State of Michigan football: 4 teams had great success in Week 3 play

Only one of the five FBS teams in the state of Michigan that participate in division one college football lost in week three play and that was Central Michigan who lost on the road to LSU. Eastern Michigan and Michigan football winning were not surprising but Western Michigan winning on the road against an ACC opponent was.

The other team that won, Michigan State, was technically not favored to win on the road but was predicted to defeat Miami by various publications.

Let’s take a brief look at the wins by the four state of Michigan football teams in Week 3.

Record: 2-1

Why their win was impressive: Not only was it’s head coach Tim Lester’s only victory over a Power Five program during his five-year tenure as the head of the Bronco’s program but Western Michigan’s offense put up over 500 yards of offense while owning time of possession by having the ball for just over 40 minutes. Pitt had just come off an impressive road victory over SEC opponent Tennessee before giving up 44 points at home to the Broncos of the Mid-American Conference. Western Michigan has zero turnovers in their upset victory while they caused the Panthers to turn the ball over three times.

Next game and opponent: At home against San Jose State

Record: 2-1

Why their win was impressive: Eastern Michigan on the road led the game 21-0 to start the game. The Eagles had over 500 yards of total offense that included 323 total yards passing. Eastern had four different players score at least one rushing touchdown and the Eagles defense created two turnovers. Eastern Michigan gave the Minutemen their 14th straight loss and the Eagles have won four of their last five games going back to last season.

Next opponent: At home against Texas State

Record: 3-0

Why their win was impressive: The Wolverines offense put up over 600 yards of total offense and their defense held Northern Illinois to only 46 total passing yards. Michigan’s rushing attack contributed to 373 total rushing yards. The Wolverine defense stopped the Huskies’ offense on third down attempts 11 out 13 times. Three different Michigan players rushed for at least two touchdowns and the Wolverines scored 28 points in the third quarter alone. The last time Michigan started the season 3-0 was when they began the 2017 season 4-0.

Next opponent: At home against Rutgers

Record: 3-0

Why their win was impressive: Michigan State won their second road game of the season against a power five conference opponent. The Spartans out scored the Hurricanes 21-3 in the fourth quarter and Michigan State’s defense created four turnovers with two of them being interceptions. The Spartans had three different players have at least one touchdown reception and 21 Michigan State players were credited to at least one tackle. The last time the Spartans started the season 3-0 was in 2015 when Michigan State began the season 8-0.

Next opponent: At home against Nebraska