Mid-American Conference Football Weekly Release September 24, 2018

Football Contact: Ken Mather, Associate Commissioner for Media & Public Relations ([email protected]) Mid-American Conference, 24 Public Square, 15th Floor, Cleveland, Ohio 44113, 216-566-4622, GetSomeMACtion.com

Become a fan of the Mid-American Conference on Facebook (GetSomeMACtion). Follow the MAC On @MACSports, Snapchat (MACSports) and Instagram (MACSports) MAC Standings MAC Storylines Conference Overall • The Week 5 schedule features five non-conference games with WEST DIVISION W L Pct. Stk H A W L Pct. Stk H A the MAC facing Big Ten (Michigan State), ACC (Georgia Tech), Northern Illinois 1 0 1.000 W1 1-0 0-0 1 3 .250 L1 1-1 0-2 Mountain West (Fresno State) and Independent (Army, UMass) Toledo 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 2 1 .667 W1 2-1 0-0 opponents on Saturday, Sept. 29. The MAC also begins to shift Western Michigan 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 2 2 .500 W2 1-1 1-1 to league play with three MAC games (Kent State at Ball State; Eastern Michigan 0 1 .000 L1 0-0 0-1 2 2 .500 L2 1-0 1-2 Western Michigan at Miami; and NIU at Eastern Michigan). Ball State 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 1 3 .250 L3 1-1 0-2 Central Michigan 0 1 .000 L1 0-0 0-1 1 3 .250 W1 1-1 0-2 • Buffalo improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1981 with its 42-13 win at Rutgers. With the victory, Buffalo received six votes Conference Overall in the Associated Press Top 25 weekly poll. EAST DIVISION W L Pct. Stk H A W L Pct. Stk H A Buffalo 1 0 1.000 W1 1-0 0-0 4 0 1.000 W4 2-0 2-0 • Last week MAC program’s went 4-6 in 10 non-conference Miami 1 0 1.000 W1 0-0 1-0 1 3 .250 W1 0-2 1-1 contests. The MAC picked up its third win in consecutive weeks Akron 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 2 1 .667 L1 1-0 1-1 over a Big Ten opponent with Buffalo’s 42-13 win at Rutgers. Ohio 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 1 2 .333 L2 1-0 0-2 Kent State 0 0 .000 - 0-0 0-0 1 3 .250 L2 1-0 0-3 • Western Michigan won a 34-15 road contest at Georgia State Bowling Green 0 1 .000 L1 0-1 0-0 1 3 .250 L1 1-2 0-1 and featured two running backs with over 100 yards each for the first time since last year at Buffalo (Oct. 7, 2017). Senior Jamauri Bogan rushed for 126 yards and LeVante Bellamy added 121 yards BUFFALO EARNS FIRST-EVER BIG TEN WIN AT RUTGERS as the Broncos rolled to 528 yards of total offense in the victory. Buffalo jumped out to a 35-6 lead in the first half and rolled to a 42-13 victory at • Toledo’s 63-44 win over Fresno State featured the teams com- Rutgers HighPoint.com Stadium on Sept. 22. For Buffalo this marked the program’s bine to score 107 total points and 1,042 yards of total offense. first-ever win against a team from the Big Ten Conference. With the win Buffalo Toledo collected 460 yards of offense while Nevada added 582 improved to 4-0 on the season for the first time since 1981. yards of offense. Buffalo junior quarterback Tyree Jackson threw for 263 yards and three touch- downs. Four of the Bulls six touchdowns were scored by either a redshirt freshman This Week’s MAC Schedule or freshman as the Buffalo program continues to build depth. Buffalo freshman running back Jaret Patterson led with 14 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns, Saturday, September 29 while redshirt freshman Kevin Marks rushed for 63 yards on 12 carries and one Army at Buffalo, Noon ET (CBS Sports Network) score. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Charlie Jones added a 53-yard touchdown Bowling Green at Georgia Tech, Noon ET (ACC RSN) catch. Buffalo will host Army this Saturday, Sept. 29 at UB Stadium at Noon ET Central Michigan at Michigan State, Noon ET (FS1) on CBS Sports Network. UMass at Ohio, 2:00 pm ET (ESPN3) *Kent State at Ball State, 3:00 pm ET (ESPN+) MAC VS. BIG TEN OPPONENTS *Western Michigan at Miami, 3:30 pm ET (ESPN+) Central Michigan (1-3) will travel to face Michigan State on Saturday, Sept. 29 *NIU at Eastern Michigan, 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm ET (ESPN+) at Noon ET on FS1. With Buffalo’s 42-13 win at Rutgers on Sept. 22, Akron’s Toledo at Fresno State, 10:30 pm ET (ESPNU) 39-34 win at Northwestern on Sept. 15, 2018 and Eastern Michigan’s 20-19 win Bye: Akron at Purdue on Sept. 8, 2018, the MAC have won a regular season game vs. Big Ten opponents in each of the last 13 consecutive seasons (2006-2018), the longest Saturday, October 6 streak in MAC history. *Buffalo at Central Michigan, Noon ET (CBS Sports Network) *Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan, Noon ET (ESPN+) This marks the sixth time in MAC history for the league to have three or more *NIU at Ball State, 3:00 pm ET (ESPN3) wins in a single season against the Big Ten Conference. The MAC had four wins *Bowling Green at Toledo, 3:30 pm ET (ESPN+) against Big Ten opponents in 2008, along with three wins over Big Ten opponents *Miami at Akron, 3:30 pm ET (ESPN+) in 2000, 2003, 2012, 2014 and 2018. *Ohio at Kent State, 3:30 pm ET(ESPN+) During this 13-year stretch (2006-2018), MAC teams have defeated 12 different Last Week’s MAC Games Big Ten programs—Illinois (3); Indiana (5); Iowa (3); Maryland (1); Michigan Iowa State 26, Akron 13 (1); Michigan State (1); Minnesota (2); Nebraska (1); Northwestern (3); Penn State Buffalo 42, Rutgers 13 (1); Purdue (6) and Rutgers (2) for a total of 29 wins during this stretch. MAC Ole Miss 38, Kent State 17 programs Miami (13), Bowling Green (8), Toledo (6), Central Michigan (6) and Toledo 63, Nevada 44 Northern Illinois (6) have the most wins vs. Big Ten opponents. Cincinnati 34, Ohio 30 Western Michigan 34, Georgia State 15 TOLEDO OFFENSE ROLLS TO 63-44 WIN OVER NEVADA Central Michigan 17, Maine 5 Toledo junior quarterback Mitchell Guadagni accounted for six touchdowns on *Miami 38, Bowling Green 23 15-24 passing for 211 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 131 yards and Western Kentucky 28, Ball State 20 two other scores. His 131 yards were a career high and he became the first Toledo Florida State 37, NIU 19 quarterback to rush for 100 yards in a game since Aaron Opelt (109 yards against San Diego State 23, Eastern Michigan 20 (OT) Colorado, Sept. 11, 2009). Toledo’s 63 points scored marked the second time in program history that Toledo has scored at least 60 points twice in a season. To- *Mid-American Conference contest ledo’s 63 points are also the most ever against an FBS non-conference opponent. Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

MAC PROGRAMS SUPPORT COMMUNITY PROJECTS THROUGH THE PLAYOFF FOUNDATION MAC Players of the Week

The Mid-American Conference through the College Football Playoff (CFP) East Division Foundation’s Extra Yard For Teachers platform is providing funding for its 12-member institutions to establish a community-based program to continue Alonzo Smith, Offensive Player of the Week to build positive relationships within each campus community. Miami, Senior, Running Back

During the 2018-19 academic year, the MAC is providing $60,000 -- $5,000 Miami senior running back Alonzo Smith rushed for each athletic program – for academic initiatives at elementary and/or sec- for a career-high 164 yards on 19 carries to help ondary schools. This is the second year of the MAC’s community program Miami to its first win of the season in a 38-23 win and will become an annual event. at Bowling Green. Smith now has 2,087 career rushing yards which ranks 12th all-time in Miami The funding for the grant is provided through the MAC’s partnership with football history. the CFP Foundation.

Akron: Akron Athletics will provide funding toward Case CLC in Akron for student incentives for good behavior, attendance and test stress relief. Incen- Khalil Hodge, Defensive Player of the Week; tives will include pizza, popcorn parties, ice cream social, as well as iPads, Buffalo, Senior, headphones, books, etc. Buffalo senior linebacker Khalil Hodge (Stockton, Calif.) recorded a season-high 15 tackles and added Ball State: Ball State Athletics will support the Muncie Community Schools a tackle for loss in a 42-13 win over Rutgers on for field trips and classroom supplements for elementary schools. Saturday. Hodge spearheaded a Buffalo defense that allowed the Scarlet Knights to score only one Bowling Green: The Falcons will use the funding to support Bowling Green touchdown and 284 yards of total offense. Hodge City Schools for a variety of specific needs related to middle school health had six solo tackles and assisted on nine others. classes. Buffalo limited Rutgers to eight 3-and-outs.

Buffalo: The Buffalo Athletic program will be donating $5,000 to Buffalo Nick Gasser, Special Teams Player of Week; City Schools. Akron, Senior, Kicker/ Akron senior kicker and punter Nick Gasser (Lib- Central Michigan: The Mount Pleasant Public Schools will use $5,000 to erty Township, Ohio) converted two field goals of benefit over 250 sixth-grade students to participate with the ‘Discover You’ over 45 yards in a 26-13 loss at Iowa State. Gasser program through the Rock Center for Youth Development program. The nailed a 45-yard field goal in the second quarter to funding will support the purchase of workbooks for this program to be used tie the game at 10-10, which tied his career long. by the students over an 18-week period to support their social, emotional and In the third quarter, he re-set his career high with a academic development. 49-yard field goal to pull Akron within four, 17-13. Gasser also punted six times for 226 yards. Eastern Michigan: Eastern Michigan Athletics will work with the Ypsilanti Community Schools to provide elementary schools with classroom indica- tives to assist teachers. West Division

Kent State: The Stow-Monroe Falls City School District will receive the Mitchell Guadagni, Offensive Player of the Week $5,000 to assist in the purchase of playground equipment for special needs Toledo, Junior, Quarterback students from Kindergarten to Eighth grade. Toledo junior quarterback Mitchell Guadagni (Hud- Miami: The RedHawks will be using the $5,000 to support four elementary son, Ohio) accounted for six touchdowns in a 63- schools and one middle school in Oxford to purchase books for their libraries 44 win over Nevada. Guadagni completed 15-of-24 and classrooms. passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for a career-high 131 yards and two touch- downs, including a 27-yard touchdown run in the NIU: The Huskies will be supporting both the DeKalb School District and the second quarter and a 34-yarder in the fourth quarter Sycamore School District with funding of $2,500 each. The DeKalb School that closed out the scoring in the contest. District will support faculty and staff professional development and the implementation of a Diversity Plan. The Sycamore School District will use the funds to support Second Steps, a program that involves direct instruction Maxx Crosby, Defensive Player of the Week regarding social emotional learning to encourage strategies in building posi- Eastern Michigan, Junior, tive relationships, conflict resolution, making good choices and being kind. Eastern Michigan junior defensive end Maxx Crosby (Colleyville, Texas) tallied a career-high Ohio: Ohio will use the $5,000 to support the Alexander Local Schools to eight tackles, 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss in purchase recreational equipment that will be used for athletics and extended a 23-20 OT loss at San Diego State. It marked the classroom activities during the school day. fourth multi-sack game of his career. He was part of an Eastern Michigan’s defense allowed San Diego Toledo: The Toledo Public schools will use the $5,000 to assist with tutoring State just 100 yards and a field goal in the second expenses for student at both Bowsher High School and Start High School. half. Students will be supported with tutoring and study tables to enhance academics and help students meet eligibility requirements. Gavin Peddie, Special Teams Player of Week; Western Michigan, Freshman, Kicker Western Michigan: Ten different local Kalamazoo school districts will use the funds to support an ‘EdCamp’ in June of 2019 for all pre-kindergarten Western Michigan freshman kicker Gavin Peddie through eighth grade educators to attend free of charge at Western Michigan (Grandville, Mich.) was perfect with converting 2-2 field goals and all four PATs in a 34-15 win at Geor- University. ‘EdCamps’ is a teacher driven professional development semi- gia State. Peddie handled the kicking duties for the nar that will be hosted at Sangren Hall on the campus of Western Michigan first time this season and was 2-for-2 in field goal University’s College of Education. attempts and 4-for-4 on PATs, accounting for 10 of Western Michigan’s points. He nailed a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter for the game’s first score. Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Statistical Leaders (TOP 25) -- Where they rank Other Top Performers (WEEK FOUR) Nationally in Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Rushing Touchdowns: OFFENSE t-14th Kevin Marks- Buffalo: 5 TDs, 282 yds., 57 attempts • Western Michigan QB Jon Wassink was 20-25 passing for 234 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-15 win at Georgia State. Wassink Rushing Touchdowns: directed an offense that totaled 528 yards, the third time this season 21st LeVante Bellamy-Western Michigan: 389 yds., 50 attempts, 3 TDs the Broncos had gone over 500 yards in total offense.

Total Passing Yards: • Buffalo RB Jaret Patterson rushed for a career-high 104 yards 23rd Tyree Jackson-Buffalo: 1,052 yds., 78-126 passing, 15 TDs and two touchdowns on 14 carries (7.4 ypc) in a 42-13 win at Rut- 31st Jon Wassink-Western Michigan: 984 yds., 78-125 passing, 8 TDs gers. Patterson broke off a 42-yard touchdown run, late in the first quarter, to put the Bulls ahead 14-3. Patterson put the exclamation Passing Touchdowns: point on the win with a 4-yard touchdown run with 3:34 left in the t-3rd Tyree Jackson-Buffalo: 15 TDs, 1,052 yds., 78-126 passing game. It was Patterson’s first multi-touchdown game of his career. t-10th Jarret Doege-Bowling Green: 11 TDs, 891 yds., 97-149 passing t-23rd Mitchell Guadagni-Toledo: 9 TDs, 698 yds., 39-61 passing • Eastern Michigan QB Mike Glass III was 9-16 passing for 153 yards and one touchdown, along with 8 carries for 29 yards and one Passing Efficiency: 4th Mitchell Guadagni-Toledo: 205.5 rating; 39-61 pass, 698 yds, 9 TDs score in a 23-20 OT loss at San Diego State. Glass III orchestrated 20th Tyler Wiegers-Eastern Michigan: 169.6 rat.; 54-71 pass, 697 yds, 3 TDs a 12 play, 79 yard drive with 3:18 left in the game for a 20-17 edge. 21st Tyree Jackson-Buffalo: 166.6 rating; 78-126 pass, 1,052 yds, 15 TDs • Northern Illinois WR D.J. Brown recorded the first 100-yard Total Receiving Yards day by a Huskie receiver this year with 117 yards on seven catches 26th Blake Banham-Eastern Michigan: 361 yds., 23 rec., 2 TDs (16.7 avg.) in a 37-19 loss at Florida State. Brown had a 66-yard 38th K.J. Osborn-Buffalo: 328 yds., 19 rec., 5 TDs touchdown catch and run as he took a Marcus Childers pass on a t-44th Anthony Johnson-Buffalo: 308 yds., 18 rec., 3 TDs crossing route and outran four defenders to the end zone to pull the t-44th Papi White-Ohio: 308 yds., 16 rec., 2 TDs Huskies within 10 points late in the third quarter.

Receiving Touchdowns • Ohio WR Cameron Odom produced his first career 100-yard t-6th K.J. Osborn-Buffalo: 5 TDs receiving game with a career-high 114 yards on five receptions in t-13th Diontae Johnson-Toledo: 4 TDs a 34-30 loss at Cincinnati. t-13th Quintin Morris-Bowling Green: 4 TDs t-13th Cody Thompson-Toledo: 4 TDs • Ball State WR Riley Miller tallied career highs with eight recep- tions, 112 receiving yards in a 28-20 loss to Western Kentucky. Receiving Yards Per Game: 11th Papi White-Ohio: 16 rec., 308 yds., 2 TDs, (102.7 avg.) DEFENSE 33rd Blake Banham-Eastern Michigan: 23 rec, 361 yds, 2 TDs, (90.3 avg.) • Central Michigan DL Mike Danna posted four sacks, five tackles- Receptions Per Game: for-a-loss and seven solo tackles in a 17-5 win over Maine. His five t-11th Scott Miller-Bowling Green: 21 rec., 242 yds., 3 TD, (7.0 cpg) TFLs is the most by a Central Michigan player since 2005, while his t-39th Blake Banham-Eastern Michigan: 23 rec., 361 yds., 2 TD, (5.8 cpg) four sacks matches the best mark by a Chippewa in the last 15 years.

Scoring: • Western Michigan LB Drake Spears had a career-high nine t-17th Diontae Johnson-Toledo: 30 points, (10.0 ppg) tackles, two sacks, three tackles for a loss and a forced in t-17th Cody Thompson-Toledo: 30 points, (10.0 ppg) a 34-15 win at Georgia State. On the opening drive of the game, t-32nd Louie Zervos-Ohio: 27 points, (9.0 ppg) Georgia State marched to Western Michigan’s 21-yard line before t-32nd Jameson Vest-Toledo: 27 points, (9.0 ppg) Spears struck with his first sack, causing a fumble.

Points Responsible For: • NIU LB Lance Deveaux Jr. led with a career-high 10 tackles 4th Tyree Jackson-Buffalo: 90 points and one sack in a 37-19 loss at Florida State. He dropped Florida t-13th Jarret Doege-Bowling Green: 74 points State quarterback Deondre Francois for a loss of six yards. After t-22nd Mitch Guadagni-Toledo: 66 points spotting the Seminoles two touchdowns on their first two drives, the NIU defense held FSU to just 16 points – three times forcing Total Tackles: them to kick long field goals. t-9th Malik Fountain-Central Michigan: 47 tackles, 11.8 tackles per game t-9th Khalil Hodge-Buffalo: 47 tackles, 11.8 tackles per game • Miami LB Junior McMullen had a season-high 10 tackles, one t-24th Brandon Harris - Bowling Green: 40 tackles, 10.0 tackles per game sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and one fumble recovery in a 38-23 win t-29th Jerry McBride III - Bowling Green: 39 tackles, 9.8 tackles per game t-29th Matt Bahr - Kent State: 39 tackles, 9.8 tackles per game at Bowling Green. He was a part of a defensive effort that held Bowling Green to 85 rushing yards on 34 carries. Interceptions: t-2nd Alvin Davis-Akron: 3 interceptions • Kent State DB Jamal Parker tied for a team-high 12 tackles and t-10th Cameron Lewis-Buffalo: 2 interceptions made an interception in a 38-17 loss at Ole Miss. He helped the t-10th Jamal Parker-Kent State: 2 interceptions Flashes’ defense hold Ole Miss to just seven points in the first half.

Passes Defensed: SPECIAL TEAMS t-20th Brian Bell-Akron: 5 passes defensed, 1.7 per game • Eastern Michigan K Chad Ryland had a pair of field goals and t-32nd Alvin Davis-Akron: 4 passes defensed, 1.3 per game extra points in a 23-20 OT loss at San Diego State. He converted a 51-yard field goal, the longest since Dylan Mulder had a 55-yarder Sacks: against Miami, Nov. 11, 2015. t-3rd Chuck Harris-Buffalo: 5.0 sacks, 1.25 per game t-7th Maxx Crosby-Eastern Michigan: 3.5 sacks, 1.17 per game • Toledo KR Diontae Johnson returned a kickoff 98 yards for a t-15th Sutton Smith-NIU: 4.0 sacks, 1.0 per game touchdown in a 63-44 win over Nevada. It was the first kickoff return t-15th Mike Danna-Central Michigan: 4.0 sacks, 1.0 per game for a touchown for Toledo since his 99-yarder vs. Elon in 2017. Tackles For Loss: • Central Michigan DL D’Andre Dill had a blocked field goal in t-6th Sutton Smith-NIU: 8.5 tackles for loss, 2.1 per game the third quarter that kept Maine of the scoreboard in a 17-5 victory. t-21st Maxx Crosby-Eastern Michigan: 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.7 per game Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

MAC BOWL NOTES AND 2017 SEASON MAC WITH ONE NEW HEAD COACH FOR 2018 Kent State named Sean Lewis as head coach on Dec. 21, 2017 to • Toledo won the 2017 Marathon MAC Football Championship replace Paul Haynes, who was Kent State’s head coach for five Game with a 45-28 win over Akron on Dec. 2, 2017. The win was seasons (2013-17). Toledo’s first championship since 2004 and the 11th football title in program history. The Rockets have been a model of consistency Kent State: Sean Lewis: Kent State named Sean Lewis to lead in winning as Toledo has won at least nine games in six of the last the Golden Flashes on Dec. 21, 2017. Lewis became the 22nd seven years, and the 2017 record of 11-3 is the ninth time in Toledo head football coach at Kent State after serving as the co-offensive history to win at least 10 games in a season. coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Syracuse. His background stretches from his four-year playing career at Wisconsin under Barry • Five MAC programs received bowl invitations in the 2017 bowl Alvarez, to winning the 2015 Marathon MAC Championship as the season -- Toledo (11-3), Akron (7-7), Ohio (9-4), Central Michigan co-offensive coordinator at Bowling Green. (8-5) and Northern Illinois (8-5). The MAC record for bowl invita- tions in a single-season is seven in both the 2012 and 2015 bowl Lewis’ ascension has led him to become the youngest Football Bowl seasons. Subdivision (FBS) head coach in the nation at the age of 31. That distinction was previously held by Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley at • Toledo (Dollar General Bowl), Akron (Cheribundi Tart Cherry age 34. Lewis has spent his last six seasons alongside head coach Boca Raton Bowl), Ohio (Bahamas Bowl), Central Michigan (Fa- Dino Babers at Syracuse (2016-17), Bowling Green (2014-15) and mous Idaho Potato Bowl) and Northern Illinois (Quick Lane Bowl) Eastern Illinois (2012-13). represented the MAC in the 2017 bowl season. Lewis’ coaching career began as the offensive coordinator for his • This marked the 10th time in MAC history to have five or more alma mater Richards High School in Illinois. He transitioned to the programs receive a bowl invitation (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, college level in 2010 as tight ends coach at Division II University of 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017) in a single-season. Nebraska Omaha. He made his first MAC stop in 2011 as a gradu- ate assistant for the University of Akron. Lewis earned a bachelor’s • In the previous seven bowl seasons, the MAC has a record of 12- degree from Wisconsin in agricultural sciences in 2007. 28 in 40 bowl games – 2017 (1-4); 2016 (0-6); 2015 (3-4); 2014 (2-3); 2013 (0-5); 2012 (2-5); 2011 (4-1) as all 12 MAC programs MAC PROGRAMS IN BOWL GAMES have appeared in a bowl game during this span (2011-17). In the last six bowl seasons, every MAC football program has received a bowl invitation. Leading the way are Toledo, Ohio and • Akron (7-7, 6-2) won the MAC East Division for the first time Northern Illinois with bowl invitations in six of the last seven bowl since 2005. Akron secured its third MAC East Division title as the seasons. Zips were bowl eligible for the second time in the last three years, also a school record. 2011-17 MAC Programs and Years Invited to Bowl Games Northern Illinois (6): 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2017 • Over the last three seasons, the MAC has witnessed six different Ohio (6): 2011; 2012; 2013; 2015; 2016; 2017 programs participate in the Marathon MAC Football Champion- Toledo (6): 2011; 2012; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017 ship Game. In 2015 Bowling Green defeated NIU, 34-14, while Central Michigan (5): 2012; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017 2016 witnessed Western Michigan with a 29-23 win over Ohio and Bowling Green (4): 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015 Toledo defeated Akron, 45-28 in the 2017 Marathon MAC Foot- Western Michigan (4): 2011; 2014; 2015; 2016 ball Championship Game. Akron (2): 2015; 2017 Ball State (2): 2012; 2013 • In 2017 the MAC had 11 FBS wins, including four wins over Buffalo (1): 2013 Autonomous Conferences with two wins vs. Big Ten opponents Kent State (1): 2012 (Nebraska, Rutgers) and two wins over Big 12 opponents (both Eastern Michigan (1): 2016 wins over Kansas). Miami (1): 2016 former: Temple (1): 2011

MAC 2017 BOWL RESULTS Year; MAC Programs Invited to Bowl Games • Cheribundi Tart Bowl Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Fla.) Florida 2011: Northern Illinois; Ohio; Toledo; Western Michigan; Temple Atlantic 50, Akron 3 2012: Northern Illinois; Kent State; Ohio; Bowling Green; Ball • Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.) Wyoming 37, Central State; Central Michigan; Toledo Michigan 14 2013: Northern Illinois; Bowling Green; Ball State; Ohio; Buffalo • Bahamas Bowl (Nassau) Ohio 41, UAB 6 2014: Northern Illinois; Bowling Green; Toledo; Central Michigan; • Dollar General Bowl (Mobile, Ala.) Appalachian State 34, Toledo 0 Western Michigan • Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit, Mich.) Duke 36, Northern Illinois 14 2015: Bowling Green; Northern Illinois; Toledo; Western Michigan; Central Michigan; Ohio; Akron 2016: Western Michigan, Ohio, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Central MAC NON-CONFERENCE WINS Michigan, Miami Entering Week Five, the MAC has six FBS wins with wins over 2017: Toledo, Akron, Ohio, Central Michigan; Northern Illinois. Purdue, Northwestern and Rutgers from the Big Ten Conference; Temple from the American Athletic Conference; Nevada from the Mountain West and Georgia State from the Sun Belt Conference. The MAC concluded its non-conference regular season schedule last season with 11 FBS wins. The MAC record is 16 FBS wins in 2012, while the Conference posted 14 FBS wins in both the 2016 and 2008 seasons. The MAC has partnered with collegepressbox.com to continue media services and provide access to information on the confer- In 2017, the MAC also has four ‘Autonomous Conference’ wins ence and our membership including rosters, bios, game notes, over Nebraska and Rutgers (Big Ten) and Kansas twice (Big 12). depth charts, stats, quotes, flipcards, media schedules and more. Among peer Conferences during the 2017 regular season, the MAC posted a 1-1 record against the American Athletic, Mountain West and Sun Belt Conferences, along with a record 3-4 vs. Con- ference USA. Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

MAC COLLABORATIVE REPLAY SYSTEM 2017 MAC ALL-AMERICANS The 2018 football season is the first time the MAC is using a confer- The MAC was represented in 2017 with All-American honors. ence-wide collaborative replay system. In conjunction with the Big Ten, all MAC stadiums will have two (2) monitors on the sideline The Associated Press: to assist with replay of game action during reviews, similar to the • Second-Team All-American: Northern Illinois DE Sutton Smith NFL. The MAC experimented with sideline monitors the past two USA Today: seasons during select games at the University of Akron and Central • First-Team All-American: Northern Illinois DE Sutton Smith Michigan University. The monitor allows the referee to view video Sports Illustrated: while in conversation with the replay official. The decision is still • Second-Team All-American: Northern Illinois DE Sutton Smith made by the replay official in the booth. The Big Ten and MAC are CBS Sports: the only FBS conferences utilizing this program. • Second-Team All-American: Northern Illinois DE Sutton Smith Walter Camp Football Foundation: MAC MEDIA/TV TIMEOUT CLOCK • First-Team All-American: Northern Illinois DE Sutton Smith This marks the second season for the MAC with a Media/TV Time- • Second-Team All-American: Western Michigan OT Chukwuma out clock. The MAC is the first FBS Conference to mandate this Okorafor league-wide with a Media/TV Timeout clock visible in each stadium The Sporting News: to assist with pace of play. The Media/TV Timeout Clock enhances • Second-Team All-American: Northern Illinois DE Sutton Smith the in-game experience for fans while also providing the institutions Football Writers Association of America (FWAA): a true stoppage time -- from beginning of the television commercial • First-Team All-American: Northern Illinois DE Sutton Smith break to returning to play. Following the success of this pilot program, • First-Team All-American: Western Michigan OT Chukwuma other FBS conferences have followed suit in 2018, including the Big Okorafor Ten. The 2017 season saw the MAC’s average game time reduced to Coaches Association (AFCA): 3:20, shaving nearly five minutes from the previous season • Second-Team All-American: Northern Illinois DE Sutton Smith MAC WIDE RECEIVERS CONTINUE TO SHINE NIU’S SUTTON SMITH CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICAN The depth of the MAC at the wide receiver position continues to Northern Illinois defensive end Sutton Smith was a 2017 Consensus blossom with plenty of playmakers at this skill position. In 2017, All-American, as determined by the NCAA. Smith became the ninth Toledo’s Diontae Johnson; Buffalo’s Anthony Johnson and Miami’s MAC player earn Consensus All-American status. James Gardner all had breakout seasons. To be selected as a Consensus All-American, a player must be named Buffalo’s Anthony Johnson was the top target by both Tyree Jackson to the first team of at least two of the five selected All-America and Drew Anderson last season for the Bulls. Buffalo finished with teams, announced over the last week by the American Football a 6-6 overall record, 4-4 in the MAC, and Johnson opened plenty of Coaches Association (AFCA), Associated Press, Football Writers eyes within the MAC and the entire country. Johnson led the MAC Association of America (FWAA), The Sporting News and Walter with 1,356 yards receiving (17.8 avg.) and 14 touchdowns, while Camp Foundation. Second team selections are used to break ties. his 76 catches ranked second in the league. Johnson collected four Players who earned the honor were listed on the most first team touchdown receptions in a win at Ball State on Nov. 16, 2017, which All-America teams, competing against players at that position only. tied for third most in MAC single-game history. Johnson’s 14 touch- downs ranks tied for 11th best in MAC single-season history and his Smith is actually one of five defensive linemen on the 2017 Consen- 1,356 yards receiving is 19th most in MAC single-season history. sus All-America team as he and Maurice Hurst of Michigan tied for the final spot. The St. Charles, Mo. native was named a first team Toledo’s Diontae Johnson as a sophomore last season became Logan All- American by Walter Camp and the FWAA, and was a second Woodside’s top target after the season ending injury to Cody Thomp- team selection on the AP, AFCA and Sporting News teams. son. Johnson led the Rockets with 74 receptions for 1,278 yards (17.3 avg.) and 13 touchdowns. Johnson ranked second in the MAC Smith is the fourth NIU player – joining Jordan Lynch, Jimmie Ward with his 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns, while his 74 catches ranked and Shuwan Lurry – to garner first team All-America recognition third in the league. Johnson’s 13 touchdowns is tied for 17th most in the last five seasons, surpassing the total number of Huskie All- in a single-season in MAC history, while his 1,278 yards receiving Americans in the school’s FBS history. ranks tied for 22nd most in MAC history. Smith is the most decorated defensive player in NIU football history Miami’s James Gardner led the RedHawks last season with his 47 and in addition to the five All-America teams mentioned above, was receptions for 927 yards (19.7 avg.) and 11 touchdowns. Gardner selected to six more All-America teams by media organizations. had perhaps his finest game of the year on the road at No. 22 ranked Notre Dame on Sept. 30, 2017 with five catches for 115 yards and Smith was the 2017 MAC Defensive Player of the Year was also a two touchdowns. Gardner’s 11 receiving touchdowns ranked third in finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s best defensive the MAC and are tied for 29th most in single-season in MAC history. end. He finished the season and led the MAC with 29.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks. He was 2.5 tackles for loss shy of the NCAA single MAC Among Sack & TFL Leaders In The Nation Last Season season record of 32, set by Western Michigan’s Jason Babin in 2003. In 2017, the MAC witnessed four different defensive players rank among the leaders in college football in sacks and tackles for loss MAC Consensus All-Americans – NIU’s Sutton Smith, Ball State’s Anthony Winbush, Central Michi- 1971 Mel Long, Toledo, DT gan’s Joe Ostman and Eastern Michigan’s Maxx Crosby. Winbush 1995 Brad Maynard, Ball State, P and Ostman are currently in NFL camps, while Smith and Crosby 1996 Brad Maynard, Ball State, P enter the 2018 campaign as redshirt juniors. 1997 Randy Moss, Marshall, WR 2000 Dwight Smith, Akron, DB The MAC had four of the top six defensive players in total sacks 2010 Eric Page, Toledo, KR/AP last season as Smith’s 16 led the nation, while Ostman’s 14 sacks 2012 Dri Archer, Kent State, KR/AP ranked second, Winbush’s 11.5 ranked fourth and Crosby’s 11 sacks 2016 Corey Davis, Western Michigan, WR ranked tied for sixth most in the country. All four also ranked among 2017 Sutton Smith, Northern Illinois, DE the nation’s best in tackles for loss as Smith’s 29.5 tackles for loss led the nation, Ostman’s 20.5 tackles for loss ranked seventh, while Winbush and Crosby each had 16.5 tackles for loss. Smith led the nation and the MAC with 16 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss on his way to consensus All-American status last season. Smith’s 16 sacks tied for second most in a single-season in MAC history. Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

OHIO’S SOLICH THIRD ON MAC CAREER WINS LIST FBS HEAD COACHES LEADING THEIR ALMA MATER Ohio head coach Frank Solich and his Bobcats finished 2017 with The MAC has three of the 22 FBS head coaches that are leading a 9-4 overall record and a second-place finish in the East Division. their alma mater’s football programs this 2018 season. Ohio won its opener with a 38-32 victory over Howard. Solich continues to rise up the MAC career head coaching win list with Western Michigan second-year head coach Tim Lester posted a 6-6 98 wins, which ranks third most in MAC history. overall record during his first season in Kalamazoo. Lester joined Western Michigan after serving as quarterbacks coach at Purdue. Solich has been the model for consistency in coaching in the MAC. Lester was a four-year starter at quarterback at Western Michigan Solich arrived in Athens, Ohio in 2005 and now is in his 14th sea- from 1996-99, leading the Broncos to a Marathon MAC Football son running the Bobcats program. Solich and the Ohio Bobcats Championship game appearance his senior season. have garnered a bowl appearance in eight of the last nine seasons and nine of his 13 seasons at Ohio. Solich has a 98-73 career Central Michigan fourth-year head coach John Bonamego was coaching record at Ohio. named the program’s 28th head coach on Feb. 9, 2015. Bonamego led the Chippewas to an 8-5 overall record last season, and has Most MAC Head Coaching Wins, Career compiled a 21-18 overall record at Central Michigan. Bonamego 1. 110, Herb Deromedi, Central Michigan, 1978-93 was a wide receiver/quarterback as a walk-on who earned varsity 2. 108, Bill Hess, Ohio, 1958-77 letters in 1985-86 and twice earned the Iron Man Award as the 3. 98, Frank Solich, Ohio, 2005-present defensive scout team player of the year. He brings 27 years of coaching experience, with 16 years in the NFL. MAC VS BIG TEN OPPONENTS Buffalo’s 42-13 win at Rutgers on Sept. 22, Akron’s 39-34 win at Ball State third-year head coach Mike Neu led the Cardinals to Northwestern on Sept. 15 and Eastern Michigan’s 20-19 win at a 2-10 record last year and returns to Muncie where he played Purdue on Sept. 8, 2018, the MAC extended its streak of a regular quarterback for four seasons (1990-93) and was the 1993 MAC season win vs. Big Ten opponents in each of the last 13 consecu- Offensive Player of the Year. Neu has 15 years of coaching experi- tive seasons (2006-2018), the longest streak in MAC history. ence with stops in the , Division I FBS football and the arena leagues. Neu served two seasons as the quar- During this 13-year stretch, MAC teams have defeated 12 differ- terback coach for the (2014-15). ent Big Ten teams—Illinois (3); Indiana (5); Iowa (3); Maryland (1); Michigan (1); Michigan State (1); Minnesota (2); Nebraska FBS Head Coaches Leading Their Alma Mater (1); Northwestern (3); Penn State (1), Purdue (6) and Rutgers (2) Troy Calhoun, Air Force; Bryan Harsin, Boise State; Mike Neu, for a total of 29 wins during this span of time. Ball State; John Bonamego, Central Michigan; Tim Lester, Western Michigan; Jim Harbaugh, Michigan; Pat Fitzgerald, In 2017, the MAC had two wins vs. Big Ten opponents -- NIU’s Northwestern; Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State; David Shaw, Stan- 21-17 win at Nebraska on Sept. 16, 2017 and Eastern Michigan’s ford; Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech; Matt Wells, Utah State; Scott 16-13 win at Rutgers on Sept. 9, 2017. Frost, Nebraska; Mate Luke, Ole Miss; Jonathan Smith, Oregon State; Paul Chryst, Wisconsin; Bary Odom, Missouri; Mark Richt, 2006: Ohio beat Illinois Miami; Nick Rolovich, Hawaii; Scott Satterfield, App State; Kalani 2007: BGSU beat Minnesota; WMU defeated Iowa Sitake, BYU; Kirby Smart, Georgia; Jeff Tedford, Fresno State. 2008: WMU beat Illinois; CMU beat Indiana; Toledo beat Michi- gan; Ball State beat Indiana OHIO’S ZERVOS ONE OF MAC’S MOST ACCURATE 2009: NIU beat Purdue; Central Michigan beat Michigan State Ohio junior Louie Zervos has been a key figure in the 2010: Toledo beat Purdue; NIU beat Minnesota success of the Ohio Bobcats during the last three seasons. This 2011: Ball State beat Indiana year Zervos has already made 5-of-6 attempts. Zervos in two sea- 2012: Ohio beat Penn St.; Ball State beat Indiana; CMU beat Iowa sons had converted 44-of-53 field goal attempts for an 83.0% per- 2013: NIU beat Purdue; NIU beat Iowa centage which ranks second best in MAC history. In 2017, Zervos 2014: BGSU beat Indiana; NIU beat NW; CMU beat Purdue converted 15-of-18 field goal attempts and totaled 106 total points. 2015: BGSU beat Maryland and Purdue He already holds the MAC record with 29 field goals made set dur- 2016: WMU beat Northwestern and Illinois ing his freshman year in 2016 when he connected on 29-of-35 field 2017: NIU beat Nebraska; Eastern Michigan beat Rutgers goal attempts for 122 total points. 2018: EMU beat Purdue; Akron beat Northwestern; Buffalo beat Rutgers MAC 2018 BOWL PARTNERS 2018 Bowl Season: TOLEDO WINS 2017 MARATHON MAC CHAMPIONSHIP • Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl/PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (College Foot- Toledo capped an historic season with a resounding 45-28 victory ball Playoff Host Bowls) over Akron at Ford Field in Detroit on Dec. 2, 2017 to claim their • Dollar General Bowl (Mobile, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt) 11th MAC Championship and first since 2004. In the 100th an- • Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.; vs. Mountain West) niversary season of their founding as a football program, and the • Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt) two-year anniversary of the hiring of Jason Candle as head coach, • Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl (Nassau, Bahamas; vs. Confer- the Rockets dominated the game from start to finish, scoring three ence USA) times in the second quarter to take a 28-0 lead into the locker room • Frisco Bowl (Frisco, Texas; vs. American Athletic Conference) at halftime. Toledo outgained the Zips, 561-396, holding them to • Secondary to Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl (Boca just 98 yards of total offense in the first half. The 561 yards of total Raton, Fla.) offense are the third-most in a MAC Championship Game. • Secondary to Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit, Mich.) • Secondary to ESPN owned and operated bowl games Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside, who threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns, was named the Offensive Player of the Game. 2019 Bowl Season: Receiver Diontae Johnson led the receiving corps with nine recep- • College Football Playoff Host Bowls tions for 118 yards and two scores, followed by Jon’Vea Johnson • Dollar General Bowl (Mobile, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt) (six receptions, 103 yards, and a touchdown). • Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.; vs. Mountain West) • Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt) Running back Terry Swanson piled up 180 yards and two TDs. On • Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Fla.; vs. the other side of the ball, defensive end Zach Quinn led the Rock- American Athletic Conference) ets with 10 tackles, defensive end Olasunkanmi Adeniyi added • Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl (vs. Conference USA) three tackles for loss and a forced fumble, and cornerback Trevon • Secondary to Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit, Mich.) Mathis came up with an interception and a key pass breakup. • Secondary to ESPN owned and operated bowl games

MAC HISTORY IN TOP 25 RANKINGS NATIONAL POLLS Western Michigan ended the 2016 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game with a 13-0 record and an invitation to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Entering the bowl season, Western Michigan was ranked No. 12 (AP), No. 14 (Amway/USA Today Coaches Poll) and No. 15 in the College Football Playoff Ranking. Western Michigan’s No. 12 (AP) ranking on Dec. 4, 2016 was the highest ranking since Ball State was ranked No. 12 (AP) after finishing the 2012 season (Nov. 30) with a 12-0 record. Western Michigan finished the season with a 13-1 overall record and ranked No. 15 in the AP Top 25 Poll. Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

MAC 2018 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS WINS OVER NON-CONFERENCE FBS OPPONENTS The 2018 football schedule will feature 16 nationally televised In 2017 the MAC earned 11 non-conference FBS wins. The MAC games during late October and November on ESPN2, ESPNU, set the Conference single-season record with 16 wins over FBS ESPN+, ESPN3 and CBS Sports Network as the conference race opponents during the 2012 season, and also posted 14 wins in both unfolds in both the East and West divisions. the 2008 and 2016 seasons. The regular season will conclude with the 22nd Marathon MAC Regular Season Wins vs. non-conference FBS opponents: Football Championship game on Friday, Nov. 30 at 7:00 pm ET Year: Wins; FBS Opponents Defeated: (ESPN2) in Detroit. This will mark the 15th Marathon MAC Foot- 2018: 6: Purdue, Temple; Northwestern; Rutgers; Nevada; Geor- ball Championship game at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, gia State; Super Bowl XL, and 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four. 2017: 11; Nebraska, Rutgers, Kansas (2); Charlotte, UAB; Ne- vada; Tulsa; Idaho; Florida Atlantic; UMass. For the 11th year in a row, league schools will face a formidable 2016: 14; Northwestern, Arkansas State, Georgia State, Oklahoma non-conference slate of opponents from the following Football State, Kansas, Illinois, Fresno State, UNLV, Marshall, Charlotte, Bowl Subdivision conferences – ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, Army, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern, Wyoming. SEC, Notre Dame and BYU. In addition, the Conference will also 2015: 12; Arkansas; Maryland; Iowa State; Purdue; FAU; Mar- face opponents from the American Athletic Conference, Confer- shall; Wyoming; UNLV; Idaho; Arkansas State; Louisiana; FIU ence USA, Mountain West Conference, Sun Belt Conference and 2014: 8; Purdue; Northwestern; Indiana; Idaho (2); UNLV, Pitt; Independents Army and UMass. Army 2013: 10; Iowa; Purdue; Virginia; UConn; Tulsa; Marshall; Army; MAC programs will face five non-conference foes that finished in North Texas; Idaho; Navy the final AP Top 25 poll: Penn State (9), Notre Dame (11), Miami- 2012: 16; Penn State; Wyoming; Idaho; New Mexico St.; Army Fla. (13), Michigan State (15) and Northwestern (17). (4); UConn; Marshall; Indiana; Iowa; South Florida; Kansas; Cin- cinnati; Rutgers A total of 12 non-conference games will feature a Big Ten oppo- 2011: 10; Indiana; Army (4); UConn; Idaho; New Mexico State; nent (Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Maryland; Michigan; Michigan State; Marshall; Maryland Minnesota; Nebraska; Northwestern; Penn State; Purdue; Rutgers). 2010: 7; Minnesota; Purdue; Marshall; Colorado State; UConn; The MAC will face foes from the ACC (5—Florida State, Georgia Army; Louisiana-Lafayette Tech, Miami (Fla.), Syracuse, Virginia), SEC (2—Kentucky, Ole 2009: 9; Michigan State; Purdue; Colorado; Florida International; Miss), Pac-12 (2-Oregon, Utah), Big 12 (2—Iowa State; Kansas); Troy; UTEP; North Texas; Army; Navy and Independent Notre Dame, BYU, Army (3 games) and UMass. 2008: 14; Navy; Indiana (2); Western Kentucky; Michigan; Idaho; Illinois; Syracuse; Army (3); Pittsburgh; Wyoming; UTEP The MAC will also face opponents from the American Ath- 2007: 10; Navy; Army (2); Idaho; Iowa State (2); Iowa; Minne- letic Conference (3— Cincinnati (2), Temple), Mountain West sota; Syracuse; La-Lafayette (3—Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State), Conference USA 2006: 11; Temple (5); Kansas; Virginia; North Carolina State; (2—Marshall, Western Kentucky) and Sun Belt Conference (1— North Texas; FIU; Illinois Georgia State). The MAC will host 10 games against FBS non- 2005: 9; Army; Louisiana-Lafayette; Temple (4); Pittsburgh; Mid- conference opponents. dle Tennessee State; Cincinnati 2004: 3; Temple (2); Kentucky MAC WITH SIX STUDENTS PICKED IN 2017 NFL DRAFT 2003: 9; Kansas State; Northwestern; Colorado State; Cincinnati; The MAC had six draft selections in the 2018 NFL Draft. Western Purdue; Maryland; Alabama; Iowa State; Pittsburgh Michigan OT Chukwuma Okorafor was the highest player selected 2002: 10; Rutgers; Troy; North Carolina; Cincinnati; UConn; Mis- as the Pittsburgh Steelers made him a third-round selection, 92nd souri; Kansas; Wyoming; Wake Forest; UNLV overall. Also from the Broncos, DB Sam Beal was selected by the 2001: 11; UConn (2); Army; Cincinnati; Missouri; Temple (2); during the July NFL Supplemental Draft. Minnesota; Northwestern; South Florida; Navy 2000: 9; Central Florida (2); Vanderbilt; Minnesota; UConn (2); In recent years the MAC had students selected among the top five Navy; Penn State; Iowa overall in the NFL Draft. In the last six years (2013-18), the MAC has had three players selected in the top five in the NFL Drafts. MAC HEAD COACHES IN HIGH DEMAND Football programs continue to take notice of MAC head coaches. In the 2017 NFL Draft, Western Michigan wide receiver Corey There are 11 former head coaches from the MAC in a current FBS Davis was selected as the fifth overall selection in the first round head coaching position–including three of the last four National by the Tennessee Titans. Davis’ selection was the highest ever for Champion’s with 2017 and 2015 Alabama’s Nick Saban (Toledo) Western Michigan and tied the second-highest in MAC history. and 2014 Ohio State’s Urban Meyer (Bowling Green), and nearly one-third of the ACC (four total). In 2014, linebacker was the fifth overall selection by the Oakland Raiders in the 2014 NFL Draft. Mack’s For the 2018 season, 23 of the 131 FBS coaches (17.6%) will be selection was the highest ever for the Buffalo program and the sec- either current or former MAC head coaches. The 23 current ond-highest ever selection for a MAC student-athlete. FBS coaches include the current 12 MAC head football coaches and 12 former MAC head football coaches. In 2013, Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher became the first MAC football player to be selected as the overall No. 1 selec- ACC – Steve Addazio-Boston College (Temple), Dave Doeren- tion in the NFL Draft. The selected Fisher as NC State (Northern Illinois), Dave Clawson-Wake Forest (Bowl- No.1 choice in the 2013 NFL Draft. The previous highest player ing Green), Dino Babers-Syracuse (Bowling Green). drafted from the MAC was Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich, Big Ten – Urban Meyer-Ohio State (Bowling Green), P.J. Fleck- who was selected No. 7 overall by Jacksonville in 2003. Minnesota (Western Michigan). Big 12 – Matt Campbell-Iowa State (Toledo). MAC Students Selected In 2018 NFL Draft Ind. – Brian Kelly-Notre Dame (Central Michigan), Mark Whip- 3rd (92) OL Chukwuma Okorafor (Western Mich.) by Pittsburgh ple (UMass). 5th (157) TE (Central Michigan) by Minnesota SEC-Nick Saban-Alabama (Toledo). 5th (170) DB/KR Darius Phillips (Western Mich.) by Cincinnati Sun Belt – Doug Martin-New Mexico State (Kent State). 7th (227) LB Quentin Poling (Ohio) by Miami 7th (249) QB Logan Woodside (Toledo) by Cincinnati MAC Students Selected In 2018 NFL Supplemental Draft 3rd DB Sam Beal (Western Michigan) by the New York Giants Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

MAC MEDIA 2018 FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL ESPN+ TO FEATURE MAC EVENTS IN 2018 Earlier this summer members of the media selected Ohio and ESPN+ is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video ser- Northern Illinois to win the East and West Divisions respectfully in vice from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and the 2018 MAC Football Media Preseason Poll. Ohio was selected International (DTCI) segment in conjunction with ESPN. It offers to win the 2018 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game. fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital In the East Division, Ohio was selected first with a league-best networks. 140 total points. Following the Bobcats, the Buffalo Bulls finished second with 112 points, while the Miami RedHawks finished third Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per with 95 points. Defending MAC East Champion Akron Zips fin- year) through the ESPN App or ESPN.com. The ESPN App also ished fourth with 74 points, followed by Bowling Green and Kent provides fans separate access to all of ESPN’s “TV Everywhere” State. streaming of its linear television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ES- PNU, etc.) and ESPN3 – to fans with a pay TV subscription. In the West Division, Northern Illinois was selected first in the ESPN+ and ESPN’s authenticated streaming is also available on Division with 133 total points. Following the Huskies, defend- ESPN.com. ing West Champion Toledo finished second with 125 points, while the Western Michigan Broncos were third with 87 points. East- MAC fans who have any questions about the new ESPN App or ern Michigan ranked fourth with 67 points, followed by Central ESPN+, may contact ESPN customer care: Michigan and Ball State. • Online: support.espn.com 2018 MAC MEDIA Football Preseason Poll • Phone: 1-888-549-ESPN MAC East Division • ESPN App: Live Chat Feature Team (First Place Votes) Points • ESPN Customer Support Available: 9am-1am ET, 7 days a week 1. Ohio (21) 140 2. Buffalo (1) 112 FORMER MAC ALUM RANDY MOSS INDUCTED INTO 3. Miami (2) 95 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME 4. Akron 74 Joining the list of MAC alum heading to the Pro Football Hall 5. Bowling Green 58 of Fame in Canton, Ohio, former Marshall wide receiver Randy 6. Kent State 25 Moss will increase this number to three, as Moss will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the 2018 Hall MAC West Division of Fame Class. Moss, who was named MAC Offensive Player of Team (First Place Votes) Points the Year in 1997, posted 78 catches for 1,709 yards and 28 touch- 1. Northern Illinois (15) 133 downs with Marshall in 1996 and added 96 receptions for 1,820 2. Toledo (7) 125 yards and 26 touchdowns in 1997. 3. Western Michigan (1) 87 4. Eastern Michigan 67 Moss was selected in the first round, 21st overall, of the 1998 NFL 5. Central Michigan (1) 58 Draft by the . Moss spent 14 seasons in the NFL 6. Ball State 34 with Minnesota, Oakland, New England, Tennessee and San Fran- cisco and amassed 982 career receptions for 15,292 yards and 156 MAC FOOTBALL COACHES PRESEASON POLL touchdowns and was selected to five Pro Bowls. Moss becomes MAC Head Football Coaches have provided their own 2018 Pre- the third former MAC football standout to be selected to the Pro season Poll and based upon voting by all 12 head coaches Ohio Football Hall of Fame. and NIU have been selected to win the East and West Divisions re- spectfully, with Ohio winning the Marathon MAC Football Cham- Moss joins Jason Taylor of Akron and former Kent State lineback- pionship Game. er Jack Lambert of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Moss was a member of the Marshall Thundering Herd, who competed in the MAC before In the East Division, a margin of 11 points separated first-place and departing after the 2004 season. second-place. Ohio was selected first with 70 total points followed by second-place Buffalo with 59 points. Miami was selected third MAC PART OF NEW COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF ERA followed by Akron, Bowling Green and Kent State. The 2018 college football season enters the fifth year of the current four-team playoff era with the College Football Playoff. The two In the West Division, the margin was also only one point as North- College Football Playoff Semifinals will be played in bowl games ern Illinois was selected in first-place with 61 points followed by this year (Capital One Orange Bowl; Goodyear Cotton Bowl Clas- second-place Toledo with 60 points. Western Michigan was picked sic) and the College Football Playoff National Championship will third followed by Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Ball be played in the Bay Area (Levi Stadium) on Jan. 7. State. The two Semifinals and four other premier bowl games AllState 2018 MAC HEAD COACHES Football Preseason Poll Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1), Rose Bowl presented by Northwestern Mutual MAC East Division (Jan. 1), PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1) and the Chick-fil-A Peach Team (First Place Votes) Points Bowl (Dec. 29) highlight the annual bowl season calendar. The 1. Ohio (10) 70 Semifinal games will rotate among these six different bowls. All 2. Buffalo (2) 59 MAC programs will join every FBS team in college football with 3. Miami 42 equal access to the playoff based upon its performance. No team 4. Akron 36 will qualify automatically. 5. Bowling Green 29 6. Kent State 16 The College Football Playoff Selection Committee will choose four teams for the playoffs based on body of work, strength of schedule, MAC West Division head-to-head results, comparison of results against common op- Team (First Place Votes) Points ponents, championships won and other factors. 1. Northern Illinois (5) 61 2. Toledo (3) 60 The highest ranked program by the Selection Committee from either 3. Western Michigan (1) 45 the MAC, American Athletic, Conference USA, Mountain West 4. Eastern Michigan (1) 35 or Sun Belt Conferences will play annually in one of the premier 5. Central Michigan (1) 33 bowl games. 6. Ball State (1) 18 Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

MAC Week Four Quick Recaps: MAC Week Four Quick Recaps: Buffalo 42, Rutgers 13 -- It was a historic day for Buffalo as the Western Michigan 34, Georgia State 15 -- Western Michigan Bulls beat Rutgers, 42-13, at HighPoint.com Stadium on Saturday forced three turnovers in route to its first road win of the season 34- for their first ever win over a team from the Big Ten Conference. 15, at Georgia State on Saturday. The Bronco defense forced three Buffalo improved to 4-0 on the season for the first time since 1981. , recovering two, and recorded one interception on the day, along with three sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Drake Spears had a The Bulls jumped out to a 35-6 first-half lead and never looked game-high nine tackles, along with two sacks, three tackles for loss back. And, once again, they did so with a slew of big offense plays. and a forced fumble. A.J. Thomas had seven tackles, a tackle for Tyree Jackson hit Anthony Johnson in stride for a 42-yard touch- loss and an interception. down, midway through the first quarter, to not only open the Bulls’ scoring, but the scoring floodgates. Jaret Patterson followed with Western Michigan junior quarterback Jon Wassink completed 20- a 42-yard touchdown run, on the Bulls’ next possession, to extend of-25 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns. The Broncos the Buffalo lead to 14-3. Patterson had the best game of his young had two 100 yard rushers for the first time since Oct. 7, 2017 at career, as the freshman running back finished with 104 yards and Buffalo, with Jamauri Bogan leading the way with 126 yards on two touchdowns on only 14 carries. 15 carries. LeVante Bellamy had 121 yards on 21 carries. Fresh- man Jayden Reed continued his fantastic start to the season with Toledo 63, Nevada 44 -- Toledo junior quarterback Mitchell Gua- a game-high 101 yards receiving on seven catches. The offense dagni threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more as Toledo combined for 528 total yards. won a shoot-out over Nevada, 63-44, at the Glass Bowl on Satur- day. Guadagni completed 15-of-24 passes for 211 yards and led the Iowa State 26, Akron 13 -- Akron fell 26-13 on the road to Big Rockets with 131 yards rushing on 15 carries. His 34-yard touch- 12 opponent Iowa State on Saturday at MidAmerican Energy Field down run with 7:26 left in the game sealed the victory and was at Jack Trice Stadium. It was a closely fought battle throughout as the final score in a wild contest that saw the teams combine for the Akron (2-1) defense gave the Iowa State (1-2) offense trouble 107 points and 1,042 yards. Toledo never trailed in the contest, but all game. Iowa State led by a touchdown at the break (17-10), and until the fourth quarter, it was a back and forth affair, with Nevada added three second-half field goals for their first win of the season. matching the Rockets on the scoreboard three times in the first Iowa State outscored Akron 9-3 in the final 30 minutes of play. half. The Wolf Pack pulled to within four points in the third quar- ter, 42-38, but Toledo outscored Nevada 21-6 from there. Akron saw two players reach career milestones as senior punter Nick Gasser booted a 49-yard field goal for the longest of his ca- Florida State 37, NIU 19 -- Northern Illinois overcame a rocky reer, and senior wide receiver Kwadarrius Smith surpassed the start to battle Florida State for four quarters before falling, 37-19, 1,000-yard career receiving mark on a 13-yard reception. Soph- Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium. NIU quarterback Marcus omore quarterback Kato Nelson led the Akron offense with 153 Childers threw for a season-best 215 yards on 20-of-41 passing, yards passing and 56 yards on the ground. He completed 12-of-28 and scored on an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter, and the Huskie passes for one touchdown and a long of 29 yards. defense forced four turnovers while limiting Florida State to 121 rushing yards. Cincinnati 34, Ohio 30 -- Ohio (1-2) faced Cincinnati (4-0) for the first time since 1981. Despite taking an early 21-0 lead, the The Huskies fell behind, 14-0, in the first quarter but battled back Bobcats were unable to hold off the potent Cincinnati offense, to make it a 10-point game when D.J. Brown took a pass from and would ultimately fall by the final of 34-30. The Bobcats were Childers over the middle and outraced four defenders to the end led by quarterback Nathan Rourke, who finished 12-for-27 with zone for a 66-yard touchdown to close the gap to 23-13 with 2:48 178 yards and one passing touchdown. Rourke also led Ohio on to play in the third quarter. It was the longest play from scrimmage the ground, rushing for 96 yards on nine attempts and one rush- of the year for the Huskies. NIU attempted a two-point conversion, ing touchdown. Cameron Odom led the Bobcats’ receiving core, but Jauan Wesley’s scramble fell short. catching five passes for a career-high 114-yards. Maleek Irons and A.J. Ouellette both added touchdowns for Ohio, while Louie Ole Miss 38, Kent State 17 -- Kent State went toe-to-toe with Zervos was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, including a Ole Miss for three quarters, but came up short of its first program season-high 47-yard attempt. victory over an SEC opponent. The Rebels pulled away in the fourth with a 38-17 home victory Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Miami 38, Bowling Green 23 -- A season-high 289 rushing yards Stadium. Following a one-hour and 43-minute lightning delay in helped the Miami football team open MAC play with a 38-23 vic- the fourth quarter, Ole Miss put the game out of reach with its tory at Bowling Green on Saturday. Miami (1-3, 1-0 MAC) built a fourth touchdown of the half. The Golden Flashes were within 31-3 lead early in the third quarter and never looked back to pick four points (21-17) late in the third quarter and seven points (24- up its first win. The RedHawks came out establishing their running 17) to start the fourth. game and it paid off as early as their second possession. Alonzo Smith used a 29-yard rush to move Miami into Bowling Green Central Michigan 17, Maine 5 -- Central Michigan’s defense territory and Maurice Thomas finished that drive two plays later turned in a stout performance on Saturday and the offense in Tom- by racing 30 yards down the sideline to put Miami up 7-0 with just my Lazzaro’s first start at quarterback was efficient enough as the 4:09 gone by. Giving Miami its first lead of the season. Chippewas downed Football Championship Subdivison Maine, 17-5, before 16,474 at sunny Kelly/Shorts Stadium. It was the first San Diego State 23, Eastern Michigan 20 (OT) -- Despite an win of the season for the Chippewas (1-3), while Maine, which is early deficit, Eastern Michigan clawed all the way back to take ranked 16th in FCS, dropped to 2-1 on the year. a 20-17 edge over San Diego State. However, a turnover and a 38-yard field goal proved the difference in overtime, as the Eagles Western Kentucky 28, Ball State 20 -- A normally disciplined dropped the non-conference affair, 23-20, Saturday, Sept. 22, at Ball State football team hurt itself with penalties Saturday and SDCCU Stadium. saw a Western Kentucky quarterback change spark the Hilltoppers to a 28-20 win at Scheumann Stadium. Steven Duncan came off Down two scores in the second, junior quarterback Mike Glass III the bench to guide three second-half touchdown drives and push led the comeback effort with a two-yard touchdown rush before Western Kentucky over the top in a tight game. Ball State was the half to make it 17-10. Following the break, Glass III connected penalized 10 times for 120 yards and had several other holding with junior wide receiver Arthur Jackson III for a 37-yard strike to penalties declined in long down-and-distance situations. Six times knot the game at 17-all with 8:15 still to play in the third. Eastern the Cardinals found themselves needing at least 18 yards to pick Michigan would eventually take the lead for the first time with up a first down.. 3:18 to play on a 24-yard field goal, but the Aztecs used a 50-yard field goal to force overtime. Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Army (2-2; Independent) at Buffalo (4-0, 1-0; MAC) Saturday, September 29, 2018 • Noon ET • Buffalo, N.Y. • UB Stadium (29,013) CBS Sports Network Series: Series tied 3-3 Head Coach: Jeff Monken Defense: Career: 64-44 (9th year) at Army: 26-28 (5th year) Tackles: LB James Nachtigal (23 tackles, 2.0 tfl, 2.0 sacks) Contact: Kat Castner, 845-938-7197, [email protected] Sacks: LB Kenneth Brinson (11 tackles, 2.0 tfl, 2.0 sacks) Int.: DB Jaylon McClinton (21 tackles, 1 INT) Offense: Rush: QB Kelvin Hopkins (73 att., 308 rushing yds., 4 TDs) Notes: Army lost 28-21 at No. 5-ranked Oklahoma on Sept. 22...The Pass: QB Kelvin Hopkins (21-46 passing, 460 yards, 2 TDs) Cadets played a Top-5 team for the first time since 2013 when they Rec.: WR Kell Walker (6 rec., 117 yds., 0 TDs) faced off against No. 4/5 Stanford...Black Knights have caused at least one turnover in three-of-four games this year...QB Kelvin Hopkins has now thrown or rushed for a touchdown in each game this season. Head Coach: Lance Leipold Defense: Career: 126-29 (11th year) at Buffalo: 17-23 (4th year) Tackles: LB Khalil Hodge (47 tackles, 3.0 tfl) Football Contact: Jon Fuller, 716-645-6762, [email protected] Sacks: DE Chuck Harris (21 tackles, 6.0 tfl, 6.0 sacks) Int.: DB Cameron Lewis (12 tackles, 0.5 tfl, 2 INT) Offense: Rush: RB Kevin Marks (57 att., 282 yds., 5 TDs) Notes: Buffalo won 42-13 at Rutgers on Sept. 22...Bulls jumped out to Pass: QB Tyree Jackson (78-126 passing, 1,052 yards, 15 TDs) a 35-6 lead in the first half...RB Jaret Patterson had 14 carries for 104 Rec.: WR K.J. Osborn (19 rec., 328 yds., 5 TDs) yards and two touchdowns...QB Tyree Jackson threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns...LB Khalil Hodge had a season-high 15 tackles.

Bowling Green (1-3, 0-1; MAC) at Georgia Tech (1-3, 0-2; ACC) Saturday, September 29, 2018 • Noon ET • Atlanta, Ga. • Bobby Dodd Stadium (55,000) ACC Regional Sports Network Series: First Meeting Head Coach: Mike Jinks Defense: Career: 7-21 (3rd year) at Bowling Green: 7-21 (3rd year) Tackles: LB Brandon Harris (40 tackles, 1.0 tfl) Football Contact: Jason Knavel, 419-372-7075, [email protected] Sacks: DL Roland Walder (16 tackles, 1.5 tfl, 1.0 sack) Int.: DB Marcus Milton (13 tackles, 1 INT) Offense: Rush: RB Andrew Clair (82 att., 284 rushing yds., 1 TD) Notes: Falcons lost 38-23 to Miami on Sept. 22...QB Jarret Doege Pass: QB Jarret Doege (97-149 passing, 891 yards, 11 TDs) completed 30-45 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns...Doege set Rec.: WR Quintin Morris (21 rec., 266 yds., 4 TDs) a new career high with his 30 completions and has eight consecutive games with multiple touchdown passes...Falcons had a season-high 385 yards of total offense. Head Coach: Paul Johnson Defense: Career: 183–96 (22nd year) at Georgia Tech: 76–57 (11th year) Tackles: LB David Curry (15 tackles, 0.5 tfl, 0.5 sack) Contact: Mike Flynn, 404-894-5445, [email protected] Sacks: DL Kyle Cerge-Henderson (10 tackles, 3.0 tfl, 2.0 sacks) Int.: DB Malik Rivera (15 tackles, 2 INT) Offense: Rush: QB TaQuon Marshall (75 att., 340 yards, 5 TDs) Notes: Georgia Tech lost 49-21 to No. 2-ranked Clemson on Sept. 22... Pass: QB TaQuon Marshall (25-57 passing, 382 yards, 2 TDs) QB TaQuon Marshall scored the 23rd rushing touchdown of his career Rec.: WR Brad Stewart (8 rec., 88 yards, 1 TD) in the second quarter to move alone into third place all-time for rushing touchdowns by a Georgia Tech QB...Marshall has scored at least one rushing touchdown in 13 of his 15 career starts, including all four games this season. Central Michigan (1-3, 0-0; MAC) at Michigan State (2-1, 1-0; Big Ten) Saturday, September 29, 2018 • Noon ET • East Lansing, Mich. • Spartan Stadium (75,005) FS1 Series: Michigan State leads 7-3 Head Coach: John Bonamego Defense: Career: 22-21 (4th year) at Central Michigan: 22-21 (4th year) Tackles: LB Malik Fountain (47 tackles, 2.5 tfl, 1.0 sack) Football Contact: Rob Wyman, 989-774-3041, [email protected] Sacks: DL Mike Danna (20 tackles, 5.0 tfl, 4.0 sacks) Int.: DB Xavier Crawford (7 tackles, 1 INT) Offense: Rush: RB Jonathan Ward (52 att., 156 rushing yds., 0 TDs) Notes: Central Michigan won 17-5 over Maine on Sept. 22...DL Mike Pass: QB Tommy Lazzaro (13-22 passing, 128 yds., 1 TD) Danna had four sacks, five tackles for loss and registered seven tackles... Rec.: WR Cameron Cole (11 rec., 127 yds., 0 TDs) Defense made six sacks and forced two fumbles...QB Tommy Lazzaro made his first career start and was 7-16 passing for 82 yards and a touch- down with one interception. Head Coach: Mark Dantonio Defense: Career: 120–63 (15th year) at Michigan State: 102–46 (12th year) Tackles: LB Joe Bachie (30 tackles, 2.5 tfl, 1.0 sack) Contact: Ben Phlegar, 517-355-2271, [email protected] Sacks: DE Kenny Willekes (16 tackles, 5.0 tfl, 3.0 sacks) Int.: DB Khari Willis (17 tackles, 1 INT) Offense: Rush: RB LJ Scott (30 att., 103 yds., 0 TDs) Notes: Michigan State won 35-21 at Indiana on Sept. 22...Spartans held Pass: QB Brian Lewerke (64-97 passing, 814 yds., 5 TDs) the Hoosiers to 29 yards rushing on 32 attempts...Michigan State has Rec.: WR Cody White (18 rec., 260 yds., 2 TDs) held its opponents under 50 yards rushing for five consecutive games and under 100 yards rushing for six straight games...QB Brian Lewerke recorded his ninth 200-yard passing game of his career, completing 14- of-25 passes for 213 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

UMass (2-2; Independent) at Ohio (1-2; 0-0; MAC) Saturday, September 29, 2018 • 2:00 pm ET • Athens, Ohio • Peden Stadium (24,000) ESPN3 Series: UMass leads 3-0 Head Coach: Mark Whipple Defense: Career: 135–98 (21st year) at UMass: 63–65 (11th year) Tackles: LB Bryten Barr (71 tackles, 6.0 tfl, 1.0 sack) Contact: Cody Lahl, 845-750-4225, [email protected] Sacks: DL Jake Byczko (22 tackles, 3.0 tfl, 2.0 sacks) Int.: DB Brice McAllister (26 tackles, 2 INT) Offense: Rush: RB Marquis Young (60 att., 327 yards, 4 TDs) Notes: UMass won 49-31 over Charlotte on Sept. 22...QB Michael Cur- Pass: QB Andrew Ford (49-78 passing, 486 yds., 2 TDs) tis was 12-of-19 passing for 189 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed Rec.: WR Andy Isabella (29 rec., 450 yds., 4 TDs) for 35 yards on nine carries and two more scores as he was thrust into the starting role following injuries to seniors Ross Comis and Andrew Ford...LB Bryton Barr posted a career-high 21 tackles. Head Coach: Frank Solich Defense: Career: 156-92 (20th year) at Ohio: 98-73 (14th year) Tackles: S Javon Hagan (20 tackles) Contact: Mike Ashcraft, 740-593-1299, [email protected] Sacks: DL Cole Baker (6 tackles, 0.5 tfl, 1.0 sack) Int.: LB Evan Croutch (18 tackles, 2.0 tfl, 1 INT) Offense: Rush: RB AJ Ouellette (52 att., 164 yards, 1 TD) Notes: Ohio lost 34-30 at Cincinnati on Sept. 22...RB A.J. Ouellette Pass: QB Nathan Rourke (30-66 passing, 468 yds., 3 TDs) scored his first rushing touchdown of the year and 21st of his career and Rec.: WR Papi White (16 rec., 308 yds., 2 TDs) is tied for eighth place in program history in career touchdowns...QB Nathan Rourke scored the 22nd rushing touchdown of his career, put- ting him seventh on Ohio’s career rushing touchdowns list. Kent State (1-3, 0-0; MAC) at Ball State (1-3, 0-0; MAC) Saturday, September 29, 2018 • 3:00 pm ET • Muncie, Ind. • Scheumann Stadium (22,500) ESPN+ Series: Ball State leads 20-7 Head Coach: Sean Lewis Defense: Career: 1-3 (1st year) at Kent State: 1-3 (1st year) Tackles: LB Matt Bahr (39 tackles, 3.0 tfl) Football Contact: Aaron Chimenti, 330-672-8468, [email protected] Sacks: DE Theo Eboigbe (9 tackles, 2.0 tfl, 2.0 sacks) Int.: DB Jamal Parker (32 tackles, 2 INT) Offense: Rush: RB Justin Rankin (45 att., 263 rushing yds; 1 TD) Notes: Kent State lost 38-17 at Ole Miss on Sept. 22...Teams handled a Pass: QB Woody Barrett (85-148 passing, 826 yards, 4 TDs) one-hour and 43-minute lightning delay in the fourth quarter...WR Mike Rec.: WR Mike Carrigan (19 rec., 205 yds., 2 TDs) Carrigan had 6 catches for 88 yards...QB Woody Barrett completed 24 passes for 224 yards...DB Jamal Parker had a career-high 12 tackles and one interception. Head Coach: Mike Neu Defense: Career: 7-21 (3rd year) at Ball State: 7-21 (3rd year) Tackles: LB Jacob White (29 tackles, 5.5 tfl, 1.0 sack) Contact: Mike Clark, 765-285-8904, [email protected] Sacks: LB Jacob White (29 tackles, 5.5 tfl, 1.0 sack) Int.: DB Ray Wilborn (23 tackles, 1.0 tfl, 1 INT) Offense: Rush: RB James Gilbert (59 att., 302 yards rushing, 2 TDs) Notes: Ball State lost 28-20 to Western Kentucky on Sept. 22...WR Co- Pass: QB Riley Neal (85-149 passing, 839 yds., 4 TDs) rey Lacanaria had a career-high 99 yards receiving...WR Riley Miller Rec.: WR Justin Hall (21 rec., 175 yds., 0 TDs) finished with career highs in receptions (8) and receiving yards (112)... QB Riley Neal (6,315) moved into third place on Ball State’s all-time passing list, passing head coach Mike Neu (6,271 yards). Western Michigan (2-2, 0-0; MAC) at Miami (1-3, 1-0; MAC) Saturday, September 29, 2018 • 3:30 pm ET • Oxford, Ohio • Yager Stadium (24,286) ESPN+ Series: Miami leads 37-21-1 Head Coach: Tim Lester Defense: Career: 48-31 (8th year) at Western Michigan: 8-8 (2nd year) Tackles: LB Alex Grace (25 tackles, 5.5 tfl, 1.0 sack) Contact: Kristin Keirns, 269-387-4123, [email protected] Sacks: DL Ali Fayad (13 tackles, 4.0 tfl, 4.0 sacks) Int.: DB A.J. Thomas (25 tackles, 1 INT) Offense: Rush: RB LeVante Bellamy (50 att., 389 yards, 3 TDs) Notes: Western Michigan won 34-15 at Georgia State on Sept. 22...QB Pass: QB Jon Wassink (78-125 passing, 984 yards, 8 TDs) Jon Wassink completed 20-of-25 passes for 234 yards and three touch- Rec.: WR Jayden Reed (19 rec., 260 yards, 2 TDs) downs...Broncos had two 100 yard rushers for the first time since Oct. 7, 2017 at Buffalo, with Jamauri Bogan’s 126 yards on 15 carries and LeVante Bellamy’s 121 yards on 21 carries. Head Coach: Chuck Martin Defense: Career: 90-43 (11th year) at Miami: 16-36 (5th year) Tackles: LB De’Andre Montgomery (38 tackles, 1.5 tfl, 1.0 sack) Football Contact: Dave Meyer, 513-529-4329, [email protected] Sacks: DL Doug Costin (16 tackles, 4.0 tfl, 2.0 sacks) Int.: LB Brad Koenig (35 tackles, 3.5 tfl, 2.0 sacks, 1 INT) Offense: Rush: RB Alonzo Smith (39 att., 220 yds., 1 TD) Notes: Miami won 38-23 at Bowling Green on Sept. 22...RedHawks Pass: QB Gus Ragland (68-122 passing, 723 yds., 5 TDs) built a 31-3 lead in the third quarter...Miami finished with a 408-385 Rec.: WR James Gardner (12 rec., 157 yds., 0 TDs) edge in total offense, helped by 289 rushing yards...RB Alonzo Smith had 164 yards rushing...QB Gus Ragland completed 10-of-15 passes for 119 yards and two scores. Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Northern Illinois (1-3, 1-0; MAC) at Eastern Michigan (2-2, 0-1; MAC) Saturday, September 29, 2018 • 6:00 pm ET • Ypsilanti, Mich. • Rynearson Stadium (30,200) ESPN+ Series: NIU leads 32-14-2 Head Coach: Rod Carey Defense: Career: 45-26 (6th year) at NIU: 45-26 (6th year) Tackles: LB A. Jones-Davis (37 tackles, 1.5 tfl) Football Contact: Donna Turner, 815-753-9513, [email protected] Sacks: DE Sutton Smith (20 tackles, 8.5 tfl, 4.0 sacks) Int.: DB Albert Smalls (3 tackles, 1 INT) Offense: Rush: RB Tre Harbison (36 att., 235 rushing yds., 0 TDs) Notes: NIU lost 37-19 at Florida State on Sept. 22...QB Marcus Childers Pass: QB Marcus Childers (63-117 passing, 540 yds., 6 TDs) threw for a season-high 215 yards on 20-41 passing, and scored on an Rec.: WR D.J. Brown (20 rec., 247 yds., 2 TDs) 11-yard run...Defense forced four turnovers while limiting Florida State to 121 rushing yards...WR D.J. Brown had seven catches for a career high 117 yards and one touchdown. Head Coach: Chris Creighton Defense: Career: 156-82 (22nd year) at Eastern Michigan: 17-36 (5th year) Tackles: LB Kyle Rachwal (31 tackles, 4.0 tfl, 1 INT) Football Contact: Greg Steiner, 734-487-0317, [email protected] Sacks: DE Maxx Crosby (13 tackles, 5.0 tfl, 4.0 sacks) Int.: DB Kevin McGill (12 tackles, 1 INT) Offense: Rush: RB Shaq Vann (50 att., 196 yds., 1 TD) Notes: Eastern Michigan lost 23-20 (OT) at San Diego State on Sept. Pass: QB Tyler Wiegers (54-71 passing, 697 yds., 3 TDs) 22...QB Mike Glass III was 9-16 passing for 153 yards and a score to go Rec.: WR Blake Banham (23 rec., 361 yds., 2 TDs) along with 31 yards rushing and another score...K Chad Ryland drilled a 51-yard field goal, the eighth-longest field goal in school history and the longest by an Eastern Michigan kicker since 2015. Toledo (2-1, 0-0; MAC) at Fresno State (2-1, 0-0; Mountain West) Saturday, September 29, 2018 • 10:30 pm ET • Fresno, Calif. • Bulldog Stadium (41,031) ESPNU Series: Fresno State leads 2-1 Head Coach: Jason Candle Defense: Career: 23-8 (3rd year) at Toledo: 23-8 (3rd year) Tackles: DE Jamal Hines (18 tackles, 3.5 tfl, 2.0 sacks) Contact: Paul Helgren, 419-530-4918, [email protected] Sacks: DL Reggie Howard (16 tackles, 3.0 tfl, 2.0 sacks) Int.: DB Tycen Anderson (14 tackles, 1 INT) Offense: Rush: RB Shakif Seymour (27 att., 93 yds., 2 TDs) Notes: Toledo won 63-44 over Nevada on Sept. 22...With 63 points Pass: QB Michael Guadagni (39-61 passing, 698 yds., 9 TDs) this marks the second time in program history that Toledo has scored at Rec.: WR Diontae Johnson (12 rec., 246 yds., 4 TDs) least 60 points twice in a season...Sixty-three points are the most ever against an FBS non-conference opponent...Rockets have scored 153 points through their first three games, the most since 2005 (160 points). Head Coach: Jeff Tedford Defense: Career: 94–62 (13th year) at Fresno State: 12-5 (2nd year) Tackles: LB Jeff Allison (27 tackles, 1.5 tfl, 1 INT) Contact: Matt Burkholder, 559-278-6186, Sacks: DT Jasad Haynes (9 tackles, 3.5 tfl, 1.5 sacks) [email protected] Int.: DB Anthoula Kelly (13 tackles, 2 INT) Offense: Notes: Fresno State won 38-14 over UCLA on Sept. 15... Fresno State Rush: RB Jordan Mims (40 att., 162 yds., 3 TDs) won its third-straight win against UCLA (2003, 2008 and 2018)...WR Pass: QB Marcus Mcmaryion (64-91 passing, 682 yds., 3 TDs) KeeSean Johnson had 8 catches and moved to No. 5 on the school’s all- Rec.: WR KeeSean Johnson (20 rec., 292 yds., 1 TD) time careers catch list, and with his 85 receiving yards moved to No. 9 in career receiving yards with 2,415...Fresno State was 12-of-18 on third down conversions, including going 4-of-5 in the fourth quarter.

BYE Week: Akron (2-1, 0-0; MAC)

Head Coach: Terry Bowden Defense: Career: 173-107-2 (25th year) at Akron: 33-45 (7th year) Tackles: LB John Lako (28 tackles, 1.5 tfl) Contact: Cathy Bongiovi, 330-972-6106, [email protected] Sacks: LB Josh Ward (6 tackles, 3.5 tfl, 2.0 sacks) Int.: DB Alvin Davis (17 tackles, 3 INT) Offense: Rush: RB Van Edwards (43 att., 185 rushing yds., 2 TDs) Notes: Akron lost 26-13 at Iowa State on Sept. 22...QB Kato Nelson was Pass: QB Kato Nelson (45-82 passing, 662 yards, 6 TDs) 12-of-28 passing for 153 yards and a touchdown, and also led with 15 Rec.: WR Jonah Morris (10 rec., 182 yds., 1 TD) carries for 56 yards...WR Nate Stewart led with a career-high four re- ceptions for a career-high 52 yards...LB Ulysees Gilbert led the defense with 12 tackles.

MAC Weekly Coaches Teleconference 9:30-9:38 Terry Bowden, Akron 9:38-9:46 Jason Candle, Toledo The Mid-American Conference football coaches will be available each 9:46-9:54 Rod Carey, Northern Illinois Monday beginning Aug. 27 through Nov. 19 for a weekly media conference 9:54-10:02 Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan call. There will be an additional football championship teleconference Nov. 10:02-10:10 John Bonamego, Central Michigan 26 at 10 a.m. All times listed below are Eastern. 10:18-10:26 Frank Solich, Ohio 10:26-10:34 Chuck Martin, Miami For call in number for the media please contact Ken Mather at 216-566-4622 10:34-10:42 Sean Lewis, Kent State or [email protected]. The conference call will also be available at 10:42-10:50 Lance Leipold, Buffalo www.GetSomeMACtion.com each Monday afternoon. 10:50-10:58 Mike Jinks, Bowling Green 10:58-11:06 Mike Neu, Ball State 11:06-11:14 Tim Lester, Western Michigan 9:30-9:38 Terry Bowden, Akron 9:38-9:46 Jason Candle, Toledo 9:46-9:54 Rod Carey, Northern Illinois Mid-American Conference Football Con- 9:54-10:02 Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan tacts 10:02-10:10 John Bonamego, Central Michigan Mid-American Conference -- Ken Mather (kmather@mac- 10:18-10:26 Frank Solich, Ohio sports.com) -- 216-566-4622 10:26-10:34 Chuck Martin, Miami 10:34-10:42 Sean Lewis, Kent State Akron -- Gregg Bach ([email protected]) -- 330.972.6106 Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

SEVENTY-SEVEN (71) FORMER MAC STUDENTS ON NFL ROSTERS

NFL Team Yr. MAC School Indianapolis (1) Pittsburgh (8) Arizona (1) DE Tarell Basham 2 Ohio LB Keion Adams-PS 2 Western Michigan LB Gabe Martin-IR 2 Bowling Green DE Ola Adeniyi-IR R Toledo Jacksonville (2) WR Antonio Brown 9 Central Michigan Baltimore (1) LB Blair Brown 2 Ohio RB Jarvion Franklin-PS R Western Michigan WR 4 Ball State DB Barry Church 9 Toledo FB Roosevelt Nix 4 Kent State OL Chukwuma Okorafor R Western Michigan Carolina (1) Kansas City (4) QB Ben Roethlisberger 15 Miami (Ohio) OL Taylor Moton 2 Western Michigan OL Eric Fisher 6 Central Michigan DL L.T. Walton 4 Central Michigan RB Kareem Hunt 2 Toledo Chicago (1) OL Ryan Hunter-PS R Bowling Green San Francisco (2) LB Khalil Mack 5 Buffalo OL Andrew Wylie 1 Eastern Michigan OT Joe Staley 12 Central Michigan DB Jimmie Ward 5 Northern Illinois Cincinnati (2) Los Angeles Chargers (3) DB Darius Phillips R Western Michigan DB Jahleel Addae 6 Central Michigan Seattle (2) TE Mason Schreck 2 Buffalo LB Jatavis Brown 3 Akron WR Brandon Marshall 13 Central Florida TE Antonio Gates 16 Kent State OL Elijah Nkansah-PS R Toledo Cleveland (2) DB T.J. Carrie 5 Ohio Miami (2) Tampa Bay (3) LB Justin Currie-IR 2 Western Michigan LB Quentin Poling-PS R Ohio WR Sergio Bailey-IR R Eastern Michigan OL Josh Sitton 11 Central Florida DL -PS R Buffalo Dallas (3) DL Pat O’Connor-PS 1 Eastern Michigan S Kavon Frazier 3 Central Michigan Minnesota (3) LB Justin March-Lillard 4 Akron WR -PS R Northern Illinois Tennessee (7) QB Cooper Rush 2 Central Michigan TE Tyler Conklin R Central Michigan WR Corey Davis 2 Western Michigan OT Storm Norton-PS 1 Toledo RB David Fluellen 2 Toledo Denver (1) P Brett Kern 11 Toledo K Brandon McManus 5 Temple New England (1) OL Josh Kline 6 Kent State WR Julian Edelman 10 Kent State WR Tajae Sharpe 3 UMass Detroit (6) LB Robert Spillane-PS R Western Michigan LB Nick Bellore 8 Central Michigan New Orleans (1) QB Logan Woodside-PS R Toledo WR Kenny Golladay 2 Northern Illinois WR Tommylee Lewis 3 Northern Illinois OL T.J. Lang 10 Eastern Michigan PS - Practice Squad; IR - Injured-Reserve List DB Rolan Milligan-PS 1 Toledo N.Y. Giants (4) (As of NFL Rosters on Sept. 6, 2018) K Matt Prater 12 Central Florida DB Sam Beal-IR R Western Michigan Currently there are 71 former MAC students on TE Michael Roberts 2 Toledo OL John Greco 11 Toledo rosters across the National Football League. WR Alonzo Russell-PS 1 Toledo Green Bay (4) DT Kristjan Sokoli-IR 2 Buffalo In the 2017 NFL Draft, Western Michigan WR RB Darius Jackson 3 Eastern Michigan Corey Davis was selected as the fifth overall selec- RB Joel Bouagnon-PS 1 Northern Illinois N.Y. Jets (1) tion in the first round by Tennessee. Davis marks DB Quinten Rollins-IR 4 Miami (Ohio) OL Brian Winters 6 Kent State DL Muhammad Wilkerson 8 Temple the third time in the last five years to have a MAC Oakland (2) student selected in the top five overall of the first Houston (1) DB Rashaan Melvin 6 Northern Illinois round. OL Greg Mancz 3 Toledo LB Tahir Whitehead 7 Temple Buffalo LB Khalil Mack was the fifth overall selec- Philadelphia (2) tion by Oakland in the 2014 NFL Draft. Central OL Brandon Brooks 7 Miami (Ohio) Michigan OT Eric Fisher became the first MAC DL Joe Ostman-PS R Central Michigan football player to be selected as the overall No. 1 selection in the NFL Draft. Kansas City selected Fisher as No.1 choice in the 2013 NFL Draft. MAC EAST VS. MAC WEST MAC ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS CONTACTS Buffalo defeated Eastern Michigan, 35-28, in the first crossover game in 2018. In 2017, the East and West Divisions faced each other in Mid-American Conference: 18 crossover regular season games and the West Division finished Ken Mather, [email protected] (216-566-4622) with an 11-7 advantage. Over the previous 10 years (2008-2017), the MAC West has had the upper hand in crossover regular season games East Division against the MAC East, winning the head-to-head regular season series Akron -- Cathy Bongiovi ([email protected]) -- 330.972.6106 in nine of the last 10 years. The West holds a 120-60 (.667%) regular Bowling Green -- Jason Knavel ([email protected]) -- 419.372.7075 season record in crossover games over the East during that span. Buffalo -- Jon Fuller ([email protected]) -- 716.645.6762 The West Division has a 6-4 lead in the last 10 Marathon MAC Foot- Kent State -- Aaron Chimenti ([email protected]) -- 330.672.8468 ball Championship Games. From the West Division, Toledo (2017), Miami -- Dave Meyer ([email protected]) -- 513.529.4329 Western Michigan (2016), Northern Illinois (2011, 2012, 2014) and Ohio -- Mike Ashcraft ([email protected]) -- 740.593.1299 Central Michigan (2009) have won the Conference Championship six times, while the East Division has won four crowns with Bowling West Division Green (2015, 2013), Miami (2010) and Buffalo (2008). Ball State -- Mike Clark ([email protected]) -- 765.285.8242 Central Michigan--Rob Wyman ([email protected])--989.774.3041 Year; Regular Season East vs. West; MAC Champion Eastern Michigan --Greg Steiner ([email protected]) --734.487.0318 2018 East 1-0; TBD on Nov. 30, 2018 Northern Illinois -- Donna Turner ([email protected]) -- 815.753.9513 2017 West 11-7; Toledo (West) def. Akron (East), 45-28. Toledo -- Paul Helgren ([email protected]) -- 419.530.4918 2016 West 12-6; Western Michigan (West) def. Ohio (East), 29-23. Western Michigan -- Kristin Keirns ([email protected]) -- 2015 West 11-7; Bowling Green (East) def. NIU (West), 34-14. 269.387.3065 2014 West 15-3; NIU (West) def. Bowling Green (East), 51-17. 2013 West 12-6; Bowling Green (East) def. NIU (West), 47-27. 2012 West 12-6; NIU (West) def. Kent State (East) 44-37 in 2 OT. 2011 West 14-4; NIU (West) def. Ohio (East), 23-20. 2010 West 12-6; Miami (East) def. NIU (West), 26-21. 2009 East 11-7; Central Michigan (West) def. Ohio (East), 20-10. 2008 West 14-4; Buffalo (East) def. Ball State (West), 42-24.

Weekly Coaches Teleconference The Mid-American Conference football coaches will be available each Monday beginning Aug. 29 through Nov. 21 for a weekly media conference call. There will be an additional football championship teleconference Nov. 28 at 10 a.m. All times listed below are Eastern. Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

2018 Akron Zips (2-1, 0-0) Date Opponent Time Television Series/Results Sat., Sept. 1 at Nebraska 8:00 pm ET FOX Cancelled due to weather Sat., Sept. 8 Morgan State 3:30 pm ET ESPN+ W, 41-7 Sat., Sept. 15 at Northwestern 7:30 pm ET Big Ten Network W, 39-34 Sat., Sept. 22 at Iowa State Noon ET FSN L, 13-26 Sat., Oct. 6 * Miami 3:30 pm ET ESPN+ Miami leads 17-9-1 Sat., Oct. 13 *at Buffalo TBA TBA Buffalo leads 10-7 Sat., Oct. 20 *at Kent State TBA TBA Akron leads 34-24-2 Sat., Oct. 27 *Central Michigan TBA TBA CMU leads 16-9-1 Thur., Nov. 1 *NIU 7:00 pm ET ESPNU/CBS Sports Network NIU leads 9-5 Sat., Nov. 10 *at Eastern Michigan TBA TBA Akron leads 19-12 Sat., Nov. 17 *Bowling Green TBA TBA BGSU leads 16-8 Fri., Nov. 23 *at Ohio TBA TBA Ohio leads 20-13-1 *Mid-American Conference game 2018 Ball State Cardinals (1-3, 0-0) Date Opponent Time Television Series/Results Thur., Aug. 30 Central Connecticut State 7:00 pm ET ESPN+ W, 42-6 Sat., Sept. 8 at Notre Dame 3:30 pm ET NBC L, 16-24 Sat., Sept. 15 at Indiana Noon ET Big Ten Network L, 10-38 Sat., Sept. 22 Western Kentucky 3:00 pm ET ESPN3 L, 20-28 Sat., Sept. 29 *Kent State 3:00 pm ET ESPN+ BSU leads 20-7 Sat., Oct. 6 *NIU 3:00 pm ET ESPN3 NIU leads 23-20-2 Sat., Oct. 13 *at Central Michigan TBA TBA CMU leads 25-24-1 Sat., Oct. 20 *Eastern Michigan 3:00 pm ET ESPN+ BSU leads 34-23-1 Thur., Oct. 25 *at Ohio 7:00 pm ET ESPN2/CBS Sports Network BSU leads 15-9 Wed., Oct. 31 *at Toledo 7:30 pm ET ESPN2 Toledo leads 23-19-1 Tue., Nov. 13 *Western Michigan 6:00 pm ET ESPN2 WMU leads 25-19 Tue., Nov. 20 *at Miami 7:00 pm ET ESPNU/ESPN+ Miami leads 18-12-1 *Mid-American Conference game 2018 Bowling Green Falcons (1-3, 0-1) Date Opponent Time Television Series/Results Sat., Sept. 1 at Oregon 8:00 pm ET Pac-12 Network L, 24-58 Sat., Sept. 8 Maryland 6:00 pm ET ESPN+ L, 14-45 Sat., Sept. 15 Eastern Kentucky 4:00 pm ET ESPN3 W, 42-35 Sat., Sept. 22 *Miami 3:00 pm ET ESPN+ L, 23-38 Sat., Sept. 29 at Georgia Tech Noon ET ACC RSN First Meeting Sat., Oct. 6 *at Toledo 3:30 pm ET ESPN+ Series tied 39-39-4 Sat., Oct. 13 *Western Michigan 3:00 pm ET ESPN+ BGSU leads 32-18-3 Sat., Oct. 20 *at Ohio 2:00 pm ET ESPN3 BGSU leads 40-27-2 Tue., Oct. 30 *Kent State 8:00 pm ET ESPN2/ESPNU BGSU leads 60-19-6 Sat., Nov. 10 *at Central Michigan TBA TBA BGSU leads 21-19 Sat., Nov. 17 *at Akron TBA TBA BGSU leads 16-8 Fri., Nov. 23 *Buffalo TBA TBA BGSU leads 11-4 *Mid-American Conference game 2018 Buffalo Bulls (4-0, 1-0) Date Opponent Time Television Series/Results Sat., Sept. 1 Delaware State 6:00 pm ET ESPN3 W, 48-10 Sat., Sept. 8 at Temple 3:30 pm ET ESPN3 W, 36-29 Sat., Sept. 15 *Eastern Michigan 6:00 pm ET ESPN+ W, 35-28 Sat., Sept. 22 at Rutgers Noon ET Big Ten Network W, 42-13 Sat., Sept. 29 Army Noon ET CBS Sports Network Series tied 3-3 Sat., Oct. 6 *at Central Michigan Noon ET CBS Sports Network CMU leads 7-1 Sat., Oct. 13 *Akron TBA TBA Akron leads 11-6 Sat., Oct. 20 *at Toledo TBA TBA Toledo leads 7-2 Tue., Oct. 30 *Miami 8:00 pm ET ESPN2/ESPNU Miami leads 14-6 Tue., Nov. 6 *Kent State 7:30 pm ET ESPNU Buffalo leads 12-11 Wed., Nov. 14 *at Ohio 7:00 pm ET/8:00 pm ET ESPN2/ESPNU Ohio leads 14-10 Fri., Nov. 23 *at Bowling Green TBA TBA BGSU leads 11-4 *Mid-American Conference game 2018 Central Michigan Chippewas (1-3, 0-1) Date Opponent Time Television Series/Results Sat., Sept. 1 at Kentucky 3:30 pm ET ESPNU L, 20-35 Sat., Sept. 8 Kansas 3:00 pm ET ESPN+ L, 7-31 Sat., Sept. 15 *at NIU 3:30 pm ET ESPN+ L, 16-24 Sat., Sept. 22 Maine 3:00 pm ET ESPN+ W, 17-5 Sat., Sept. 29 at Michigan State Noon ET FS1 MSU leads 7-3 Sat., Oct. 6 *Buffalo Noon ET CBS Sports Network CMU leads 7-1 Sat., Oct. 13 *Ball State TBA TBA CMU leads 25-24-1 Sat., Oct. 20 *Western Michigan 3:00 pm ET ESPN+ WMU leads 48-39-2 Sat., Oct. 27 *at Akron TBA TBA CMU leads 16-9-1 Sat., Nov. 3 *at Eastern Michigan TBA TBA CMU leads 60-29-6 Sat., Nov. 10 *Bowling Green TBA TBA BGSU leads 22-18 Fri., Nov. 23 *at Toledo TBA TBA Toledo leads 25-18-3 *Mid-American Conference game 2018 Eastern Michigan Eagles (2-2, 0-1) Date Opponent Time Television Series/Results Fri., Aug. 31 Monmouth 6:30 pm ET ESPN+ W, 51-17 Sat., Sept. 8 at Purdue Noon ET Big Ten Network W, 20-19 Sat., Sept. 15 *at Buffalo 6:00 pm ET ESPN+ L, 28-35 Sat., Sept. 22 at San Diego State 10:30 pm ET CBS Sports Network L, 20-23 OT Sat., Sept. 29 *NIU 6:00 pm ET ESPN+ NIU leads 32-14-2 Sat., Oct. 6 *at Western Michigan Noon ET ESPN+ WMU leads 33-18-2 Sat., Oct. 13 *Toledo TBA TBA Toledo leads 34-11 Sat., Oct. 20 *at Ball State 3:00 pm ET ESPN+ BSU leads 34-23-2 Sat., Oct. 27 Army TBA TBA Army leads 7-1 Sat., Nov. 3 *Central Michigan TBA TBA CMU leads 60-29-6 Sat., Nov. 10 *Akron TBA TBA Akron leads 19-12 Fri., Nov. 23 *at Kent State TBA TBA Kent State leads 17-13 *Mid-American Conference game Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

2018 Kent State Golden Flashes (1-3, 0-0) Date Opponent Time Television Series/Results Sat., Sept. 1 at Illinois 12:00 pm ET Big Ten Network L, 24-31 Sat., Sept. 8 Howard 3:30 pm ET ESPN+ W, 54-14 Sat., Sept. 15 at Penn State Noon ET FS1 L, 10-63 Sat., Sept. 22 at Ole Miss Noon ET SEC Network L, 17-38 Sat., Sept. 29 *at Ball State 3:00 pm ET ESPN+ BSU leads 20-7 Sat., Oct. 6 *Ohio 3:30 pm ET ESPN+ Ohio leads 43-25-2 Sat., Oct. 13 *at Miami TBA TBA Miami leads 48-17 Sat., Oct. 20 *Akron TBA TBA Akron leads 34-24-2 Tue., Oct. 30 *at Bowling Green 8:00 pm ET ESPN2/ESPNU BGSU leads 60-19-6 Tue., Nov. 6 *at Buffalo 7:30 pm ET ESPNU Buffalo leads 12-11 Thur., Nov. 15 *Toledo 6:00 pm ET CBS Sports Network Toledo leads 25-21 Fri., Nov. 23 *Eastern Michigan TBA TBA KSU leads 17-13 *Mid-American Conference game 2018 Miami RedHawks (1-3, 1-0) Date Opponent Time Television Series/Results Sat., Sept. 1 Marshall 3:30 pm ET ESPN+ L, 28-35 Sat., Sept. 8 Cincinnati (at Paul Brown Stadium) 8:00 pm ET Raycom/ESPN3 L, 0-21 Sat., Sept. 15 at Minnesota 3:30 pm ET Big Ten Network L, 3-26 Sat., Sept. 22 *at Bowling Green 3:00 pm ET ESPN+ W, 38-23 Sat., Sept. 29 *Western Michigan 3:30 pm ET ESPN+ Miami leads 37-21-1 Sat., Oct. 6 *at Akron 3:30 pm ET ESPN+ Miami leads 17-9-1 Sat., Oct. 13 *Kent State TBA TBA Miami leads 48-17 Sat., Oct. 20 at Army Noon ET TBA Miami leads 3-2 Tue., Oct. 30 *at Buffalo 8:00 pm ET ESPN2/ESPNU Miami leads 14-6 Wed., Nov. 7 *Ohio 7:00 pm ET/8:00 pm ET ESPN2/ESPNU Miami leads 52-40-2 Wed., Nov. 14 *at NIU 7:00 pm ET/8:00 pm ET ESPN2/ESPNU NIU leads 9-7 Tue., Nov. 20 *Ball State 7:00 pm ET ESPNU/ESPN+ Miami leads 18-11-1 *Mid-American Conference game 2018 Northern Illinois Huskies (1-3, 1-0) Date Opponent Time Television Series/Results Sat., Sept. 1 at Iowa 3:30 pm ET/2:30 pm CT Big Ten Network L, 7-33 Sat., Sept. 8 Utah 7:30 pm ET/6:30 pm CT ESPNews L, 6-17 Sat., Sept. 15 *Central Michigan 3:30 pm ET/2:30 pm CT ESPN+ W, 24-16 Sat., Sept. 22 at Florida State 3:30 pm ET/2:30 pm CT ESPNU L, 19-37 Sat., Sept. 29 *at Eastern Michigan 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT ESPN+ NIU leads 32-14-2 Sat., Oct. 6 *at Ball State 3:00 pm ET/2:00 pm CT ESPN3 NIU leads 23-20-2 Sat., Oct. 13 *Ohio 3:30 pm ET/2:30 pm CT ESPN Networks NIU leads 11-10 Sat., Oct. 27 at BYU TBA TBA First Meeting Thur., Nov. 1 *at Akron 7:00 pm ET/6:00 pm CT ESPNU/CBS Sports Network NIU leads 9-5 Wed., Nov. 7 *Toledo TBA ESPN2/ESPNU Toledo leads 31-14 Wed., Nov. 14 *Miami TBA ESPN2/ESPNU NIU leads 9-8 Tue., Nov. 20 *at Western Michigan 7:00 pm ET/6:00 pm CT ESPNU/ESPN+ WMU leads 24-19 *Mid-American Conference game 2018 Ohio Bobcats (1-2, 0-0) Date Opponent Time Television Series/Results Sat., Sept. 1 Howard 2:00 pm ET ESPN+ W, 38-32 Sat., Sept. 15 at Virginia 3:00 pm ET ACC Network Extra L, 31-45 Sat., Sept. 22 at Cincinnati Noon ET ESPNU L, 30-34 Sat., Sept. 29 UMass 2:00 pm ET ESPN3 Ohio leads 3-0 Sat., Oct. 6 *at Kent State 3:30 pm ET ESPN+ Ohio leads 43-25-2 Sat., Oct. 13 *at NIU 3:30 pm ET ESPN Networks NIU leads 11-10 Sat., Oct. 20 *Bowling Green 2:00 pm ET ESPN3 BGSU leads 40-27 Thur., Oct. 25 *Ball State 7:00 pm ET ESPN2/CBS Sports Network BSU leads 15-9 Thur., Nov. 1 *at Western Michigan 7:00 pm ET ESPNU/CBS Sports Network WMU leads 33-28-1 Wed., Nov. 7 *at Miami 7:00 pm ET/8:00 pm ET ESPN2/ESPNU Miami leads 52-40-2 Wed., Nov. 14 *Buffalo 7:00 pm ET/8:00 pm ET ESPN2/ESPNU Ohio leads 13-11 Fri., Nov. 23 *Akron TBA TBA Ohio leads 19-14-1 *Mid-American Conference game 2018 Toledo Rockets (2-1, 0-0) Date Opponent Time Television Series/Results Sat., Sept. 1 VMI 7:00 pm ET ESPN3 W, 66-3 Sat., Sept. 15 Miami (Fla.) Noon ET ESPN2 L, 24-49 Sat., Sept. 22 Nevada Noon ET CBS Sports Network W, 63-44 Sat., Sept. 29 at Fresno State 10:30 pm ET ESPNU Fresno State leads 2-1 Sat., Oct. 6 *Bowling Green 3:30 pm ET ESPN+ Series tied 39-39-4 Sat., Oct. 13 *at Eastern Michigan TBA TBA Toledo leads 34-11 Sat., Oct. 20 *Buffalo TBA TBA Toledo leads 7-3 Thur., Oct. 25 *at Western Michigan 7:00 pm ET ESPN2/CBS Sports Network Toledo leads 41-30 Wed., Oct. 31 *Ball State 7:30 pm ET ESPN2 Toledo leads 23-19-1 Wed, Nov. 7 *at NIU 7:00 pm ET/8:00 pm ET ESPN2/ESPNU Toledo leads 31-14 Thur., Nov. 15 *at Kent State 6:00 pm ET CBS Sports Network Toledo leads 25-21 Fri., Nov. 23 *Central Michigan TBA TBA Toledo leads 25-18-3 *Mid-American Conference game 2018 Western Michigan Broncos (2-2, 0-0) Date Opponent Time Television Series/Results Fri., Aug. 31 Syracuse 6:00 pm ET CBS Sports Network L, 42-55 Sat., Sept. 8 at Michigan Noon ET FS1 L, 3-49 Sat., Sept. 15 Delaware State 7:00 pm ET ESPN+ W, 68-0 Sat., Sept. 22 at Georgia State 2:00 pm ET ESPN+ W, 34-15 Sat., Sept. 29 *at Miami 3:30 pm ET ESPN+ Miami leads 37-21-1 Sat., Oct. 6 *Eastern Michigan Noon ET ESPN+ WMU leads 33-17-2 Sat., Oct. 13 *at Bowling Green 3:00 pm ET ESPN+ BGSU leads 32-18-3 Sat., Oct. 20 *at Central Michigan 3:00 pm ET ESPN+ WMU leads 48-38-2 Thur., Oct. 25 *Toldo 7:00 pm ET ESPN2/CBS Sports Network Toledo leads 43-30 Thur., Nov. 1 *Ohio 7:00 pm ET ESPNU/CBS Sports Network WMU leads 33-28-1 Tue., Nov. 13 *at Ball State 6:00 pm ET ESPN2 WMU leads 25-19 Tue., Nov. 20 *NIU TBA TBA WMU leads 24-18 *Mid-American Conference game Mid-American Conference Football SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

2018 Non-Conference Opponents MAC Students on 2018 Preseason Watch Lists WALTER CAMP AWARD (Best College Football Player) ACC (5): (0-4) WR Diontae Johnson (Toledo) Florida State (NIU): L, 19-37 Georgia Tech (Bowling Green) MAXWELL AWARD (Outstanding College Football Player) Miami (Toledo): L, 24-49 RB James Gilbert (Ball State) Syracuse (Western Michigan): L, 42-55 WR Anthony Johnson (Buffalo) WR James Gardner (Miami) Virginia (Ohio): L, 31-45 QB Nathan Rourke (Ohio) American Athletic (3): (1-2) CHUCK BEDNARIK AWARD (Defensive Player of the Year) Cincinnati (Miami; Ohio): L, 0-21; L 30-34 LB Ulysees Gilbert III (Akron) Temple (Buffalo): W, 36-29 LB Khalil Hodge (Buffalo) DE Maxx Crosby (Eastern Michigan) LB Sutton Smith (Northern Illinois) Big Ten (12): (3-7) Illinois (Kent State): L, 24-31 BILETNIKOFF AWARD (Top Wide Receiver) Indiana (Ball State): L, 10-38 James Gardner (Miami); Justin Hall (Ball State); Iowa (NIU): L, 7-33 Anthony Johnson (Buffalo); Diontae Johnson (Toledo); Maryland (Bowling Green): L, 14-45 Scott Miller (Bowling Green); Kwadarrius Smith (Akron); Michigan (Western Michigan): L, 3-49 Cody Thompson (Toledo) Michigan State (Central Michigan) BRONKO NAGURSKI AWARD (Defensive Player of the Year) Minnesota (Miami): L, 3-26 DE Maxx Crosby (Eastern Michigan) Nebraska (Akron): Cancelled LB Ulysees Gilbert III (Akron) Northwestern (Akron): W, 39-34 LB Khalil Hodge (Buffalo) Penn State (Kent State): L, 10-63 DE Sutton Smith (Northern Illinois) Purdue (Eastern Michigan): W, 20-19 DICK BUTKUS AWARD (Best Linebacker) Rutgers (Buffalo): W, 42-13 Khalil Hodge (Buffalo) Big 12 (2): (0-2) EARL CAMPBELL TYLER ROSE AWARD (Top Offensive Player) Iowa State (Akron): L, 13-26 QB Jarret Doege (Bowling Green) Kansas (Central Michigan): L, 7-31 LOU GROZA AWARD (Outstanding Kicker) Jameson Vest (Toledo) Conference USA (2): (0-2) Louie Zervos (Ohio) Marshall (Miami): L, 28-35 Western Kentucky (Ball State): L, 20-28 TED HENDRICKS AWARD (Top Defensive End) Maxx Crosby (Eastern Michigan) Mountain West (3): (1-1) Sutton Smith (Northern Illinois) Fresno State (Toledo) PAUL HORNUNG AWARD (Most Versatile Player) Nevada (Toledo): W, 63-44 RB Andrew Clair (Bowling Green) San Diego State (Eastern Michigan): L, 20-23 OT RB Malik Dunner (Ball State) WR Diontae Johnson (Toledo) Pac-12 (2): (0-2) Oregon (Bowling Green): L, 24-58 MANNING AWARD (Best Quarterback) Utah (NIU): L, 6-17 Nathan Rourke (Ohio) Gus Ragland (Miami) SEC (2): (0-2) JOHN MACKEY AWARD (Best ) Kentucky (Central Michigan): L, 20-35 Nate Becker (Miami) Ole Miss (Kent State): L, 17-38 Nolan Givan (Ball State) Tyler Mabry (Buffalo) Sun Belt (1): (1-0) Giovanni Ricci (Western Michigan). Georgia State (Western Michigan): W, 34-15 DAVEY O’BRIEN AWARD (Top Quarterback) Tyree Jackson (Buffalo) Independent (6): (0-1) QB Nathan Rourke (Ohio) Army (3) (Buffalo; Eastern Michigan; Miami) BYU (NIU) OUTLAND AWARD (Top Interior Lineman) Notre Dame (Ball State): L, 16-24 OG Luke Juriga (Western Michigan); C John Keenoy (Western Michigan); UMass (Ohio) OG Jimmy Leatiota (Eastern Michigan); OT Joe Lowery (Ohio); OT Max Scharping (NIU) RIMINGTON TROPHY (Most Outstanding Center) FCS Opponents (I-AA) Andrew Poenitsch (Ball State); James O’Hagan (Buffalo); Dakota Tallman (Eastern Michigan); Danny Godlevske (Miami); Big South (1): (1-0) Luke Shively (Northern Illinois); John Keenoy (Western Michigan) Monmouth (Eastern Michigan): W, 51-17 RAY GUY AWARD (Best College Punter) Derek Adams (Kent State) Colonial Athletic (1): (1-0) Maine (Central Michigan): W, 17-5 JIM THORPE AWARD (Best Defensive Back) S Kyron Brown (Akron) MEAC (5): (5-0) S Javon Hagan (Ohio) Delaware State (Buffalo; Western Michigan): W, 48-10; W, 68-0 JOHNNY UNITAS GOLDEN ARM AWARD (Top Quarterback) Howard (Ohio; Kent State): W, 38-32; W, 54-14 Tyree Jackson (Buffalo) Morgan State (Akron): W, 41-7 Gus Ragland (Miami) Northeast (1): (1-0) DOAK WALKER AWARD (Top Running Back) Central Connecticut (Ball State): W, 42-6 LeVante Bellamy (Western Michigan); Jamauri Bogan (Western Michigan); Andrew Clair (Bowling Green); Ian Eriksen (Eastern Michigan); Ohio Valley (1): (1-0) Emmanuel Reed (Buffalo); Kenny Young (Miami) Eastern Kentucky (Bowling Green): W, 42-35 WUERFFEL TROPHY (Best Community Service) QB Riley Neal (Ball State); DL Mitch Stanitzek (Central Michigan); Southern (1): (1-0) OL Jeremy Hickey (Eastern Michigan); LB Matt Bahr (Kent State); VMI (Toledo): W, 66-3 WR James Gardner (Miami); OL Max Scharping (NIU); WR Cody Thompson (Toledo); RB Jamauri Bogan (Western Michigan); DB Justin Tranquill (Western Michigan)