Ohio State celebrates bittersweet win over Indiana (Photo by Ohio State Athletics)
OSU has the biggest win of Ohio teams in Week 7
#11 Ohio State 6-1 (4-0 in the Big Ten)
Ohio State had a lot of luck in their game against Indiana. Both good and bad. The Buckeyes won with some good luck, a fourth-and-four pass from Josh Hoover to Nick Marsh being caught in the endzone, but Marsh landing barely out of bounds went from Indiana getting a double-digit fourth-quarter comeback to Ohio State holding on for the 19-15 win. That was good luck. The bad was Ohio State losing quarterback Julian Sayin for ‘several weeks,’ according to head coach Ryan Day. Ohio State will have their bye this coming week and will have to find who their new quarterback will be when they return to action on Halloween against USC in L.A.
Cincinnati 4-2 (1-2 in the Big 12)
The Bearcats had a great opportunity to get a Big 12 road win in Morgantown on Saturday. The Mountaineers have a powerful offense but an abysmal defense. After this game, something similar might be said about the Bearcats. UC gave up over 460 passing yards to WVU quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., and lost in a shootout, 45-42. UC has to deal with that heartbreak with one of the big teams from the conference coming to Nippert Stadium. Texas Tech will be in Cincinnati, Ohio, this Saturday.
Miami (Ohio) 4-3 (2-1 in the MAC)
Miami got a much-needed conference win at Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio, on Saturday. Akron came to town to play the RedHawks, but it was the RedHawks who did most of the playing. Miami running back Rodney Nelson led the way for a great rushing attack. Nelson had 142 yards and two touchdowns, and the RedHawks rushed for 324 yards as a team. Miami hits the road this week, traveling up north to play Central Michigan.
Ohio 5-2 (3-0 in the MAC)
OU had a late night on Saturday out in California against Sacramento State. Everything went their way, though, as the Bobcats defeated the Hornets to start MAC play 3-0. Ohio also had a great game running the football. They stampeded over Sacramento State to the tune of 265 yards and five touchdowns on the ground as a team. This propelled them to a 48-7 victory. Ohio hosts Eastern Michigan in Athens this week.
Bowling Green 2-5 (2-1 in the MAC)
The embattled Falcons were so close to going 3-0 to start MAC play and answering their four-game losing streak to begin the season with a three-game winning streak. Alas, it was not meant to be. They battled with Ball State, and a wild fourth quarter saw regulation end 24-24. BGSU’s offense got the ball first in overtime and scored in four plays. The defense couldn’t stop BSU’s offense, and the Cardinals scored on their possession; they decided to risk the game on a single play by going for two. The coin flip landed against BGSU, giving them their fifth loss of the year. They’ll have to try to rebound on the road at Buffalo next week.
Toledo 5-2 (2-1 in the MAC)
The Rockets got back into the win column this week with a big win over Eastern Michigan. Toledo defeated EMU 34-14 with a balanced offensive attack that saw them rack up 480 total yards. They needed that kind of game to recover from last week’s loss and prepare for their big opponent coming to the Glass Bowl this Saturday. They’ll play the 6-1 and conference-leading Western Michigan Broncos, whose only loss this season has been at the hands of Boise State.
Akron 1-6 (0-3 in the MAC)
The misery continues for Akron. Their 20-point loss to Miami was their sixth of the season. They’ll have to win out just to break even this year and something tells me that’s not going to happen. They have lost to every FBS opponent they have played this season, five of those losses being by at least 20 points. This week they’ll be on the road but still in Northeast Ohio as they play rival Kent State.
Kent State 2-5 (1-2 in the MAC)
Northeast Ohio’s other MAC team also had an ugly game this week. Kent State scored on a safety in the first quarter against South Florida, and led the Bulls 2-0 at the end of the first. But the USF scored 29 unanswered for the 29-2 win. Hopefully the ALCS will give Cleveland and Northeast Ohio a more important victory over the Tampa Bay area this week.
Dayton 5-1 (2-1 in the Pioneer League)
The Flyers had an important road game this week in a Battle of I-70. They went west on the highway to play the Butler Bulldogs in Indianapolis. Dayton had a big game from quarterback Bryce Schondelmyer, who was 28 of 36 for 298 yards and two touchdowns in the 19-9 victory. The Flyers will host San Diego this week as they look to keep pace with Marist and Presbyterian at the top of the Pioneer League Standings.
#6 Youngstown State 6-2 (4-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference)
Another week and another big game from Doug Phillips, Beau Brungard, and the Youngstown State offense. The Penguins battled #19 Northern Iowa at home in Stambaugh Stadium this week. YSU came away with a 35-22 win and now stand alone at the top of the Missouri Valley Football Conference with a 4-1 record. YSU has next week off before they have a big home game on Halloween night against the #9 and 6-2 North Dakota Fighting Hawks.
Bill Willis Award Player of the Week
It’s not often this goes to a player whose team lost, but JC French IV for UC played a heck of a ball game, even in defeat. French was 22 of 30 for 389 yards with three touchdown passes and had 13 carries for 52 yards with a touchdown run for Cincinnati. He led Cincy to 622 total yards and 42 points, but WVU had 598 total yards and 45 points.
Writer’s Note: The FBS rankings are from The College Football Power Rankings at TheForkball.com. The FCS rankings are from the FCS STATS Poll.
