Bowling Green cruises past No. Illinois, 34-18

Miami rallied to beat Kent State for its seventh straight win.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOWLING GREEN -- Josh Harris threw for 438 yards and three touchdowns as No. 23 Bowling Green handed 12th-ranked Northern Illinois its first loss of the season, 34-18 Saturday.
Harris was nearly unstoppable, breaking his career high for passing yards in what might have been the biggest Mid-American Conference game ever. Only once before -- in 1973 -- had two MAC teams ranked in the Top 25 met in the regular season.
The Huskies (7-1, 3-1 MAC) were just one of four unbeaten teams in major college football coming into the week and were 10th in the first BCS standings.
But they had no answer for Harris, who picked apart the defense with his short throws and his ability to scramble out of trouble.
Harris was 27-of-43 with two interceptions. He also was the leading rusher with 89 yards.
Bowling Green (6-1, 3-0) scored on its first two possessions, jumping out to 14-0 lead in the opening three minutes.
The first drive took just 1:58 with the key play coming on the second of the game when Harris threw to Craig Jarrett over the middle and he rumbled 47 yards. P.J Pope capped the drive with a 3-yard scoring run.
The Falcons struck even more quickly the next time they had the ball, scoring in two plays. Harris threw to Pope over the middle for 46 yards, and Harris found James Hawkins all alone for a 31-yard touchdown.
Three drives later, Harris threw a 17-yard scoring pass to a leaping Charles Sharon that gave Bowling Green a 24-3 lead with 10:06 left in the first half.
Miami (Ohio) 38, Kent St. 30
KENT -- Ben Roethlisberger threw three touchdown passes to Martin Nance and Miami of Ohio trailed in the fourth quarter before rallying to defeat Kent State for a seventh straight win.
The RedHawks improved to 7-1 and 4-0 in the Mid-American Conference. They lead the MAC East Division. Their only loss was to Iowa, 21-3, in the season opener.
With a fourth straight loss, Kent State slipped to 3-6 overall, 2-3 in the MAC, despite scoring at least 30 points each of its last three games.
Connecticut 38, Akron 37
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. -- Matt Nuzie kicked a 27-yard field goal as time ran out to lift Connecticut to a win over Akron.
Nuzie had just missed a 46-yarder less than two minutes earlier but got another chance when Akron was unable to make a third down on its final possession and had to punt. The Huskies (6-3) drove 45 yards in the final 1:32 seconds to set up the score.
Dan Orlovsky led the Huskies with 299 yards passing and threw 5 TD passes. His 6-yard strike to O'Neil Wilson midway through the fourth quarter gave the Huskies their first lead at 35-34. Orlovsky, who completed 24 of 42 passes, matched a school record throwing a scoring pass in 21 consecutive games.
Ball State 38, Toledo 14
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Talmadge Hill threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns to lead Ball State to a victory over Toledo.
Ball State (4-4, 3-1 Mid-American) took a 7-0 lead minutes into the first quarter when Charles Wynn ran for one yard.
Toledo's Bruce Gradkowski threw for 320 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Terrance Hudson rushed for 107 yards and scored one TD for the Rockets (5-3, 3-1).
Buffalo 26, Ohio 17
AMHERST, N.Y. -- Dallas Pelz kicked four field goals and P.J. Piskorik ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown as Buffalo broke the nation's longest losing streak with a comeback win over Ohio.
Buffalo (1-8, 1-4 Mid-American Conference) had lost 18 straight games, 13 straight in the MAC.
The Bulls rallied from a 14-0 deficit when Piskorik connected with Matt Kneuven on a 58-yard TD in the second quarter and Pelz kicked a 21-yard field goal in the third to pull Buffalo within 14-10.
UCF 31, Cent. Michigan 13
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Ryan Schneider threw for 254 yards and completed two touchdown passes to Tavaris Capers as Central Florida beat Central Michigan.
Alex Haynes had 198 yards of total offense and a touchdown for the Golden Knights (3-5, 2-3 Mid-American). Dontavius Wilcox rushed for 77 yards and the game's final score late in the third quarter.
UCF's defense sealed the victory with consecutive fourth-and-short stops in the fourth quarter. UCF also forced two turnovers in the second half, including its first interception of the season. The Knights were the last team in the nation to pick off a pass.
Marshall 41, W. Michigan 21
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Darious Watts caught nine passes for 170 yards and a touchdown as Marshall plowed through Western Michigan for 565 yards of offense in a victory.
Watts, the Mid-American Conference's No. 1 all-time receiver with 3,878 yards, reached 100 yards in the first half. His 9-yard TD reception in the first quarter gave Marshall (3-1 MAC, 5-3) a 14-7 lead and put the Thundering Herd ahead to stay.