The first week of exclusively Mid-American Conference (MAC) matchups produced close calls and dominant wins within the conference.
One theme throughout the games was teams getting off to slow starts and not being able to put up any points in the first quarter.
Of the 12 teams that played in games on Saturday, four were unable to put points on the board in the first quarter. Only one of those teams was then able to come back and win their game.
What’s holding these teams back within those first 15 minutes of gameplay?
Despite these scoreless starts, these in-conference games produced closer games. While some MAC teams seemed to struggle in their games on Saturday, other teams had close calls, with two-point differences in final scores.
One game that ended in a two-point difference was when Ball State beat Kent State by a final score of 37-35. The Cardinals barely squeaked by after KSU went on a scoring run in the final quarter, with 21 points for the Golden Flashes in the final 15 minutes alone.
Kent State had to put up an impressive final quarter to stand a chance after not scoring in the first quarter and only scoring a touchdown in the second and third.
Junior quarterback Tommy Ulatowski and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Chrishon McCray connected extremely well, with three of Kent State’s five touchdowns scored by the pair. The two most impressive came in the final quarter when they connected for a 63-yard pass with six minutes left in the game and then a 57-yard pass with 30 seconds of gameplay left.
Despite their efforts, the Golden Flashes still fell short to the Cardinals. Sophomore kicker Jackson Courville was a key player for Ball State, making 34, 35 and 38-yard field goals in the first, second and fourth quarters, respectively.
He was joined by senior running back Braedon Sloan in the scoring effort, with Sloan running for two touchdowns in the first half. This hot start the pair helped their team off to was ultimately what helped them pull out the win.
Another game that ended in a two-point difference was when Ohio beat Central Michigan 27-25.
Like Kent State, Central Michigan started their game slow and went on a scoring run in the final quarter, still falling short in the end. The Chips from CMU went the entire first half without scoring any points, putting them down 24-0 going into the half.
However, the second half was all CMU, with senior running back Marion Lukes running in for a touchdown and then completing the two-point conversion for the only points scored by either team in the third quarter. Lukes also dominated the final quarter, running in two more touchdowns.
With the help of his teammates, the Chips were able to score 17 points in the final quarter and held Ohio to a field goal.
Despite those efforts, the Bobcats still walked away with the win.
Graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro shined in the second quarter, running in and completing a pass for two touchdowns in the second quarter, with another being scored by freshman running back Duncan Brune.
Sophomore kicker Gianni Spetic also helped ensure the Bobcats win, starting and ending the game strong with a 35-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 46-yarder in the final quarter.
All those efforts ultimately put the Bobcats on top.
However, not all games ended with such close scores.
Miami (OH) dominated Eastern Michigan by a final score of 38-14.
The game started even, with both teams scoring a touchdown in the first quarter, but the RedHawks took off in the second quarter, scoring 14 points to the Eagle’s zero.
Junior wide receiver Reggie Virgil and sixth-year quarterback Brett Gabbert started the game with an impressive 75-yard pass to score the game’s opening touchdown. The two connected again in the second quarter, helping create the lead for Miami.
The RedHawks were also able to hold EMU to only two touchdowns.
Senior quarterback Cole Snyder was able to run a yard in for a touchdown in the first quarter for the Eagles, and then in the third quarter, senior running back Delbert Mimms III was also able to run a yard for a touchdown. With those being Eastern Michigan’s only points of the game, Miami walked away with a relatively dominant win.
Another dominant win came when Buffalo beat Toledo 30-15.
It was another slow start for the losing team, but Toledo never got the score close enough to see a chance of winning.
The Rockets went scoreless the entire first half. Their first touchdown came in the third quarter when senior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton caught a 26-yard pass from sophomore quarterback John Alan Richter. The pair connected again in the fourth, with a successful two-point conversion following the score. These were Toledo’s only two scores in the game, while Buffalo had more success.
Senior quarterback C.J. Ogbonna ran in two touchdowns for the Bulls and threw for a third. With the help of his teammates, Buffalo was able to put up 30 points despite a scoreless second quarter.
This win moves Buffalo to a 3-0 winning streak at home for the first time since the 2020 season and only the third time in Bulls football history.
The only team to go scoreless in the first quarter and end up with the win was Western Michigan when they played Akron on Saturday.
The Broncos made up for their slow start when they put up 24 points in the second quarter alone.
With a mix of efforts solidified by redshirt senior kicker Luca Zurak’s fair kicks, the Broncos also held their opponents to a single touchdown within that quarter.
Zurak finished off the game strong, kicking a 20-yard field goal in the final quarter to give the Broncos their final score of 34.
The Zips started off strong, scoring ten points in the first quarter while not allowing Western any, but they lost their momentum and fizzled out, unable to score in the final quarter. Akron redshirt junior quarterback Tahj Bullock ran in a touchdown in the first and second quarters.
Redshirt junior running back Jordon Simmons was also able to run in the other touchdown for the Zips, but these efforts still fell short at the end after Western’s impressive second quarter.
Bowling Green also lost 10 points when they played Northern Illinois at home on Saturday.
