MAC Matchups: Nick’s Picks
October 16th, 2008 by Nick Gerogosian
Western Michigan (6-1, 4-0 MAC) at Central Michigan (4-2, 3-0 MAC) – Noon
SITE: Kelly/Shorts Stadium (30,255/Field Turf) – Mount Pleasant, Mich.
TELEVISION: MAC Game of the Week/ESPN Plus (Michael Reghi, Doug Chapman)
SERIES RECORD: WMU leads 43-33-2 … this is the 79th meeting in the series that began in 1907 with a 27-0 Broncos’ victory … the Chippewas have won the last two, including last year’s 34-31 contest … WMU most recently won in 2005 (31-24) … CMU has won three of the last four meetings.
COACHES: WMU-Bill Cubit (26-17, fourth season at school; 60-35-1, ninth season overall); CMU-Butch Jones (12-8, second season).
GAME NOTES:
The Broncos are on a six-game winning streak and are 4-0 in the MAC for the first time since 2000 … WMU trailed 28-14 with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter last week before rallying for a 34-28 win at Buffalo last week … the Chippewas captured a 24-14 win at home over Temple … in that game, Brian Brunner came on for the injured Dan LeFevour and threw a 37-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter to secure the win … LeFevour, the 2007 MAC Offensive Player of the Year, will be back at full strength for this week’s game … this game will match up two of the top rated passers in the nation … WMU’s Tim Hiller has completed 193-of-283 attempts (68.2 pct.) for 2,046 yards, 23 TDs and five interceptions … LeFevour has completed 128-of-197 attempts (65.0 pct.) for 1,377 yards, 9 TDs and three interceptions … LeFevour has also rushed for 304 yards and three TDs … WMU’s Louis Delmas is tied for the MAC lead in interceptions with four … CMU’s Frank Zombo has a MAC leading 9.5 tackles for a loss and is second in sacks with 5.0 … CMU has a MAC low of just five lost turnovers … WMU leads the league in sacks with 15 … WMU’s Jamarko Simmons leads the MAC in receptions (53), receiving yards (584). and TD receptions (6).
Nick’s Pick: Central 35 – Western 30
Comment: The game of the week in the MAC, and possibly, the conference game of the season. The winner of this game is in the driver’s seat (until they play Ball State) for a MAC west championship while the loser will be playing for one of the remaining MAC bowls. Expect a terrific game in Mount Pleasant where the ‘Chips rarely ever lose to their arch rival.
Miami (1-5, 0-2 MAC) at Bowling Green (3-3, 1-1 MAC) – Noon
SITE: Doyt Perry Stadium (24,000/Field Turf) – Bowling Green, Ohio
TELEVISION: MAC Game of the Week (Jim Barbar, John Gregory)
SERIES RECORD: Miami leads 40-19-5 … the RedHawks have won the last two meetings, 47-14 last year in Oxford, and 9-7 in 2006 in Bowling Green … BG last won 42-14 in 2005 … the RedHawks have won eight of the last nine meetings.
COACHES: MIA-Shane Montgomery (16-26, fourth season); BGSU-Gregg Brandon (41-27, sixth season).
GAME NOTES:
The RedHawks have lost three in a row after last week’s 17-13 defeat at Northern Illinois … BGSU, the East Division pre-season favorite, had a 37-33 comeback win at Akron last week, scoring 23 fourth-quarter points … the Falcons passing game has produced more TDs (12) itself than Miami has as a team (10) … QB Tyler Sheehan had 239 passing yards and three TDs last week in fueling the Falcons comeback … the league’s top two punters will battle for field position in Miami’s Jacob Richardson (a national best 48.5 ypk) and BG’s Nick Iovinelli (41.3) … the RedHawks rank last in the league in scoring (16.7 ppg) and got their only TD last week on a 63-yard punt return from Eugene Harris … Harris has two TDs on punt returns this season … defense is the RedHawks strength as they are second in the MAC in total defense, allowing 330.3 ypg … LB Joey Hudson leads the MAC in solo tackles with 41 and is second in tackles per game at 10.8 … Clayton Mullins has 7.0 tackles for a loss for minus 40 yards … the Falcons are 0-2 at home this season and 3-1 on the road … Miami has lost its last six road games dating back to last year.
Nick’s Pick: BGSU 20 -Miami 16
Comment: The Falcons have not played well at home this season but Miami has been dreadful on offense all year long. Even though Miami has owned this series over the past sixty-some-odd years, give the nod to the Falcons at home in 2008.
Akron (3-4, 1-2 MAC) at Eastern Michigan (2-5, 1-2 MAC) – 1:00
SITE: Rynearson Stadium (30,200/Field Turf) – Ypsilanti, Mich.
TELEVISION: None
SERIES RECORD: Akron leads 15-11 … this is the first meeting since the 2002 season, a 42-34 Eagles’ triumph … the Zips last beat EMU in 65-62 in 2001 with a triple overtime contest at the Rubber Bowl … the programs have split the last four meetings.
COACHES: UA-J.D. Brookhart (25-30, fifth season); EMU-Jeff Genyk (15-38, fifth season).
GAME NOTES:
Each team suffered a defeat by four points last week … EMU lost at Army 17-13, while the Zips dropped a 37-33 contest at home to Bowling Green … Akron has won its last three road games (Syracuse, Army, Kent State) … EMU has lost its last two home games (Northern Illinois, Toledo) … a win by Akron would give the program four road victories for the first time since joining FBS (I-A) in 1987 … Zips’ RB Dennis Kennedy broke out for a career-high 182 yards on 29 attempts last week, the most rushing yards by anyone in the MAC this season … Kennedy added two TDs, converted three of Akron’s nine third downs and had seven of the team’s 22 first downs …EMU allowed 341 rushing yards to Army last week … the Eagles rushing game is averaging 175.4 ypg, third best in the MAC, and their 13 rushing TDs are the second highest total to Ball State’s 19 … EMU has also produced 374.4 ypg, the third highest total in the conference … the Zips defense leads the MAC in takeaways with 18 (13 fumble recoveries, 5 interceptions) … EMU LB Daniel Holtzclaw is averaging 9.7 tackles per game, third in the MAC.
Nick’s Pick: Akron 23 – Eastern Michigan 21
Comment: By far the most difficult game to pick this weekend. Both teams have not played well this season and silly mistakes at the most in-opportune times have killed each throughout the first half of the season. Akron seems to have more going for them right now but flip a coin on the winner.
Toledo (2-4, 1-1 MAC) at Northern Illinois (3-3, 2-1 MAC) – 4:00 (ET)
SITE: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium (24,000/Field Turf) – DeKalb, Ill.
TELEVISION: CSN Chicago (Tom Dore, Dave Kaplan, Bob Chmiel, Jim Blaney)
SERIES RECORD: Toledo leads 28-7 … the Rockets have won the last two, including a 70-21 victory last year … NIU last won 35-17 in 2005 … UT has won 14 of the last 15 meetings dating back to 1990.
COACHES: UT-Tom Amstutz (57-36, eighth season); NIU-Jerry Kill (3-3, first season at school;
107-60, 15th season overall).
GAME NOTES:
The Rockets broke a three-game losing streak with a stunning 13-10 win at Michigan last week … UT had been outscored 121-70 in its previous three games, all at home …last week’s 17-13 win by the Huskies over Miami boosted the NIU 2008 victory total to one more than all of 2007 … the Rockets are 2-1 on the road and 0-3 at home this season … the Huskies are 2-0 at home … watch for Meco Brown, with a career-best 123 rushing yards last week, to challenge the Rockets defense … in three conference games, Brown is averaging 96.0 yards per game … NIU’s 170.2 rushing yards per game is the fourth highest total in the MAC … the Huskies’ defense has a MAC leading 288.5 yards of total offense allowed per game, a margin of 42 yards better than the second leading team (Miami) … UT’s offense has not produced a touchdown its last two games, but did control the ball for 33 minutes last week … the Rockets’ Stephen Williams (41) and Nick Moore (40) rank second and third, respectively, in the MAC in total receptions … QB Aaron Opelt has just three interceptions on 216 attempts … RB DuJuane Collins returned last week after suffering an ankle injury vs. Fresno State on Sept. 20 and rushed for 65 yards on 10 carries at Michigan … the Huskie defense is allowing just 3.7 ypc and a MAC leading 113.2 ypg on rushing defense … UT PK Alex Steigerwald was a Lou Groza National Collegiate Placekicker Star of the Week for his game winning, and career-best, 48-yard field goal at Ann Arbor.
Nick’s Pick: Toledo 16 – NIU 14
Comment: Which Toledo team will show up? The Rocket team that lost in OT to Fresno State and beat Michigan or the team that lost at home to FIU and was shut out by Ball State in the Glass Bowl? NIU has a good defense and the Rockets have averaged just 10-points per game over their past three contests. Historically UT owns the Huskies, we’ll see if that Michigan victory catapults Toledo forward this season, or was just a mirage.
Army (2-4, Independent) at Buffalo (2-4, 1-2 MAC) – 3:30
SITE: UB Stadium (29,013/Sportexe Momentum) – Buffalo, N.Y.
TELEVISION: Time Warner Cable Western New York (Howard Simon, Brian Koziol).
SERIES RECORD: Tied 1-1 … UB won the most recent meeting, 26-19 in 2001 … the Cadets
triumph came in 1960 by a 37-0 score … both previous games were played at West Point.
COACHES: Army-Stan Brock (5-13, second season); UB-Turner Gill (9-21, third season.).
GAME NOTES:
The Cadets have won their last two games after starting 0-4 … Army beat Eastern Michigan 17-13 last week and defeated Tulane 44-13 the week prior … in the win over EMU, the Cadets earned all 341 yards of total offense on the ground as they were 0-of-3 on pass attempts … Collin Mooney ran for 229 of those 341 yards … Army has also played MAC schools Temple (L 35-7) and Akron (L 22-3) this season … UB is coming off its third straight loss, this one in overtime to Western Michigan 34-28 … all three of the Bulls’ conference games have been decided on the last play of the game, also winning 30-28 over Temple on a TD pass as time expired, and a 27-25 loss at Central Michigan on a missed field goal on the final play in regulation … James Starks rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns last week, scoring from 6, 66 and 2 yards as the Bulls built a 21-3 lead … Starks is one of only two backs in the conference to average over 100 rushing yards per game (103.0) … UB ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring offense (27.0 ppg) and second in rushing defense, allowing 115.5 ypg on the ground … QB Drew Willy has thrown for 12 TDs with just four interceptions and ranks third in the league in passing efficiency (138.6).
Nick’s Pick: Buffalo 28 – Army 14
Comment: The Bulls have played a very rugged schedule to date with Missouri, Pitt, Central and Western Michigan – now comes a little more of a breather although the Black Knights have won two in a row. One of those wins comes over the MAC’s Eastern Michigan, but EMU has NEVER beaten a IA team on the road, so that was not surprising. Look for the Bulls to win by double-digits.
IDLE THIS WEEK:
Ball State (7-0, 3-0 MAC)
The No. 24 ranked Cardinals are idle Saturday and play next Oct. 25 when they host Eastern Michigan. BSU defeated Western Kentucky last week, 24-7, in Bowling Green, Ky. The Cards are No. 24 in the Associated Press poll and No. 25 in the USA TODAY Coaches poll. The Cardinals lead the MAC in scoring offense (37.4 ppg), total offense (455.6 ypg), pass efficiency (161.4), turnover margin (+6, 0.86 per game), pass efficiency defense (102.8), first downs (177), third down conversions (53.2 pct.), penalties (fewest, 37.7 ypg) and red zone offense (90.3 pct.).
Kent State (1-6, 0-3 MAC)
The Golden Flashes are idle and play next Oct. 25 at Miami. KSU lost last week at home to Ohio, 26-19, and has dropped four in a row. Senior LB Derek Burrell and sophomore FS Brian Lainhart lead the country in total tackles (76) and interceptions (4, tied), respectively. QB Julian Edelman is averaging 89.0 rushing yards per game, fourth best in the MAC. TB Eugene Jarvis returned last week for the first time since Sept. 13 and rushed 14 times for 50 yards vs. Ohio.
Ohio (2-5, 1-2 MAC)
The Bobcats won their first league game last week, 26-19 at Kent State. Ohio plays next Oct. 21 (Tuesday) at Temple in a ESPN2 national telecast. Barrett Way tied a school record with four field goals and Ohio had 176 rushing yards, 46 more than its season average. Redshirt freshman Donte Harden contributed 115 of those yards on 23 carries. The Temple game will be the final of three consecutive road games for the Bobcats.
Temple (2-5, 1-3 MAC)
The Owls are idle Saturday and play next Oct. 21 (Tuesday) hosting Ohio in an ESPN2 national telecast. The Ohio game will be just the third home game for the Owls after hosting Connecticut and Western Michigan, both losses by a total of seven points. Regular starting QB Adam DiMichele, who suffered a shoulder injury Sept. 20 at Penn State, continues his comeback effort. It is possible he may return for the Ohio game but still has a long way to go according to head coach Al Golden. DiMichele has completed 51-of-85 pass attempts (60.0 pct.) this season for 620 yards, five TDs and three interceptions. In his absence, redshirt freshman Chester Stewart has been successful on 53-of-106 attempts for 524 yards, four TDs and seven interceptions. MAC Football Notes (Oct. 13, 2008)
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