-conference team or traveling to another MAC school.
The last week before conference play will set the stage for the “MACtion” to begin.
Bulls take on (UConn) Huskies after beating (NIU) Huskies.
Buffalo travels up to Storrs, Connecticut, to take on the UConn Huskies. The Bulls of Buffalo are coming off beating previously ranked Northern Illinois University last week.
While the game against the Huskies of NIU was close, going into overtime, the UConn Huskies dominantly won their game against Florida Atlantic University last week, beating their opponents 48-14.
Nick Evers was a key player for the Huskies in their dominant win over FAU. Evers, a redshirt sophomore quarterback, had 78 yards rushing on 18 carries and two touchdowns. The quarterback also completed 9-of-14 for 88 yards and one touchdown. Evers led his team to a 17-0 lead at the half.
Senior quarterback Joe Fagnano came out in the fourth quarter to throw a 33-yard touchdown to redshirt sophomore Shamar Poter. The veteran quarterback gave the Huskies their final score of 48 to their opponent’s 14 for the night. Overall, UConn’s offense seems to be much stronger than their defense.
On the flip side, Buffalo’s defense shined in their game against NIU last week. Linebacker Shaun Dolac led the charge, ending the game with 19 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and an interception. He was able to keep his team in the game in the first half, as the Bulls did not score a point in the first quarter and went without a touchdown until the second half.
When the Bull’s offense found its footing early in the third quarter, it came with C.J. Ogbonna passing to Victor Snow, who had an incredible catch from between two defenders.
Upton Bellenfant came through for the Bulls several times, hitting a 42-yard field goal as well as a game-winning 37-yard field goal. Bellanfant seemed unphased, a steady player for Buffalo to rely on.
With a strong offense, UConn can put up high scoring games. To do so this week, they will have to go through Buffalo’s impressive defense. The Bulls play their last non-conference game before MAC plays Saturday at noon.
Will another ACC school fall to NIU?
Northern Illinois will head to Raleigh, North Carolina, Saturday to take on North Carolina State at noon. NIU found themselves off the AP Top 25 Poll this week after their loss to Buffalo. Previously, the Huskies of NIU were ranked as high as 23. The Wolfpack from NC State is also coming off a loss, falling to #17 Clemson 59-35 last week.
NC State relied on young talent in true freshman quarterback CJ Bailey last week. Bailey’s first half was rocky, throwing an interception that put his team down 17-6. The young quarterback seemed to find his footing in the second half, throwing 12-17 for 144 yards and even running in a touchdown himself.
In the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack of NC State had three touchdowns. It was an impressive showing, but not enough against Clemson’s offense.
Northern Illinois has had an up-and-down season. They made headlines earlier in the season when they beat Notre Dame on the road, even earning a top 25 ranking. Last week, however, they fell to in-conference opponent Buffalo.
The Huskies can rely on senior running back Antario Brown, who surpassed the 3,000-yard mark in career all-purpose yards last week, despite his team’s loss against Buffalo. Brown was also the first NIU running back in 18 seasons to record a 100-yard receiving game after his stellar performance at Notre Dame.
NIU’s defense was also quite successful last week despite the ending score, holding Buffalo to 184 yards of total offense. Junior defensive end Neveah Sanders led NIU’s defense with three sacks. Sanders is the first NIU player since Sutton Smith in 2018 to record three sacks in one game. If true freshman quarterback CJ Bailey is in for the Wolfpack, it could mean trouble up against a player like Sanders.
Will a young offensive leader slow the Wolfpack down? NIU sure hopes so. The Huskies hope to back up their impressive game earlier this season to set them up to go into MAC play.
EMU’s scrappy offense heads to Kent for Homecoming
Eastern Michigan will play Kent State in Kent, Ohio, Saturday at 3:30 pm. The Eagles of Eastern Michigan have had a rather successful season so far, only losing to Washington in their second game of the season and most recently beating St. Francis PA at home 36-0. Kent State has not been so successful as the Golden Flashes are yet to win a game.
EMU was able to score touchdowns in several different ways last week. David Carter Jr. grabbed a fumble and ran it back 99 yards to score in the first quarter. Joey Mattord blocked a punt, and Kendrick Nowling jumped on the ball within the end zone late in the third quarter for a touchdown score by special teams. Delbert Mimms III was able to get in the endzone for a rushing score from the 1-yard line. Jeremiah Salem threw an 89-yard pass to connect with Zyell Griffin to score a touchdown as well, a school record. All of these tactics were helpful in the Eagle’s dominant win and will likely be used on Saturday.
For Kent State, they have not found much success this year. Coming off of two ranked opponents and getting shut out both times, the Golden Flashes will have to find some grit on their home turf. Wide receiver Luke Floriea is ranked fourth in the country in punt return average. Rocco Nicholl has been very consistent for Kent State so far this season, coming off a game where he had 14 tackles.
He is now ranked 22nd in the nation with nine stops per game. Kent State will have to rely on these two talented players to find a way to lead their team.
With it being homecoming for Kent State, they hope to flip the script on their season. Eastern has looked strong this season and hopes to keep the momentum going. Both teams hope to enter their bye-weeks on a high note.
Bobcats hosts homecoming against the Zips.
The Akron Zips head down to Athens, Ohio, to take on the Bobcats of Ohio University also at 3:30 pm on Saturday. Akron has one win for the season against Colgate, with the rest of their season being challenging games, two against Big Ten members and another against an SEC opponent.
Ohio is 2-2 for the season, most recently coming off of a loss against Kentucky. Both teams hope to come out on top on Saturday, ensuring that they enter MAC play with a clean slate.
While Akron fell to South Carolina 50-7 last week, their defensive efforts were present. The Zips have recorded 60 or more tackles in the past three straight games.
Against South Carolina, they had 75. Antavious Fish and Bryan McCoy led the defensive effort with 8 tackles each. Justin Anderson and Darrian Lewis followed closely with six tackles each.
This defensive unit seems to be on an upward trend. If they continue to improve their numbers, they could become a key component to the Zips’ game as they look to their game against the Bobcats this weekend.
Ohio was a similar story last week, also falling to an SEC opponent. In their game against Kentucky, running back Rickey Hunt Jr. scored the only touchdown of the day for the Bobcats. The redshirt freshman also had 22 carries on 21 rushing yards for the day. On the defense side, Dustin Johnson led Ohio with 11 total tackles, seven being solo.
Shay Taylor followed closely with nine tackles. They were backed up by Marcel Walker-Burgess and Blake Leake, who each had seven tackles for the day. Their defense seems to line up well with the defensive unit from Akron.
Two strong defenses will find themselves matched up on Saturday in Athens. Ohio is celebrating its homecoming, hoping to accompany the celebration with a win. Akron hopes to end their losing streak and begin MAC play with a win.
Best of the Rest: Other games for Mac fans to watch
Ball State travels to Harrisonburg, Virginia, to take on James Madison University of the Sun Belt Conference on Saturday at 1:30 pm. Bowling Green will also play a member of the Sun Belt Conference when they host Old Dominion University on Saturday at 5 p.m..
At 3:30 pm, Central Michigan will host the San Diego State University of the Mountain West Conference. Also at 3:30, Western Michigan travels to former MAC conference participant Marshall University, now a Conference USA member.
Future MAC member UMass, who will join the MAC in the 2025-26 school year, will travel to Oxford, Ohio, to compete against the RedHawks of Miami (OH). That game will also take place at 3:30 pm.
