Eastern Michigan airs it out in win over Ball State; GLIAC, MIAA roundup
Quarterback Austin Smith connected with JB Mitchell III seven times for 71 yards and a touchdown as part of a 192-yard afternoon in Eastern Michigan’s 24-10 victory over Ball State at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti on Saturday afternoon. The win snapped a two-gane skid for the Eagles.
Smith completed 18 of 28 passes for the Eagles (3-3, 1-1 MAC), including a 50-yard TD in the third quarter to ice the game. Smith found Hamze El-Zayat in the slot and the Dearborn Fordson alumnus, a transfer from Fordham before the 2022 season, did the rest of the work, splitting defenders in a sprint to the end zone with 10:33 remaining.
EMU grabbed a 3-0 lead with 5:54 left in the first quarter on a 53-yard field goal by Jesus Gomez, but the Cardinals (1-5, 0-2) tied it up less than two minutes later on a 37-yard field goal. EMU took a two-score lead in the second quarter as Samson Evans had a 2-yard TD run to cap an 11-play, 65-yard drive, and Mitchell caught a 3-yard strike from Smith at the left sideline in the end zone and got a foot down to make it 17-3.
EMU controlled the time of possession, 32:31-27:29, despite being outgained by Ball State, 306-253. The Eagles next face Kent State at noon Saturday at Rynearson.
More MAC
Buffalo 37, Central Michigan 13: Devin Grant returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns to power host Buffalo ( 2-4, 2-0 MAC). Grant, a sophomore safety, tipped a deflected pass to himself and took it to the house just minutes into the first quarter for the game’s first score, then jumped a route for his second interception and tip-toed down the sideline for the score less than two minutes into the second half. Buffalo picked off Central Michigan quarterback Jase Bauer three times and forced him into a fumble. Bauer finished 28 of 49 passing for 280 yards and two touchdowns. The Chippewas (3-3, 1-1) were held to just 80 rushing yards on 25 carries.
Mississippi State 41, Western Michigan 28: Will Rogers threw three touchdown passes before leaving with an injury as host Mississippi State (3-3) held on. The Bulldogs, who lost running back Jo’Quavious Marks in the first half, had 440 yards of offense with 226 through the air and 194 on the ground. Rogers was 16 of 22 for 189 yards before getting hurt in the fourth quarter. Mike Wright got his most snaps of the season and was 7 of 10 for 57 yards with another seven carries for 24 yards. MSU surrendered more than 400 yards to the Broncos, who were short two offensive linemen, quarterback Treyson Bourguet and running back Jalen Buckley. Third string QB Hayden Wolff had no problems for the most part as he was 27 of 35 for 262 yards, three touchdowns and an interception for Western Michigan (2-4).
GLIAC
Davenport 28, Northern Michigan 12: Jason Whittaker was 11-for-17 for 214 yards and two touchdowns to help host Davenport (5-0, 2-0 GLIAC). Myren Harris ran the ball 15 times for 141 yards and one touchdown and Caleef Jenkins also had a rushing touchdown. Peyton Brown caught five of Whittaker’s 11 completions for 136 yards and one touchdown. Aidan Hoard was 12-24 for 177 yards and one touchdown and interception for Northern Michigan (0-6, 0-2).
Ferris State 31, Saginaw Valley State 17: Mylik Mitchell completed 11 of 13 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns for visiting Ferris State (4-1, 2-0), which entered Saturday as the No. 1 team in the AFCA Division II coaches poll. Mitchell’s favorite target was Xavier Wade, who had five catches for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Carson Gulker added 144 yards on 23 carries. Mike O’Horo was 11-for-16 for 107 yards, 64 yards rushing and one touchdown for SVSU (2-4, 0-2).
Wayne State 23, Michigan Tech 21: Kendall Williams and Eli McLean’s rushing touchdowns and Griffin Milovanski’s three field goals were enough for host Wayne State (2-4, 1-0). McLean was 12-for-20 for 145 yards and the rushing touchdown and Williams had 117 yards in addition to his touchdown. Michigan Tech (3-2, 0-2) tried to mount a late comeback with a touchdown pass from Alex Fries to Ethan Champney with seven minutes left, but couldn’t score again. Fries finished 16-for-27 for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
MIAA
Trine (Ind.) 34, Adrian 14: Xaine Kerby had 19 carries for 107 yards and one touchdown to lead host Trine (3-3, 1-1 MIAA) to the 14-point comeback. Adrian (1-5, 0-2) jumped out to a 14-0 first-half lead but did not give themselves a chance on offense after that because of four turnovers — two interceptions and two fumbles. Mark Lopez was 11-for-24 for 162 yards and one touchdown to Keontae Townsend but had three turnovers.
Hope 14, Albion 6: Host Hope’s (5-1, 2-0) defense dominated all afternoon to make the two first-half touchdowns hold up. Albion (5-1, 1-1) had just 274 yards of offense. Chance Strickland led the way with 25 carries for 100 yards and one touchdown. Alex Trainor was 11-for-17 for 184 yards and one touchdown. Luke Lovell was 20-for-39 for 207 yards for Albion.
Olivet 42, Kalamazoo College 14: Thomas Foust completed 13 of 16 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns for visiting Olivet (3-2, 1-0). Samuel Kunnuji and Dontal Wright both rushed for 89 yards and one touchdown to go along with Foust’s 74 rushing yards. Wright, SirQuarius Ball and Nate Briggs had a receiving touchdown for Olivet. Josh Nichols was 30-for-52 for 344 yards and two touchdowns for Kalamazoo (3-2, 0-2), but also threw two interceptions.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Eastern Michigan beats Ball State in MAC play; GLIAC, MIAA roundup
