Previous Evening MAC Review: Kent Buy Me Love

Way too much MAC sports was happening in Northeast Ohio on Saturday. Kent State had both football and basketball goodness happening simultaneously. But let's start with football.

Army 45, Kent State 28 — How generous of the Flashes to be the team that made Army bowl eligible. They were also generous with four turnovers, which led to the demise of Spencer Keith in lieu of a Giorgio Morgan-Sal Battles combo action under center for the rest of the game. Ooh, a THREE-quarterback system. Can it work? We also saw the triumphant return of sixth-year senior running back Eugene Jarvis from injury, and he was able to score a touchdown. But KSU's defense appeared to be in a tizzy trying to stop Trent Steelman both in performance and name. Western Michigan awaits next week. Hey, speaking of!

Western Michigan 45, Eastern Michigan 30 — Defenses were spectators in this game, as a combined 1,009 yards were accumulated. But this victory ensures that WMU is not the worst team in Michigan, although for a while it was a little up in the air. EMU kept battling back and eventually tied the game up 24-24, but then the gas tank began to empty. Earners include the usual WMU suspects: Alex Carder (4 touchdowns, 4 incompletions), Jordan White, Juan Nunez, and an actual no-foolin' running game, courtesy of Brian Fields. For EMU it was Alex Gillett with a freakton of touches (24 passes, 22 carries). Just a thought here: maybe the Eagles need more than just one guy on offense. Like we said, WMU has Kent State next week, and Eastern travels to Buffalo in a competition called "Who Needs A Win In The Worst Way?"

And now for basketball.

Central Michigan 70, Cal State Fullerton 67 — Needs to be mentioned, even though it was over 24 hours ago. But it was in Hawai'i, a fictional island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, so it's finally time to acknowledge it. And it's too bad it happened in a remote tropical location, because it was the best game of the day. Jalin Thomas led the Chips with 21 points, but it was his buzzer-beating 3-point shot which won the game. The shot was assisted by that guy you've heard of named Trey Zeigler, who finished with 11 points of his own, along with eight rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. Snazzy start to his college career. And great resilience by CMU to win this after being down double digits in the first half. Central Michigan's next game is actually Montana State, which has already completed. Look, this Hawaii time zone is just mayhem on us. We can't fight it.

OHIO 88, Delaware 69 — A close, rusty Bobcats team played the first half, then was subbed out in lieu of clones who had 80 percent more razzle and 37 percent more dazzle. D.J. Cooper burst out of the gate with 25 points, seven assists and three steals, whereas Reggie Keely had a career-best 19 points, rounded out by 11 rebounds. Actual hens are not blue. OHIO's next game: Tomorrow vs. Oakland

Buffalo 88, Navy 46 — Yeesh, it must be hard to shoot a basketball in a submarine. That, or the triple-option doesn't translate well to the hardwood. After UB nearly tripled up their opponent at halftime (42-16), they kept pouring it on. Zach Filzen wins the Most Points award (not an actual award) with 18, and Byron Mulkey was the mulkiest man with 16 points, 10 assists, and seven steals. Javon McCrea sneaked in a double-double as well with 14/10 in just 13 minutes, not to mention four blocks and three steals. Navy shot 26.3% from the field, which meant Buffalo racked up 53 rebounds. Buffalo's next game: Tuesday 11/16 at Youngstown State

Kent State 90, Bryant 49 — OHIO fans remember their former coach Tim O'Shea all too well, and not always fondly. His creation project with Bryant is still a ways away, as you can tell. Six Flashes had at least nine points, especially Carlton Guyton, who had 19. Michael Porrini did a bit o' everything, with 10 points, 10 boards, and 7 assists. Kent State's next game: Today vs. Cleveland State