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Photo: Jim Klapthor

But with the bulk of the MAC divisional contests still ahead, several squads remain with realistic shots at title runs with only three teams currently winless in divisional play as both Toledo and Northern Illinois face uphill battles to get back into contention in the West. In the East, only Ohio is without a divisional victory.

Nine is Fine
With Central Michigan's win over Army, nine MAC schools have now recorded non-conference wins over FBS (1A) opponents this year which is an all-time single season record. In 2000 the MAC also recorded nine non-conference 1A victories but only eight of the nine occurred during the regular season with the ninth win coming in postseason play when Marshall defeated Cincinnati in the Motor City Bowl, 25-14.

Quick Stat Check
Here is a quick look at league leaders in three defensive categories:

Here is our recap of the past week's action, with notes and quotes from each game. Also be sure to keep reading for our choices for MAC offensive and defensive players of the week.   

Around The Conference
(3)Ohio State 48, Kent State 3.
Quick Take:  If there is any consolation for the Golden Flashes after being thoroughly dominated by Ohio State 48-3 in Columbus it may lie in the knowledge that the Buckeyes are now the top-ranked team in the land following their win. Okay, maybe not. Probably the sooner the Flashes can put this one behind them, the better it will be for all concerned as Ohio State scored on defense, (a 70-yard interception return), on special teams (a 90-yard punt return) and on offense (two passing and one rushing TD) and built up a 35-0 lead by halftime. The Flashes did not get on the board until Nate Reed kicked a 34 yard field goal with 2:36 remaining in the contest. Both teams made wholesale substitutions by the second quarter with things already out of hand.  

Notable:
**Kent State was limited to 62 yards passing.
**Saturday's game was the first contest in which Kent State has either not scored first or held a halftime lead.
**The Golden Flashes rushed for 161 yards - a season high against Ohio State, but also a season low for Kent State as it was the first time all season that the Flashes did not top the 200 yard rushing mark in a game.

Quotable:
** "They (Ohio State) are big, they are fast and they are really strong. We made mistakes we could not make if we wanted to be in this football game. Give Ohio State all the credit in the world because they are a very good football team." Kent State head coach Doug Martin.
** "Our rushing game has been big all year and we were able to run so we will use this as a springboard against Bowling Green." Kent State RB Eugene Jarvis.
** "This is what college football is all about - the environment. I don't know how many thousands were here but it is every kid's dream to play college football in an environment like this." Kent State NT Colin Ferrell.

Ohio 48, Eastern Michigan 42.
Quick Take: What happens when you take two struggling offenses, a pair of pretty formidable defenses and match them up against each other? Well, you get an offensive shootout of course. Both teams recorded season highs in yards and points as Ohio topped Eastern Michigan in Athens, 48-42. The Bobcats appeared to be well on their way to a blowout, opening up a 28-0 second quarter lead after a pair of Kalvin McRae touchdown runs and two touchdown passes from Brad Bower and were threatening to add more points when McRae bobbled a pitch out and EMU's Derrick Hunter returned it the other way for an 80-yard touchdown, waking up the Eagles in the process who added another score before half as Ohio held a 31-17 lead heading into the locker room. EMU staged a valiant comeback but every score was matched by the Bobcats in a wild second half that saw EMU add their final touchdown with just over one minute left after backup QB Kyle McMahon (in for starter Andy Schmitt who injured his shoulder earlier in the final drive) found Tyler Jones for a 5-yard TD. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Ohio and the Bobcats ran out the clock to secure the homecoming victory.

Notable
**Ohio RB Kalvin McRae rushed for a season-high 170 yards, the 16th game of 100 yards rushing or more in his career.
**Eastern Michigan QB Andy Schmitt matched his career single-game best of four touchdown passes.
**Ohio QB Brad Bower had a career-high three touchdown passes.
**The teams combined for 926 yards in offense (Ohio: 501 yards; Eastern Michigan: 425 yards).

Quotable:
** "We wanted to get a good start in this football game and we wanted to score first and not have to battle from behind like we have been doing here lately." Ohio head coach Frank Solich..
** "From a fan's perspective, this was an exciting game. From an Eastern Michigan perspective, we simply needed to play better. I'm proud of the comeback and the fact that we kept fighting." Eastern Michigan head coach Jeff Genyk.
** "This win was very important. The MAC is a very competitive conference and we understand that the season's not over." Ohio RB Kalvin McRae

Buffalo 43, Toledo 33.
Quick Take: You know things are a bit topsy-turvy in the MAC when the Bulls are setting records for winning while the Rockets continue to search for their first MAC win but that is precisely the case as Buffalo defeated Toledo at UB Stadium 43-33 and in the process logged their third conference win of the season; a high-water mark for the Bulls' program. Toledo meanwhile remains winless in the MAC. The Bulls were led by sophomore running back James Starks who opened the scoring on a 45-yard run just 23 seconds into the contest and then added a 9-yard TD less than two minutes later as the Bulls opened up a 14-0 lead and never trailed. The Bulls eventually extended their advantage to 36-19 by halftime, adding a 75-yard TD reception from Drew Willy to Ernest Jackson. The Bulls defense also got into the act, adding a safety early in the second quarter. The Rockets closed to within 36-26 in the third quarter on a Jalen Parmele touchdown run but Starks put the game out of reach with his third rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Notable:
**The 28 points scored in the first quarter by Buffalo were the most first quarter points scored by the Bulls since moving up to Division 1A in 1999.
**Buffalo RB James Starks' 231 yards rushing were a career single-game high and third most in the history of the Buffalo program.
**Bulls' QB Drew Willy's three touchdown passes were a career single-game best.

Quotable:
** "It's a good step for us, putting back-to-back wins together, particularly at home. That's what we want to do, we want to become a dominant home team. Our guys really fought today against a good football program." Buffalo head coach Turner Gill.
** "It's a nightmare." Toledo head coach Tom Amstutz.
** "It feels great. As far as I can remember, every time we've played Toledo they've been on the winning end. It feels good to come back and get a little vengeance on the team that's put up so many points on us." Buffalo C Jamey Richard.

Ball State 35, Western Kentucky 12.
Quick Take: Ball State overcame a sluggish first half and eventually cruised to a 35-12 victory over Western Kentucky in Muncie. The Cardinals jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of Nate Davis touchdown passes but suffered a near meltdown in the second quarter, throwing an interception and losing two fumbles. The only thing that kept the game close in the near-disastrous second quarter was the Hilltoppers' lackluster offense which could only muster a pair of field goals and one touchdown off the Cardinals' miscues. The Cardinals outscored WKU 21-0 in the second half on a pair of Frank Edmonds 1-yard rushing touchdowns and Davis' third touchdown pass of the game, and his second to Louis Johnson who recorded touchdown grabs of 21 and 41 yards.

Notable:
**Ball State QB Nate Davis has now thrown for 18 touchdowns this season, matching the all-time single-season record for Ball State.
**Davis also passed for 288 yards, the seventh time he has passed for over 250 yards in a game, a new school record.
**Western Kentucky was held to 4-17 on third down conversions.

Quotable:
** "It was kind of an ugly game." Ball State head coach Brady Hoke.
** "We just had to keep our heads up. You're going to have bad quarters and bad plays, and you just have to move on. You have to say, 'That's over. That's in the past.' You have to look ahead." Ball State QB Nate Davis on the team's second quarter struggles.
** "We were able to get up and down the field like we wanted to but we just couldn't finish." Western Kentucky QB K.J. Black.

Miami

14.

Notable:
** Miami's 30 first half points were the most in the first half since the RedHawks scored 47 points against Buffalo in 2005.
** Bowling Green QB Tyler Sheehan was held to a season low 140 yards passing.
** Miami recorded a season high 499 yards of offense.

Quotable:
** "We've played really well since the Colorado game. The biggest thing is that we're playing really hard on defense and we've been able to stay away from giving up the big play." Miami head coach Shane Montgomery.
** "That was one of the most embarrassing games I have ever coached in. I'm going to bust my butt to not let that ever happen again. For all Falcons and everybody that loves BG, that's not who we are. Somewhere down the line we have lost our confidence. We are going to have a gut check week."  Bowling Green head coach Gregg Brandon.
** "As long as we just keep playing with the confidence and aggression that we've been playing with the past couple weeks, we'll do fine." Miami LB Clayton Mullins.

  Central Michigan 47, Army 23.
Quick Take: Another game. Another six touchdowns for Central Michigan QB Dan LeFevour. In what is becoming a rather scary mark of consistency, the Chippewas' offensive juggernaut notched a third straight win, destroying an overmatched Army squad 47-23 on Hall of Fame Day in Mt. Pleasant. The Chippewas opened up the game by scoring on their opening drive, capped by the first of LeFevour's four rushing touchdowns to make it 7-0. LeFevour would also score on runs of 17, 4 and five yards in addition to throwing for two touchdowns as the sophomore QB has now personally accounted for twelve touchdowns over the past two games and is making a strong push for MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. The Chips defense also finally had a solid game, forcing seven Army turnovers, including five interceptions, led by DB Josh Gordy's three picks, including a 15-yard TD that capped the game's scoring. The Chips were never threatened and led 33-16 at halftime. CMU next faces Clemson on the road before finishing with four straight conference games.

Notable:
** Central Michigan QB Dan LeFevour set a new school record with his 39th career touchdown pass.
** Chippewas DB Josh Gordy tied a school record with three interceptions in one game.
** LeFevour has rushed for 100 yards or more in each of the past two games and has accounted for 857 yards in total offense the past two weeks.

Quotable:
** "I think most quarterbacks think being called a rushing quarterback is kind of an insult. Really it was just a matter of they (Army) knew we had a lot of weapons downfield and were trying to take a lot of that away so we had to make things happen. A lot of those runs were on scrambles and not planned runs." CMU QB Dan LeFevour discussing his new found rushing prowess.
** "This was another team win for us. Our defense played well and took the ball away. I think we are growing up as a team. What's really satisfying is that our older players are teaching our younger players what it means to be a Central Michigan Chippewa." CMU head coach Butch Jones.
** "I'm disappointed how we played today. We were probably lucky CMU scored only 47 points." Army head coach Stan Brock.

Western Michigan 17, Northern Illinois 13.
Quick Take: Both teams suffered gut-wrenching last second losses last week and it was a matter of which team was able to shake off the disappointment and put it behind them. In a sluggish contest, the Broncos prevailed over the Huskies in DeKalb, 17-13 to go 2-0 in the MAC West and remain on the heels of division leading Central Michigan while Northern Illinois remains winless in the MAC West. The Huskies held a 13-10 advantage thanks to a wide receiver option pass from Marcus Perez that was corralled by Matt Simon for a 59-yard touchdown, but it would be the only touchdown of the day for the struggling Huskies' offense, led by QB Matt Ryan who started due to an injury to NIU's Dan Nicholson. The Broncos scored the only points of the second half when QB Tim Hiller found TE Branden Ledbetter for a 7-yard touchdown early in the third quarter and the Broncos' defense held the Huskies off the board the rest of the way to secure the win.   
 
Notable:
** Western Michigan has forced a turnover in 33 consecutive games.
** NIU tailback Justin Anderson rushed for 132 yards, his fifth straight game with at least 130 yards rushing.
** The Huskies were 1-13 in third down conversions.

Quotable:
** "This game here, this is a great, great win for us in the way it was done. Our defense I thought came up huge and that's something I think we really needed to get done." Western Michigan head coach Bill Cubit.
** "I didn't miss the opportunity to give our kids an English lesson on the word ‘redundant.' Today was pretty redundant. We just couldn't make a couple plays when we needed to. That's the story of the season." Northern Illinois head coach Joe Novak.
** "One for thirteen (third down conversions) is not acceptable and I need to start making those crucial throws in those situations." NIU QB Ryan Morris.

Temple 24, Akron 20.
Quick Take: Both squads scored last-second triumphs last week in recording big conference victories. Odds were against such a finish occurring again but karma is a funny thing. The Zips appeared well on their way to victory, coasting into the fourth quarter of their homecoming contest with a 20-3 lead but the visiting Owls had other ideas and rallied for a 24-20 win. The Zips held a 13-3 edge at halftime after WR Jabari Arthur hauled in a 49-yard touchdown from QB Chris Jacquemain for the only touchdown of the half. The Zips added seven more on Jacequemain's second TD pass of the game, this one a 15-yarder to one of last week's heroes, Alphonso Owen. Temple QB Adam DiMichele then engineered Temple's second straight come from behind win with three fourth quarter touchdown passes, the last going to Dy'Onne Crudup from 19 yards out with 27 seconds remaining, capping a 1:56, 81-yard drive to win the game.

Notable:
** Akron WR Jabari Arthur recorded his 150th career reception to become Akron's all-time receptions leader.
** Temple recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since defeating Syracuse and Connecticut in consecutive games in 2002.
** The Owls' two straight MAC wins are the first back-to-back conference victories for the Owls since 1967 when Temple was in the Middle Atlantic Conference and defeated Bucknell and Gettysburg on their way to a conference championship.

Quotable:
** "I've told my team we're slaying demons one by one. Win one MAC game, win one MAC road game ... slay them one by one. Many other times I've said and thought we could have won four or five games already, but that's my fault. I didn't get them to believe that from the beginning of the season so that we could bring that to fruition." Temple head coach Al Golden.
 ** "There were three things that decided the game. They are a talented team with a quarterback that makes things happen. We had some battered bodies who would play a huge part in the defense. Brandon Anderson is limited and John Mackey is out. Those two are major contributors. Last, we just couldn't hold them. They fought hard and they are an up-and-coming program." Akron head coach J.D. Brookhart.
** "Whenever we run the two-minute drill, special things happen. I can't say enough about our guys, we know we had our backs against the wall and overcame some early turnovers. The defense was able to get us the ball back at the end of the game. Sometimes Akron's defense sat back in a cover-two and we were able to take advantage of that during the final drive." Temple QB Adam DiMichele.

Players of the Week
MAC Report Online announces its choices for offensive and defensive players of the week for week seven of the MAC season.

Offensive Player of the Week
James Starks, RB, Buffalo, 231 yards rushing on 34 carries and three touchdowns.
Comment: Starks set a career mark with 231 yards rushing and led the Bulls to a 43-33 victory over Toledo as Buffalo set a school record with its third conference win of the season and sits atop the MAC East standings along with Miami.

Defensive Player of the Week
Josh Gordy, DB, Central Michigan, three interceptions, 15-yard interception return for touchdown; 10 tackles (4 solo).
Comment: Gordy paced a Central Michigan defense that forced five Army turnovers and tied a school record with three interceptions, including two on consecutive defensive plays and returning a third interception for a 15-yard touchdown. Gordy also recorded ten tackles.