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WEEK NO. 7 OVERVIEW

Temple took control of the Eastern Division with its second consecutive shutout, this one over Buffalo…Toledo went 3-0 in the Western Division with over 400 yards of offense in a thrilling victory over rival Bowling Green…Northern Illinois had almost 700 yards in beating Western Michigan for its second straight win…Eastern Michigan & Central Michigan had over 870 yards combined, with the Eagles coming from behind to win…Ball State ended a two-game losing streak with a road win at Ohio, sending the Bobcats to their second straight setback. Miami defeated Kent State in a defensive battle in Northeast Ohio for the RedHawks second straight win.

WEEK NO. 8 TEAM CHECKS

Here is a look at the thirteen MAC teams as we begin Week No. 8.

EASTERN DIVISION

AKRON (1-5, 0-2 MAC): The Zips were last in action on October 8, falling to Florida International out of the Sun Belt Conference 27-17…UA gained just 269 yards of total offense, while the high-powered Panthers gained 524 on the afternoon…RB Jawon Chisholm, hampered by a foot injury, gained just 43 yards rushing but scored a touchdown and is fifth in MAC rushing with 587 yards…QB Clayton Moore completed 11-of-22 passes for 157 yards. He also rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown…Moore became the first Zips player to throw, rush, and receive a touchdown since Brett Biggs in 2005..LB Brian Wagner had a career best 22 tackles in the game and continues to lead the MAC with 81 stops…WR Keith Sconiers leads the Zips receivers with 23 catches for 434 yards and four touchdowns…UA plays the middle game of a three-game home stand this Saturday when the Ohio Bobcats come into InfoCision Stadium. The Cats have lost three of their last four after starting the season 3-0.  They fell, 23-20, last week at home to Ball State…When Ohio and UA last met, the Cats dominated in Athens 38-10

BOWLING GREEN (3-4, 1-2 MAC): The Falcons dropped their third straight game in heartbreaking fashion Saturday, losing to the arch-rival Toledo Rockets, 35-28, in the inaugural game for the ‘Battle for I-75 Trophy’ at Perry Stadium…KR Booboo Gates’ 98-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter tied the score before UT’s game winning drive…Gates was named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week for his return, and he leads the MAC in kick returns at 29.8 per return…QB Matt Schilz completed 21-of-42 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown. He is third in MAC passing with 1,697 yards…WR Kamer Jordan had seven catches for 106 yards, and RB Anthon Samuel gained 105 yards rushing on 25 carries….The Falcons remain home this week as the East Division leading Temple Owls come calling on the strength of two consecutive shutouts (last week blanking Buffalo 34-0)…When they met last year in South Philadelphia TU prevailed, 28-27.

BUFFALO (2-5, 1-2 MAC): The Bulls traveled to South Philadelphia last Saturday and were shut out by the Temple Owls 34-0…It was UB’s fourth loss in the last five games and the second consecutive time they were shutout by the Owls (42-0 last year at UB Stadium)…QB Chazz Anderson completed just 8-of-26 passes for 84 yards…RB Branden Oliver was held to just 62 yards on 21 carries…DB Brandon Copeland led the defense with 11 tackles (nine solo)….Oliver is third in MAC rushing with 741 yards…LB Khalil Mack leads in tackles for losses with 12 and is tied for first in forced fumbles (4)…DB Najja Johnson leads in passes defended with 11…The Bulls look for their second straight home win this Saturday as the Northern Illinois Huskies come to Amherst riding two impressive home victories over Kent State and Western Michigan. When they met last year in DeKalb, NIU posted a 45-14 victory

KENT STATE (1-6, 0-3 MAC): The Golden Flashes battled Miami last Saturday and came up on the short end of a 9-3 score at Dix Stadium….KSU’s lone points came on a Freddy Cortez 32-yard field goal in the first quarter as the Flashes dropped their third consecutive game…QB Spencer Keith completed 16-of-31 passes for 169 yards as the offense atoned for its 70-yard performance the previous week at Northern Illinois by gaining 244 yards…LB C.J. Malauulu had 10 tackles in the game…DE Roosevelt Nix was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week as he had six tackles and two forced fumbles, one leading to the field goal…The Flashes have the week off before facing the Bowling Green Falcons at home on Saturday October 29th 

MIAMI (2-4, 1-1 MAC): After starting the 2011 season at 0-4, the Redhawks picked up their second straight win last Saturday on the road defeating Kent State 9-3…The winning points came in the third quarter as QB Zac Dysert connected with WR Chris Givens for a 16-yard touchdown. It was the only touchdown of the game as the MU offense was held to just 166 yards on a windy Saturday afternoon …WR Nick Harwell caught three passes for only one yard, ending his consecutive streak of 100-yard games at four. However, he still ranks second in total receiving yards with 637…Dysert is second in MAC average passing yards at 250.3 per game…MU takes its winning streak up to Toledo this Saturday to face a red hot Rockets team that has won three straight, including a 35-28 win last week at Bowling Green

OHIO (4-2, 1-1 MAC): The Bobcats were stunned for the second consecutive Saturday, this time at home by the Ball State Cardinals, 23-20. The previous week they lost at Buffalo 38-37… The Cats had a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime, but PK Matt Weller’s 41-yard attempt was wide to the left…QB Taylor Tettleton completed 18-of-30 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns…WR LaVonn Brazil had eight receptions for 157 yards and a score, while RB Donte Harden rushed for 85 yards on 19 carries on a day the Ohio offense amassed 413 total yards…LB Noah Keller had 15 tackles against BSU -- a season high…Tettleton is third in MAC total offense averaging 263.0 yards per game…Brazill leads in punt returns with 7.3 yds per return…The Cats travel to Akron this Saturday to face a Zips squad that had the week off after losing the previous week to Florida International, 27-17…When they met last year in Athens, it was all Green and White, 38-10

TEMPLE (5-2, 3-1 MAC): The Owls picked up their second consecutive shutout last Saturday blanking the Buffalo Bulls 34-0 at Lincoln Financial Field. It was their second straight shutout (after a 42-0 blanking of Ball State)…RB Bernard Pierce had 23 carries for 152 yards and two touchdowns…149 of those yards came in the first half…RB Matt Brown contributed 120 yards on 12 carries and a score -- part of a TU offense that gained 458 yards on the day, 400 of which were on the ground. The defense, meanwhile, held UB to just 155 total yards…Pierce was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week for the third time as he set four Owls records in the contest…LB Stephen Johnson led the defense with six tackles…Pierce leads the MAC with 844 rushing yards and in touchdowns with 17     (102 points)…P Brandon McManus leads the MAC, averaging 48.3 yards per kick…DB Justin Gilea is tied for the lead in interceptions with three, and LB Tamir Whitehead is tied for forced fumbles with four. He also leads in fumble recoveries with three..TU travels to Bowling Green this Saturday to face the Falcons, who lost their third straight last Saturday to Toledo, 35-28. When they met last year at ‘The Linc,’ the Owls escaped with a 28-27 victory

WESTERN DIVISION

BALL STATE (4-3, 2-1 MAC): After being outscored 104-6 over their previous two games (to Oklahoma & Temple), the Cardinals went on the road and defeated the Ohio Bobcats in Athens, 23-20. It was the Cards first MAC road win since late last season at Buffalo, 20-3…PK Steven Schott’s 27-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter proved to be the margin of difference…RB Jawon Edwards rushed for a career best 123 yards on 25 carries…QB Keith Wenning completed 20-of-34 passes for 179 yards, along with rushing for a touchdown as BSU gained 372 yards on total offense…P Scott Kovanka was named MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week as he had seven punts in the game for an average of 46.7 yards…The Cards return home this week to face the Central Michigan Chippewas, who lost a heartbreaker to Eastern Michigan last Saturday in Mount Pleasant 35-28. When they met last year at Kelly-Shorts Stadium, the Cards prevailed 31-17

CENTRAL MICHIGAN (2-5, 1-2 MAC): The Chippewas last Saturday were in a shootout with the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Kelly-Shorts Stadium, coming back from a 28-13 deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game -- only to see the Eagles score with 37 seconds remaining. It was CMU’s second straight loss and third in the last four games. QB Ryan Radcliff completed 33-of-50 passes for 351 yards and three touchdown as the Chips had 449 yards of total offense. Eight different CMU players caught at least one pass, with WR Cody Wilson collecting nine for 103 yards…DB Jaleel Addae is second in MAC tackles with 66 and tied for the lead in interceptions with three…CMU makes a trek to Muncie this Saturday to face the Ball State Cardinals, who picked up a much needed win last Saturday at Ohio 23-20…BSU last year went into Mount Pleasant and came away with a 31-17 victory

EASTERN MICHIGAN (4-3, 2-2 MAC): After squandering a 28-13 lead in the fourth quarter, the Eagles came back with a 35-28 win over the Central Michigan Chippewas last week in Mount Pleasant…QB Alex Gillett rushed 30 yards for the game winning touchdown with just 37 seconds remaining in regulation. Gillett finished the day with 93 yards rushing on 11 carries and the score while completing just 6-of-8 passes for 76 yards…RB Dominique Whote had 161 yards on 19 carries and a score, while Javonti Greene had 96 yards and three scores as EMU collected 350 rushing yards on the day and 426 yards overall…The Eagles return home to Rynearson Stadium this Saturday to face the Western Michigan Broncos, who were routed last week at Northern Illinois, 51-22…When they met last year in Kalamazoo, The Broncos picked up a 45-30 victory.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS (4-3, 2-1 MAC): The Huskies enjoyed a record setting day in their rout of the Western Michigan Broncos last Saturday at Huskie Stadium as they collected 697 yards of total offense ( second most in school history), 494 coming on the ground…They had five scoring drives of 70 yards or more and broke the game open with a 24-point second quarter…QB Chandler Harnish had 229 yards on 14 carries and completed 14-of-27 passes for 203 yards making him the 11th player in FBS history to rush and pass for more than 200 yards in a game…Harnish was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week…Harnish’s backup, Jordan Lynch had 113 yards rushing…DE Sean Progar leads the MAC in sacks with 4.5 …Harnish is second in MAC rushing with 671 yards, leads in total offense with 316.9 per game and is second in passing efficiency at 151.1. The Huskies, who have won three straight,  make the long trek to Buffalo this Saturday to face a Bulls team that was shutout last week at Temple, 34-0, and has lost four of the last five games…They met last year in DeKalb, and the Huskies picked up a 45-14 victory

TOLEDO (4-3, 3-0 MAC): Since their tough stretch to begin the season, playing Ohio State, Boise State, and Syracuse, the Rockets are starting to roll. They won their third straight last Saturday by beating arch rival Bowling Green, 35-28, at Perry Stadium to gain possession of the ‘Battle for I-75 Trophy’…RB Morgan Williams had 136 yards rushing on 19 carries and three touchdowns...The Rockets defense also played well as it made two big stops in the red zone…DB Desmond Morrow was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week as he had 10 tackles in the game, along with three passes defended..QB Austin Dantin leads the MAC in pass efficiency at 152.3…WR Eric Page is second with 60 receptions and third in yards with 613. The versatile leads the MAC in all-purpose yards with 1268…The Rockets entertain the Miami RedHawks this Saturday. The defending MAC Champions have won two straight after starting the 2011 campaign at 0-4 after beating Kent State last week in a defensive struggle, 9-3

WESTERN MICHIGAN (4-3, 2-1 MAC): The Broncos suffered their first MAC loss of the season last Saturday as they were routed at Northern Illinois 51-22…QB Alex Carder completed 25-of-43 passes for 194 yards, while  WR Jordan White collected 12 receptions for 98 yards. It was the fifth consecutive game White has had 10 or more receptions…PK John Potter connected on a 45-yard field goal, matching the longest of his career….Carder leads the MAC in passing yards per game at 267.4 and in total passing yards with 1872…White leads the MAC with 79 receptions and 922 yards and is second in all-purpose yards with 1089…White’s 922 yards is fourth in the Football Bowl Subdivision…The Broncos head into Ypsilanti to face the Eastern Michigan Eagles, who came from behind last Saturday to win at Central Michigan, 35-28. When they met last year in Kalamazoo, The Broncos picked up a 45-30 victory

There you have it, your MAC Checkup for week eight, with the big games being in Toledo where the Rockets look for their fourth consecutive win while Miami seeks its third straight…in Bowling Green where Temple could put a stranglehold on the Eastern Division with a victory over the Falcons…and in Ypsilanti where the Eagles look to continue their renaissance against the Broncos.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!