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2008 Week #3 MAC Football Recap

Week #3 MAC Notes:

• Four MAC games were played as Buffalo, Central Michigan, Toledo & Ball State prevailed as winners
• Two of the four MAC games were thrillers with UB winning on a Hail Mary pass as time expired and Ohio falling to CMU by 3 despite two possessions that resulted in fumbles in the final minutes of the game
• In non-conference play the MAC went 3-1 with two wins over I-AA (FCS) teams and a 1-1 mark against the WAC
• Next weekend features the MAC facing BCS conference opponents in 7 games

Buffalo Bulls 30 - Temple Owls 28

Nick’s Pick: Buffalo 24 – Temple 20

Comment: This game alone made my purchase of ESPN GamePlan worth it for 2008. Temple led, then Buffalo tied the game. Temple led, then Buffalo tied the game. Temple led, then Buffalo tied the game. I htink you get the point as it was a back-and-forth affair most of the day and appeared to be over when Temple took a 28-24 lead with just 38 seconds remaining. But Buffalo drove the the Temple 35 yard line with just 5 seconds remaining as it did not look good for the Bulls. In a storybook finish, Willy heaved the ball into the end zone as time expired and UB's Naaman Roosevelt came down with the ball for a Buffalo touchdown. In a clever coaching move, Turner Gill called for his team to take a knee on a 2-point conversion, thus preventing any chance for Temple to block and return the PAT. The win puts Buffalo in the early driver's seat in the MAC East as Gill's team is 2-1 heading into a brutal game @ #6 Missouri next weekend. Temple, losers of back-to-back heartbreakers, will face #17 Penn State in Happy Valley at noon on Saturday.

Toledo Rockets 41 - Eastern Michigan Eagles 17

Nick’s Pick: Toledo 35 – Eastern Michigan 28

Comment: "This is a HUGE game for both programs" were Nick's words and his Rockets surely made him proud. Not only did Toledo get a road win inside the division, but they did so in convincing fashion. A 27-point 3rd quarter put this game out of reach as Aaron Opelt threw 3 TD passes in the quarter and the Rockets racked up 233 rushing yards for the day. Toledo hosts #21 Fresno State next Saturday night while EMU is at Maryland.

Ball State Cardinals 41 - Akron Zips 24

Nick’s Pick: Ball State 31 – Akron 28

Comment: After Akron tied to game at 10-10 in the 2nd quarter Ball State scored 21 unanswered en route to a 41-24 win at the Rubber Bowl. Five turnovers plagued the Zips as QB Chris Jacquemain threw 4 picks and Ball State returned a fumble in the 3rd quarter for a 33-yard touchdown. Ball State is @ Indiana next week as they look to pull the 3rd upset of a BCS conference team for the MAC in 2008 while Akron is @ Army.

Central Michigan 31 - Ohio 28

Nick’s Pick: Ohio 26 – Central Michigan 24

Comment: To his credit, Nick did say "don’t be surprised if the ‘Chips win on the road." Ohio had their chances but could not get it done. A missed FG in the 2nd half, a Boo Jackson fumble near the goal line in the 4th quarter and another Jackson fumble on Ohio's final drive kept Ohio's comeback from being enough. Jackson passed for 365 yards an 3 TD while Dan LeFevour tossed for 361 yards in what may be the biggest aerial assault in Peden Stadium's history. While CMU was held to just 70 rushing yards, they did score 3 TDs on the ground and won the turnover battle 2-0. Ohio travels to face Northwestern in Week #4 while CMU will once again look to top Purdue.

Kent State Golden Flashes 24 - Delaware State Hornets 3

Nick’s Pick: Kent State 36 – Delaware State 23

Comment: Kent State did indeed "beat up on an over-matched D-State team" as they cruised to a 21-0 lead after three quarters and a 24-3 victory. Kent out-rushed Delaware State 215-99 as four players had 30+ yards on the ground for the Golden Flashes. Next weekend Kent State is @ Louisiana-Lafayette, a team that just put a scare into #24 Illinois this past weekend.

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Western Michigan Broncos 51 - Idaho Vandals 28

Nick’s Pick: Western Michigan 37 – Idaho 28

Comment: "Western Michigan travels far for this game but after an early adjustment to the Kibbie Dome, expect the Broncos to roll." Wow, ya hit the nail on the head with that comment Nick! This was truly a tale of two halves as WMU led 14-7 at halftime before Western Michigan and Idaho combined for 58 second half points as WMU won 51-48. The Broncos alone score more points in the 3rd quarter (23) than both team combined for in the fiest half (21). Western Michigan looks to improve to 3-1 on the year hosting FCS member Tennessee Tech in Week #4.

Miami RedHawks 38 - Charleston Southern 27

Boise State Broncos 20 - Bowling Green Falcons 7

Nick’s Pick: Boise State 49 – BGSU 24

Comment: In comparison to Nick's Pick for this game, BG performed better than expected (defensively), but that means little to Falcon fans. After a 20-0 start in the first half by Boise State, Bowling Green was not able to turn a time of possession advantage into points scoring just 7 points despite winning the TOP 34:35-25:25. Turnovers once again hurt BG as they lost two fumbles and added a late Sheehan INT. The Falcons have yet another long road trip as they play @ Wyoming on Saturday, Sept. 27th.

By Luke Jernigan
VanDelay Sports Webmaster & Marketing Director

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