WEEK 10 GAME SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 2
Buffalo Bulls at Akron Zips
SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Buffalo are meeting for the 24th time in program history with the series standing at 12-11 in Buffalo’s favor. In the last meeting between the two schools as Buffalo claimed an overtime win (13- 10) and posted last six victories [24-6 (2018), 21-0 (2019), 56-7 (2020), 45-10 (2021), 23-22 (2022)]. The last win for the Zips came in 2017 at InfoCision Stadium as Akron defeated Buffalo 21-20 (Oct. 28). The series between the two schools dates back to the 1999 campaign when Akron earned an 17-10 road victory over Buffalo (Buffalo, N.Y. – Sept. 11, 1999). The Zips and Bulls have met every season since 2014.
Buffalo Bulls Notes
STORYLINES
• This is the second straight season Buffalo and Akron will meet at InfoCision Stadium. The Bulls defeated the Zips, 13-10, in overtime on Sept. 30, 2023. • The Bulls have won six straight games against Akron. • After averaging 125 yards passing over the first six games, quarterback C.J. Ogbonna has averaged 283 passing yards over the last two games, including a career-best 309 yards against Western Michigan. • Linebackers Shaun Dolac (108) and Red Murdock (96) rank first and third in the nation in tackles, respectively. • Red Murdock is four tackles shy of 100 on the season. It would mark the first time two players had 100 tackles in a season since 2022 when Shaun Dolac had 147 and James Patterson had 120. Prior to that, you have to go back to 2015 when Nick Gilbo had 113 and Brandon Berry had 104. • Running back Al-Jay Henderson is averaging 107 yards rushing over the last three games. He is averaging 7.3 yards per carry over the same three-game span. • Shaun Dolac (331) is 11 tackles shy of reaching Mike Newton (342) for eighth place in program history in career tackles. • Victor Snow has scored touchdowns in three straight games, including two receiving touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns.
Bulls Back on the Road at Akron on Saturday The University at Buffalo football team will play their second straight road game when they travel to Akron on Saturday. Buffalo is 4-4 overall, 2-2 in MAC play and is coming off a 47-16 loss at Ohio last Saturday. Wide receiver Victor Snow led the Bulls with five catches for 75 yards and a touchdowns in the game. Akron is 2-6 overall, 1-3 in the MAC and is coming off a 25-21 win over Eastern Michigan last Saturday. The Zips are led by quarterback Ben Finley who has thrown for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns the season.
Offense Starting to Click
At the start of the season, it was the defense that carried the Bulls. But the offense has come into its own in recent weeks. The Bulls had their best performance against Western Michigan, 551 yards of total offense. It was the most yardage by a UB team since 2021 when they had 569 yards against Wagner. UB passed for 309 yards and rushed for 242 yards against the Broncos. It was just the third time in the last 10 seasons the Bulls accomplished the feat – 353 pass/205 rush vs. Miami (OH) in 2020, 350 pass/215 rush at Ball State in 2017.
Running Back Depth
Buffalo’s depth at running back has paid off so far this season as different backs have stepped up for the Bulls. In the first two games, it was Jacqez Barksdale who came off the bench to lead UB in rushing. He rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries against Lafayette and Missouri, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. In UB’s win over Umass, Lamar Sperling rushed for a career-best 86 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bulls. In UB’s win at Northern Illinois, Al-Jay Henderson led the way with 56 yards on the ground, including a 36-yard touchdown. He rushed for a career-high 142 yards against Toledo and 97 yards and a touchdowns against Western Michigan. Messiah Burch is the latest back to shine, totaling 119 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries over the last three games.
Last Meeting
Buffalo 13, Akron 10 (OT) Sept. 30, 2023
• InfoCision Stadium • Akron, OH
BUFFALO 13, AKRON 10 OT SEPT. 30, 2023
• INFOCISION STADIUM • AKRON, OH
AKRON, OH – Devin Grant blocked a potential game-tying field goal in overtime to help the University at Buffalo football team defeat Akron, 13-10, in the Mid-American Conference opener for both schools at InfoCision Stadium on Saturday afternoon. UB’s defense had their best game of the season, holding the Zips to 253 yards of total offense. The Bulls had a season-best four sacks in the game and forced a key turnover late in regulation. The game was tied, 10-10, at the end of the fourth quarter. Buffalo got the ball first and took a 13-10 lead following a 42-yard field goal by Alex McNulty. On the Zips’ opening possession of OT, a third-down sack by Red Murdock forced Akron to attempt a 47-yard field goal to tie the game. Grant burst up the middle and was able to block the attempt to secure the win for the Bulls. Akron scored first in the game, taking a 7-0 after the first quarter. The Bulls responded with a 16-play, 79-yard drive that took 9:09 off the clock and resulted in a 7-yard touchdown pass from Cole Snyder to Boobie Curry. Trailing, 10-7, in the third quarter, another long drive (16 plays), ended with a 43-yard field goal by McNulty to tie the game late in the third quarter. A key play in the game, came midway through the fourth quarter, when with the Zips driving, Max Michel forced and recovered a fumble at the UB 38-yard line. Cole Snyder led the offense with 142 yards passing and a touchdown. Ron Cook had a career-high five catches in the game. Cook added 62 yards on the ground. Defensively, the Bulls were led by Grant who had a career-best 11 tackles. Joe Andreessen had nine tackles in the game. Michel had four tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss along with his forced and recovered fumble. One of the unsung heroes of the game was punter Anthony Venneri who averaged 49.8 yards per punt and flipped the field on multiple occasions.
Akron Zips Notes
SCOUTING BUFFALO
Buffalo currently sits 4-4 overall and 2-2 in MAC play, falling to Western Michigan ( and Ohio the last two times out. The Bulls defeated Northern Illinois (23-20, OT) and Toledo (30-15) to start #MACtion.The Bulls average 22.1 points per game on 319.9 total yards of offense per game. The Bulls balanced attack averages 169.8 yards through the air and 150.1 yards on the ground. Defensively, opponents average 28.9 points on 403.3 yards per game, allowing 240.1 yards in the air and 163.1 on the ground. QB CJ Ogbonna leads the offense, completing 1113 of 201 attempts with two INT’s for 1,317 yards (164.6 avg) and eight touchdowns. Al-Jay Henderson does the bulk of the work on the ground, averaging 5.5 yards per carry for 455 total yards (56.9 yds/g) with three TDs. Ogbonna adds three rushing TDs on 12.9 yards per game. Victor Snow leads the receiving corps with 30 catches for 375 yards and three TDs (46.9 yds/g and 12.5 yards/reception), followed by JJ Jenkins (17-225 yds-28.1 yds/g-1 TD). Buffalo generated 51 tackles for loss of 150 yards with 13 sacks (73 yds). Shaun Dolack paces the defense with 108 tackles and 11.5 TFL for 28 yards with three sacks for 10 yards of loss and two interceptions. Red Murdock follows with 10 tackles for loss (29 yds) with two sacks (11 yds) on 96 total takedowns. In addition, Solomon Brown and Marquis Cooper add 41 tackles each.
ZIP TIDBITS
• Akron has recorded 70 or more tackles four times this season (85 at Ohio, 75 at South Carolina, 73 vs Bowling Green, 71 at Rutgers). • The Zips have had a player record 10 or more tackles in four games this season. • Akron outgained Western Michigan 501-387, including a 413-191 advantage through the air. •The Zips had two players with more than eight tackles in the ballgame led by Nathan Kapongo, who had nine. •Ben Finley threw for a career-high 395 yards and threw a career-long 60-yard pass to Adrian Norton • Adrian Norton recorded a career-high 168 receiving yards and a career-long 60-yard reception from Finley. • Finley has completed 65 percent or more of his throws in four games and has done it in three straight games. • Finley has thrown for over 350 yards twice this season. • Tahj Bullock ran for two touchdowns, recording 14 yards on the ground and 54 receiving yards. • Jordon Simmons paced the Zips rushing attack by accumulating 63 yards and one touchdown, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Simmons also tacked on 97 receiving yards on six targets with a 52-yardlong gain. • Bryan McCoy has recorded eight or more tackles in six games and 10 or more tackles in three games with a season-high of 14 coming at Ohio (Sept. 28). • McCoy leads the Zips with 65 tackles. • Nine Zips have 22 or more tackles this season.• Akron is 5th in the MAC for passing yards (1,165) • The Zips are 6th in the MAC for Fumbles Forced (4) • The Zips are tied for 4th in the MAC for Fumbles Recovered (5) • Akron is 4th in the MAC for recovered fumbles (5) • Jordan Simmons is 13th in the MAC with 318 total rushing yards and • Simmons is 14th in the MAC with 45.4 yards per game • Jordan Simmons is tied for first for the longest rush in the MAC with a 73 yard run • Ben Finley is 7th for completion percentage (60.6) in the MAC • Finley is 4th in the MAC for total completions with 134 • Finley is 5th in the MAC for total passing yards with 1,456 • Finley is 6th in the MAC for passing yards per game with 208.0 • Finley is 8th in the MAC for passing TDs with seven • Adrian Norton is 8th in the MAC for receiving TDs with three • Norton is 4th in the MAC for total receiving yards with 541 • Norton is 3rd in the MAC for Yards per catch with 19.3 • Norton is 4th in the MAC for Average Yards per game with 77.3 • Norton is tied for 10th in the MAC for receptions with 28 • Norton is 37th in the NCAA for yards per reception (18.65) • Bobby Golden is 19th in the MAC for total receiving yards with 277 • Golden is 20th in the MAC for receiving TDs with one • Golden is 89th in the NCAA for Yards per reception (15.93) • Golden is 6th In the MAC for Yards per catch with 15.4 • Golden is 20th in the MAC for Yards per game with 39.6 • Golden Is tied for 23rd in the MAC for receptions with 18 • Avery Book is 1st punts of 50 or more yards (18) and average punt yards per game (45.6) • Book is 2nd in the MAC for punting yards (1823) and 4th in punts inside the 20 (12) • Book is 3rd in the MAC for longest punt (61 yards) • Book is 11th in NCAA for punting yards (45.2) • Garrison Smith is 6th in the MAC for made field goals (8), 4th in the MAC for longest field goal (49 yards) and 10th in field goal percentage (72.7). • Nathan Kapongo is tied for 1st in the NCAA for recovered fumbles (2) • The Zips recorded a season-high 75 tackles at South Carolina. • Senior Antavious Fish and junior Bryan McCoy led the defense with 16 combined tackles with eight each at South Carolina. • Three players (D. Lewis 12, McCoy (9), Paul Lewis III (9) had at least nine tackles against Colgate • Akron recorded 416 yards on offense while holding Colgate to 243. • Golden set a career-high for longest reception with a 56-yard catch for a TD from Finley. • Golden’s 56-yard reception was the longest since Alex Adams had a 54-yard and 61-yard reception against Eastern Michigan on November 8, 2022. • Akron featured a pair of 100-yard receivers as Norton (125) and Golden (119) both hauled in over 100 yards. The pair were the first Zips to both have a 100-yard game since November 1, 2023, when the Zips defeated Kent State for the Wagon Wheel. • Jordon Simmons recorded the TD longest run from scrimmage (73 yds) since 2015 • Jordon Simmons collected 109 yards rushing, averaging 12.1 yards per carry • Daymon David INT marked the Zips first takeaway and appearance of the turnover tire in 2024 • Adrain Norton scored the Zips first TD in 2024 32 yd pass from Ben Finley • McCoy (11) and Fish (10) combined for 21 tackles vs Rutgers •Garrison Smith converted on two field goals of 48 and 49 yards, marking longest since 2015 for Akron (Robert Stein, 50 yards (11-14-15) • Akron converted 4 of 16 third downs while Ohio State was successful on 9 of 14. • Avery Book punted six times with an average of 48.2 yards per punt • Akron went 2-for-3 on fourth down, converting on 66.7 percent of attempts.
Toledo Rockets at Eastern Michigan Eagles
SERIES HISTORY
Toledo leads, 38-13. The Rockets have won 21 of the last 24 games in the series, including a 49-23 win at Toledo last year. Toledo has won seven of the last eight meetings in Ypsilanti, with the most recent loss coming in 2018.
Toledo Rockets Notes
Toledo and Eastern Michigan will battle it out in Ypsilanti, Mich. On Saturday, Nov. 2 (Noon/ESPNU) in a game between two teams looking to mOVE up in the Mid-American Conference standings. Both team are 2-2 in league play and in a four-way tie for fifth place in the MAC. Toledo (5-3, 2-2 MAC) is coming off a 41-26 loss to Bowling Green in the annual Battle of I-75 at the Glass Bowl last Saturday. The Rockets and Falcons were locked in a back-and-forth battle throughout most of the game but Bowling Green scored the final 13 points to put the game away. Toledo trailed early but cut the lead to 21-17 and was driving late in the first half when Jordan Oladokun picked off a sideline pass and bolted 61 yards for a touchdown to increase the Falcon lead to 28-17. A Rocket field goal at the end of the half cut the halftime margin to 28-20. On UT’s first possession of the third quarter, Tucker Gleason connected with Jerjuan Newton on a 64-yard touchdown strike to pull Toledo within 28- 26 with 8:42 left in the third. However, the Rockets would be held scoreless the rest of the way. Newton had a career day vs. the Falcons, establishing career highs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (164). His two TD receptions gives him a career-best 10 on the season and 31 for his career, breaking the Toledo record of 30 held by Cody Thompson (2014-18). Eastern Michigan (5-3, 2-2 MAC) is coming off a 25-21 loss at Akron on Saturday.
ROCKET UPDATE
• Toledo is 5-3, 2-2 MAC coming off a 41-26 loss to Bowling Green on Oct. 26. • Toledo trailed early but cut the lead to 21-17 and was driving late in the first half when BGSU picked off a sideline pass for a pick six to increase its lead to 28-17. A Rocket field goal at the end of the half cut the halftime margin to 28- 20. • Toledo pulled to within 28-26 with 8:42 left in the third. However, the Rockets would be held scoreless the rest of the way. • Senior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton had a career day vs. BGSU, establishing career highs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (164). • Junior Vandeross also set his career high with 11 receptions. • Junior quarterback Tucker Gleason was 30-of-45 for 320 yards and two scores, setting his career marks for completions and attempts. • The defense was led by senior linebacker Dan Bolden and senior safety Maxen Hook with 10 tackles apiece, with Hook reaching double-digit stops for the fourth time this year. • The Rockets finished with a 422-402 edge in total offense and a 320-187 edge in the air, but Bowling Green countered with a 215-102 rushing yards advantage and turned in two rushing scores. • Through eight games, Toledo has outscored its opponents 56-34 in the first quarter and 134-80 in the first half.
LAST YEAR VS. EMU
Toledo clinched the MAC West Division title in convincing fashion in its 49-23 victory over Eastern Michigan on Nov. 8 of 2023. Toledo overwhelmed the Eagles from the outset to cruise to its ninth consecutive victory, its longest winning streak in 40 years. The Rockets closed out the home portion of their season with a perfect 6-0 record, their first undefeated home season since 2017 and just the second since 2004. The Rockets delivered an early knock-out punch, scoring touchdowns on all five of its first-half possessions to take a 35-3 into halftime. For the game, Toledo outgained EMU, 508-255, with most of the Eagles’ yards coming long after the outcome had been decided. Junior quarterback Dequan Finn was brilliant, connecting on 23-of-27 passes for a season-high 407 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Vandeross caught two of Finn’s TD passes, while Jerjuan Newton set season highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (108). Junior Peny Boone gained 168 all-purpose yards, including a career-high 116 receiving yards. He rushed for 52 yards and three touchdowns, moving him past the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. Toledo’s defense put together perhaps its most complete performance of the season, forcing a turnover and four consecutive punts on EMU’s first five possessions. The Eagles were held to just 255 yards of total offense, and completed just 10-of-25 pass attempts.
Eastern Michigan Eagles Notes
CLOSING IN NOVEMBER
EMU is 17-11 in the month of November since the beginning of 2016. In the six seasons prior, Eastern combined for a total of 15 wins across all regular-season games. Furthermore, if you exclude 2020’s COVID-adjusted season when the schedule began in November, EMU’s winning percentage jumps to .708 (17-7).
APPROACHING THE LANES
Heading into the weekend, the Eagles are one of four MAC schools that could punch their ticket to the postseason as both EMU and Toledo are 5-3 overall. Eastern, Toledo, and Ohio look to remain atop the ledger for the most bowl appearances in the MAC since 2016, while Western Michigan is looking for its fifth bowl in the last eight seasons.
GOING BOWLING?
With a win versus Toledo, the Eagles would become bowl eligible at 6-3. It would mark the fourth year in a row – and sixth consecutive when taking out the COVID season of 2020 – that the Eagles would become bowl eligible. It also would mark the seventh time EMU has been bowl eligible under Chris Creighton in his 11 years with the program.
QUICK TO THE PINS?
Ot only would a win against Toledo gain bowl eligibility for the Eagles, it would do so in the fewest games in program history. Ahead of the 2024 season, Eastern has earned bowl eligibility six times with the earliest in the season qualification occurring after 10 games in both 2022 and 2016. It took EMU 11 games three times and 12 games once (last year) to reach the magical sixth win.
QUICK HITTERS
• Since 2016, Eastern Michigan has posted the fourth most victories of any team in the Mid-American Conference. • In total, EMU has brought in 53 new student-athletes with 28 of them coming via the transfer portal. • EMU is 17-11 in the month of November since the beginning of 2016. In the six seasons prior, Eastern combined for a total of 15 wins across all regular-season games. Furthermore, if you exclude 2020’s COVID-adjusted season when the schedule began in November, EMU’s winning percentage jumps to .708 (17-7). • In his 11th season in Ypsilanti, Chris Creighton is the 11th-longest-tenured FBS head coach. While they are both in their 11th season, respectively, Creighton is technically the second-longest tenured head coach in the conference by hiring date, falling just three days short of Miami’s Chuck Martin. • Chris Creighton has 57 wins during his time in Ypsilanti, which makes him the 20th coach in the history of the MAC to record 50+ wins at a MAC school. His 33 MAC wins are the most of any EMU coach in program history. • After a generous $1 million donation from former Eagle standout and current Las Vegas Raider/NFL All-Pro, Maxx Crosby and his wife Rachel Crosby to the EMU Athletics Department, Eastern’s new gray turf was dubbed “Crosby Field” and was unveiled to the public with Maxx and Rachel back in Ypsilanti, June 21. • The Toledo game marks the final home Saturday game of the year for the Eagles. Following the game, they will play a pair of midweek #MACtion games – at Ohio, Nov. 13, and hosting Buffalo, Nov. 20, before closing the regular season at Western Michigan, Saturday, Nov. 30. • Random EMU stat of the week – EMU is looking for its first ever win when appearing on ESPNU (0-13).
QUICK HITTERS
2 MINUTE DRILL
• Ohio defeated Buffalo, 47-16, to improve to 3-1 in conference play on Frank Solich Day. The Bobcats were led by Coleman Owens’ three touchdowns as well as Shay Taylor’s 11-tackle performance. The duo earned conference weekly accolades for their efforts. • Miami defeated Central Michigan, 46-7, Saturday afternoon to give head coach Chuck Martin his record-breaking 60th victory with the program. The RedHawks scored 43 unanswered points to win their third straight game and help Martin move past Randy Walker into sole possession of first place in program history for career wins. • Western Michigan remained undefeated in MAC play (4-0) with a 52-21 win at home versus Kent State. The Broncos put up 579 yards of total offense, with 358 of it coming on the ground. Jaden Nixon had a game-high 135 yards rushing on just eight carries and one touchdown. Zahir Abdus-Salaam rushed for 83 yards on six carries, while Jalen Buckley had 80 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. Defensively, WMU forced four turnovers and recorded 10 tackles for loss, five of which were sacks. • Jackson Courville booted a career-long, 52-yard field goal as time expired Saturday afternoon to lift Ball State to a 25-23 victory over Northern Illinois. The Cardinals retained possession of the Bronze Stalk Trophy with a third straight win over NIU that reflects Ball State’s longest win streak in the rivalry series. • Akron put together a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive, culminating in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Ben Finley to Adrian Norton with 3:59 left in the ballgame to give the Zips a 25-21 win over Eastern Michigan. • Bowling Green left no doubt in the Battle of I-75 against rival Toledo, as the Falcons prevailed, 41-26, at the Glass Bowl. BGSU has now won two of their last three matchups against the Rockets, both of which have come on the road. The Falcons move to 4-4 (3-1 MAC) on the season and led the entire contest. BGSU scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions and outrushed Toledo, 215-102, while forcing two turnovers.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
MAC Football Offensive Players of the Week
Coleman Owen, Ohio, WR Graduate Student, Gilbert, Ariz. (Higley)
Graduate student wide receiver Coleman Owen was instrumental in the Bobcats’ dominant 47-16 victory over the Bulls on Saturday (Oct. 26). During his charge to victory, Owen recorded 146 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns, both marking individual records as a Bobcat. Owen’s 65-yard receiving touchdown gave Ohio a 10-point advantage over Buffalo with just over six minutes remaining in the half. Owen slipped into the endzone again in the second quarter, putting the score at 24-10 heading into halftime. Additionally, he scored his first rushing touchdown of the season, wrapping up a six-play, 57-yard drive in the fourth quarter.
MAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Shay Taylor, Ohio, LB R-Jr., Mount Perry, Ohio (Sheridan)
Redshirt junior linebacker Shay Taylor put a bow on Ohio’s 47-16 victory over Buffalo on Saturday (Oct. 26). With 11:58 left on the clock, Taylor snagged an interception, returning it 30 yards for the final touchdown of the game. This marked Taylor’s career-first pick-six. On the game, Taylor recorded a team-leading 11 tackles, including four solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss.
MAC Football Special Teams Players of the Week
Dom Dzioban, Miami, K R-Jr., Frankfort, Ill.
Dom Dzioban was a perfect 5-of-5 on field goal attempts in Miami’s 46-7 win over Central Michigan, which included a career-best 51-yard make in the third quarter. The junior set a new Yager Stadium record with the five field goals and added three extra points in the victory.