College Football in Ohio – Week 8

#10 Cincinnati 6-1 (4-0 in the Big 12)

UC had the kind of game they expected to have on the road against 1-5 Oklahoma State. The Bearcats got an early lead and never looked back. Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby was 20 of 29 for 270 yards and four total touchdowns. The Cats will host Baylor next week, and while they’re 4-3, the Bears can score with anyone, and UC will need to be ready to go to get the win.

Miami (Ohio) 4-3 (3-0 in the MAC)

The conference winning streak keeps going for the RedHawks! It’s at 10 regular-season games in the MAC, stretching back to last season. They were led by a big game from quarterback Dequan Finn. Finn was 13 of 22 for 159 yards and two touchdowns passing. He added another 58 yards and two touchdowns rushing. The Redhawks beat Eastern Michigan 44-30 and will host Western Michigan next week in Oxford.

Ohio 4-3 (2-1 in the MAC)

NIU has been getting smacked on their way out of the door of the MAC and to the *checks notes* Mountain West? There are no mountains in Illinois! Anyway, Ohio made them hate their last trip to Athens, running over them, 48-21. Running backs Sieh Bangura and Duncan Brune had huge games. Bangura had 147 yards and three touchdowns, and Brune had 126 yards and two touchdowns. Ohio travels to Eastern Michigan next week.

Bowling Green 3-4 (1-2 in the MAC)

Bowling Green looked out of gas. They looked like their tank was empty from their comeback victory over Toledo last week. Their defense played hard early, but they were worn down when their offense couldn’t stay on the field, and let the defense rest. They had a 3-0 lead after the first quarter but were outscored 27-3 through the rest of the game. Eddie George and the Falcons will try to rebound next week at Kent State.

Toledo 4-3 (2-2 in the MAC)

Toledo trounced Kent State, 45-10. The Rockets went off on the Golden Flashes, dominating on both sides of the ball. Their 45 points were fueled by 552 yards of total offense and by the defense holding KSU to 224 yards. Toledo responded very well to their loss from last week, and they’ll have an interesting game this week. They’ll go on the road to Pullman, Washington, to play Washington State in an out-of-conference game. The Cougars nearly upset two ranked teams in Ole Miss and Virginia, losing by a combined five points.

Akron 2-6 (1-3 in the MAC)

The Zips had a tough loss on the road in Muncie, Indiana, against Ball State. Initially, it was tough, a back-and-forth game, typical of the MAC in any October. Ball State led by only a field goal, 28-25, going into the fourth quarter. But BSU outscored Akron 14-3 in the fourth quarter. A big 90-yard kick return for a touchdown capped the scoring and secured the 42-28 win for Ball State.

Kent State 2-5 (1-2 in the MAC)

Any momentum Kent State might have gotten from their win over UMass last week was squashed by Toledo. It’s tough to believe that Kent State led 10-7 after the first quarter before Toledo would score 35 unanswered points for the win. Kent State tackles Bowling Green next week.

Dayton 5-2 (3-1 in the Pioneer League)

Sadly, the Flyers ‘ five-game winning streak came to an end against Butler. Dayton lost to the Bulldogs 23-17 at home. You can’t help but wonder if the injury to Bryce Schondelmyer late in the first half threw Dayton off just enough to fall. Schondelmyer was 9 of 14 for 77 yards and a touchdown. Drew VanVleet was good in relief, though. He was 7 of 16 for 74 yards and a touchdown. Reagan Andrew for Butler had a big game that was probably more decisive than the injury (in this game at least).

Andrew was 18 of 23 for 256 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 78 yards rushing. No easy days or breaks for the Flyers, though. They play 7-0 and #21 Presbyterian next week. Luckily for the Flyers, it’s another home game.

Youngstown State 4-3 (1-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference)

YSU ended their two-game skid and did so against another ranked opponent and in dramatic fashion. They were on the road visiting the #10 Illinois State Red Birds. ISU had a 28-19 lead going into the fourth quarter. But the Penguins would rally in a massive way. A one-yard touchdown run by Beau Brungard would cut the lead to two, 28-26. A 53-yard touchdown pass would give YSU the lead, 33-28. A 52-yard run by Brungard would put Youngstown State up 40-28. Illinois State would get a late touchdown, but YSU’s 21-0 unanswered were decisive to give them the 40-35 victory, and their first Missouri Valley win of the season.

Bill Willis Award Player of the Week

Julian Sayin was my leading candidate, but Beau Brungard happened to Illinois State. Sayin was 36 of 42 for 393 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-0 win over Wisconsin. Brungard, however, went nuts. He led that 21-point fourth quarter for YSU. Brungard was 23 of 34 for 328 yards and two touchdowns. But, wait, there’s more. He also had 30 carries for 200 yards and three touchdowns rushing. That’s 528 yards of total offense and five total touchdowns in a win over the #10 team in the country!

Writer’s Note: The FBS rankings are from The College Football Power Rankings at TheForkball.com. The FCS rankings are from the FCS STATS Poll.