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Nick's 2007 MAC Football Picks - Week #2 Picks

This Week’s Schedule - September 8 - Saturday

• Akron at Ohio State, Noon - Big Ten Network
• Bowling Green at Michigan State, Noon - Big Ten Network
• Miami at Minnesota, Noon - Big Ten Network
• Ball State at Eastern Michigan, Noon - Comcast Local
• Buffalo at Temple, 1 p.m.
• Ohio at Louisiana-Lafayette, 6 p.m. (CT)
• Kent State at Kentucky, 6 p.m.
• Southern Illinois at Northern Illinois, 6:30 p.m. (CT) - CSN Chicago
• Toledo at Central Michigan, 7 p.m.
• Indiana at Western Michigan, 8 p.m. - ESPNU

> Nick's MAC Football Recap of Week #1 is now live!

Week #2 MAC Football Notes

FIRST CONFERENCE CONTEST:
Temple University will play its first-ever game that counts in the MAC standings when the Owls host Buffalo Saturday at 1 p.m. Temple played six MAC schools last year as part of a scheduling component, compiling a 1-5 record that did not count in league standings. One of those games in 2006 was a 9-3 overtime loss at Buffalo.

SUPER BLOCK:
Ohio special teams player Joshua Abrams hit the trifecta in the Bobcats win over Gardner-Webb as he blocked three punts, which is one shy of both the NCAA and MAC record. Abrams now has six career blocked punts. The 6-foot senior from Dunwoody, Ga., is a running back when not called on for his specialty.

SHEEHAN:
Bowling Green sophomore Tyler Sheehan made his first career start with the nerve of a veteran at the controls. In the Falcons’ 32-31 overtime victory at Big Ten foe Minnesota, Sheehan completed 34-of-51 attempts for 388 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a two-point conversion pass for the game’s final points. He also caught a 24-yard TD pass from Corey Partridge.

MURPHY’S BACK:
After being limited to just 81 carries in 2006 due to a persistent ankle injury, Miami RB Brandon Murphy showed flashes of his 2005 form when he dashed for over 1,000 yards. In the RedHawks season-opening 14-13 win at Ball State, Murphy rushed for two touchdowns and 123 yards on 19 carries, an average of 6.5 yards per carry.

THIS WEEK
Three league games, all divisional encounters, with Ball State at Eastern Michigan, Buffalo at Temple, and Toledo at Central Michigan ... four MAC teams match up against Big Ten opponents, including Western Michigan hosting Indiana ... Miami (2-10 last year) and Bowling Green (4-8 in 2006) both look to go to 2-0 with games at Minnesota and Michigan State, respectively ... Temple debuts in conference competition.

NEXT WEEK
Just one league game with Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois ... Miami hosts Cincinnati for the 112th meeting in the series ... Kent State hosts Delaware State in the Golden Flashes home opener ... all other MAC teams are on the road.

WATCH FOR:
Toledo head coach Tom Amstutz (34 wins) needs one conference victory to tie Gary Darnell (WMU 1997-03) for 15th place all-time in MAC-only wins ... NIU’s Joe Novak needs one win to claim sole possession of ninth place in league history for overall wins. He is tied at 60 wins as a head coach in the MAC with Paul Schudel (BSU, 1985-94) and Gary Blackney (BGSU, 1991-00) ... Eastern Michigan has won its MAC opener in two of three years under head coach Jeff Genyk.

Akron @ Ohio State

Akron (1-0, 0-0 MAC East, 0-0 MAC Overall) at Ohio State (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) - Noon

SITE: Ohio Stadium (102,329/FieldTurf) - Columbus, Ohio

TELEVISION: Big Ten Network

SERIES RECORD: Ohio State leads 5-1 ... The Buckeyes won the most recent meeting, 28-14 in 2001 in Columbus ... the Zips win came by a 12-6 score on Sept. 5, 1894 when John Heisman played QB for the Zips.

Akron @ Ohio State - GAME NOTES:
Each team won its season opener ... the Zips 22-14 over Army, the Buckeyes 38-6 against Youngstown State ... for the Zips it marked the first win in a season opener in head coach J.D. Brookhart’s tenure (fourth season) ... both teams started new QBs last week with success ... Zips soph Chris Jaquemain completed 14-of-24 attempts for 125 yards and a touchdown vs. Army ... OSU’s Todd Boeckman completed 17-of-23 attempts for 225 yards and two TDs vs. YSU ... The Zips also received a 74-yard interception returned for a score by Reggie Corner ... Jabari Arthur’s 11 receptions vs. Army boosted his career total to 109 ... this will be the first of two consecutive Big Ten opponents for Akron as the Zips play at Indiana Sept 15 ... OSU also hosts MAC member Kent State on Oct. 13.

Nick’s Pick: Ohio State 37 – Akron 13

Line: OSU by 29

Comment: Coach Jim Tressel keeps games like this closer than they should be as he does not want to embarrass any Ohio MAC schools. Akron has a real gem in future NFL star WR Jabari Arthur. Akron’s defense is good enough to make some plays to keep this game close for a half but in the end, the Buckeyes will win by double digits going away.

> Check out Ticket City's selection of Akron Zips football tickets today!

Bowling Green @ Michigan State

BGSU (1-0, 0-0 MAC East, 0-0 MAC overall) at Michigan State (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) - Noon

SITE: Spartan Stadium (75,005/Grass) - East Lansing, Mich.

TELEVISION: Big Ten Network

SERIES RECORD: Michigan State leads 1-0 ... the Spartans edged the Falcons 10-7 in 1981.

BGSU @ Michigan State - GAME NOTES:
BG looks to claim its second consecutive win against a Big Ten opponent after last week’s 32-21 overtime triumph at Minnesota ... the Spartans drubbed UAB 55-18 in its opener last week ... BG’s 512 yards of total offense last week marked the third time the Falcons have piled up 500 plus yard against a Big Ten foe since 2001 ... the win also snapped UM’s non-conference home win streak of 14 ... sophomore QB Tyler Sheehan was 16-of-24 for 211 yards in the first half, topping his yardage total for all of last year ... Sheehan was 34-for-51 for 388 yards in the game ... LB John Haneline had 10 solo tackles ... BG had two wins vs. Big Ten opponents in 2003 (Purdue and Northwestern) in Gregg Brandon’s first year as a head coach ... 2003 was also the most recent season that BG won its first two games of the season.

Nick’s Pick: Michigan State 34 – BGSU 26

Line: MSU by 17

Comment: Michigan State got some much-needed discipline when they hired Mark Dantonio from Cincinnati. The Falcons looked to have rebounded from a sub-par 2006 season and their youth is developing nicely into a very competitive team. BG has the offense to make this game very interesting and there is a real chance for another Falcon upset of yet another Big Ten team this week. If Coach Smith was still at East Lansing, then BG would be the easier pick, but due to the coaching change, go with MSU to pull away in the 4th quarter.

Miami @ Minnesota

Miami (1-0, 0-0 MAC East, 1-0 MAC overall) at Minnesota (0-1, 0-0 Big Ten) - Noon

SITE: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (64,172/FieldTurf) - Minneapolis, Minn.

TELEVISION: Big Ten Network

SERIES RECORD: Minnesota leads 1-0.

Miami @ Minnesota - GAME NOTES:
The RedHawks opened the season with a 14-13 win at Ball State and are ahead of last year’s pace when their first win did not come until Oct. 15 after an 0-6 start ... the Golden Gophers dropped a one-point game at home, 32-31 to Bowling Green ... Miami RB Brandon Murphy rushed for two scores and 123 yards on 19 attempts at BSU for an average of 6.5 yards per carry as he returned from last year’s ankle injury that limited him to just 81 carries ... six times in 24 games under Shane Montgomery the outcome has been decided in the final two minutes of the game ... redshirt frosh Eugene Harris made his debut at Ball State with four punt returns for 110 yards, including a 56-yarder late in the game to set up the RedHawks game-winning drive ... Caleb Bostic’s 17 tackles (2 solo) last week were the most by a Miami player since 2001.

Nick’s Pick: Miami 28 – Minnesota 21 (upset special)

Line: Minnesota by 9

Comment: Minnesota was shocked last weekend by BGSU as the Falcons passing attack riddled the Gopher defense. Miami doesn’t have that sort of aerial firepower but they do have a much better defense than BG, which will automatically make this game very close. The Gophers should have never fired Glen Mason and it will show this weekend as Minnesota drops to 0-2 against the MAC.

> Browse our online selection of Miami RedHawks hats & apparel!

Ball State @ Eastern Michigan

Ball St (0-1, 0-0 MAC West, 0-1 MAC Overall) at Eastern Michigan (0-1, 0-0 MAC West, 0-0 MAC Overall) - Noon (ET)

SITE: Rynearson Stadium (30,200/FieldTurf) - Ypsilanti, Mich.

TELEVISION: Comcast Local

SERIES RECORD: Ball State leads 26-20-2 ... the Cardinals have won the last two, including 38-20 last year ... the teams have met continuously since 1973 ... the series first meeting came in 1936.

Ball State @ Eastern Michigan - GAME NOTES:
The Cardinals are coming off a 14-13 loss at home to Miami while the Eagles were stymied at Pittsburgh 27-3 ... EMU has lost seven in a row dating back to last year ... BSU has won its last two road games (Toledo, Miami) dating back to the 2006 campaign ... this is the first of three consecutive road games for the Cardinals (at Navy and at Nebraska to follow) ... BSU’s B.J. Hill made his first career start at DB (after being moved from WR) and intercepted a pass in the end zone ... Hill’s teammate Trey Lewis grabbed his fourth career pick and had two pass break-ups ... DE Cortlan Booker tied a career-high with two sacks ... EMU had eight redshirt freshmen and four true frosh among the players seeing their first NCAA action last week ... the Eagles had just 145 yards of total offense.

Nick’s Pick: Ball State 35 – Eastern Michigan 23

Line: Ball State by 6

Comment: Ball State was shocked at home but then again, in the Brady Hoke era, BSU plays much better on the road then they do at home. Eastern once again fields a team that is pretty solid on defense but offensively challenged. If they can’t score against this BSU defense, they may not score 100 points this season. This game should be fun to watch and in the end, Cardinal QB Nate Davis will get his passing numbers more in line to what most prognosticators expected.

> View pictures of Ball State's new stadium by clicking here!

Buffalo @ Temple

Buffalo (0-1, 0-0 MAC East, 0-0 MAC overall) at Temple (0-1, 0-0 MAC East, 0-0 MAC overall) - 1 p.m. (ET)

SITE: Lincoln Financial Field (68,532/Grass) - Philadelphia, Pa.

TELEVISION: None

SERIES RECORD: Buffalo leads 10-1 ... the schools met 10 times between 1957 and 1970 with UB capturing the first nine contests before a Temple win in 1970 ... the series resumed last year with a 9-3 Bulls win in overtime.

Buffalo @ Temple - GAME NOTES:
This is the first-ever conference game as a MAC member for Temple ... both teams suffered losses last week, the Owls 30-19 to Navy, and the Bulls 38-3 at Rutgers ... after falling behind 14-0 last week, the Owls outscored the Midshipmen 19-16 in the final three quarters ... QB Adam DeMichelle passed for 199 yards, the third highest total among all MAC QBs last week ... DiMichelle’s 139 pass efficiency rating ranks second in the league and his 72.4 percent (21-of-29) pass percentage completion rate ranks first ... UB allowed 328 passing yards to Rutgers last week ... the Bulls offense was limited to 235 yards of total offense and just 70 rush yards ... sophomore Mario Henry rushed for 49 yards on only eight carries for an average of 6.1 yards per carry, the third highest rushing average among the MAC leaders ... Drew Willy had 32 pass attempts with no interceptions, completing 19 passes for 165 yards.

Nick’s Pick: Temple 28 – Buffalo 14

Line: Temple by 4

Comment: Temple could not have asked for a better opponent to begin MAC play – Buffalo. The Bulls actually moved the ball at times against an outstanding Rutgers defense last week but as is the case with UB every season, their offense is not very good. Temple played well against Navy and is showing signs of life as their program begins to blossom under Coach Golden. Temple should win by double-digits.

> Check out Ticket City's selection of Buffalo Bulls and Temple Owls football tickets today!

Ohio @ Louisiana-Lafayette

Ohio (1-0, 0-0 MAC East, 0-0 MAC overall) at La-Lafayette (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) - 6 p.m. (CT)

SITE: Cajun Field (31,000) - Lafayette, La.

TELEVISION: None

SERIES RECORD: First meeting.

Ohio @ Louisiana-Lafayette - GAME NOTES:
The Bobcats started the year with a 36-14 win over Gardner-Webb and hope to go 2-0 for the second consecutive season ... ULL was defeated by South Carolina 28-14 in its season opener ... Joshua Abrams blocked three GW punts and also rushed for his first career TD ... QB Brad Bower made his second career start (Miami 2006) and completed 15-of-25 attempts for 180 yards, all career highs, a TD and no interceptions ... Kalvin McRae picked up where he left off from last year and rushed for 142 yards and two TDs ... McRae had eight games of 100 plus rush yards in 2006 and has 15 career games with 100 yards or more ... ULL is coming off a 6-6 season that included a 33-14 win over MAC member Eastern Michigan.

Nick’s Pick: Ohio 24 – ULL 21

Line: Ohio by 1

Comment: The Ragin' Cajuns beat EMU at home last season and playing early in the season in the hot, humid Louisiana climate will not be easy for the Bobcats. Still, Ohio is beginning to show that they can pass a little better this season to compliment their running game which should help keep the Bobcat “D” off the field and fresh in the 4th period. Look for Ohio to win in a very close contest.

> Browse our online selection of Ohio Bobcats apparel & hats!

Kent State @ Kentucky

Kent State (1-0, 0-0 MAC East, 0-0 MAC Overall) at Kentucky (1-0, 0-0 SEC) - 6 p.m.

SITE: Commonwealth Stadium (67,606/Grass) - Lexington, Ky.

TELEVISION: None

SERIES RECORD: Kentucky leads 5-0 ... the last meeting came in 1993 and resulted in a 35-0 Wildcat victory.

Kent State @ Kentucky - GAME NOTES:
Kent State has a chance to go 2-0 for the first time since 1988 as Doug Martin returns to his alma mater ... Martin lettered four times from 1981-84 at UK as a QB and a holder on special teams ... the Wildcats started 2007 with a 50-10 thumping of Eastern Kentucky .... the Golden Flashes will be after their second consecutive road win following last week’s 23-14 triumph at Iowa State ... Eugene Jarvis rushed for 113 yards, his fourth career game with 100-plus yards ... QB Julian Edelman passed for 161 yards and rushed for 75 yards as well as scoring on the ground and tossing a TD pass ... Jack Williams recorded 11 solo tackles and returned two kickoffs for a total of 72 yards ... prior to the win over ISU, Kent State’s most recent victory over a team from a conference that receives an automatic BCS berth was in 1987 over Kansas (31-17) ... the last non-conference season-opening road win was in 1975 at Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe) 31-29 ... UK has won seven of its last eight homes games dating back to last year.

Nick’s Pick: Kentucky 31 – Kent State 24

Line: Kentucky by 15

Comment: Kent State got off to a great start this year with a nice win at Iowa State when they dominated the 4th period to ice the game and overcame several mistakes that normally would have cost Kent teams in previous years a victory such as this. Kentucky hammered a not-so-good Eastern Kentucky team in Week #1. Kent State has the defense to keep them in this contest and an upset is not that far-fetched. Look for Kentucky, who has lost to MAC teams before at home, to pull out a close contest.

> Browse our online selection of Kent State merchandise!

Southern Illinois @ Northern Illinois

SIU (1-0, 0-0 Gateway) at NIU (0-1, 0-0 MAC West, 0-0 MAC Overall) - 6:30 p.m. (CT)

SITE: Huskie Stadium (24,000/FieldTurf) - DeKalb, Ill.

TELEVISION: CSN Chicago

SERIES RECORD: NIU leads 28-13-1 ... the most recent meeting came in 2004 with the Huskies edging the Salukis 23-22.

SIU @ NIU - GAME NOTES:
NIU looks to bounce back from a 16-3 loss to Iowa ... SIU overwhelmed Quincy 58-14 in its opener ... the Huskies will be playing their first game at Huskie Stadium after last week’s MAC record crowd of 61,500 at Soldier Field ... this is the second of three straight home games for NIU ... NIU has started the last two seasons 0-2, yet advanced to the MAC Championship game in 2005 and the Poinsettia Bowl in 2006 ... with the loss of three-time MAC rushing leader Garrett Wolfe, NIU was held to 21 rushing yards in its opener ... junior WR Britt Davis grabbed his 100th career reception last week ... despite throwing three interceptions, Huskie QB Dan Nicholson passed for 214 yards, just one of two MAC signal callers to pass for 200-plus yards last week ... SIU is ranked No. 11 in the season-opening Football Championship Subdivision (I-AA) poll and is coming off a 9-4 season ... one of those nine wins was a 35-28 triumph at Indiana.

Nick’s Pick: NIU 20 – SIU 17

Line: NL

Comment: Southern Illinois always plays NIU and their MAC opponents very well and this year should be no different. NIU played well against Iowa last week but made too many offensive mistakes to pull off an upset. SIU crushed Quincy University last week, a NAIA team from the Mid States Athletic Conference, which is equivalent to medium level Division II. NIU will win a close contest.

> Check out Ticket City's selection of Northern Illinois football tickets today!

Toledo @ Central Michigan

Toledo (0-1, 0-0 MAC West, 0-0 MAC Overall) at Central Michigan (0-1, 0-0 MAC West, 0-0 MAC Overall) - 7 p.m. (ET)

SITE: Kelly/Shorts Stadium (30,255/FieldTurf) - Mount Pleasant, Mich.

TELEVISION: None

SERIES RECORD: Toledo leads 17-15-3 ... CMU has won the last two meetings, 42-20 last year in the Glass Bowl and 21-17 in 2005 ... from 1995-2004 the Rockets won 10 in a row vs. the Chippewa’s.

Toledo @ CMU - GAME NOTES:
An early-season West Division showdown between two predicted contenders who both are coming off of early season losses ... CMU was beaten at Kansas 52-7 and the Rockets were stopped by Purdue 52-24 in the Glass Bowl ... the Rockets loss was the first-ever season opening defeat under Tom Amstutz ... it also marked the first loss for Amstutz in a non-conference home game (10-1) ... a total of 12 of UT’s starters were freshmen or sophomores ... DuJuane Collins carried 10 times for 70 yards and has a MAC best 7.0 yards per carry average ... Jalen Parmele added 93 yards on the ground and UT was just one of two MAC teams (Ohio) last week to rush for three touchdowns ... CMU was held to its lowest point total since a 40-3 loss at Penn State in 2005 ... a 16-yard scoring pass from Dan LeFevour to Bryan Anderson on the first play of the fourth quarter prevented the shutout ... the Chippewa’s were 4-0 in conference home games last year ... UT was 1-5 on the road last year, winning at Northern Illinois after losing its first five road contests ... the teams combined to give up 1,026 yards of total offense to opponents last week ... UT used both Clint Cochran (9-of-14, 83 yards) and Aaron Opelt (10-of-27, 69 yards) at QB last week.

Nick’s Pick: Central Michigan 31 – Toledo 27

Line: Central by 3

Comment: Both teams want to get the rancid taste of last week’s debacles out of their mouth. Central Michigan did nothing right last week at Kansas while Toledo self-destructed at home with dropped passes, poor tackling, and far too many penalties – again. CMU has beaten Toledo two years straight and whatever magic Tom Amstutz once had over the Michigan MAC schools is now gone. The winner of this game can revive their season while the loser is in a tough spot for any sort of divisional or bowl contention. Toledo’s mistakes will cost them this week once again.

Indiana @ Western Michigan

Indiana (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) at Western Michigan (0-1, 0-0 MAC West, 0-0 MAC Overall) - 8 p.m. (ET)

SITE: Waldo Stadium (60,000/FieldTurf) - Kalamazoo, Mich.

TELEVISION: ESPNU

SERIES RECORD: Indiana leads 3-0 ... the Hoosiers won last year 39-20 ... this is the first game in the series held in Kalamazoo.

Indiana @ Western Michigan - GAME NOTES:
Former Ball State head coach Bill Lynch (1995-2002) leads the Hoosiers, who are fresh from a 55-7 triumph over Indiana State ... Lynch was appointed head coach this past summer after the untimely passing of Terry Hoeppner ... the Broncos fell at No. 3 West Virginia 62-24 ... WMU’s non-conference schedule includes two Big Ten teams (IU and Iowa), a Big East opponent (WVU) and Big 12 member Missouri ... WMU plays alternating away and home games for its entire 12-game schedule ... 2005 MAC Freshman of the Year, QB Tim Hiller, saw game action last week for the first time in 647 days, completing 16-of-25 attempts for 160 yards, no TDs and two interceptions ... WR Jamarko Simmons hauled in 14 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns ... WMU’s running game, which averaged 134 ypg last year, was held to 32 yards by the Mountaineers ... Jim Laney’s 50.7 yards per punt shattered his previous single game best by over five yards (45.0 ypk).

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Nick's 2007 MAC Football Picks & Recaps

• MAC Football Week #1 - Recap
• MAC Football Week #1 - Picks