Beau Brungard of Youngstown, Ohio (Photo by YSU Athletics)
The FCS teams are carrying the flag for the state of Ohio
#20 Ohio State 6-3 (4-2 in the Big Ten)
The wheels have fallen off in Columbus. Not only did Ohio State allow 38 unanswered points for the first time in a game since 1999, but they also lost their third regular-season game for the first time since 2011 and the first time with a full-time head coach since 2004. Yet the idiocy will continue until morale improves. This program and the staff leading it are incapable of putting their pride aside enough to learn from their mistakes. That’s why they’re 6-5 in their last 11 games and an Indiana wide receiver’s foot away from it being 5-6. Next week we’ll see if they can avoid their first loss to Northwestern since 2004 and the first home loss to the Wildcats since 1971.
Cincinnati 5-4 (2-4 in the Big 12)
For Cincinnati, the upset of Texas Tech is the exception, and the beatdowns from Utah and Arizona are the rule. Houston defeated UC 31-24. This was Cincy’s fourth loss in five games. The Bearcats will stay on the road this week when they head to Iowa to play Iowa State at Jack Trice Stadium. The brightest spot for UC this year has been running back Cole Tabb, who has 91 carries for 812 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Miami (Ohio) 5-4 (3-2 in the MAC)
The RedHawks took their foot off the gas against Buffalo, and it cost them dearly. It may end up being what keeps them out of the MAC title game in December. Miami jumped out to an early 14-3 lead and led 17-10 at halftime. The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, and the RedHawks struck again early in the fourth. With around 12 minutes left in the game, they led 31-16 and looked like they could almost cruise to a win. Instead, they started sleepwalking in the fourth quarter. Buffalo would score 15 unanswered to force overtime. Miami’s defense would force a Buffalo field goal attempt to begin overtime. If the RedHawks just scored in overtime, they’d either go to a second overtime or win the game. Instead, they missed their second field goal of the game, and Buffalo’s 18 unanswered fourth-quarter and overtime points doomed Miami. The RedHawks are at home again this Tuesday against league-leading and rival Ohio in Oxford.
Ohio 7-2 (5-0 in the MAC)
OU, oh yeah! The Bobcats brought it against Akron in the running game. Star running back Duncan Brune had 10 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Nick Poulos had a good game running the ball, too. Poulos had nine carries for 45 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The Bobcats’ quarterback also had 197 yards and another touchdown through the air. Ohio sits alone atop the MAC standings and has a big road game this coming week on Tuesday in Oxford against rival Miami. The Battle of the Bricks should be a good one again this year!
Bowling Green 2-7 (2-3 in the MAC)
BGSU has their bye this week. They’ll be back on November 10th for a Tuesday Night showdown at home against Kent State.
Toledo 7-2 (4-1 in the MAC)
Toledo and Ohio are the Buckeye State’s best shots left to bring home a MAC Championship in 2026. The Rockets went out to the West Coast on Wednesday to play conference newcomer Sacramento State. The Hornets gave Toledo a tough game, but UT came away with a 20-17 victory. 230 rushing yards as a team were the backbone of the Toledo offense. Their swarming defense may have been the biggest key, though. They had only 224 total yards of offense, held Sacramento State to only 8 rushing yards, and racked up 5 sacks and 12 tackles for a loss. Toledo will host the surprise MAC team of 2026, 5-4 UMass, in the Glass Bowl on Veterans Day.
Akron 1-8 (0-5 in the MAC)
Credit where it’s due to the Akron Zips; they fought hard against the league-leading Ohio Bobcats. Alas, it was another game that they came up short in. Star running back Jordan Gant had 16 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown for Akron but it wasn’t enough as they fell 28-20 to Ohio. Akron will still be searching for their first FBS win of the season when they host Western Michigan next week.
Kent State 3-6 (2-3 in the MAC)
Kent State had their bye this week. They’ll return to play at Bowling Green next week.
Dayton 8-1 (5-1 in the Pioneer League)
With their 31-20 win over Valparaiso, Dayton holds first place in the Pioneer League. They and Butler are both 5-1 in league play, with the Flyers holding the head-to-head victory. If Dayton can beat 4-6 Davidson at home next week and the 4-5 Presbyterian on the road the following week, the 10-1 Flyers would be playoff-bound. 291 yards and 4 touchdown passes from Bryce Schondelmyer power them to victory this week.
#4 Youngstown State 8-2 (6-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference)
YSU cruised to 8-2 and got their sixth straight win on the road at Murray State. The Penguins boat raced the Racers, 62-35. Quarterback Beau Brungard had another huge day and set some school records. He did it by throwing to Lynn Wyche-El, who had 10 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown. Fresh Walters also had 7 catches for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns. Youngstown State hosts 7-3 Illinois State at the Ice Castle this week as they look for their seventh straight win.
Bill Willis Award Player of the Week
Once again, Beau Brungard had this award for the taking. Brungard set the school record for passing yards. He was 31 of 34 for 423 yards and 4 touchdowns. Brungard had 2,752 passing yards and 26 touchdowns this season. He also has 742 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground for YSU.
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.
Tags: Ohio State, Ohio State Buckeyes, Buckeyes, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Bearcats, Miami (OH), RedHawks, Ohio, Ohio Bobcats, Bowling Green, Falcons, Toledo, Rockets, Akron, Zips, Kent State, Golden Flashes, Dayton, Flyers, Youngstown State, Penguins.
