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MAC Roundup
MAC Game of the Week
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No. 15 Marshall 59, Buffalo 3
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A game that shaped up as one of the biggest mismatches of the year went exactly to script. After the Thundering Herd (7-0, 4-0 MAC) opened the scoring with a 57-yard scoring pass from Chad Pennington to Doug Chapman, the Bulls (0-7, 0-6 MAC) got their only points of the game on a 30-yard field goal by Scott Keller. From there it was all Marshall. Often Marshall. The Herd led 38-3 at the half and Pennington's work was done early.
The Heisman candidate took advantage of the first-year Division I-A Bulls, completing 20 of his 25 pass attempts for five TDs and 339 yards. Eleven receivers caught passes for Marshall, which ran through the Bulls for 562 yards of total offense. Marshall faces Northern Illinois and Kent the next two weeks before facing a key MAC test with Western Michigan in Kalamazoo Nov. 13.
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Other MAC action
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Akron 35, Navy 29 |
Looking for their fourth straight win, things didn't look good for the Zips (6-2, 4-1 MAC) early. Navy (2-5) jumped out to a 26-0 lead early in the second quarter, but from then on, couldn't slow the Zips. QB James Washington broke the tension for Akron, finding Lavel Bailey on a 41-yard scoring pass. Still, it took three unanswered fourth-quarter TDs for the Zips to pull out the win. Brandon Payne did the bulk of the damage, scoring on a 6-yard run and a 66-yard punt return in the crucial quarter. Jimmie Gray scored on an 11-yard run with 6:52 remaining to give the Zips their only lead of the game.
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Eastern Michigan 20, Toledo 13 |
Toledo (3-4, 2-3 MAC) coach Gary Pinkel thought he had his offensive problems solved last week when freshman QB Tavares Bolden stepped up and had a big game in a loss to Marshall. The questions of the season's first five weeks came roaring back against EMU (3-4, 3-2 MAC), as Bolden played like a freshman and the Eagles stormed to the victory. Bolden completed just 15 of 35 passes for 130 yards and was intercepted three times. One of those picks was returned 58 yards for a TD by EMU's Lincoln Dupree, who intercepted two passes on the day.
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Western Michigan 28, Ball State 0 |
It was another day at the office for Western Michigan's Tim Lester, who connected for four TD passes -- one in each quarter -- and completed 26 of 41 passes for 296 yards and no interceptions. The Broncos' (6-2, 5-0 MAC) defense wasn't dominant, but managed to sack Ball State (0-7, 0-4 MAC) quarterbacks seven times and successfully pitched the shutout. The win was Western Michigan's fifth straight while the Cardinals suffered consecutive loss No. 13.
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Ohio 17, Bowling Green 14 |
The option-oriented Bobcats (3-5, 3-2 MAC) cranked out 17 quick points and then nursed the lead against the hard-charging Falcons. Bowling Green (2-6, 1-5) scored their final TD on the first play of the fourth quarter, but couldn't push the Cats any further.
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Northern Illinois 50, Kent 7 |
Northern Illinois made it four straight victories and made it look easy, scoring the first 50 points of the game. The Huskies led 35-0 at halftime and didn't score an offensive TD the rest of the way. Benji Peacock, however, did plenty of damage on his own. The 5-6, 167-pound defensive back scored on a 67-yard interception return and a 77-yard fumble return.
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