After the Miami (OH) RedHawks stunned Bowling Green 33-10 on Tuesday, the Mid-American Conference west crown was left wide open, while the eastern crown remains firmly in the hands of Miami. It was up to the rest of the conference to keep up with the RedHawks this weekend. Here's how they fared:
Kent State 37, Ohio 33
Kent State quarterback Josh Cribbs ran for four touchdowns, including a seven-yard quarterback sneak with one minute 29 seconds left in the game, to give Kent State a 37-33 victory over the Ohio Bobcats Saturday.
The touchdown, which gave the Golden Flashes their only lead of the game, was set up with just under two minutes to go, when Flashes' linebacker Eric Mahl forced and recovered a fumble at midfield by Ohio quarterback Ryan Hawk.
The touchdown capped a 17-point rally for the Flashes, as they rallied from scores of 27-10 and 20-3.
Cribbs ran for 79 yards and threw for 250, and went 20-for-36 passing. Darrell Dowery caught 7 passes for 100 yards for Kent St.
Brad Young led the way for the Bobcats as he rushed for 73-yards and a touchdown. Ray Huston chipped in with 65 yards rushing for Ohio.
W. Michigan 28, Ball St. 20
Jon Drach was 20-for-23 passing and threw for 250 yards and tied a career high with four touchdowns as Western Michigan beat Ball State 28-20.
Drach completed all of his last 13 passes, including touchdowns of 44 yards and 24 yards.
WMU's balanced attack of Drach and Phil Reed kept Ball State off balance.
"Western Michigan did a nice job running the ball and we did not do a very good job defending," Ball State head coach Brady Hoke said. "We did not play very well up front defensively. Western Michigan deserves all the credit, they did a lot of nice things today and they were very well prepared."
The win snapped WMU's four-game losing streak. The Broncos bettered their record to 3-3 in the MAC and 4-6 overall. Ball State (3-3, 4-6 MAC) has lost three of their last four games.
Talmadge Hill threw for 255 yards and added a rushing touchdown for Ball State.
Akron 40, Central Michigan 28
Akron quarterback Charlie Frye threw for 416 yards and two touchdowns as the Zips cruised to a 40-28 win over Central Michigan.
"He never ceases to amaze me; he is such a leader," said Akron head coach Lee Owens. "I don't know if there is a better quarterback in the country. If you look at his play week in and week out, he is one of the best."
Akron (6-5, 4-3 MAC) scored 27 unanswered points after trailing 21-3 in the second quarter to earn the win.
"It's kind of the way the season has gone," said CMU head coach Mike DeBord. "We've been in all of the MAC games but a play here or there has made a big difference."
Frye added 44 yards rushing, as he set a new stadium record with 460 yards of total offense.
E. Michigan 19, UCF 13
Anthony Sherrell ran for 155 yards and a touchdown on 43 carries to help Eastern Michigan earn their first conference win of the season, a 19-13 victory over the Central Florida Golden Knights.
"We have to run the ball to be successful," said WMU interim head coach Al Lavan, who took over for Jeff Woodruff Monday. "There are only two options, to run and to pass, and we are a much better running football team."
The Eagles took advantage of three UCF turnovers in the first half to take a 17-13 lead.
The Golden Knights (3-7, 2-4 MAC) fumbled twice and threw an interception deep in their own territory. The turnovers set up a 15-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Ken Bohnet to Alonzo Harris, a 39-yard Andrew Wellock field goal and a 16-yard run by Sherrell.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
