What is the story about?
For the first time this year, we were treated to a slate exclusively consisting of MAC vs. MAC matchups.
And what a slate it was as the Battle of I-75 rivalry between Bowling Green and Toledo took center stage and delivered arguably the most memorable moment of the 2025 MAC football season. The Falcons were the biggest winner of Week 7 due to the unthinkable nature of their rivalry triumph, but Western Michigan and Kent State (!!!) also produced dominant victories, while Miami (OH) and Eastern Michigan grinded
out lower scoring wins.
Here are Week 7’s MAC musings — a compilation of thoughts, statistics, and takeaways during a Saturday of watching MAC football:
Miami (OH) 20, Akron 7
- We all saw this coming the second Miami (OH) started 0-3. Chuck Martin has been a turnaround king since 2016, and MAC play Miami is simply built different. The RedHawks are 18-2 in their last 20 regular season conference matchups after knocking off NIU and Akron by double-digits on the road. Miami also has a stranglehold on the series with Akron, winning eight-straight against the Zips dating back to 2017.
- Adam Trick is one of my favorite defenders to watch in the MAC. He came up with the most important defensive stop in the contest. In a 0-0 ballgame, the usually dominant pass rusher dropped back in coverage and secured a deflected ball by Eli Blakey. Not only did he secure a pick, but Trick recorded seven stops, two tackles for loss, and a sack as Miami was 6:54 away from shutting out Akron for the second-straight meeting.
- Miami wide receiver Kam Perry scored a touchdown on a 60-yard deep ball from Dequan Finn. Perry’s season stats are ludicrous. He has 17 receptions (2.8 per game) yet ranks 19th in the country in receiving yards and second in the MAC. That’s because he’s incredibly on brand as a deep threat, averaging 29.7 yards per reception. There are nine players averaging at least 26 yards per reception and none of them have more than 10 catches besides Perry.
- We talk about “college kickers” all the time, and that never applies to Miami. How does Miami keep finding all these dynamite kickers? Dom Dzioban is nothing new, as he’s been with the program since 2020. He hit field goals of 41 and 48 yards Saturday and is 34-of-40 in the last two years — 21-of-22 below 40 yards. There was Sam Sloman and Graham Nicholson, and the star kicker lineage is still thriving.
Bowling Green 28, Toledo 23
- What a game. That’s what MAC football is all about. That’s what college football is all about. You have a regional rivalry of schools that truly hate another. The series was 43-42-4 in favor of Toledo entering Saturday as historical bragging rights were on the line. And we got one heck of a game as Bowling Green erased a 21-0 deficit to pull off a 28-23 upset over Toledo. Now it’s 43-43-4 heading into next year. This rivalry consistently delivers on an annual basis.
- No lead is truly safe in this rivalry. In 2022, Bowling Green led 21-0 at Toledo before the Rockets stormed back to claim a 35-34 lead with under a minute remaining. Then Ta’Ron Keith scored a 42-yard game-winning touchdown with nine seconds to retake the lead, but Toledo still erased a 21-point deficit. Then in 2023, the Rockets followed through with their comeback, overcoming a 28-10 second half hole to upend Bowling Green on the road. And this year, Bowling Green eradicated a 21-0 first half deficit to roar back with 28-straight and the victory. Every lead in the Battle of I-75 is surmountable, and the different emotions that naturally come with this game are likely a reason this happens so often.
- The Bowling Green sellout crowd was absolutely electric. Bowling Green is experiencing the greatest percent increase in attendance this season, turning its average from 13,358 in 2024 to 22,162 in 2025 — an increase of 65.9 percent. 24,000 fans flocked into Doyt Perry Stadium on Saturday for Bowling Green’s first sellout since hosting College GameDay in 2003 for a ranked vs. ranked matchup against Northern Illinois. Remember, Bowling Green was only 2-3 entering this matchup, so this wasn’t some bandwagon ordeal. The fanbase is here to usher in a winning era under Eddie George. And the spectacular crowd got its postgame moment too, getting a field storm after triumphing in the Battle of I-75.
- Pudge the Cat’s importance to this season cannot be understated. Bowling Green routinely drawing national headlines and receiving a College GameDay feature all because of a long snapper’s pet is huge. There are several factors and Eddie George’s arrival is one, but Pudge is definitely one of the driving forces behind this unforeseen wave of passionate school spirit among Bowling Green fans.
- Bowling Green’s staff called an incredible game to get Lucian Anderson III after a disastrous start. Devoid of starting QB Drew Pyne, the Falcons had five yards of offense after three drives and looked ready to get annihilated by their arch rival. But well-designed screens and trick plays brought Bowling Green explosive touchdowns to claw back into the game. Also, this defense deserves endless recognition for providing the Falcons the opportunity for the comeback in the first place.
- Gideon ESPN Lampron was the star of the defense with 13 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. A lock for the all-name team (that’s his full given name) could be a lock for the All-MAC team as one of the leaders of a relentless Bowling Green defense.
Eastern Michigan 16, Northern Illinois 10
- Northern Illinois prefers to ground the ball. Eastern Michigan entered with the second-worst run defense in the country (now the worst). If there was ever going to be a matchup the Huskies ignited their 136th-ranked scoring offense, this was it. They out-gained Eastern Michigan, produced 238 rushing yards, and still only managed 10 points. That felt like a squandered opportunity for NIU.
- Northern Illinois has played this same exact game like four times this season. The Huskies’ defense is way too good to be 1-5. Give that unit any situation imaginable and it will still make things miserable for an offense. Even Maryland couldn’t muster up more than 20 points in front of a Friday night home crowd when facing NIU. They’re so fundamentally sound at tackling and in coverage.
- Speaking of the Maryland game, this was a near identical replay of it. NIU’s only points were a field goal and a breakaway 70+ yard Telly Johnson Jr. touchdown run. And the Huskies fail a few desperation fourth downs at the end after converting them all day. Déjà vu.
- Rudy Kessinger has been a solid kicker for Eastern Michigan which lost a star in Jesus Gomez to Arizona State in the portal. Kessinger sunk the game-winner to beat Louisiana in Week 4, and on Saturday, he nailed all three attempts including one from 49 yards out. In a low-scoring game where points are at a premium, your kicker instantly becomes one of your five most important players and Kessinger delivered.
Kent State 42, UMass 6
- Kent State finally did it. For the first time since Nov. 26, 2022 (1,050 days), the Golden Flashes defeated an FBS opponent. That snapped a 26-game win streak that lasted the entire course of 2023 and 2024.
- Most impressively, Kent State didn’t just win. The Golden Flashes wholly eviscerated UMass 42-6, securing their most dominant win over FBS competition since shutting out Akron 38-0 on Nov. 20, 2021.
- Da’Realyst Clark is already becoming a fan favorite. Clark returned the opening kickoff for a 91-yard touchdown — hitting a top speed of 20.9 mph — to set the tone for what was a cathartic and celebratory day among Kent State coaches, players, and fans. The electrifying kick returner has now taken two to the house this year, and Kent State is 2-0 when he reaches the end zone. Also, he completed a 27-yard pass on a double pass play. We need more Da’Realyst Clark involvement in this offense.
- Kent State essentially treated UMass how teams treated Kent State the last two seasons. The Golden Flashes finally got to play the role of the schoolyard bully as Dru DeShields tore up the UMass defense with four touchdowns on 18 attempts, the run game finally jump-started through Jordan Nubin and Gavin Garcia, and the defense handled UMass’ o-line with four sacks and 13 tackles for loss. After all the offseason chaos and turmoil with the unexpected coaching change and the portal, it’s impressive to see those who stayed create the type of win they did.
- I’m not sure what to even say about UMass. This is clearly the 136th ranked team of 136 FBS teams, and it’s not up for debate. The Minutemen haven’t come within three scores of an FBS opponent, and even in a MAC as bottom-heavy as this year’s, the schedule might have one victory max.
Western Michigan 42, Ball State 0
- Western Michigan is the real deal. The Broncos lead the conference standings at 3-0 and thoroughly eviscerated Ball State in a 42-0 shutout. This performance had to feel especially refreshing among Western Michigan fans because the offense finally delivered. Broc Lowry threw for 241 yards on a 23-of-27 showing and rushed for 108 on 13 attempts. I feel like he grew up tremendously as a starting quarterback Saturday.
- This isn’t the first Nadame Tucker has been singled out in this column, but my goodness, what a performance. Tucker is now tied for the national lead in sacks at 8.5 after generating 3.5 against the Ball State defense. You could see from the second he took the field Week 1 vs. Michigan State that he was about to transform Western Michigan’s pass rush. Tucker already has as many sacks as the top two Broncos combined from 2024, and the team has 28 total compared to 19 in 2024.
- Want to know how lethal Western Michigan’s defense was Saturday? Ball State crossed the 50-yard line once because the Broncos muffed a first quarter punt. The Cardinals took over at the Western Michigan 48-yard line and only traveled as far as the WMU 41. They had 88 total yards of offense (20 rushing, 68 passing), converted 1-of-13 third downs, and never came remotely close to notching a point.
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