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Last week, Buffalo came back from a 31-10 deficit, only to lose to Northern Illinois on a missed extra point with 14 seconds remaining. Ohio broke its two-game losing streak with an emphatic victory at Akron Bowling Green ended a three-game slide and threw the Eastern Division into a tizzy with its upset win over Temple. Eastern Michigan held off Western Michigan on the one-yard line to preserve a victory, Toledo, the MAC’s only team in conference play, won its fourth consecutive game by routing Miami, while Ball State recorded its second straight victory with a win over Central Michigan

Here is a look at the thirteen MAC teams as we begin week nine

EASTERN DIVISION

AKRON (1-6, 0-3 MAC): The Zips came off their bye week and fell for the third consecutive game and 10th in their last 11 MAC games, dating back to last year, losing to the Ohio Bobcats, 37-20, Saturday at InfoCision Stadium. The Zips managed just 249 total yards while allowing a season high 556 yards to the Cats. It was the third time this season the UA defense allowed 500 or more yards in a game. QB Clayton Moore completed 13-of-26 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. WR Marquelo Suel had six catches for 54 yards as he returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with a lower back injury. LB Brian Wagner again had a solid defensive game with 17 tackles. Wagner leads the MAC in tackles with 98 (34 solo). DE Nico Caponi recovered a backward lateral and raced 30 yards to set up the Zips first touchdown. UA finishes this three-game homestand Saturday with a noon kickoff against Central Michigan who lost last week at Ball State 31-27. The last time the two played was in Mount Pleasant and the Chips came away with a 48-21 win. The last time the teams met in Akron was in 2007 at the Rubber Bowl, with CMU picking up a 35-32 victory

BOWLING GREEN (4-4, 2-2 MAC): The Falcons ended their three-game losing streak with arguably their biggest win of the season as they upset the East Division-leading Temple Owls, 13-6. The winning points came midway through the fourth quarter when QB Matt Schilz connected with WR Shaun Joplin for a 24-yard touchdown. The BG defense held Temple to just 284 total yards. RB Anton Samuel had 18 carries for 112 yards, the fifth time this season he has rushed for over 100 yards tying him for sixth best in school history. WR Kamer Jordan had just five receptions for 52 yards but moved into 11th place on the all-time receptions list with 143. DT Chris Jones was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week as he had six tackles in the game. Three were sacks, along with a quarterback hurry. The Falcons travel east on the Ohio Turnpike Saturday to face the Kent State Golden Flashes, who are coming off a bye week  KSU won their last meeting, 30-6, in BG.

BUFFALO (2-6, 1-3 MAC): The Bulls came back from a 31-10 fourth quarter deficit against the Northern Illinois Huskies last week, scoring a touchdown with 14 seconds remaining in regulation - only to see their chance at overtime vanish with a missed extra point as the Huskies escaped from UB Stadium with a 31-30 victory. QB Chazz Anderson had a career day, completing 35-of-53 passes for a career high 404 yards. He was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week. RB Branden Oliver had 28 carries for 112 yards and is second in the MAC with 843 yards rushing. On the day, Buffalo had 527 total yards -- their program’s best offensive game since moving into the MAC. DB Corey Lester made a career-high nine tackles and two pass breakups. LB Khalil Mack leads in tackles for loss with 13 and DB Najjr Johnson leads in passes defended with 11. UB makes the long trek to Oxford this Saturday to face the Miami RedHawks, who saw their two-game winning streak smashed at the hands of Toledo, 49-28. When the teams met last year in Amherst, MU came away with a 21-9 win

KENT STATE (1-6, 0-3 MAC): The Golden Flashes are coming off a bye week. Their last game was on October 15, when they came up on the short end of a 9-3 score against the Miami RedHawks 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 somewhat atoned for a 70 yard performance the previous week at Northern Illinois to gain 244 yards…LB C.J. Malauulu had 10 tackles in the game…The Flashes remain home this Saturday as they entertain the Bowling Green Falcons, fresh off of their 13-6 upset at home last week against Temple. When they met last year in Bowling Green, the Flashes came away with an emphatic 30-6 victory.

MIAMI (2-5, 1-2 MAC): The RedHawks saw their two-game winning streak come crashing down last Saturday in Toledo as the Rockets scored on each of their first three possessions and adding a defensive touchdown to build a 28-0. The MAC leaders never looked back en route to a 49-28 win, despite Miami gaining 408 yards in total offense. QB Zac Dysert completed 24-of-37 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Dysert is second in passing yards averaging 262.3 per game. WR Dahwan Scott had seven catches for 140 yards. WR Nick Harwell had five for 101 and a score while notching his fifth 100-yard receiving game in 2011. Harwell is second in MAC receiving yards with 738. The ‘Hawks return home this Saturday to face the Buffalo Bulls, who are still smarting from their 31-30 heartbreaking loss at home last week to Northern Illinois. When the two teams met last year in Western New York, the ‘Hawks picked up a 21-9 victory.

OHIO (5-3, 2-2 MAC): The Bobcats ended their two-game losing streak as they traveled up I-77 to Akron and routed the Zips 37-20, gaining 556 total yards - their second highest total of the season. QB Tyler Tetrtleton completed 21-of-29 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns. The two scores moved him into the top-10 on the Cats all-time touchdown passing list with 16. In addition, Tettleton is third in total offense at 274 yards per game and third in passing efficiency at 146.5. RB Donte Harden had 123 yards on 22 carries, while WR LaVonn Brazil had just three receptions but totaled 102 yards and a touchdown. Harden leads the MAC in kickoff returns, averaging 33.9 yards and is second in all-purpose yards at 161.3. LB Noah Keller had 10 tackles in the game including one for a loss. DB Travis Carrie is tied for second with 10 passes defended. PK Matt Weller was named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week for the third time as he had three field goals. His seven kickoffs, meanwhile, averaged over 66 yards. The ‘Cats get back into action on Wednesday night November 2 when the Temple Owls come to Peden Stadium in a nationally televised game. TU is smarting from a 13-6 loss last Saturday at Bowling Green. They also will look for some revenge for last year’s meeting with Ohio, when the Bobcats registered a 31-23 win at Lincoln Financial Field.

TEMPLE (5-3, 3-2 MAC): The Owls saw their two-game winning streak end Saturday in Bowling Green as the Falcons upset the Owls 13-6. TU’s prolific offense managed just 284 total yards while converting just 3-of-14 third down opportunities. RB Bernard Pierce had 17 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown, while RB Matt Brown had 119 yards on 22 carries. It was the third consecutive game in which the pair has rushed for over 100 yards. Pierce continues to lead the MAC in rushing with 951 yards and also leads in touchdowns with 18. Brown is third in kick returns, averaging 27.5 yards and third in punt returns at 11.7. QB Chester Stewart was just 7-of-13 passing for 66 yards and was sacked four times. LB Tamir Whitehead leads the MAC with four forced fumbles and is tied for second with two recoveries. DB Justin Gildea is second in interceptions with three. TU is off until Wednesday November 2nd when they travel to Athens to face the Ohio Bobcats, who ended their two-game slide with a 37-20 win at Akron last Saturday.

WESTERN DIVISION

BALL STATE (5-3, 3-1 MAC): After being routed by Oklahoma and Temple, The Cardinals have rebounded to win their last two. They came back from a 14-point deficit Saturday to defeat Central Michiganat Schunemann Stadium, 31-27, keeping them in the thick of the Western Division race.
The winning points came early in the fourth quarter when QB Keith Wenning found WR Jamill Scott for a 34-yard touchdown. It was the fourth largest comeback in school history as they scored 21 points in the third quarter, Wenning completed 27-of-38 passes for a career high 325 yards and three touchdowns. WR Jack Tomlinson had six receptions for 109 yards and Briggs Orsborn had eight for 87 yards and a score. Smith was named MAC West Special Teams Player of the Week as he had four kick returns for a total of 135 yards. BSU heads into Kalamazoo this Saturday to face a Western Michigan team that is reeling from two straight losses, the last being 14-10 setback Saturday at Eastern Michigan, with the Eagles stopping them at the one yard line at the end of the game. When they met last year in Muncie, the Broncos routed the Cards 45-16.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN (2-6, 1-3 MAC): The Chippewas dropped their second consecutive game last Saturday, squandering a 17-3 lead to the Ball State Cardinals while falling in Muncie 31-27. QB Ryan Radcliff completed 30-of-44 passes for 436 yards and three touchdowns. It was the fifth 400 yard passing game in school history. Radcliff leads the MAC in passing yards, averaging 273 per game. RB Zebron Tipton had 19 carries for 110 yards. TE David Blackburn had a career-best nine receptions for 194 yards and two touchdowns, while WR Cody Wilson had eight catches for 99 yards. The Chips make the first of two trips to Northeast Ohio this Saturday as they face the Akron Zips. It is CMU’s first visit to InfoCision Stadium. Their last meeting was in 2009 at Kelly-Shorts Stadium, and the Chips picked up a 48-21 victory

EASTERN MICHIGAN (5-3, 3-2 MAC): The surprising Eagles did it again as they picked up their fifth win of the season, defeating Western Michigan at Rynearson Stadium 14-10 Saturday. With the victory, they gained possession of the MAC Michigan Trophy. The winning score came midway through the fourth when RB Javonti Green ran 50-yards for a touchdown. Greene was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week as he was involved in both EMU scores. Greene rushed for 61 yards, part of day that saw EMU rush for 205 yards in the game.  The Eagles will have a bye this week, returning to action on Saturday November 5 against Ball State, which is the middle game of a three-game home stand.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS (5-3, 3-1 MAC): The Huskies squandered a 31-10 lead early in the fourth quarter at Buffalo, holding on for dear life as the Bulls missed an extra point after scoring a touchdown with 14 seconds remaining in regulation. That allowed NIU to get away with a 31-30 win, their third straight victory and fourth in the last five games. QB Chandler Harnish completed just 11-of-26 passes for 130 yards and had 67 yards rushing after his 200-plus performance both rushing and passing in a win over Western Michigan. Harnish is third in rushing with 738 yards. RB Jasmin Hopkins had 55 yards on 19 carries and three touchdowns, while the NIU defense forced five turnovers. S Dechane Durante had a career best nine tackles. PK Matthew Sims leads all MAC kickers in scoring with 78 points. The Huskies are off until Tuesday November 1, when they head into Toledo to battle the first place Rockets, who improved to 4-0 in the MAC last week with a 49-28 home win over Miami.

TOLEDO (5-3, 4-0 MAC): The Rockets collected their fourth consecutive win last Saturday night as they built a 28-0 lead on Miami and never looked back while routing the RedHawks, 49-28, at the Glass Bowl. The decision ended MU’s two-game winning streak, and kept UT atop the Western Division. Toledo’s offense gained 497 yards on the evening, mostly coming from the running game that produced 269 yards on the night. RB Morgan Williams rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns while RB Adonis Thomas had 80 yards on 10 carries and a score. WR Eric Page is second in punt returns at 12.9 per return, leads in all-purpose yards with 166 per game and is third in receiving yards with 665. He is second in receptions with 66. DB Desmond Marrow was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week for the second time as he had six tackles against the ‘Hawks, along with a career-best two interceptions. He is tied for second with 10 passes defended. UT is off until Tuesday November 1, when the Northern Illinois Huskies come to the Glass Bowl. UT will be looking for a bit of revenge for the 65-30 loss they absorbed last year in DeKalb.

WESTERN MICHIGAN (4-4, 2-2 MAC): The Broncos dropped their second consecutive MAC game last Saturday as they fell to the Eastern Michigan Eagles 14-10 in Ypsilanti. QB Alex Carder completed 23-of-34 passes for 181 yards but no touchdowns. Carder is third in MAC passing, averaging 256.6 per game, and is second in total offense at 279.4 per game. WR Jordan White had seven catches for 70 yards, while Caleb Ravenell had six for 70 yards as eight different WMU players caught at least one pass. White leads the MAC with 86 receptions and 992 yards. He also leads in punt returns, averaging 13.9 per return, and is third in all-purpose yards, averaging 144.9 per game. The Broncos return home to Waldo Stadium this Saturday to face the Ball State Cardinals, who are riding a two-game winning streak after defeating Central Michigan last week at home, 31-27. When they met last year in Muncie, the Broncos routed BSU 45-16.

There you have it, your MAC Checkup for Week No. 9. It’s an abbreviated schedule, with some big games coming early next week at night (NIU-Toledo & Temple-Ohio) .

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!