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Nick's 2006 MAC Football Picks - Week #3 Recap

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For the second straight week, a MAC team defeated a team from the ACC, as this time it was Western Michigan going to Virginia and beating the Cavaliers 17-10. Toledo got their first win of the season with a double overtime thriller against Kansas. The Rockets offense didn’t do very much but the defense forced five turnovers to propel Toledo to victory. Of note, Ball State and Eastern Michigan played very well in close losses to Big Ten teams while Kent State won at Miami for the first time since 1988. Central Michigan held on to beat MAC East favorite Akron one week after the Zips won at NC State. With so many early upsets in conference play, don’t be surprised to see the MAC champ have at least two losses this season. There is much more parity in the league than ever before.

Toledo 37 - Kansas 31 - 2 OT

Notes:

• Toledo’s' Bo Martin intercepted Kerry Meier's pass in the end zone on the first possession of the second overtime and Jalen Parmele scored on a 25-yard run on the next play to give Toledo a 37-31 victory - Barry Church picked off Meier's pass and raced untouched down the left sideline for an 84-yard touchdown, giving Toledo a 31-23 lead with 7:19 left in regulation

• Kansas had five turnovers while Toledo had none – Toledo had one first down for the entire second half after posting a 170-163 total offense advantage for the first half
• Kansas averaged 5-yards per play for the game and generated 419 total yards while Toledo averaged just 3-yards per play and mustered just 254 yards of total offense

Nick’s Pick: Toledo 24 – Kansas 16

Actual Score: Toledo 37 – Kansas 31 (2 OT)

Line: Toledo by 4

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “Kansas has gone 1-9 over the past ten years in their road openers. Look for Toledo to snap out of their loss funk and begin their road to recovery”

Central Michigan 24 - Akron 21

Notes:

• Josh Gordy returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown and Dan LeFevour totaled more than 200 yards of offense to lead Central Michigan
• CMU’s Victor Doman ran for his first career touchdown to put the ‘Chips up 21-0 in the third quarter
• Akron dominated the stats with 436 yards of total offense while CMU had just 291; Akron had a time of possession advantage of 34 minutes to Central’s 26; Akron QB Luke Getsy passed for 375 yards but had three INTs

Nick’s Pick: Akron 33 – Central 31

Actual Score: Central 24 – Akron 21

Line: Akron by 2.5

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “Through the years this has been a very evenly played game and this year should be no different. Basically, flip a coin here and don’t be surprised if there is OT”

Purdue 38 - Ball State 28

Notes:

• Purdue’s Curtis Painter passed for 416 yards and three touchdowns - two to Kory Sheets - Painter completed 30 of 39 passes and ran for a touchdown in his first career game with more than 300 yards passing - Sheets had 122 total yards and three touchdowns
• Joey Lynch passed for 193 yards and a touchdown and Larry Bostic had 10 catches for 99 yards for Ball State
• Purdue had 546 total yards to 390 for Ball St – Cardinal true freshman Nate Davis, was 7-11 for 98 yards and one TD

Nick’s Pick: Purdue 37 – Ball St 23

Actual Score: Purdue 38 – Ball St 28

Line: Purdue by 16

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “The Cardinals are vastly improved this year and had a chance to beat Big Ten foe Indiana last week. Purdue struggled with Miami (OH) and would have lost the game in regulation had it not been for a partially blocked FG attempt in the final seconds. Look for a stronger Purdue effort this week but expect the 'Cards to make a good game of it.”

Kent State 16 – Miami 14

Notes:

• Julian Edelman passed for one touchdown and ran for another and Kent State kept Miami scoreless deep into the third quarter and held on to break an 11-game losing streak – it was KSU’s first win in Oxford since 1988 - Edelman was 14-of-22 for 244 yards
• Kent State built a 16-0 lead before Miami made a late comeback that fell short on a failed two-point conversion attempt – Miami’s Brandon Murphy played in his first game of the season, rushing for 92 yards and one TD
• Kent St had more total offense, 386 to 297, but Miami led time of possession 35:54 to 24:06; each team had two turnovers

Nick’s Pick: Miami 45 – Kent St 21

Actual Score: Kent St 16 – Miami 14

Line: Miami by 11

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “KSU football is a mess right now. Miami has dominated the series through the years and this week’s game may not be pretty” – well folks, this pick was way off - Nick

Northwestern 14 - Eastern Michigan 6

Notes:

• NU’s Corey Wootton's interception in the fourth quarter stopped a scoring threat and Northwestern hung on for a 14-6 victory - The Eagles were at the Northwestern 32 when Tyler Jones overthrew Eric Deslauriers in the end zone with about six minutes left, Wootton then picked off a pass at the 27
• Deante Battle picked off Jones at the Northwestern 47 with about a minute left as EMU fell to 0-3
• EMU had just 134 yards on offense and converted 2 of 15 third downs, the Wildcats had 299 yards of offense

Nick’s Pick: Northwestern 42 – EMU 23

Actual Score: Northwestern 14 – EMU 6

Line: Northwestern by 17

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “Northwestern lost at home to I-AA New Hampshire. They will take out their frustrations on the Eagles who do not have a lot of firepower this season” – who would have guessed this to be a defensive struggle? - Nick

Rutgers 24 - Ohio 7

Notes:

• Ray Rice ran for 190 yards and two touchdowns to lead Rutgers to victory giving the Scarlet Knights their first 3-0 start since 1981
• The Scarlet Knights offense was off but defense and special teams forced four turnovers and blocked a field goal
• RU led on total offense 317 to 186

Nick’s Pick: Rutgers 28 – Ohio 14

Actual Score: Rutgers 24 – Ohio 7

Line: Rutgers by 16

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “Look for Rutgers to win in a very physical game.”

Western Michigan 17 - Virginia 10

Notes:

• Mark Bonds ran for 118 yards and a touchdown and Desman Stephen returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown as Western Michigan upset Virginia
• Western Michigan completed only seven passes and was outgained 258-179 but still became the first school from the Mid-American Conference to beat Virginia
• After holding their first two opponents to under 100 yards rushing, WMU gave up 109 yards on the ground to UVa.

Nick’s Pick: Virginia 23 – Western 17

Actual Score: Western 17 – Virginia 10

Line: Virginia by 9

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “Don’t be surprised if for the second consecutive week a MAC team beats an ACC team on the road.” – right on baby! - Nick

Bowling Green 33 – FIU 28

Notes:

• BGSU QBs Freddie Barnes and Anthony Turner combined to rush for 126 yards in a game played in Miami, Florida
• FIU kept the game close due to big plays; A’Mod Ned had a 80 TD run in the first half while L. Singleton had a 98-yard kickoff return for a TD to begin the second half
• BG had two turnovers while FIU had four, BG led in total offense 346-341

Nick’s Pick: BGSU 27 – FIU 21

Actual Score: BGSU 33 – FIU 28

Line: BG by 4

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “FIU is not a bad team and the Panthers have the talent to win this game if BG continues to slip within their special team’s area. Look for a very closely contested game”

Northern Illinois 31 - Buffalo 13

Notes:

• Garrett Wolfe rushed for 263 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns - Wolfe scored on a 49-yard run on the Huskies' second offensive play and a 68-yard burst down the sidelines in the fourth quarter.
• Wolfe surpassed 200 yards for the eighth time in his career and has 630 yards rushing this season – NIU finished with 500 yards of total offense, 344 on the ground - Wolfe's backup, Montell Clanton, had 93 yards on 10 carries
• UB’s Drew Willy was 25-of-41 for 250 yards; Bull’s wide receiver Terrance Breaux had 104 yards on eight receptions including a 28-yard touchdown catch

published 09.18.05