A career day by quarterback Tyler Tettleton and a strong rushing attack propelled No. 25 Ohio past Akron, 34-28, in Athens, Ohio on Saturday.
Tettleton completed 13-of-27 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns and became the program’s all-time leader in touchdown passes with 40, breaking the previous record of 38. Tettleton also caught a 39-yard touchdown pass and rushed for 65 yards, giving him a total of 254 total yards for the game.
The Bobcats (7-0, 3-0 Mid-American Conference) were also led by their two-headed rushing attack of running backs Beau Blankenship and Ryan Boykin. The duo ran for a combined 204 yards and one touchdown, controlling the pace for the majority of the game.
Akron (1-6, 0-3 MAC) pulled to within six with one minute, 55 seconds left in the game, but couldn’t recover its ensuing onside kick attempt. Ohio ran out the rest of the clock with the Zips out of timeouts.
The Bobcats jumped out to a 20-0 lead late in the second quarter, leaving Akron playing comeback in the second half.
Akron quarterback Dalton Williams finished the game with 298 passing yards, four touchdowns and a pair of interceptions on 53 pass attempts.
With the victory, Ohio is off to its best seven-game start to a season since 1968.
The Bobcats have their bye week before hitting the road for their next game against Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 27. Akron looks for its first conference victory on Saturday as it hosts Northern Illinois.
Toledo wins shootout against Eastern Michigan
Toledo edged past Eastern Michigan, 52-47, in an offensive showdown on Saturday in Michigan.
Rockets wide receiver Bernard Reedy scored three touchdowns in a wild third quarter to help Toledo (6-1, 4-0 MAC) outlast the Eagles (0-6, 0-3 MAC).
The third quarter was an offensive show by both teams, with each side scoring four touchdowns in the frame. The first five touchdowns came in a span of 1:51, with the last three scores coming within 32 seconds.
Reedy caught a career-high 11 passes while setting school records with 237 receiving yards and 407 all-purpose yards, as well as scoring on an 89-yard kickoff return.
The Rockets held a 49-37 lead heading into the fourth quarter when the scoring frenzy slowed down. Both teams exchanged field goals and Eastern Michigan closed the gap after scoring a touchdown with just under two minutes remaining in the game.
The Eagles had a chance to win it with 14 seconds left in the game, but couldn’t even muster a first down, sealing the victory for Toledo.
Eastern Michigan running back Bronson Hill ran for 283 yards, good enough for second in school history and the most by any rusher in the FBS this season. Hill also scored four touchdowns.
The Rockets next take the turf on Saturday as they host Cincinnati. The Eagles return to action at home against Army on Saturday.
Huskies roll over Bulls with Homecoming victory
Northern Illinois had no trouble taking care of its Homecoming game, blowing out Buffalo, 45-3.
Huskies quarterback Jordan Lynch was explosive through the air and on the ground, completing 13-of-20 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 129 yards and two scores.
After the Bulls’ Patrick Clarke kicked through a 28-yard field to cut the Northern Illinois (6-1, 3-0 MAC) lead to 7-3 in the first quarter, the Huskies defense shut down Buffalo (1-5, 0-3 MAC) for the remainder of the game.
NIU cornerback Marlon Moore had back-to-back interceptions on two consecutive drives in the third quarter, including one in the end zone, shutting the books on any hopes of a Bulls comeback. The Huskies’ defensive front pressured Buffalo quarterback Alex Zordich all game, finishing with five sacks.
NIU receiver Martel Moore had eight catches for 133 yards, surpassing the 2,000-receiving-yard mark, becoming only one of five Huskies to accomplish such a feat.
Bulls wide receiver Devon Hughes also caught nine passes for 105 yards.
NIU hits the road this Saturday with a matchup against conference foe Akron, while Buffalo heads home to take on Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Joey Saade can be reached at [email protected].
