Inside MAC Football: Week 12

Last week in the Mid-American Conference, the Temple Owls and the Central Michigan Chippewas made emphatic statements they were the leaders in their respective divisions as both put up 56 points on their opposition.

Ohio stayed in the Eastern Division race with a road win at Buffalo while Northern Illinois just won’t go away as they picked up a road win at Ball State. At the bottom of the league, Eastern Michigan is still looking for that elusive first win of 2009 and they have two games to get it done

Here is a look at the thirteen MAC teams as we begin week 12

EASTERN DIVISION

AKRON (2-8, 1-5): The Zips had a 17-7 first quarter lead on East Division leading Temple until the Owls scored 49 unanswered points to send the Blue and Gold to their seventh defeat in the last eight games. Akron heads on the road Friday evening to face Bowling Green…LB BRIAN WAGNER leads the MAC in tackles with 106 (61 solo)…DB MIGUEL GRAHAM leads the conference in passes defended with 12..KR DASHAN MILLER is second in kick returns averaging 25.9 yards per return

BOWLING GREEN (5-5, 4-2): The Falcons kept their outside chances for a postseason bowl bid alive as they defeated Miami in Oxford 35-14. The Falcons finish the season with two home games beginning Friday night when Akron comes to Perry Stadium…WR FREDDIE BARNES is second in the FBS in receiving yards with 1,285…BARNES” 117 receptions lead the division…DB JARRETT SANDERSON was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week with six tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception in the in over the RedHawks…DB P.J. MAHONE had seven tackles, an interception, and a recovered fumble in the Miami game

BUFFALO (3-7, 1-5): The Bulls saw any chance for postseason play end with a 27-24 loss at home to Ohio. This week the Bulls head to Miami to battle the RedHawks…WR NAAMAN ROOSEVELT was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week for his eight receptions and career best 165 yards and three touchdowns against the Bobcats…DB JOSH COPELAND led the defense with nine tackles in the contest…QB ZACH MAYNARD has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all 10 games so far this season

KENT STATE (5-5, 3-2): The Golden Flashes had their three-game winning streak along with their chances for a winning record and a bowl bid take a severe hit losing at Akron 28-20 on November 7 th. After the bye KSU heads to South Philadelphia Saturday to face East Division leading Temple…KENT STATE DEFENSE leads the MAC in sacks (21) and in scoring defense (21.3 pts per game)…DB BRIAN LAINHART tied for the conference lead in interceptions with five…QB SPENCER KEITH is seventh in passing averaging 212.8 yards per game

MIAMI (1-10, 1-6): The RedHawks fell at home to Bowling Green 35-14 as they were shutout in the second half and committed five turnovers. Miami remains at Yager Stadium this Wednesday night as they play Buffalo before a national television audience (ESPNU)…QB ZAC DYSERT was 29-for-48 passing for 259 yards in the loss to the Falcons…LB JERRELL WEDGE had 13 tackles and a sack…WR JAMAL ROGERS had a career best eight receptions for 81 yards against the Falcons

OHIO (7-3, 5-1): The Bobcats stayed on the heels of Temple in the Eastern Division with a thrilling 27-24 win at Buffalo moving into second place in the division ahead of idle Kent State. This week the Cats face Northern Illinois who are second in the Western Division…PK MATT WELLER was named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week as he kicked the winning field goal with 1:25 remaining in the fourth quarter to defeat the Bulls…WR LAVON BRAZILL had 10 receptions for 99 yards in the game…WELLER 17 field goals this season are the most for any freshman kicker in the FBS

TEMPLE (8-2, 6-0): The surprising Owls ran their winning streak to seven games with a 56-17 win at Akron after scoring 49 unanswered points to take complete control of the game. The Owls face a daunting task if they want to head to Detroit and the MAC Championship Game as they first face Kent State in their final home game of the season…NT ANDRE NEBLETT had four tackles and a pass breakup in the win over the Zips…RB BERNARD PIERCE leads the MAC and is fourth in the FBS with 1,308 yards…OL DARUIS MORRIS graded out at 91 percent by the coaches in the Akron game

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WESTERN DIVISION

BALL STATE (1-9. 1-5): The Cardinals were a game bunch of birds but just did not have enough losing at Northern Illinois 26-20. It doesn’t get any easier as they complete their home schedule this Saturday as Central Michigan comes to Schuemann Stadium. DL ROBERT EDDINS has 13 tackles for loss which leads the MAC…BALL STATE RUSHING is fourth in the MAC averaging 163.2 yards per game…DE BRANDON CRAWFORD had five tackles and three-and-a-half sacks against the Huskies

CENTRAL MICHIGAN (8-2, 6-0): The Western Division leading Chippewas after a week off blasted Toledo with a 56-28 victory to retain their lead. CMU knows they have a meeting with Northern Illinois on the 27 th but first they complete the road portion of their schedule with a visit to Muncie and Ball State…QB DAN LEFEVOUR was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 341 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Rockets. He also ran for four scores…WR ANTONIO BROWN is fifth in the FBS in all-purpose yards with 1,802…RB BRIAN SCHROEDER had 13 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns against UT

EASTERN MICHIGAN (0-10, 0-6): The Eagles are the only MAC team without an overall victory after losing their home finale last week to Western Michigan 35-14. The Eagles will finish the season with two road games starting with the short trek down U.S. Route 23 to Toledo to face the Rockets at The Glass Bowl…LB ANDRE HATCHETT is tied for 16 th in the FBS in total tackles with 100…DB CHRIS MAY is tied for the lead in interceptions with five…P ZACH JOHNSON leads the conference with a 41.0 yard per kick average

NORTHERN ILLINOIS (7-3, 5-1): The Huskies have won five of their last six games following their 26-20 win over Ball State in the home finale to stay one game behind Central Michigan in the Western Division. NIU finishes the season with two road games the first comes this Saturday in Athens against Ohio who is second in the Eastern Division…DE SEAN PROGER had three tackles and one-and-a-half sacks in the win over the Cardinals…THE HUSKIES four game winning streak is their longest since 2006…RB CHAD SPANN scored his 16 th rushing touchdown of the season against BSU and is fifth in the FBS in scoring with 142 points

TOLEDO (4-6, 2-4): The Rockets made the long trip to Mount Pleasant and never got off the launching pad as the Western Division leading Chippewas put a 56-28 hiding on then ending any remote hopes for post-season play. UT plays is final home game Friday night against Eastern Michigan…S BARRY CHURCH had eight tackles against the Chips..LB ARCHIE DONALD is second in the MAC and 14 th in the FBS in total tackles with 100…WR ERIC PAGE is ninth in the FBS in receiving yards with 938 and had seven kick returns for 208 yards against CMU

WESTERN MICHIGAN (5-6, 4-3): The Broncos took out all their frustration of losing road games at Kent State and Michigan State by ending this three-game road swing with a 35-14 win at Eastern Michigan. WMU has the week off before ending the regular season on November 27 th at home to Ball State…S JAMAIL BERRY was named MAC Defensive Player of the Week as he had a career best two interceptions and five tackles in the win over the Eagles…KR BRANDON WEST was named MAC West Special Teams player of the week as he had 183 all-purpose yards including 43 on kick returns to set the FBS record with 7,626 passing DeAngelo Williams (Memphis-Carolina Panthers)..QB TIM HILLER threw for four touchdowns and 275 yards against EMU

By Evan Meyer