MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE football Saturday’s games

Cincinnati 27, Miami 20

CINCINNATI

Tion Green ran for 83 yards and a late touchdown, rallying Cincinnati to a victory over Miami (Ohio), its 11th in a row over the regional rival. The Bearcats (3-1) pulled it out with a field goal and Green’s 2-yard run with 5:09 to go, overcoming the loss of starting quarterback Hayden Moore. Moore was hurt late in a 40-16 loss to Houston in the last game. Redshirt freshman Ross Trail got into that game late and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Cincinnati didn’t reveal the quarterback change until right before kickoff. In his first start, Trail was 25 of 38 for 276 yards with two interceptions and an 11-yard touchdown run. He also fumbled on a sack. Miami (0-4) hasn’t won at Nippert Stadium since 2002, losing six in a row in Cincinnati. Cincinnati also had a new kicker — Andrew Gantz is recovering from a leg injury.

Appalachian State 45, Akron 38

AKRON,

Jalin Moore ran for a career-high 257 yards and two touchdowns and Appalachian State hung on to beat Akron in a shootout. The teams combined for 1,073 yards of total offense and 60 first downs. Taylor Lamb threw for 280 yards and three scores for the Mountaineers (2-2), including strikes of 36 and 37-yards to Levi Duffield and Zy Letman. Thomas Woodson found A.J. Coney on a 23-yard TD pass to give the Zips (2-2) a 14-10 lead midway through the second. But Lamb hit Duffield on the ensuing drive to spark a 21-0 scoring stretch for Appalachian State and a 31-14 halftime lead. The Mountaineers never trailed the rest of the way, but a Mykel Traylor-Bennett 1-yard run for Akron cut it to 45-38 with 5:55 left. The Zips had a final drive to tie it, but turned it over on downs.

Virginia 49, Central Michigan 35

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.

Kurt Benkert threw five touchdown passes, the last two after Virginia had squandered all of a 28-0 lead, and the Cavaliers gave coach Bronco Mendenhall his 100th career victory, over Central Michigan. Benkert hit Olamide Zaccheaus with a go-ahead 82-yard pass after the Cavaliers defense forced its first punt since the opening quarter. Virginia (1-3) forced another punt, and Benkert hit Albert Reid for a 5-yard touchdown, capping a 73-yard drive. Taquan Mizzell also scored twice for Virginia on runs of 4 and 53 yards. The Chippewas (3-1), seeking their first 4-0 start since 1985, scored on four of five possessions after going behind 28-0 less than 20 minutes into the game. Cooper Rush threw two touchdown passes to Corey Willis, including an 85-yarder.

Ohio 37, Gardner-Webb 21

ATHENS

Quinton Maxwell threw two touchdown passes, Greg Windham added another and Ohio used a 30-point first half to beat Gardner-Webb. Maxwell was 11 of 14 for 167 yards passing, including a 17-yard scoring strike to Sebastian Smith and a 13-yarder to Kyle Belack. Windham threw for 143 yards, opening the scoring with a 17-yard TD pass to Smith, who had six catches for 108 yards. The Bobcats (2-2) scored on their first four possessions, outgained the Bulldogs 341-118 total yards in the first half and led 30-7 at halftime. Papi White scored on a 14-yard run, Kent Berger sacked Bulldogs quarterback Tyrell Maxwell for a safety, and Bo Hardy scored on a 1-yard run for Ohio.

FRIDAY

Eastern Michigan 27, Wyoming 24

YPSILANTI, MICH.

Ian Eriksen scored on a 15-yard run with 1:35 left and Eastern Michigan beat Wyoming 27-24 on Friday night in a game where protesters gathered near an end zone and marched on the field when play was finished. The protest came two days after racial graffiti was found spray painted on a campus building. The students sat peacefully and talked to EMU President James Smith late in the third quarter. The protesters moved outside the end zone area in the closing moments before walking onto the field chanting, “No justice! No peace!” A Wyoming player joined them for a few moments. The graffiti was found Tuesday and included the letters “KKK” and a racial epithet. School officials say another racial slur was found Wednesday in a stairwell. Authorities also are investigating after an SUV pushed through a crowd protesting the graffiti Tuesday.

Associated Press