Toledo opens fast in victory

TOLEDO (AP) — Tucker Gleason threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns and Trayvon Rudolph opened the game with a 96-yard kickoff return as Toledo downed Northern Illinois 42-3 on Wednesday night.

After Andrew Glass hit a 50-yard field goal to pull NIU within 7-3 at 9:25 of the first, Toledo (5-4, 3-2 Mid-American Conference) took control with a 21-point second quarter. Chip Trayanum powered in from 5 yards at 5:08, and Gleason found Junior Vandeross III for a 19-yard score with 51 seconds left to cap an eight-play, 92-yard march.

Kenji Christian finished it off after the break, running in from 10 yards with 4:53 in the third, then hauling in a 16-yard touchdown in the fourth.

Gleason went 25 of 31 with no interceptions, repeatedly working to Vandeross, who had six catches for 97 yards. Christian totaled 66 yards and two touchdowns.

Ball State rallies past Kent State

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) — Kiael Kelly threw two touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score to tight end Kameron Anthony with 1:53 remaining, and Ball State defeated Kent State 17-13 on Wednesday night.

The Cardinals (4-5, 3-2 Mid-American Conference) trailed 13-10 with four minutes left when, for the second time in the game, they stopped the Golden Flashes on fourth-and-1 in Kent State territory.

The Cardinals gambled on fourth down themselves, facing fourth and 2 at the 29-yard line. Kelly threw a short pass to Anthony, who was wide open on the left side, and Anthony scored untouched for a 17-13 lead with 1:53 remaining.

Early in the fourth quarter, a 30-yard pass from Dru DeShields to Wayne Harris set up Kent State in scoring position and Will Hryszko’s 28-yard field goal gave the Golden Flashes a 13-10 lead.

Kelly passed for 173 yards and was the Cardinals’ leading rusher with 53 yards.

DeShields, a West Branch graduate, passed for 212 yards and Wayne Harris had 87 receiving yards for Kent State (3-6, 2-3). On the opening possession of the game, the Golden Flashes failed on a fourth-and-1 try from deep in their own territory and Ball State kicked a field goal for a 3-0 lead.

One former QB and another wearing No. 47

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Jacob Rodriguez has turned into one of the nation’s top linebackers for No. 9 Texas Tech after beginning his college career listed as a quarterback for another Power Four school. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier last played linebacker in middle school and was also formerly a running back, but still wears No. 47 like he did then.

Both play significant roles for their schools, which meet Saturday afternoon in the Big 12’s first matchup of top-10 teams since 2021. The game in Texas could be a preview of the conference championship game four weeks later, and certainly has College Football Playoff implications.

The No. 8 Cougars (8-0, 5-0, No. 7 CFP) are trying to get to 9-0 again, like they were last year with Jake Retzlaff, whose unexpected transfer over the summer opened the way for Bachmeier to become the first true freshman quarterback to start a BYU season opener.

“The composure that he has, the poise, it’s something special,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “He’s a learning machine, always trying to find ways to get better.”