The second week of midweek MACtion is gearing up, but before we get back to madness, let’s review what we learned in midweek MACtion’s 2025 opening slate.
There were two Tuesday games, two Wednesday games, and
one Saturday game in Week 11, so here are all the thoughts, takeaways, stats, and more from the previous week:
Akron 44, UMass 10
- Akron’s 34-point win over UMass was its largest victory over FBS competition since the Zips defeated Kent State by 38 in the 2002 finale. That was a win 23 years in the making.
- The fumbles in this game were so absurd, we felt obligated to write a piece here at Hustle Belt power ranking each fumble. First, UMass opened the game on a flea-flicker, where it fumbled the exchange back to the quarterback. You know it practiced that all week, eager to catch Akron off-guard. There was also a moment where Akron fumbled twice near the goal line, as Ben Finley lost the ball on a fake handoff, picked it up off a bounce, and coughed it up again at the 1. Then there was a UMass muffed punt where it took 11 seconds from the moment of the fumble to the recovery, after a bizarrely long scramble for the pigskin. Finally, Akron got a third quarter scoop-and-score from inside linebacker Gage Summers when UMass quarterback AJ Hairston dropped the ball and attempted to pick it up two additional times, unable to cleanly corral it. That game might have set the record for most absurd, out-of-the-ordinary fumbles.
- There is one thing winless UMass does exceptionally well, and that’s drain long field goals. Derek Morris sunk his third 50+ yarder of the season, connecting from a career-high 55 yards out Tuesday night. He’s 3-of-4 from 50+ this year, hitting from long range in consecutive games.
- It’s a shame this specific Akron team is bowl ineligible due to a low Academic Progress Rate (APR), becoming the first FBS school since 2014 to receive that penalty. Normally, that wouldn’t affect the Zips considering they haven’t qualified for the postseason since 2017. But this year’s team defeated two +.500 squads in Central Michigan and Buffalo and has a realistic path to six wins with Kent State and Bowling Green looming.
Ohio 24, Miami (OH) 20
- This is a contender for MAC game of the year (along with Bowling Green’s Battle of I-75 comeback over Toledo in October). This was 60 minutes of quality football. It had everything. A half of dominant defense. A signature special teams moment. Brilliant offensive plays down the stretch of the fourth quarter. It was not only a rivalry game, but this installment of the Battle of the Bricks meant even more. It was a rematch of the 2024 MAC Championship Game and decided first place in the current MAC standings. What a game by Ohio. What a game by Miami. That was a real treat to watch on national television.
- What a game for Sieh Bangura. Bangura was a 1,000-yard back at Ohio, transferred to Minnesota in 2024 and was buried in the depth chart with four carries the entire season. He went back to his roots and is thriving in a familiar system alongside some old teammates. Bangura rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown and also changed the outlook of the game with a 97-yard kick return touchdown in the fourth quarter.
- Speaking of the fourth quarter, what a ride. Nobody scored until the 1:57 mark of the second quarter, and this game entered the break knotted at 3-3. Then the fourth quarter starts and we have a barrage of touchdowns and lead changes. There were five touchdowns scored in the final 20 minutes of action and three in the first six minutes of the fourth alone. For a game that saw almost zero explosive plays in the first half, everything was an explosive play down the stretch.
- Kam Perry’s double moves are beautiful. The amount of separation he can gain, even against quality defensive backs, is jarring. You can clearly see why the Miami receiver ranks first in the FBS in yards per reception (26.3) among all players with more than two catches. And he has 25 — yes, a 26.3 average even after 25 receptions.
- Parker Navarro may not have the best stat-line this year, but this game showed why Navarro is still one of the best MAC quarterbacks in recent memory. He passes the eye test. Navarro fired a 49-yard game-winning touchdown while scrambling to his left away from pressure, directing traffic, and delivering an absolute dart to Rodney Harris II on the sideline. He is worth the price of admission on Midweek MACtion.
- Corban Hondru (17 tackles Tuesday night) can certainly throw his name in the hat for MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Miami outside linebacker has a loaded résumé of 78 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, three interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and one defensive touchdown. This campaign he’s having could be enough to win it in some seasons, but it won’t be easy claiming that award with Red Murdock in the conference.
Ball State 17, Kent State 13
- The level of execution down the stretch was quite abysmal for both teams, although Ball State eventually overcame it. As vastly improved as Ball State and Kent State are, it seemed like nobody wanted to win this game in the fourth quarter. Ball State kept missing 50-yard field goals. Kent State threw an interception on a trick play, flipping the ball to a wide receiver and testing a deep ball — with the lead and under 10 minutes remaining. Then with under four minutes remaining, Kent State attempted a wildcat formation on 4th and 1 from its own 41 and was doomed by an errant snap. The main problem with that 4th and 1 decision was Kent State already turned it over on downs twice, including a 4th and 1 from its own territory on the opening drive.
- Ball State’s game-winning touchdown was very well crafted. On a critical 4th and 2 at the 2-minute timeout, the entire offensive line shifted right and tight end Kameron Anthony slipped left at the perfect time, getting wide open with no Kent State defender near him. He easily waltzed in for a 29-yard touchdown, handing Ball State a 17-13 lead. Excellent play design and smart decision to not attempt yet another field goal after missing two similar ones in the second half.
- The broadcast highlighted Kent State quarterback Dru DeShields’ injury history which includes playing through ACL and meniscus injuries as a high school senior in 2023, tearing his right ACL in 2023, and tearing his right ACL again in 2024. You’d never know it watching him play. He’s not gonna rush for 100 yards in a game but moves about the pocket quite well. His mobility is solid and credit to his recovery effort for getting to where he is today. Those can be some long, mundane, yet arduous physical therapy sessions, especially when you’ve been doing them four-straight years.
- Ball State is 4-5 overall and 3-2 in MAC play with a win over Ohio. It hasn’t always been the prettiest year for the Cardinals, facing two shutouts and enduring some offensive struggles, but the overall results are exceeding expectations for year one of the Mike Uremovich era. Bowl eligibility requires defeating Toledo or Miami (OH), but it’s still in play in mid-November. That’s huge.
Toledo 42, Northern Illinois 3
- Let’s revisit our favorite stat in Monday MAC Musings — crunching Toledo’s home numbers. Toledo is now 5-0 at home this year and outscoring opponents 237-37 at the Glass Bowl, calculating to an average score of 47-7 per game. Interestingly enough, the Rockets’ 42 points were their fewest on campus this year, and with 443 yards, it marked their first time not exceeding 500 in five home games. Now let’s see if the offense can finally right the ship on the road at Miami (OH) next week, as Toledo averages 14.8 points per game and is 0-4 away from the Glass Bowl.
- Northern Illinois had the second-worst total offense entering this matchup. Toledo had the third-best total defense. NIU gained 203 yards, averaged 1.7 yards per rush, completed 11-of-29 passes, and went 2-of-16 on third down. The numbers from Wednesday night perfectly aligned with the stats.
- This game started with a bang as Trayvon Rudolph returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against his former team. Rudolph transferred from NIU to Toledo over the offseason after suiting up from 2020-24 for the Huskies (missing 2022 with a torn ACL). The sixth-year senior’s last kick return touchdown prior to Wednesday night was Oct. 16, 2021 vs. Bowling Green, while a member of NIU.
- Tucker Gleason played nearly perfectly, faring 25-of-31 for 309 yards and two touchdowns, while also producing a rushing touchdown on a QB sneak. Gleason has completed at least 75 percent of passes in four-straight home games, and he hasn’t taken a sack at home this year. Those are huge reasons for Toledo’s home vs. road splits.
- 22,128 is a heck of a crowd for a midweek game. And Toledo was 4-4 heading into this matchup. This has been a strong year for MAC crowds, and it was electric at the Glass Bowl on Wednesday night. Also the touchdown dunk tank got used six times in chilly weather with wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour.
Bowling Green 27, Eastern Michigan 21
- Bowling Green fired offensive coordinator Travis Partridge in the week leading up to this game, and this was the Falcons’ best opportunity at an offensive showcase all year. Eastern Michigan is the worst run defense in the FBS and also exhibits a bottom 10 total defense. But Bowling Green still has not broken more than 28 points on the season after being held to three touchdowns at The Factory. They only managed 259 yards and 130 on the ground (Eastern Michigan allows 234 rushing yards per game). Improving that facet will be Eddie George’s No. 1 task this offseason. At least Austyn Dendy is looking sharp in the No. 1 tailback role, producing Bowling Green’s first 90+ yard rushing performance of 2025 with 113 yards and two touchdowns.
- This game was made ugly by the sheer amount of penalties. Bowling Green was flagged nine times for 103 yards and Eastern Michigan was penalized seven times for 65.
- This Eastern Michigan season isn’t too rough if it simply beat FCS Long Island in Week 2. It’s still a dark cloud hovering about them, considering that loss it the reason bowl eligibility is out of the picture. But overall, the Eagles’ skill position talent led by Noah Kim and Dontae McMillan works quite well. Even with the defensive woes, it’s not like they’re getting blown out in conference play. They’ve been competitive, and that Louisiana non-conference win keeps looking better.
- It felt weird having a MAC Saturday game in November.
