Hustle Belt - 2014 MAC Football News: Week 5MAC Football, MAC Basketball, MAC Recruiting, MAC Baseball and all of the other #MACtion hijinks in between - hustlebeltblog@gmail.comhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50387/hustle-fav.png2014-09-28T06:00:02-04:00http://www.hustlebelt.com/rss/stream/65968962014-09-28T06:00:02-04:002014-09-28T06:00:02-04:00Defense Barely Holds On For Falcons to Escape.
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<p>Despite the awful numbers again, the Falcon defense forces four turnovers and makes a play at the end to preserve Babers' first MAC win.</p> <p>The beleaguered Bowling Green Falcon defense allowed another record setting performance by an opponent but came up with a big play at the end to seal a hard fought victory over the University of <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/umass-minutemen" class="sbn-auto-link">Massachusetts Minutemen</a>, 47-42.</p>
<p>The Mid-<span class="sbn-auto-link">American</span> Conference opener for both teams went down to the wire in Amherst, Massachusetts. With just two minutes left and clinging to a four point lead, the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/bowling-green-falcons" class="sbn-auto-link">Falcons</a> defense forced a fumble and returned it to the UMass 22-yard line. The Minutemen did not have any timeouts left so the Falcons were able to run the clock out and preserve the first MAC win for head coach Dino Babers.</p>
<p>Falcon quarterback <span>James Knapke</span> threw for 443 yards, the fourth most for a quarterback in a single game in school history. The Falcons also rushed for 225 yards in the game, lead by Travis Greene's 110 yards on 20 carries. The Falcons offense ran 108 plays in the game and amassed 30 first downs and 668 yards of total offense.</p>
<p>The trouble for Bowling Green was that they needed all that yardage and every point they scored because the Minutemen were hanging right with them offensively. UMass quarterback <span>Blake Frohnapfel</span> threw for a school record 589 yards as the Minutemen rolled up 638 yards of total offense of their own in the game.</p>
<p>The first half was just what was expected in this game. Both teams moved the ball up and down the field and scored points. Neither defense seemed capable of stopping the other from scoring. Knapke threw for 309 yards in the first half and Frohnapfel threw for 279 yards. Both quarterbacks had a couple of touchdown passes in the opening half.</p>
<p>After a rare three and out one the Falcons' first drive of the game, Frohnapfel would hit <span>Jalen Williams</span> with a 60-yard strike to take the early lead, 7-0. The Minutemen would pick off a Knapke pass on the ensuing drive but turn it back over to the Falcons three plays later with a fumble. Bowling Green would settle for a <span>Tyler Tate</span> 21-yard field goal to make it 7-3. Then Knapke hit <span>Ronnie Moore</span> from 27-yards out on their next possession to take the lead 10-3.</p>
<p>Tate would connect again, this time from 33-yards out to start the second quarter to make it 13-7 Falcons. Both offenses then started to roll in the second quarter as the teams traded touchdowns until half time to make the score 26-21 Bowling Green. The Falcons missed a golden opportunity to add another touchdown in the closing minutes of the half. Ronnie Moore got behind the Minutemen secondary and Knapke hit him in stride but Moore dropped the ball and what would have been a sure touchdown. The Falcons eventually turned the ball over on downs and settled for the six point lead at intermission.</p>
<p>The Falcons scored first in the second half on a Knapke to <span>Roger Lewis</span> touchdown pass that covered 60 yards. However, the Falcons would hold the 33-21 lead only momentarily as Frohnapfel would hit <span>Alex Kenney</span> for an 80-yard score on the very next play from scrimmage. Frohnapfel would also throw for another of his five touchdowns on the day late in the third to give the Minutemen the lead, 35-33 as the quarter ended.</p>
<p>Bowling Green's offense answered with touchdowns on its next two possessions in the fourth quarter on a 25-yard run by Greene and a 22-yard run by Moore. The Falcons had a 12-point lead again, 47-35 and appeared to be close to putting this one away. However, the Minutemen got another Frohnapfel touchdown pass with 3:22 left in the game to pull back within five points, 47-42.</p>
<p>The Falcons recovered the ensuing onside kick and seemed to again be in command of the game. However, the Minutemen defense held and used all their timeouts to force the Falcons to punt with just over two minutes to play. The homecoming crowd at UMass was hoping for one more touchdown drive to steal the victory but the fumble ended any chances of that.</p>
<p>The Bowling Green defense again surrendered some huge numbers to their opponent, but they did force four turnovers in the game and that proved to be the difference. Knapke threw three interceptions and attempted 59 passes in the game. <span>Ryan Burbrink</span> led the Falcon receivers with 132 yards on 11 catches with a touchdown. Roger Lewis also chipped in with another 148 yards on nine catches.</p>
<p>The Falcons are now 3-2 on the year and 1-0 in the MAC. The Minutemen fall to 0-5 and 0-1 in the MAC. The Falcons return home next week to face the <a href="https://www.ubbullrun.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Buffalo Bulls</a>, while UMass travels to Oxford, Ohio to take on the Miami Redhawks.</p>
https://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/28/6855909/bowling-green-falcons-vs-umass-minutemen-final-falcons-hang-on-47-42Randy Carpenter2014-09-27T22:27:47-04:002014-09-27T22:27:47-04:00Toledo's Offense Swamps Central Michigan
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<figcaption>Logan Woodside threw for 339 yards and accounted for three touchdowns. | Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A strong showing from Toledo's offensive replacements powered the Rockets past the Chippewas to a 2-0 start in the MAC.</p> <p>The second string was far from second-rate for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/toledo-rockets">Toledo Rockets</a> Saturday against Central Michigan.</p>
<p>Despite trotting out a quarterback and running back that started the season as backups before injury struck, the Rockets topped the Chippewas 42-28 at the Glass Bowl in Toledo.</p>
<p>With star running back <span>Kareem Hunt</span> sidelined after suffering an ankle injury in the previous week's win over Ball State and <span>Logan Woodside</span> filling in at quarterback after <span>Phillip Ely's</span> torn ACL in week three, the Toledo offense had its way Saturday with seven scoring drives and just a single punt.</p>
<p>Woodside completed 23-of-34 passes for 339 yards on the evening, tossing two touchdowns and rushing for another, and reserve backs <span>Damion Jones-Moore</span> and <span>Terry Swanson</span> added a touchdown apiece and 148 yards on the ground. The usual starters got the job done on offense as well for Toledo, led by Alonzo Russell's two touchdown catches and 120 yards receiving.</p>
<p>Central Michigan had much more positive personnel news, welcoming back play-making wide receiver <span>Titus Davis</span> from a two-game injury layoff and senior running back <span>Thomas Rawls</span> after a two-game suspension resulting from some legal troubles.</p>
<p>Rawls was held to just 65 yards rushing in his return, but did pick up two touchdowns, and Davis was Central Michigan's most productive skill player with six catches for 128 yards. Junior receiver <span>Jesse Kroll</span> hauled in two scores from sophomore quarterback <span>Cooper Rush</span> to account for the Chippewas' other two touchdowns. Rush finished 24-of-31 for 291 yards and two touchdowns.</p>
<p>Toledo struck first with a 32-yard <span>Jeremiah Detmer</span> field goal after taking the opening kickoff, but Central Michigan responded to grab a lead of its own on the ensuing drive. 30 rushing yards from Rawls and a 25-yard catch from Davis set up a 3-yard touchdown pass from Rush to Kroll to put the Chippewas ahead 7-3 nine minutes in.</p>
<p>After Detmer added a 21-yard field goal to pull the Rockets within one entering the second frame, the Rockets rode a defensive stop and a strong passing drive to enter Chippewa territory once more. The hosts were, however, thwarted when Woodside lost a fumble on the Central Michigan 26-yard line.</p>
<p>Another three-and-out stop by the Toledo defense gave the Rockets a second shot at taking the lead, and a 41-yard pass from Woodside to <span>Corey Jones</span> led to the first collegiate touchdown from freshman running back Swanson. The three-yard scoring scamper gave the lead back to the hosts, 13-7, about five minutes before halftime.</p>
<p>Central Michigan went three-and-out once more, giving Woodside the ball on his own 15 with 2:45 to play before the break. The sophomore signal caller put together a surgical 85-yard touchdown drive, capped by a highlight-reel one-handed five-yard touchdown catch by Russell to put Toledo up 20-7 at the half. Woodside, in just his third game starting this season in relief of Phillip Ely, entered the locker room with 257 yards passing to lead his squad's charge.<br> <br> The Chippewas came out of the break firing, driving 75 yards in the opening drive on the second half to see Rush connect with Kroll in the end zone for the second time. The four-yard score cut the Rockets' lead to six, and the visitors forced a three-and-out to get the ball back with a chance at the lead.</p>
<p>That chance came to nothing, as Toledo defensive back <span>Jordan Haden</span> jumped an out route to pick off Rush and give his offense a short field at the Chippewas' 35. The hosts turned that opportunity into another seven points when Russell hauled in his second touchdown of the day, this time from 12 yards out, to put the Rockets ahead 27-14.</p>
<p>An ensuing successful surprise onside kick gave Toledo the ball at the 50, and once more the Rockets capitalized on good field position when Jones-Moore collected a three-yard rushing score to extend the lead to 34-14. A methodical Chippewas drive followed, however, ending with a three-yard touchdown for Rawls to make it 34-21 entering the final frame.</p>
<p>While Toledo looked to be driving, an interception by <span>Brandon Greer</span> gave the Chippewas an opportunity to cut the lead just after the start of the fourth quarter. Rawls punched in his second rushing touchdown, this time from six yards, to make it 34-28 Toledo with just under eight minutes to play.</p>
<p>Woodside drove his team down the field once more to put the game out of reach, calling his own number for a 12-yard rushing touchdown and following it up with a shovel pass to Jones-Moore for a two-point conversion and a 42-28 lead three minutes from the game's end. One last attempt at a scoring drive by Central Michigan ended with a lost fumble inside Toledo's 10-yard line, sealing the two-score win for the Rockets.</p>
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<p>The victory kept Toledo (3-2, 2-0 MAC) in the driver's seat of the MAC West and sent the Chippewas (2-3, 0-1 MAC) to a losing record in their conference opener. Toledo next travels to face Western Michigan Saturday, while Central Michigan will return home Saturday to take on Ohio.</p>
https://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/27/6855243/toledo-rockets-vs-central-michigan-chippewas-football-final-scoreBlake Samanas2014-09-27T20:25:11-04:002014-09-27T20:25:11-04:00Virginia Cavaliers Overruns Kent State 45-13
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<figcaption>Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Kent State blows early lead after a fourth quarter meltdown to suffer its fourth loss this season.</p> <p><span>Kent State (0-4, 0-1 Mid-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/american">American</a> Conference) grabbed an early lead against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.streakingthelawn.com/">Virginia Cavaliers</a> (3-2, 1-0 A) but fell apart in the second half to suffer a 45-13 thrashing in Charlottesville. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/kent-st-golden-flashes">Golden Flashes</a> gained only 72 yards in rushing for the entire game, leaving it without a win this season. </span></p>
<p><span>With 8:50 left in the first quarter, the Golden Flashes grabbed a 7-0 lead on a 45-yard touchdown pass from </span><a href="http://www.kentstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7977&path=football">Colin Reardon</a><span> to sophomore wide receiver </span><a href="http://www.kentstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7928&path=football">James Brooks</a><span>.The throw came on 3rd-and-12 with Reardon finding Brooks downfield. But Virginia quickly responded with a 69-yard run by the </span><a href="http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-footbl/">Cavaliers</a><span>’ cornerback </span><a href="http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/maurice_canady_804288.html">Maurice Canaday</a><span> to tie the game. </span></p>
<p><span>Kent State took advantage of a couple of penalties to place <span>Anthony Melchiori</span> in good position to kick a 31-yard field goal by </span><a href="http://www.kentstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7962&path=football">Anthony Melchiori</a><span> to put the Flashes ahead 10-7. It was the last time the Golden Flashes would lead in the game.</span></p>
<p><span>In the second quarter the Cavaliers answered the KSU field goal by marching 83 yards in just seven plays and taking the lead on a 25-yard touchdown pass from </span><a href="http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/matt_johns_804297.html">Matt Johns</a><span> to running back </span><a href="http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/khalek_shepherd_799899.html">Khalek Shepherd</a><span>, putting the Cavaliers ahead 14-10 at half time.</span></p>
<p><span>Turnovers plagued Kent State in the third quarter. With 7:06 left in the third quarter, </span><a href="http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/kevin_parks_799834.html">Kevin Parks</a><span> ran for 4 yards to increase Virginia’s lead 24-10. In less than 5 minutes, Virginia Quarterback Johns ran for a one yard touchdown to extends Virginia’s lead 31-10. The hapless Golden Flashes allowed itself 5 turnovers in the second half. With 8:59 left, KSU quarterback Collin Reardon fumbled for the second time deep in Kent State territory. The Cavaliers recovered at the 19 and scored five plays later. Kent State’s final score came on a 43-yard field goal by Melchiori. </span></p>
<p><span>Although the Golden Flashes nearly matched the Cavaliers in Passing, 266-246, Virginia’s dominated rushing with 254 yards compared to Kent State’s 72 yards. </span></p>
<p><span>Turnovers, both legitimate and questionable, are the reason Kent State has found itself trailing 24-10 after a 5-yard touchdown run by Kevin This one is starting to get away from Kent State. Virginia has tacked on a 1-yard touchdown run by Johns. </span><span>After Kent State’s initial lead, Virginia scored 38 points unanswered by the Golden Flashes.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Next week, Kent State faces MAC rival </span><a href="http://www.niuhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/niu-m-footbl-body.html">Northern Illinois</a><span> (3-1, 0-0 MAC). The Huskies suffered a 52-14 loss today against Arkansas. Kent State lost its last two face offs against the Huskies.</span></p>
https://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/27/6855327/virginia-punishes-kent-state-45-13ABDENGLER2014-09-27T18:41:55-04:002014-09-27T18:41:55-04:00Hundley Ran All Over Pitt In Akron's Upset Win
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<figcaption>Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>This has got to be the number one highlight of Terry Bowden's career at Akron, right?</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/akron-zips">Akron Zips</a>, now 2-2 on the season, upset the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cardiachill.com/">Pittsburgh Panthers</a> 21-10.</p>
<p>Offensively, it was a really slow start for both teams. It wasn't until Pitt's second drive of the second quarter when somebody finally got on the board instead of exchanging punts back and forth. Stringing together a 10-play, 80-yard drive, <span>Chad Voytik</span> hooked up with Manassah Garner for an 8-yard touchdown pass.</p>
<p>That would be the only touchdown Pitt would score.</p>
<p>Akron quickly responded on the following drive where <span>Kyle Pohl</span> had a 52-yard pass to <span>Mykel Traylor-Bennett</span>, who only had to worry about beating one defender.</p>
<p>After that it was a huge stall match, letting defense set the tone for both teams the rest of the way.</p>
<p><span>Conor Hundley</span>, the player of this game, only touched the ball five times in the first half, but truly emerged in the second. Opening up the next half, Hundley had three carries for 56 yards, getting his team close enough for fullback <span>Cody Grice</span> to punch his way into the end zone. Grice would score again early in the fourth.</p>
<p>Hundley would finish with 19 carries for 149 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. Jahwan Chisholm, who was healthy enough to play, only had three carries for 15 yards.</p>
<p>One of the keys to beating Pitt was to limit James Connor, their running back. Only having a long of 12, Connor was held to 92 rushing yards off of 25 carries. <span>Tyler Boyd</span> had six receptions for the Panthers, but he only had 72 yards to show for and only had one catch inside the red zone.</p>
<p>Kyle Pohl was about average, completing 15 of his 29 passes for 193 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Conversely, Pitt's Chad Voytik was 20-for-34 through the air for 220 yards. He also had one touchdown and one interception.</p>
<p>Akron will open up conference play next week as they return home to face off against Eastern Michigan.</p>
https://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/27/6854283/akron-zips-vs-pitt-panthers-final-score-terry-bowden-sure-can-coachAlex Alvarado2014-09-27T18:04:30-04:002014-09-27T18:04:30-04:00Ouellette and Sprague guide Ohio to victory
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<figcaption>Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A.J. Ouellette and J.D. Sprague demonstrated why they should be Ohio's starters going forward as they led Ohio ti a victory of Eastern Illinois University</p> <p>Of the many great things about sports, perhaps the greatest thing is their unpredictability. All the pre-season and pre-game analysis for teams that should be great, or players who should be stars, it all goes out the window once the game begins. It's the unpredictability of sports that leads to underdogs taking down the favorites, and for walk-ons like <span>A.J. Ouellette</span> becoming heroes.</p>
<p>Ouellette rushed for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns in Ohio's 34-19 victory over the Eastern Illinois Panthers, despite exiting the game early in the third quarter. It's true that the Panther's defense wasn't exactly the '85 Bears, but it's still impressive to see a walk-on, true freshman climb his way up the depth chart into a starting spot and succeed.</p>
<p>Ouellette uses his height-perceived by many college recruiters to be a physical flaw- to his advantage. He breaks tackles by getting low to the ground, and the Panthers struggled to wrap up his legs, allowing him to gain yards after contact. He also showed off his speed, dusting the EIU defense on a 65-yard touchdown run. Ouellette was injured on the Bobcats' first drive of the second half, limping off the field on his own. Here's hoping the injury is not serious, as Ouellette should be exciting to watch down the stretch even if the Bobcats are not.</p>
<p>One player who deserves more credit for the Bobcats is quarterback <span>J.D. Sprague</span>. Sprague was behind center almost every play, and though his passing stats don't look great on paper- 15-for-28 for 143 yards and two interceptions- Sprague had his best performance of the season. His passes were either on target or close, although he has a tendency to leave his long passes in the air a bit too long (leading to those interceptions). Sprague also demonstrated that he's as much of a mobile QB as <span>Derrius Vick</span>, rushing for 69 yards and a pair touchdowns. His second touchdown was especially impressive, as Sprague darted back and forth, slipped out of tackles to avoid the sack and then raced to the outside for the score. I had my doubts about Sprague coming into the season, and this start does not erase them all. But it can be easy to forget that he's just a sophomore and he's following the greatest quarterback in school history.</p>
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<p>As for the game details beyond these two players, Ohio took care of business. The Panthers threatened to put 7 on the board on their first drive, but the Bobcat defense held the line inside the 7 and EIU was forced to settle for a field goal. The Bobcat offense drove 78 yards on their first possession and responded with an Ouellette 1-yard touchdown run to take a lead they would not lose. It was 24-10 by halftime and the Panthers never seriously threatened again.</p>
https://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/27/6855013/ohio-bobcats-vs-eastern-illinois-panthers-ohio-rolls-34-19Luke Torrance2014-09-27T16:24:07-04:002014-09-27T16:24:07-04:00Look At Toledo's New White Helmets<img src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uxClBG1gVicPCRwap8AwqzIMOiE=/410x410/cdn.vox-cdn.com/fan_shot_images/348578/BykJx6YIMAAlCDA.jpg" />
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>(h/t @TOLfootballEQ)</p>
<br /><p>Toledo's got some new white helmets. No word on whether or not they will be wearing these tonight against Central Michigan, but why would their equipment staff tweet this out on game day if they weren't going to be wearing these?</p></p></div>
https://www.hustlebelt.com/2014/9/27/6854799/look-at-toledos-new-white-helmetsAlex Alvarado2014-09-27T16:21:53-04:002014-09-27T16:21:53-04:00Slow Start Dooms Broncos in 35-17 Loss To VaTech
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<figcaption>Donald Celiscar fumbles the opening kickoff in Western Michigan's 35-17 loss at Virginia Tech | Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Despite having a couple chances to stay in the game, early mistakes and an inability to get off the field on third down doomed the Western Michigan Broncos on Saturday in their loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies.</p> <p>Welp, if the MAC needed to find the way to shut down <span>Jarvion Franklin</span>, they need to look no further than Saturday's game tape between the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/western-michigan-broncos">Western Michigan Broncos</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.gobblercountry.com/">Virginia Tech Hokies</a>. Franklin only managed a meager 76 yards on 15 carries, scoring the lone touchdown in the Broncos' 35-17 loss.</p>
<p>It wasn't necessarily Franklin, however. The Broncos trailed 8-0 early on after <span>Donald Celiscar</span> fumbled the opening kickoff only to have the Hokies return it to the house. After missing the ensuing PAT, the Virginia Tech held the Broncos to a three-and-out, when <span>Wyatt Pfeifer</span> snapped the ball over punter J Schroeder's head and into the end zone for a safety.</p>
<p>The Broncos would respond well though. The defense would hold the Hokies to a field goal on their first drive. And despite failing to do anything on offense after a Franklin 17-yard run to open their next drive, <span>Ronald Zamort</span> would pick off a poor pass from <span>Michael Brewer</span> and return it all the way down to the 4-yard line to set up a Franklin touchdown to make it 11-7.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the Broncos would not come any closer the rest of the game. On the ensuing drive, the Hokies would convert three 3rd downs, including a 25-yard strike to <span>Bucky Hodges</span> for a touchdown as WMU linebacker <span>Trevor Ishmael</span> fell down trying to guard the six-and-a-half foot wide-out.</p>
<p>Both teams would fail to do much in the second quarter, with the teams trading interceptions late in the quarter. First, <span>Zach Terrell</span> would throw an awful pass intended for <span>Daniel Braverman</span> that would land in the hands of <span>Detrick Bonner</span>. However, Brewer would one-up Terrell with a long pass that Celiscar would come up with in the Hokie end zone.</p>
<p>The ensuing drive would see Terrell put together a well drive to set up an <span>Andrew Haldeman</span> field goal to make it an 18-10 game at the half. The eight point deficit was surprising as Franklin only had 31 yards at the half, and the mistakes cost the Broncos early points. However, they would get a chance to tie the game early in the 3rd after holding Virginia Tech to a long field goal attempt to open the half (a kick that would be missed from 53 yards out).</p>
<p>Terrell would hit <span>Kendrick Roberts</span> on a deep ball to move the Broncos into the red zone. It appeared that WMU would score, but incompletions on 2nd and 3rd downs (the latter being a miscommunication between Terrell and Braverman on an easy score) would set up a 29-yard field goal attempt for Haldeman. However, the junior would miss wide left, seemingly killing any Bronco momentum.</p>
<p>And my did the Hokies pounce.</p>
<p>Virginia Tech would use a solid run game, with an occasional Brewer pass to march down the field on their next two drives, converting five 3rd downs along the way, en route to back-to-back touchdowns to make it a 32-10 game. And despite a Franklin touchdown run with 9 minutes left in the game, Western Michigan was unable to stop the Hokies early enough to get the ball back and close the gap further.</p>
<p>A VaTech field goal would make it 35-17, and the Broncos would fail to score on their next drive, electing to punt on 4th-and-34. Shortly after, the final gun sounded to end the rough game.</p>
<p>Franklin's pair of rushing touchdowns moved him to 11 on the season, which is more than the entire Bronco squad had all of last season. Terrell would finish 18-for-32 for 212 yards, and his only mistake was the lone interception. However, he was sacked five times, making his pass game unstable.</p>
<p>Braverman would finish with 8 catches for 100 yards, and was the primary target all game with <span>Corey Davis</span> sitting out due to a pre-game lower body injury. Western Michigan officials would not specify what the injury was, but it was severe enough to rule the reigning MAC Freshman of the Year out for the game.</p>
<p>In all, the defensive box did not play all that terribly. They held the Hokies to just 82 yards in the first half, and kept the Broncos in the game despite getting beat around by a bigger, more physical line in Virginia Tech. However, the defensive secondary allowed Brewer to go 14-for-32 for 178 yards, with a good chunk of those completions coming on 3rd down (the Hokies finished 10-for-18 on 3rd down including a 6-for-9 mark in the 2nd half).</p>
<p>The Broncos now will head back home next weekend to face MAC West foe Toledo to kick off their conference schedule. It is unknown if Davis will be able to go, but it appears the Broncos will be ready to hang with the best of the MAC after holding their own (mostly) against a much more physical and stronger Virginia Tech team on the road.</p>
https://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/27/6854585/western-michigan-broncos-vs-virginia-tech-hokies-recap-slow-startBrandon Fitzsimons2014-09-27T11:00:02-04:002014-09-27T11:00:02-04:00This Week's Open Chat Is, Well, Open
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fBtYPql1vrD6jEn8omQXuyqat64=/0x70:4000x2737/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/40226688/20140830_sng_bd1_006.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>This season sure has been.... *puts sunglasses on*.... #FalconFast.</p> <p>Happy Saturday to you all, once again. We've got a few teams on bye weeks, while others are wrapping up their out-of-conference matchups. Oh, and we've got another big MAC West game in the Glass Bowl.</p>
<table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><b>Time</b></td>
<td><b>Game</b></td>
<td><b>TV</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>12:30</td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/25/6842311/western-michigan-broncos-virginia-tech-hokies-football-preview/in/6596896">Western Michigan @ Virginia Tech</a></td>
<td>ESPN 3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1:30</td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hustlebelt.com/akron-zips/2014/9/26/6831493/akron-zips-vs-pittsburgh-panthers-football-preview/in/6596896">Akron @ Pitt</a></td>
<td>ESPN 3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2:00</td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/25/6841525/eastern-illinois-panthers-vs-ohio-bobcats-preview">Eastern Illinois @ Ohio</a></td>
<td>ESPN 3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3:00</td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/26/6848185/bowling-green-falcons-at-umass-minutemen-football-preview/in/6596896">Bowling Green @ UMass</a></td>
<td>ESPN 3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3:30</td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/26/6846365/miami-redhawks-vs-buffalo-bulls-football-preview/in/6596896">Miami @ Buffalo</a></td>
<td>ESPN 3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3:30</td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/25/6836489/kent-state-golden-flashes-seek-seasons-first-win-against-virginia/in/6596896">Kent State @ Virginia</a></td>
<td>ESPN 3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>7:00</td>
<td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/25/6840331/central-michigan-vs-toledo-rockets-preview/in/6596896">Central Michigan @ Toledo</a></td>
<td>ESPN 3</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Well, the good news about today's slate of games is that we don't have to watch four games all at once, which is really good for the MAC fans that can't keep up with the overkill. The best part is that there shouldn't be a lot of overlap (if at all) with the 3:00 and 3:30 games. Be sure to follow @HustleBelt on Twitter, catch up on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/23/6832855/2014-mac-football-news-week-5">all of our coverage</a> from this week, and please play nice in the comments section.</p>
<p><b>Viva la #MACtion</b></p>
https://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/2014/9/27/6853471/college-football-live-chat-its-already-week-fiveAlex Alvarado