MAC Football Scoreboard Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012
Ohio 24, Penn State 14 Final
Illinois 24, Western Michigan 7 Final
Ohio State 56, Miami 10 Final
Georgia 45, Buffalo 23 Final
Florida 27, Bowling Green 14 Final
Iowa 18, Northern Illinois 17 Final
Arizona 24, Toledo 17 OT Final
Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
Ohio 24, Penn State 14 Final Stats
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Ohio Football opened its 2012 season at Penn State on Saturday afternoon in front of a national television audience, defeating the Nittany Lions by a final score of 24-14. The Bobcats trailed 14-3 at the half but scored the final 21 points of the game to earn the victory.
Tyler Tettleton led the way for the Green and White through the air, completing 31 of 41 pass attempts for 324 yards and two touchdowns. The junior quarterback also gained 48 yards on the ground from nine rushing attempts. Beau Blankenship (Norman, Okla.) was a driving force in the win, rushing 31 times for 111 yards. The junior running back also caught seven passes, gaining 72 yards.
Tettleton completed at least one pass to ten different receivers in the game. Blankenship's marks were the highest on the team while Donte Foster (5 catches, 32 yards) and Ryan Clark (4 catches, 54 yards) were not far behind.
Penn State drove down the field well in its first possession of the game, running 11 plays and gaining 67 yards. This drive came to a grinding halt when Gerald Moore (Mitchellville, Md.) delivered a crunching tackle on ballcarrier Bill Belton, forcing him to fumble. Ohio linebacker Keith Moore (Grove City, Ohio) was on the ball immediately, recovering it at the Ohio 21-yard line.
Beau Blankenship earned Ohio's first first down of the day, scrambling ten yards up the middle of the field right around the six-minute mark of the first quarter. This was the first play of a solid seven-play, 38-yard drive which stalled just outside of field goal range for the Bobcats.
The Nittany Lions took a 7-0 lead with three seconds left in the first quarter, scoring when quarterback Matt McGloin passed to Bill Belton for a six-yard score. Penn State's first scoring drive of the afternoon spanned ten plays, 80 yards and 3:17.
Ohio collected a muffed fair catch to begin a drive in Nittany Lion territory 3:17 into the second quarter. The Bobcats ran three plays, and though kept out of the end zone, were able to put three points on the board when Matt Weller nailed a 22-yard field goal to make it 7-3. Near the end of the first half, Ohio put together a strong 10-play, 59-yard drive to get within scoring range. On the drive, Tettleton (Norman, Okla.) looked sharp, completing 3-of-4 passes for 40 yards through the air. Matt Weller (Twinsburg, Ohio) lined up a 44-yard field goal to try and put the `Cats within one point but his attempt sailed wide left.
Penn State took advantage of a big special-teams play near the end of the first half, as Grant Venham (Belpre, Ohio) had his punt blocked and recovered at Ohio's 18. The Nittany Lions made short work of this drive, finding the end zone in three plays when McGloin connected with Matt Lehman for a 14-yard touchdown strike. The ensuing PAT made the score 14-3 in favor of Penn State.
Ohio scored its first touchdown of the season at the 10:40 mark of the third quarter, scoring when Landon Smith (Girard, Ohio) caught a deflected pass from Tettleton in the middle of the field. The wideout effectively used his downfield blockers the rest of the way, scampering across the goal line to shrink Ohio's deficit from 14-3 to 14-10 following the successful PAT.
The Bobcats then took their first lead of the season with 3:49 to play in the third quarter, capping an eight-play 70-yard drive with a one-yard QB `keeper by Tettleton to cross the goal line.
Tettleton and his offense engineered one of the best drives in program history in the fourth quarter, getting possession of the ball at their own seven-yard line with 9:37 to play in the game. The Green and White marched down the field, gaining 88 yards on 13 plays before Tettleton found wide receiver Donte Foster (Guthrie, Okla.) in the back corner of the end zone for a five-yard touchdown strike. This gave the `Cats a 24-14 lead with 2:55 to play in the contest.
The Bobcats will next be in action on Saturday, Sept. 8 against New Mexico State. The game will serve as Ohio Football's 2012 home opener and will begin from Peden Stadium at 7 p.m.
Illinois 24, Western Michigan 7 Final Stats
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Western Michigan's 24-7 loss at Illinois was not the way the Broncos looked to open the season but there were many positives to come out of Saturday's game played at Memorial Stadium in front of 43,441 fans.
Western Michigan's defense, outside of a missed assignment in the secondary on the game's opening score, played outstanding against its Big Ten offensive counterparts. Defensive coordinator Rich Nagy's defense held the Illini to 248 yards (115 rushing, 133 passing) of total offense. That is the fewest yards allowed since WMU allowed 241 to Nicholls State. The 'D' forced Illinois into seven three-and-out series, forcing them backward in total yards on the drive three times. Two of the three-and-out series came to the Illini because of a Bronco turnover.
In the second half alone, Western Michigan's defense, led by Johnnie Simon's career matching 18 tackles and Donald Celiscar's second career interception, forced four three-and-outs. Illinois had one drive that amassed more than six yards in the second half and that was its first, going 10 plays for 60 yards before Celiscar stepped up with what appeared to be a one-handed interception in the front corner of the end zone to keep Illinois off the board.
WMU's defense also received a boost from junior college transfer Terry Easmon who finished with 11 stops and 1.5 tackles for loss. Celiscar and Justin Currie each had seven stops.
The Broncos showed a spark with their fourth possession of the second half, going 48 yards in seven plays for their lone score of the day. Needing just 32 seconds near the end of the third quarter, Alex Carder found tight end Matt Cutler for nine yards before handing it off to Tevin Drake for 15 yards up the middle.
Drake finished with a team high 29 yards on eight carries. Carder, who had 124 of his 239 yards passing in the third quarter then found Justin Collins for the junior's first catch as a Bronco down to the Illini's eight yard-line (25-yard completion). He then hit Jaime Wilson on a quick slant who just was able to get the ball over the goal line for Carder's 59th career TD pass, and Wilson's first TD reception. The true freshman led all WMU receivers with eight grabs for 59 yards.
Unfortunately, that momentum was not enough to combat the errors made by the team in the opener. Three interceptions, one by Ashante Williams went the other way for a score put Illinois up 24-7 and sealed the game. WMU had issues with dropped passes and putting the ball on the ground (six fumbles, 1 lost) that stalled drives. Opportunities missed by WMU were capitalized on by Illinois.
The Illini's first score of the game, a 64-yard pass from Nathan Scheelhaase to running back Ryan Lankford, was a missed assignment in the defensive backfield by WMU. Illinois added on a 43-yard Nick Immekus field goal in the first quarter and a Scheelhaase four-yard scoring run to take a 17-0 lead into halftime. It was the first time WMU was held scoreless in the first half since Oct. 22, 2011 at Eastern Michigan.
Western Michigan opens its home season at the 21st Annual CommUniverCity Night on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m., against Eastern Illinois. The Broncos and Panthers have played each other only one other time in program history (1996). The game will air live on ESPN3 and you can listen on the Bronco Radio Network, beginning with the preview show one hour before kickoff.
Ohio State 56, Miami 10 Final Stats
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Miami University football team came out with several opportunities to score early in the first half, but dropped passes and a missed field goal gave The Ohio State University a chance to get comfortable.
The Buckeyes, who trailed 3-0 after the first quarter, settled in behind quarterback Braxton Miller en route to a 56-10 victory in coach Urban Meyer’s debut at Ohio Stadium in front of 105,039 fans.
RedHawks senior quarterback Zac Dysert, who completed 31 of 53 passes for 303 yards, put Miami in position to succeed in the early going. He completed a 42-yard pass to junior wide receiver Nick Harwell midway through the opening frame, setting up a 24-yard field-goal attempt, but freshman Kaleb Patterson sent the kick wide right.
Harwell finished with eight catches for 12 yards.
Dysert made another big play on Miami’s next offensive possession, completing a 58-yard pass to Dawon Scott, which placed the team at the OSU 10-yard line. But, three incompletions, including a third-down drop by Harwell in the left corner of the endzone, resulted in a 22-yard Patterson field goal with 1:23 left. The RedHawks held the lead until early in the second quarter when Ohio State’s Devin Smith made a one-handed 23-yard TD catch.
The Buckeyes followed up the score with two more in the half. Philly Brown hauled in a 5-yard pass with 11:03 remaining and Carlos Hyde made it 21-3 with a 4-yard TD run at the 5-minute mark.
The RedHawks made a key stop at the end of the half, stuffing Hyde at the 1-yard line as time ran out.
Miami favored the pass heavily throughout the game. The RedHawks threw 54 passes compared to 20 rushes. Justin Semmes ran the ball five times for 13 yards, while Robert Williams III added 10 yards on three carries. Freshman running back Jamire Westbrook had four catches out of the backfield for 19 yards and added seven yards on four carries.
On the first play of the second half, Miller broke loose for a 65-yard touchdown run to make it 28-3. Just more than two minutes later Bradley Roby recovered a botched snap on a punt attempt in the endzone to make it 35-3 with 12:41 left in the third quarter.
Miller completed 14 passes for 207 yards and rushed for 167 yards.
Miami scored its first points of the second half when Dysert hooked up with Harwell on a 44-yard TD pass with 10:24 left in the third quarter. The catch was Harwell’s 11th career grab of 40 yards or more.
Ohio State closed out the game with a Hyde rushing touchdown from eight yards out with 14:04 left in the fourth and a Zach Boren score from the 2-yard line with 9:33 to go.
The RedHawks tallied 312 yards of total offense, while the Buckeyes had 538. Andy Cruse finished with a career-high-tying eight catches for 48X yards, while Scott added five grabs for 87 yards.
On defense, a trio of RedHawks each had seven tackles.
Miami opens its 2012 home schedule next weekend when Southern Illinois visits Yager Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Georgia 45, Buffalo 23 Final Stats
ATHENS, GA – The University at Buffalo football team put up a valiant effort before falling to sixth-ranked Georgia, 45-23, in front of 92,446 at Sanford Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Bulls put up 347 yards of offense against one of the nation's top defenses and trailed by only eight at the half before losing to the Bulldogs.
"I'm not going to tolerate any loser talk," Quinn said. "We are a good football team and I think there were times today that you saw that. There were also times that showed we have some things to work on to get us ready to play in the Mid-American Conference."
Alex Zordich and Branden Oliver led the Bulls' offensive attack. The duo combined to rush for 194 yards and each scored a touchdown. Oliver gained 111 yards on 30 carries, while Zordich ran for a career-high 83 yards on 14 attempts.
Georgia took its opening possession and drove 53 yards for a touchdown. A confident Buffalo team responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive of its own and Zordich found Alex Neutz for a 16-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 7-6. However, Patrick Clarke failed to convert the extra point.
UB special team troubles continued on the next play as Georgia return man, Todd Gurley, took the kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to put the Bulldogs ahead, 14-6.
Georgia would score a field goal and a touchdown on two of its next three possessions to take a 24-6 lead and seemingly had control of the game. However, the Bulls weren't going to go away quietly.
On its next possession, UB got its run game going, ignited by a 36-yard run by Oliver. The junior running back also added a 17-yarder on the drive. A 19-yard completion from Zordich to Jimmy Gordon gave the Bulls first and goal at the 4-yard line. Oliver capped the Bulls' 94-yard scoring drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.
"Overall, offensively to come up with a 94-yard drive against one of the best defenses Georgia has seen in a while gives us a great deal of confidence that we can move the ball when we put our minds and our hearts to it," Quinn said.
The Bulls' defense stepped up on Georgia's next possession and forced a three-and-out. Colby Way recorded his second sack of the afternoon to force a Bulldog punt. Georgia-native Cordero Dixon returned the punt 33 yards to give UB the ball at the Bulldogs' 48-yard line. UB drove the ball down to the 1-yard line, but had to settle for a Clarke 18-yard field goal, but still trailed just 24-16 at halftime.
At the half, the Bulls had 243 yards of total offense compared to Georgia's 188.
The Bulldogs struck quickly in the second half and took just six plays to score a touchdown to take a 31-16 lead. Georgia began to move the ball better in the second half. A late third-quarter touchdown and 55-yard touchdown run by Gurley midway through the fourth put the Bulldogs ahead, 45-16.
Buffalo put together an impressive 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on its final possession of the game. Zordich connected with Gordon for 38 yards on the drive's first play to set the tone. Zordich capped the drive with his feet with a 2-yard touchdown plunge.
Defensively, the Bulls had more sacks (3) and tackles for loss (5) than the vaunted Georgia defense (2 and 4). Way led the UB effort with two sacks to go along with six tackles. Scott Pettigrew led all tacklers with nine.
The Bulls will return home and host Morgan State next Saturday at 6:00 pm.
Iowa 18, Northern Illinois 17 Final Stats
CHICAGO -- Iowa scored its only touchdown of the game on a 23-yard run by Damon Bullock with 2:15 to play, lifting the Hawkeyes to an 18-17 victory over Northern Illinois Saturday in front of a crowd of 52,117 at Soldier Field.
Northern Illinois used the running of first-time starting quarterback Jordan Lynch and a stifling defensive effort to build a 17-9 lead with 9:43 to play in the third quarter. Lynch (Chicago, Ill./Mt. Carmel) finished with 119 yards on 18 carries, and the NIU defense came up with six sacks for 57 yards, but the Huskies fell just short of extending its nine-game win streak.
"I'm proud of our team and how hard they played," said NIU Head Coach Dave Doeren. "I'm disappointed for our guys. They played well today in a lot of facets. Iowa has a good defense; they played better than we did in the second half. Jordan didn't flinch. There are a ton of plays he's going to be mad about. We had a lot invested in this game and the loss is tough. They played hard, they played really hard."
Lynch went 6-of-16 through the air for 54 yards, connecting with senior wide receiver Martel Moore (San Antonio, Texas/Earl Warren) three times for 39 yards. Junior defensive end Joe Windsor (Kearney, Mo./Kearney) collected two of NIU's six sacks for 19 yards.
The Huskie defense held Iowa to 268 yards; a year ago, NIU only held one opponent to 268 yards of total offense or less (vs. Kent State, Oct. 8, 2011).
"We're going to go back and look at the tape, and figure out a way to make one more play," said NIU defensive end Sean Progar. "If we make one more play today, we win this game."
Trailing by five, 17-12, Iowa pinned the Huskies back on their own 1-yard line on a John Wienke punt. On the ensuing possession, the Huskies failed to gain any yardage, forcing redshirt senior Ryan Neir (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah) to punt the ball back to Iowa from the back of his own end zone.
Neir's punt was returned by Micah Hyde 11 yards to the NIU 24 with 3:41 remaining.
After picking up just one yard on the first two plays of the drive, Damon Bullock found a hole off left-tackle and raced to the end zone to give the Hawkeyes their only lead of the game.
Bullock finished the contest with a game-high 150 yards on 30 carries. His 23-yard touchdown run was his longest of the afternoon.
Iowa opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 34-yard field goal from Mike Meyer on the opening drive of the game. The Hawkeye drive covered 14 plays and 58 yards before stalling in Huskie territory, something that would become a theme throughout the contest.
The Huskies drove into Hawkeye territory and were knocking on the door of the end zone as the first quarter came to a close. On the final play of the quarter, Lynch picked up seven yards on third-and-four, giving the Huskies a first-and-goal at the Iowa seven.
With his first collegiate carry on the first play of the second quarter, freshman running back Keith Harris Jr. (Chicago, Ill./Leo) cut to his left and just got into the end zone for the score as NIU took a 7-3 lead.
Iowa trimmed the NIU lead to one, 7-6, on a 29-yard field goal by Meyer with 4:23 to play in the second quarter as the Hawkeyes drove to the NIU 11-yard line but had to settle for three points.
Meyer finished the day four-of-five on field goal attempts.
The Huskies responded with a field goal of their own on the following drive as junior Mathew Sims (Hannibal, Mo./Hannibal) split the uprights from 28 yards to give NIU a 10-6 lead heading into the intermission.
The Hawkeyes forced the first, and only, turnover of the contest on the opening drive of the second half as Lynch fumbled and Carl Davis recovered for Iowa on the NIU 14.
Iowa had first-and-goal from the Huskie three but was again turned back by the NIU defense, forcing a 22-yard Meyer field goal to trim the Northern Illinois advantage to 10-9.
Lynch and the Huskies answered right away. After a pair of runs combined to pick up two yards, Lynch went 73 yards up the middle for a score, giving the Huskies a 17-9 lead. The redshirt junior slipped through one arm-tackle in the Iowa secondary and then ran away from the Hawkeyes to give NIU an eight-point advantage, a lead they would take into the fourth quarter.
On its first drive of the fourth quarter, Iowa again found itself in Huskie territory, reaching the 26-yard line before redshirt junior Sean Evans (Ft. Walton Beach, Fla./Ft. Walton Beach) came up with a sack to push the Hawkeyes back 10 yards and help stall the Iowa drive. Meyer came on again and connected from 50 yards, his longest field goal of the day, cutting the Hawkeye deficit to 17-12.
The ensuing Huskie drive ended with a punt and Iowa drove back to the NIU 42-yard line before Wienke's punt was downed at the NIU 1-yard line, setting up the game's final moments.
Northern Illinois will return to action at Huskie Stadium next Saturday, Sept. 8, when the Huskies host Tennessee-Martin at 6 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN3.
Florida 27, Bowling Green 14 Final Stats
Gainesville, Fla. - The Bowling Green State University football team went toe-to-toe with No. 23 Florida Saturday, but the Gators controlled the fourth quarter for a 27-14 victory at Ben Griffin Stadium. The game was televised to a national audience on ESPN.
Bowling Green, in fact, led through one quarter. John Pettigrew's one-yard plunge gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead but Florida answered back with two touchdowns to take a 14-7 lead at the half.
After Bowling Green stopped Florida on its opening possession of the second half, the Falcons went 55 yards on eight plays to tie the score. Anthon Samuel scored on a 12-yard scamper that made it 14-14. Florida added a 34-yard field goal to take a 17-14 lead into the fourth.
Facing a third and seven at midfield, the Gators got a 50-yard touchdown pass to go ahead 24-14 in the opening moments of the fourth quarter. Florida tacked on a field goal for the 27-14 win.
Florida moves to 1-0 on the season as Bowling Green falls to 0-1. The Falcons will play their home opener Saturday against Idaho at 7 p.m.
Arizona 24, Toledo 17 OT Final Stats
TUCSON, AZ - Arizona escaped with a 24-17 overtime victory over Toledo on Saturday night in the season opener to the 2012 campaign for both schools.
Toledo elected to play defense after winning the coin toss at the end of regulation The Wildcats found the end zone on their first possession on Terrence Miller's 10-yard touchdown reception, but the Rockets couldn't convert on their scoring opportunity. Arizona appeared to be on the verge of winning in regulation but missed a 25-yard field goal with no time left on the clock.
Toledo once again employed the two-quarterback system, with senior Austin Dantin starting and playing the first two series, junior Terrance Owens taking over until midway through the third quarter, then Dantin returning for the remainder of the game. Dantin was 10-of-25 for 63 yards, while Owens was 11-of-22 for 134 yards and one TD. Junior David Fluellen led the Rockets with 72 yards rushing and one score, while junior Bernard Reedy paced the receivers with a career-high nine catches.
Arizona got on the scoreboard first when John Bonano capped a 12-play drive with a 26-yard field goal on the Wildcats' first possession. Toledo failed to counter on its next possession when Jeremiah Detmer's 48-yarder went right.
Toledo got the first break of the game when wide receiver Richard Morrison fumbled following a catch inside the UT 10-yard line that was recovered by Dan Molls on the six. The Rockets took advantage of the turnover, driving 94 yards behind the arm of Owens. On the 10th play of the drive, Owens hit freshman Alonzo Russell down the sideline for 59 yards, the first TD of Russell's career.
Arizona countered with a diving catch by Austin Hill for a 30-yard TD to put the Wildcats up, 10-7, with 12:04 to play in the first half.
A short while later, junior running back David Fluellen capped a 10-play drive with a one-yard run to give the Rockets a 14-10 lead that they took into the locker room.
Arizona struck first in the second half on a 73-yard bolt up the middle by Ka'Deem Carey, giving the Wildcats a 17-14 edge. Toledo tied the score at 17-17 early in the fourth quarter on a 40-yard field goal by Detmer.
The Rockets will head back west next week when they face the Wyoming Cowboys in Laramie. Kick-off time is set for 4:00 p.m. ET.