In 90 years of playing football in Kent, the Golden Flashes were 0-22 against Top-25 teams. Rutgers came into the day ranked No. 15 in the BCS and No. 18 by the AP and with a sterling 7-0 record that had the Scarlet Knights dreaming of an Orange Bowl berth.

 

After forcing seven turnovers, including six interceptions of Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova, its Kent State that can now talk comfortably about its postseason hopes.

 

Last week the Flashes (7-1) were merely bowl eligible. Now they have a Top-25 win to add to their resume.

 

"That was a big win against a tough opponent," said Kent State head coach Darrell Hazell. "Our kids prepared like crazy this week. We made enough plays early to keep their team off balance. Rutgers kept fighting back, but our guys kept fighting them off. 

 

"One of the goals coming out of the locker room was we have to be plus-one in the turnover margin. I think we accomplished that."

 

How about plus-five on the day to get to plus-19 on the season? That by a team tied for third in turnover margin coming into the day.

 

Mark Fackler intercepted two passes of Nova's passes, including a one-handed snag he returned for a 25-yard score that ignited the Kent State sideline and confirmed the belief that an upset was possible. 

 

Leon Green, Sidney Saulter, Luke Batton and Luke Wollet also picked off Nova, who came into the day with just three interceptions in Rutgers' fist seven games. Nova threw for 313 yards on 25-for-46 passing, but had a difficult time reading Kent State's front seven as it dropped in coverage on fire-zone blitzes.

 

"Preparation had a lot to do with it," said Fackler, whose two interceptions on the day were also the first of his three-year career. "We watched a lot of film this week. We dropped some of our inside guys, and I just followed (Nova's) eyes.

 

Even with all of the turnovers, Nova kept threatening to bring the Scarlet Knights back, throwing a pair of touchdown passes during a 313-yard day.

 

Kent State had more than enough offense to maintain a two-possession lead throughout the second half, even after Rutgers stole momentum with a score that cut the Golden Flashes' lead to 21-10 four seconds before halftime.

 

Trayion Durham added a 3-yard touchdown run on a career-best, 131-yard rushing day against a Rutgers defense that was No. 3 in the nation against the run at the start of the day. All of those yards offset the first two fumbles of Durham's season.

 

The Scarlet Knights had not allowed a 100-yard rusher all season long. Add in 79 yards on 18 carries by Dri Archer, including a seven-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and Kent State totaled 224 rushing yards on 50 attempts.

 

Spencer Keith added touchdown passes of one yard to Zack Hitchens in the first quarter and 15 yard to Josh Boyle in the fourth to highlight an 14-for-21, 121-yard, interception-free day.

 

Just as important as the passing numbers was Keith's game management. The senior regularly switched into the perfect play at the line of scrimmage, countering the constant movement of Rutgers' defense.

 

"(Rutgers) had done a wonderful job prior to playing us, blitzing and getting team into second-and-14, second-and-15," said Hazell. "So, we had a blitz package … and we were able to hit some pretty good creases early. We were getting low on the play clock quite a few times, but I thought Spencer did a great job."

 

In beating Army, Western Michigan and now Rutgers, Hazell has three straight victories over former employers. He was an assistant coach at all three schools. Saturday was also the third time Kent State spoiled an opponent's Homecoming. Add in last week's win in Kent, "and we are 4-0 on Homecoming, so be careful," Hazell said, offering a warning to teams as they consider future scheduling.

 

The Flashes return home next week to host the University of Akron in the annual battle for the Wagon Wheel.

 

 

 

Sophomore halfback Jahwan Edwards rushed for 148 yards with one touchdown.  Edwards has now surpassed 100 yards rushing four times this season and it marked the sixth time in his career to accomplish that feat.

 

Junior quarterback Keith Wenning ended the day with 189 yards passing off of 27 attempts and 18 completions along with two touchdowns.

 

Senior kicker Steven Schott nailed a 37-yard field goal for his third field goal of the contest to make it a two-possession game at 30-20 with 4:52 to play.  The field goal marked Schott's 20th of the season and is good for second place in Ball State's single season record books. 

 

Senior middle linebacker Travis Freeman led the team with 13 tackles and also forced a key fumble.  Army was marching down the field late in the second quarter until Freeman forced the Black Knights to fumble on the BSU 28-yard line. Senior linebacker Kenneth Lee recovered the ball and Ball State took a 17-10 lead into the half.

 

The teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter and touchowns early in the fourth, including KeVonn Mabon's first career touchdown catch from Wenning. Schott's late field goal made it a two-possession game, and the Cardinals' took a safety on the final play of the game for the last two Army points.

 

Ball State took the lead early in Saturday's game and never gave it up.  The Cardinals scored touchdowns on their first two possessions with a Wenning scoring strike to junior receiver Jamill Smith on the opening possession and an Edwards' 2-yard TD run on the next. Edwards' score was his 20th rushing touchdown in 21 career games. He ranks ninth all-time in the Ball State record books.

 

Both Army touchdowns on the day came on the ground with one from Hayden Tippett in the first quarter and one from Malcolm Brown in the fourth. The Black Knights used their run-heavy offense to rush for 341 of their 379 total yards in the game.

 

Ball State has now defeated Army two years in a row, with the Cardinals winning last season's meeting by a 48-21 score in Muncie.

 

 

 

Northern Illinois won its eighth straight game with its only loss by one point to Iowa in the 2012 season opener. NIU is 8-1 overall, 5-0 in the Mid-American Conference. After playing three of its last four games on the road, the Huskies have won seven straight road games and 13 in a row versus league foes, a streak that leads the nation.

 

"I've never been around a team that plays as well as this on the road," said NIU Head Coach Dave Doeren. "We've won seven in a row on the road and that shows the mental toughness of this team, and the leadership of our seniors and juniors."

 

Lynch, who entered the game leading the country in yards of total offense, tallied 410 yards with 136 rushing and 274 passing yards versus the Broncos. He scored on runs of two and 20 yards in the third quarter when Northern Illinois turned a 21-17 halftime deficit into a 31-21 lead. Lynch went over the 100-yard mark in rushing yards for the eighth time on the season and for the seventh consecutive game. He has scored at least two rushing and two passing touchdowns in each of the Huskies' last three games and has accounted for 32 touchdowns on the season with 17 passing and 15 rushing scores.

 

"Jordan is playing at such a high level," Doeren said. "It's not just what he's doing on the ground, he's making the clutch throws too. You can see his toughness, and he doesn't turn the ball over. He needs to be mentioned among the top quarterbacks in the nation, that's for sure."

 

Lynch has not thrown an interception in five games and 146 pass attempts, since the fourth quarter of the Kansas game.

 

After NIU kicker Mathew Sims broke the Huskies' school record with a 54-yard field goal on the last play of the first half, Northern Illinois trailed the Broncos 21-17 at halftime.

 

The game turned the Huskies' way in the third quarter when the Northern Illinois defense forced Western Michigan into three-and-outs on its first two possessions. Lewis returned WMU punter J. Schroeder's punt 34 yards to the Broncos' 22. However, Lynch was stopped on fourth-and-one, giving the ball back to Western Michigan.

 

Defensive end Sean Progar recorded one of his three sacks on WMU quarterback Tyler Van Tubbergen and after a 20-yard Schroeder punt, NIU took over on the WMU 38. Lynch hit Martel Moore, who caught seven passes for 120 yards for his fourth 100-yard receiving game, for 12 yards and picked up 17 yards rushing to the two before taking it in himself and giving the Huskies a lead they would not relinquish.

 

NIU's Jamaal Bass intercepted Van Tubbergen to stop the Broncos' next drive. His 44-yard interception return put Northern Illinois in position at the WMU 20. Lynch scored on the next play and the Huskies led by 10 with 4:44 to play in the third.

 

After another stop by the Huskie defense, Lynch and NIU drove to the WMU three with the help of a 62-yard Lynch to Moore connection. From the three, Lynch hit Tommylee Lewis for the sophomore's second touchdown of the game and a 38-21 NIU lead with 13:46 to play.

 

Five minutes and a WMU punt - its sixth of the game - later, Northern Illinois extended the lead to 45-21 on Lynch's fourth touchdown pass as he connected with Brown from eight yards out.

 

"We played real well in the third quarter, especially on defense starting with two straight three-and-outs," Doeren said. "Tommylee Lewis was huge. We put him back there on punts for the first time and anytime he touches the ball, he's electric."

 

Van Tubbergen completed 11 of his first 12 passes and threw two touchdown passes to Eric Monette - of 27 and six yards - in the first quarter. Lynch tied the game with the first of two touchdown passes to Da'Ron Brown, a nine-yarder, set up by a 44-yard punt return by Tommylee Lewis.

 

Western Michigan took a 21-14 lead on Dareyon Chance's eight-yard run with 1:32 to play in the half on a drive extended by a Huskie personal foul.

 

Northern Illinois returns home, where the Huskies have a 19-game winning streak, to face MAC newcomer UMass next Saturday at Huskie Stadium. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. (Central).

 

 

On the opening drive of the game, the Falcons shot an opening salvo that set the tone for the rest of the game.  After five plays brought the ball to the BGSU 47 yard line, Matt Schilz threw a backwards pass to Jordan Hopgood.  Hopgood took a few steps forward, then launched a perfect throw to a wide-open Shaun Joplin.  Joplin raced untouched for a 53-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Bowling Green lead with 12:12 left in the first quarter.

 

After the teams traded punts, Eastern Michigan used a seven-play drive to secure their only points of the game, which came on a 42-yard Dylan Mulder field goal.  The kick closed the gap to 7-3 in favor of BGSU.

 

The Falcons took over with 5:11 left in the first quarter and responded with another touchdown drive.  BGSU traveled 84 yards over the span of eight plays, and the series was capped by a beautiful 27-yard run by Andre Givens.  Givens sprinted wide around the left side of the line and broke several tackles on his way to the end zone.  Stephen Stein kicked the extra point to give BGSU a 14-3 lead.

 

From that point, both defenses took over the game, as neither team posted a drive of longer than 41 yards until the fourth quarter.  However, opportunistic plays by BGSU's defense allowed the team to increase its lead.  The Falcons forced an interception and two fumbles during the first three quarters.  On the second fumble, caused after a sack by Gabe Martin, Chris Jones recovered and rumbled 23 yards for BGSU's final touchdown of the day.

 

With 8:31 left in the third quarter, Stein's extra point increased BGSU's lead to 18 points (21-3). 

 

Stein added a 38-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to cap a 10-play, 45-yard drive to provide the final 24-3 score.  After holding EMU to 11 net yards on six plays, the Falcons took over at their own seven yard line after a punt.  They held the ball for the remaining 9:10 by running off 11 plays (all rushes) that covered 58 yards.

 

Bowling Green has now recorded two consecutive games without allowing a touchdown.  In fact, the BGSU defense has not allowed an opponent to step foot in their end zone in nine quarters.  Since giving up 37 points at Virginia Tech, the Falcons have allowed a total of 33 points and only three touchdowns in five games.  BGSU has not given up so few points over a five-game stretch since allowing 23 points over the final five games of the 1981 season.

 

Martin and Jones led the way for the defense, as each provided 2.5 sacks for BGSU's total of five.  Martin added a forced fumble and interception, while Jones returned Martin's forced fumble for a touchdown.

 

The team gave up just 178 total yards on 51 plays, including only 64 yards on 27 rushes.  The Falcons held EMU quarterback Tyler Benz to 11-for-24 passing and 114 yards.

 

On offense, BGSU earned 356 yards on 62 plays.  The Falcons once again rushed for over 200 yards, using 41 carries to compile 225 yards.  The passing attack provided an additional 131 yards.

 

Schilz was 9-for-20 for 78 yards but efficiently led the Falcons and did not turn the ball over.  John Pettigrew carried 24 times for 136 yards.  Hopgood added 61 yards rushing in addition to his touchdown pass, and Givens finished with 29 yards rushing.  Alex Bayer led receivers with three catches for 29 yards, while Joplin added two catches and his touchdown.

 

Thanks to the victory, Bowling Green improves to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in Mid-American Conference play.  The team has now won five consecutive games and is one of six bowl eligible teams in the MAC.  They also move into second place in the MAC's Eastern Division after Ohio's loss to Miami.  Kent State currently leads the MAC East with a 4-0 conference record.

 

BGSU's next game takes place in 11 days when the Falcons travel to Athens, Ohio for a mid-week date with the Ohio Bobcats.  The game begins at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7th.  Following that, the Falcons have 10 days before they return home to face Kent State at noon on Saturday, Nov. 17th.

 

 

Fluellen, who grew up in nearby Lockport, NY, gained 178 yards in the second half to rally the Rockets back from a 14-7 halftime deficit to win their eighth consecutive game. He scored on runs of eight yards and one yard in the second half. His second TD was set up by runs of 17, 49 and 19 yards that accounted for all 86 yards of the four-play drive.

 

Buffalo pulled to within five points, 25-20, on the second play of the fourth quarter but failed to move the ball on its final three possesions. Toledo reserve defensive end Kolby Kratch recovered a UB fumble with 1:30 left to seal the win.

 

Toledo's defense was led once again by senior LB Dan Molls. the nation's leading tackler had a game-high 14 tackles to go with a first-half interception for a touchdown.

 

Toledo moves to 8-1 (5-0 MAC) and will wait until tomorrow to see if it cracks the Top 25. The Rockets were 26th in the AP poll going into the game.

 

Defenses dominated the first half, with each scoring one touchdown on the defensive side of the ball. Buffalo's Cortney Lester picked off an Owens' pass midway through the first quarter and returned it 23 yards for the score to give Buffalo a 7-0 lead. Toledo tied the score a few minutes later when senior lineman Hank Keighley caused a fumble that was scooped up by Molls and taken in for a 13-yard score.

 

Buffalo went ahead 14-7 on a 42-yard pass from Alex Zordich to Devin Campbell with 7:06 to play. Toledo had a tough time getting any traction, gaining just 115 yards and going 1-of-8 on third-down conversations.

 

Toledo got it going in the third quarter, taking just 1:54 to score on its first drive of the half. Fluellen finished off a six-play, 73-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown run. Detmer's extra point was blocked, however, allowing Buffalo to hang on a 14-13 lead. Fluellen came right back on UT's next possession and put the Rockets ahead on carries of 17, 49, 19 and one yard, the last one for the score. Detemer's extra point was blocked again, putting Toledo up, 19-14.

 

Toledo extended the lead to 25-14 with 1:51 left in the third quarter on a seven-yard toss from Owens to freshman tight end Alex Zmolik, the first score of his career. For the third time in the half, Detmer's extra-point attempt was no good, this time wide left. 

 

Buffalo pulled to within five points, 25-20, on the second play of the fourth quarter on a eight-yard pass from Joe Licata to Alex Neutz. Buffalo's  attempt for a two-point conversion failed when Licata's pass fell incomplete.

 

Neither team seriously threatened to score the rest of the way as Toledo held on for its eighth straight win.

 

The Rockets will be off next Saturday but will return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 6 to face Ball State at the Glass Bowl.

 

The Chippewas (3-5, 1-3 MAC) outrushed the Zips (1-8, 0-5 MAC) 264-140, including Tipton’s 243 yards, whish is tied for the eighth-most in a single game in program history with Donnie Riley in 1988, also against Akron. The Chippewas have now defeated the Zips in their last six meetings dating back to 2005.

 

CMU’s defense also gave up a season-low 14 points, while making multiple crucial stops in redzone situations to force momentum-shifting turnovers on downs. The Chippewas capitalized three times off of Akron turnovers to score touchdowns. Sophomore Justin Cherocci tied a career-high with 15 tackles.

 

It took the Chippewas just two plays to light up the scoreboard as Tipton broke a tackle rushed a career-long 72 yards up the right sideline for his first of three touchdowns of the day, giving the Maroon and Gold a 7-0 lead just 50 seconds into the contest.

 

The Zips drove to the CMU nine-yard line on the next drive for first and goal, and was stopped at the one-yard line on third down. Akron elected to go for the touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the one, but senior Anthony Young broke up a pass in the endzone and an Akron pass interference call was declined, resulting in a turnover on downs.

 

CMU took over at the one and was forced to punt, setting up a short field for the Zips, who scored on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Dalton Williams to Dee Frieson to tie the game, 7-7, with 7:01 remaining in the quarter.

 

Beginning with the next drive the Chippewas proceeded to rattle off 21 consecutive unanswered points. Senior quarterback Ryan Radcliff went 4-6 on the drive, capped by a 27-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Titus Davis, giving CMU a 14-7 lead with 3:28 left in the period.

 

Davis recorded 112 yards and two touchdowns, tying a career-high in single-game scores. Radcliff finished the night 15-25 for 180 yards and two touchdown passes.

 

The Chippewas scored again on a turnover to begin the second half as senior safety Jahleel Addae intercepted a pass in his second consecutive game to give CMU possession at the Akron 37-yard line just 44 seconds into the half. Radcliff completed a pass to Davis for 29 yards to the Akron five, where Tipton rumbled into the endzone for a 21-7 lead.

 

After the CMU defense forced a three-and-out, Tipton rushed for gains of five and 14 to set up a 36-yard touchdown strike from Radcliff to Davis at the 10:51 mark, giving CMU a 28-7 advantage.

 

The Zips scored their first points of the second half on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Jerrod Dillard 30 seconds into the fourth quarter, pulling within 28-14.

 

Facing first-and-goal from the CMU six after a 36-yard pass from Williams to Dillard, the Chippewas’ defense forced a turnover on downs at the CMU four-yard line to keep the Zips from pulling within a touchdown with nine minutes remaining in the game.

 

The Chippewas proceeded to go on a 13-play, 96-yard drive over the course of the next 7:34, capped off by six-yard scoring run by Tipton for his third touchdown of the day, leaving just 1:26 remaining in the game.

 

The Chippewas finish their four-game homestand on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 1 p.m. against rival Western Michigan.

 

 

 

Sluggish most of the first half, the Commodores (4-4) broke open a seven-point game with two late first-half touchdowns in 55 seconds. They added four touchdowns in the third quarter to claim successive wins for the first time since starting 3-0 last year.

 

Along with an interception return for a score by Trey Wilson, Jonathan Krause returned a punt 40 yards to the end zone. It marked the first time a Vanderbilt punt return went the distance since 1999.

 

Massachusetts (0-8) remains winless in its first year in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

 

Vanderbilt running back Zac Stacy, the school's all-time rushing leader, exited five minutes into the game with an injury. He later returned to the sideline wearing a splint on his right ankle.