Fantastic, Functional, Forgettable: WMU, EMU pick up 1st wins, Michigan outlasts Nebraska

With four wins on Saturday and a late loss on in the wee hours early on Sunday morning, the Mitten teams went 4-1 on the weekend.

Michigan State took the lone loss, battling through a spate of injuries with an overmatched defense to push USC before falling, 45-31.

Michigan went on the road and outlasted Nebraska, 30-27, and the directional schools went 3-0 on the day. Central Michigan rolled through FCS Wagner, 49-10. And Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan each picked up win No. 1, respectively. EMU outlasted Louisiana, 34-31, and WMU pulled off a comeback to beat Toledo, 14-13.

Here's what was Fantastic, Functional and Forgettable from the weekend.

Fantastic

Western Michigan’s defense: The Bronco defense held the best offense in the MAC, to date, to 13 points and 280 total yards. And the scores came via two field goals given up on short fields after turnovers and one long touchdown run to start the second half. Outside of that single lapse and the two high-leverage field goal stops, the Rockets never ignited. Western Michigan’s defense came up with two sacks and five tackles for loss, and quieted the Toledo passing game to the tune of 89 yards and two interceptions. Points were at a premium on Saturday, and the Bronco defense had a big say in that reality. 

WMU QB Broc Lowry: At his Monday press conference, Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor spoke of the need to be able to throw the ball as needed for a balanced offense. And it wasn’t perfect or even pretty at times, but in his first career start and playing the whole game at quarterback, Broc Lowry delivered with a career-high 201 yards through the air. He did throw a first half interception, as a throw on an over route didn’t have enough air under it. And Lowry’s rushing value was evident as always, as he finished with 73 sack-adjusted rushing yards and ran in both of WMU’s touchdowns, plus the decisive two-point conversion in the final minute of regulation. 

Eastern Michigan’s specialists: With Mitch Tomasek at punter and Rudy Kessinger at kicker, EMU has formed a formidable specialist duo. And never was the value of good specialists more evident than the end of regulation, when Kessinger drilled a 42 yard field goal to give the Eagles a 34-31 lead and eventual win. Kessinger finished 2-of-3 on field goals, his only miss from beyond 50. Tomasek punted three times for an average of 49.7 yards, aiding a field position edge against an offense that struggled to pass entering Saturday. And Kessinger came on for a perfect pooch kick for 36 yards, which rolled and stalled out on the 1 yard line. This pair has been coming through for the Eagles all season, and it really shone in a win. 

QB Joe Labas and Central Michigan’s offense: The Chippewas needed a get right game and they came correct on Saturday, as Labas and the rest of the CMU offense blasted FCS Wagner for 49 points. Labas threw a career-high three touchdown passes, hitting long throws over the defense. Angel Flores ran for a pair of scores. And the run game went for more than 200 yards. Labas finished his passing performance 12-of-14 for 241 and the trio of touchdowns. On an afternoon where the Chippewas more or less should’ve rolled to a win, they did that and more. 

Michigan’s run game: Going on the road and putting up nearly 300 on the ground at nearly nine a pop is a quick way to end up in this category. And after Michigan rolled to 286 yards at 8.7 yards a carry (9.1 if the six yards of Nebraska’s lone sack are removed), the Wolverines rushing attack earned some praise. Justice Haynes again starred, going over 100 yards for a fourth consecutive game to start his Michigan tenure, with a 75-yard touchdown scamper. Jordan Marshall finished with 80 yards, highlighted by a 54-yard touchdown run. And Bryce Underwood got Michigan’s first score with his legs, rolling through the heart of the defense for 37 yards and a touchdown. He finished with 61 rushing yards. Michigan didn’t just get consistency on the ground, but explosion, too. 

Functional

Eastern Michigan’s defense: The Eagles weren’t dominant defensively but the unit finally put on a performance the likes of which Eastern Michigan can keep winning with. It wasn’t sterling, and improvement needs to continue, but the strides were evident. Nothing jumps out more than the pair of interceptions after Eastern Michigan hadn’t taken the ball away through three games. The Eagles also started to get some backfield disruption more consistently and got a sack and three tackles for loss, and also snuffed out Louisiana’s lone fourth down try. Plenty of wrinkles to iron out, but a solid showing to build on. 

Michigan’s defense: The good against Nebraska was undeniable. Michigan had seven sacks on Dylan Raiola on top of intercepting him, and the run defense was smothering, as the Cornhuskers finished with 43 yards on the ground. Nebraska went 2-of-12 on third downs. But the holes were evident, too, as Raiola completed more than 70% of his passes for 308 yards and three passing touchdowns. The first came on a busted coverage and the second on a Hail Mary at the half, where the Michigan defense seemed out of sorts. The whole defensive performance helped the Wolverines win, but it can certainly be more comprehensive in slowing opponents.

Michigan State’s run game: A big boost before the game even began came in the form of Makhi Frazier, healthy and in the lineup after getting dinged up in Week 3. And his value was clear, going for 61 yards on 14 carries, leading MSU in rushing yards. Aidan Chiles contributed, as usual, with 31 yards and a short touchdown run on a goal-to-go set. At 108 yards on 31 carries, the numbers aren’t terribly flashy, but Michigan State found some stuff on the ground as the game went on. And a workable ground game helped MSU grind a third quarter and play defense by keeping the USC offense on the sideline, and punched in two touchdowns to make it a one score game. It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the rushing attack helped MSU make this a game in the second half. 

Bryce Underwood: After being in “bubble wrap” against Oklahoma, as Biff Poggi had put it, Underwood had more leash to be a threat with his legs against Nebraska. And it paid off, as he helped kick start the offense with his touchdown run. And while he was ultimately unremarkable and not highly productive as a passer — 12-of-22 for 105 yards — Underwood protected the football and made some solid throws. He also fell victim to some receiver drops. He was by no means the feature piece in the offense — hello, Justice Haynes — but two weeks removed from a loss in Norman, Underwood already offered up his team much more on the road. 

Aidan Chiles: While the Spartans lost Saturday night (Sunday morning) in Los Angeles, Chiles was far from the reason. He finished 12-for-21 for 212 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran one in, accounting for all four of the Spartans TDs by himself in some capacity. He added value as a rusher and keeps showing he’s taking steps every week as a passer and pocket operator. He led the Spartans offense to 31 points, 333 yards and no turnovers on the road. But it just wasn’t enough to outpace the Trojans on Saturday night (Sunday morning.)

Forgettable

Western Michigan's special teams gaffes: A missed extra point after the first Broncos touchdown forced the decision later of whether or not to go for two, which ultimately propelled Western Michigan to a win. But Western Michigan also could’ve just been lining up for a PAT to win the game had the first one not clanged off the right upright. Earlier in the game, punt returner Keivin Boone-Nelson muffed a punt in the red zone to give Toledo the first three points of the game, in the final minute before halftime. And save for a tackle from kickoff specialist Hunter Smith, there might’ve been a walk off kickoff return TD for Toledo. 

Michigan State’s defense: The Spartan defense was always likely to struggle on Saturday night, but any hopes for a surprise stingy performance went out the window pretty quickly. And save for a few stops and a turnover, Michigan State’s defense mostly got rolled over. USC finished with 517 total yards, with 283 coming on the ground. Michigan State had been a solid run defense entering Saturday, and a suspect pass defense only has more questions after getting carved up by Jayden Maiava. The pass rush was nonexistent for the most part for the Spartans, too. A lot needs to get better for this unit to hold up in Big Ten play. 

Michigan State’s health outlook: The Spartans got some good health news to start the weekend with Nick Marsh and Frazier playing, but things quickly deteriorated on Saturday in the Coliseum. Scariest of the injuries was the head/neck injury to linebacker Wayne Matthews, as play stopped for a long period as he was stabilized and carted off to an ambulance. Matthews was taken to a local hospital and has movement in his extremities, per reports. Matthews’ scary moment was a low point in a night where the MSU defense turned into a bit of a MASH unit. Some offensive dings cropped up, too. The week off couldn’t come at a better time. 

Michigan miscues: Michigan ran for 8.7 yards per carry but couldn’t put Nebraska away. Some of that is due to Raiola’s ability, and some of it fell on the Wolverines. From the clock mismanagement setting up Nebraska to take a Hail Mary shot before the half, which went for a touchdown, to Brandyn Hillman turning a sure punt into a first down for the Cornhuskers with a taunting penalty, Michigan had its share of self-inflicted wounds.. Plus, the receivers had a share of drops. Michigan managed to win with a dominant ground game and splash defensive plays, but can’t afford to keep making life harder than it needs to be.

Western Michigan’s tailbacks: While Lowry was effective, the Broncos tailbacks generally were not. Jalen Buckley took 11 carries for 21 yards. Devin Miles had four carries and he went for 11 yards. Ofa Mataele had two totes and nine yards. That’s a grand total of 17 carries for 41 yards. That’s brutally inefficient, but something that the Broncos got away with in a low scoring grinder of a game. The Broncos have demonstrated their capability to make a game a slog and be successful, but more production from the running backs is going to be needed going forward, either way. Not playing against one of the better defenses in the MAC should help, too.