MAC Football Offensive Player of the Week
Tucker Gleason, Toledo, QB
Junior, Tampa, Fla. (Plant)
Tucker Gleason completed 23-of-28 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns in Toledo’s 41-17 win over Mississippi State on Sept. 14. He completed passes to nine different receivers and had no turnovers. It was his third straight three-TD game and fifth time Gleason has thrown three touchdown tosses.
MAC Football Defensive Player of the Week
Red Murdock, Buffalo, Linebacker
Redshirt-Sophomore, Petersburg, VA (Hopewell)
Linebacker Red Murdock helped lead a stout defensive effort in Buffalo’s 34-3 win over UMass. Murdock had career highs in tackles with 12 and tackles for loss with three. He added a sack in the game. He spearheaded a defensive effort that kept the Minutemen out of the endzone and held them to only 72 yards rushing on the afternoon, averaging only 1.9 yards per carry.
MAC Football Co-Special Teams Players of the Week
Jesús Gómez, Eastern Michigan, K
Senior, Puebla, Mexico (Prepa Tec Puebla)
Senior kicker Jesús Gómez led the Eagles in scoring with 13 total points (four PATs and three field goals) including the game winning field goal in the second overtime to give Eastern Michigan the win over Jacksonville State, Sept. 14. Gómez’s 13 points are the most points scored by a MAC kicker this season. This ties Gómez’s career-high in field goals, as he also knocked in three in a win against Arizona State, Sept. 17, 2022, and last week at Washington.
Dylan Cunanan, Toledo, PK
Freshman, Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunnyslope)
Freshman Dylan Cunanan had a perfect day, connecting on 2-2 field goals and 5-5 PATs in Toledo’s 41-17 win over Mississippi State on Sept. 14. Cunanan hit a season-long 41-yard field goal in the contest.
Saturday, September 21
Ohio at Kentucky, 12:45 pm ET (SECN)
*Ball State at Central Michigan, 1 pm ET (ESPN+)
Saint Francis at Eastern Michigan, 2 pm ET (ESPN+)
*Buffalo at No. 23 Northern Illinois, 3:30 pm ET (ESPN+)
Miami at Notre Dame, 3:30 pm ET (NBC)
Kent State at Penn State, 3:30 pm ET (BTN)
Toledo at Western Kentucky, 7 pm ET (ESPN+)
Bowling Green at Texas A&M, 7:30 pm ET (ESPN+)
Akron at South Carolina, 7:30 pm ET (ESPNU)
Two Minute Drill
• Despite being on a bye, the Northern Illinois Huskies moved up two spots to No. 23 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll. On Sept. 7, NIU defeated No. 5 Notre Dame, 16-14, in South Bend to earn its first top-25 ranking since 2013. The victory marked the MAC’s first ever first win over a top five opponent ever.
• Toledo overpowered Mississippi State in Starkville, defeating the Bulldogs by a final score of 41-17 for the MAC’s second Fly the Flag win in as many weeks. Tucker Gleason connected on 23-of-28 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. The victory over the Bulldogs was Toledo’s first win against a Power Four opponent in nine years and just its second ever versus an SEC opponent (Arkansas, 2015). For their performance, Toledo received nine points in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll and one vote in the coaches poll, while being named the Cheez-It National Team of the Week by the FWAA.
• Buffalo scored 24 second-half points to defeat UMass, 34-3, on Saturday afternoon at UB Stadium. Shaun Dolac posted a career-high 16 tackles, while Red Murdock notched a career-high 12 defensive stops, including a career-best three tackles for a loss and a sack. Marquis Cooper returned his first career interception 100 yards for a touchdown, a new program record.
• The Ohio Bobcats improved their record to 2-1 with a 21-6 victory over Morgan State on Saturday. This marked the first time Ohio kept its opposition out of the end zone since 2019 as the Bobcats allowed just 211 yards of total offense. Anthony Tyus III recorded 90 rushing yards and two total touchdowns to lead the Ohio offense.
• Akron earned its first win of the 2024 season, defeating Colgate, 31- 20, in the Zips’ home opener. Ben Finley tallied a career performance, posting career highs in passing yards (358), touchdowns thrown (4) and longest pass (56 yards) in the win. Finely became the first Zip since 2018 to throw four TDs in a game.
• Eastern Michigan captured a thrilling 37-34 double-overtime win at home against Jacksonville State as Jesus Gomez successfully connected on a game-winning 34-yard field goal. The Eagles’ offense finished the game with 447 yards of total offense, the most it has recorded since 2022.
• Western Michigan picked up its first victory of the 2024 campaign with a 59-31 win over Bethune-Cookman at Waldo Stadium. The Broncos put up 677 yards of total offense in the win, the most since 2019. The mark was also 34 yards shy of tying the program record of 711. Jaden Nixon notched a career-high 189 yards on the ground with two touchdowns, while Zahir Abdus-Salaam posted his first career 100-yard rushing game.