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Nick's 2005 MAC Football Picks - Week #11 Recap

published 11.14.05, updated 11.19.05

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Bowling Green @ Miami

BGSU Team Page -Miami Team Page

• Omar Jacobs threw three touchdown passes to lead Bowling Green to a win at Miami on Tuesday night in a game that started 2 1/2 hours late due to strong storms and blistering winds
• BG took over first place in the East Division - They can clinch a spot in the MAC title game with a win at home over rival Toledo on Tuesday night
• Miami could have claimed a third consecutive East title with a win but self-destructed in the wind and rain as they botched three punts in the first 20 minutes and giving the Falcons six points on three safeties -- tying the NCAA single-game record.
• Miami botched a fourth punt snap in the fourth quarter, leading to a Bowling Green touchdown
• The RedHawks had a net loss of 10 yards total offense in the first half and trailed 29-0 at intermission
• Bowling Green's three touchdowns in the first half came on drives of 20, 47 and 29 yards following an interception, a free kick and a fumble
• Miami's Josh Betts went 17-of-37 for 254 yards with a career-high five interceptions

Nick’s Pick: Miami 45 - BGSU 22

Actual Score: BGSU 42 - Miami 14

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “Miami should dominate the Falcons at home and have a long history of success against BG. The Falcons have drastically underachieved this season - Miami will win big.” – That was a big miss = HELLO?

Ohio @ Akron

Ohio Team Page -Akron Team Page

• Brett Biggs carried 28 times for 188 yards and two touchdowns
• Akron's defense dominated Ohio on Tuesday night as they held the Bobcats to 110 of total yards - including only 11 rushing on 27 attempts
• Ohio passed for 99 yards with one interception, and each of its quarterbacks was sacked twice
• AU’s Luke Getsy was 22-of-32 for 270 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown to Domenik Hixon
• Akron's offense finished with 498 yards.
• The Zips can earn a berth in the MAC championship game with a win over Kent State and a BG loss to Toledo and Miami loss to Ohio

Nick’s Pick: Ohio 21 - Akron 20

Actual Score: Akron 27 - Ohio 3

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “Akron has a lot of youth and from time to time (Ball State and Army) seems to play uninspired football to open the game. This contest should go down to the wire – give the nod to the Bobcats on the road.” – I have gotten Akron wrong almost all year in 2005

Related VanDelaySports.com Links:

Nick's Picks for mid-week MAC games

Updated 2005 MAC football standings

Nick's picks for MAC football Week #10

MAC Team Pages

Northern Illinois @ Toledo

NIU Team Page -Toledo Team Page

• NIU’s Garrett Wolfe rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns
• Northern Illinois won at Toledo for the first time since 1972
• Northern Illinois' win was marred by an injury to Toledo wide receiver Nick Moore, who lay on the field for several minutes late in the fourth quarter after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from a defender on an incomplete pass
• Wolfe's first touchdown, a 3-yard run with 4:55 left in the third quarter, snapped a 14-all tie
• Dan Nicholson threw touchdown passes of 14 yards to Jake Nordin and 2 yards to Pat Raleigh - He was 21-of-30 for 176 yards with an interception
• Bruce Gradkowski scored on a 1-yard run and threw a 38-yard TD pass to Trinity Dawson but completed only 14 of 34 throws for 168 yards and was intercepted three times
• Toledo had five turnovers
• Trinity Dawson rushed for 104 yards for UT

Nick’s Pick: Toledo 42 - NIU 21

Actual Score: NIU 35 - Toledo 17

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “NIU has proven they can pass the ball as well as they can run it this year but Toledo’s defense has played very well this season and will rise to the challenge. This is Bruce Gradkowski’s final game at home and the Rockets will have a lot of fireworks on ESPN2 to win going away.” – Actually, it was NIU winning going way, huge victory for the Huskie program.

Buffalo @ Kent State

Buffalo Team Page -Kent State Team Page

• Jared Patterson ran for a touchdown in UB’s first game since announcing that coach Jim Hofher will not return next season - Buffalo recovered a fumble on the Kent State 12-yard line in the third quarter, setting up Patterson's 4-yard TD run
• The win snapped a 10-game losing streak for the Bulls dating to last season.
• It was Buffalo's first conference road win since joining the MAC in 1999
• KSU’s Michael Machen completed 15 of 25 passes for 129 yards with two interceptions
• Kent State managed only 138 yards of offense
• The Bulls had six sacks, forced four turnovers and held the Golden Flashes to a net loss of 37 yards rushing
• The Golden Flashes had won four straight games against the Bulls
• UB’s Drew Willy threw for just 97 yards for Buffalo
• The Bulls' last win was a 36-6 victory over Central Michigan last November, 2004

Nick’s Pick: Buffalo 16 - Kent State 13

Actual Score: Buffalo 10 - Kent State 6

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “Neither team can score very effectively this season. UB can defend the pass fairly well while KSU has yet to prove they can run the ball. I look for UB to be playing much looser since they have nothing to lose at this point with a lame duck coach. UB has never had a conference road win since joining the MAC in 1999 – Hofher will deliver this weekend.”

Central Michigan @ Western Michigan

CMU Team Page -Western Michigan Team Page

• Central Michigan’s Kent Smith had a record setting day passing for 460-yards
• Smith attempted a Mid-American Conference-record 70 passes and completed a school-record 46
• Western Michigan's Tim Hiller threw for 212 yards and four touchdowns – rallied the Broncos from a 14-point deficit
• The Broncos took advantage of four Central turnovers - three of them interceptions of Smith
• The victory kept alive Western's slim hopes for a MAC West title; the Broncos would win the West and play in the MAC championship game if they win their final game at Northern Illinois and Toledo loses its final two games
• Damien Linson caught nine passes for 108 yards for Central
• After falling behind 14-0 in the opening quarter, Western scored on three consecutive offensive drives totaling 123 yards. Two of the plays were scoring passes from Hiller to senior receiver Greg Jennings, covering 76 and 40 yards
• Jennings caught nine passes for 171 yards, pushing his season reception yardage to a school-record 1,208
• WMU’s Trovon Riley rushed for 128 yards on 26 carries
• Ontario Sneed's 89 rushing yards for Central pushed him over the 1,000-yard mark to 1,004 yards on the season

Nick’s Pick: WMU 35 - CMU 28

Actual Score: WMU 31 - CMU 24

Nick’s Prophetic Comment: “Western is a bit more of a complete team right now compared to Central and playing at home in this rivalry is worth a touchdown in itself. Without a doubt this is a marquee game for the MAC during the month of November. From a fans point of view, enjoy it – and look for the hometown Broncos to hold off the much-improved Chippewas.”

Related VanDelaySports.com Links:

Nick's Picks for mid-week MAC games

Updated 2005 MAC football standings

Nick's picks for MAC football Week #10

MAC Team Pages

Ball State @ Eastern Michigan

Ball State Team Page -EMU Team Page

• Joey Lynch found Dante Love in the right corner of the end zone with 12 seconds to play to lift Ball State to a 26-25 win at Eastern Michigan, coming back from a 22-0 deficit
• The Cardinals trailed 22-7 at the beginning of the fourth quarter and scored 19 unanswered points
• BSU RB Larry Bostic blocked Andrew Wellock's punt to give the Cardinals one more chance in the final moments of the game with the Cardinals trailing 25-20 - With the ball on the 30 yard line and 55 seconds on the clock, Ball State was bailed out by a pass interference call on fourth down and had one touchdown pass overturned by instant replay before Lynch found Love for the winning score
• Lynch finished 17-for-33 for 204 yards and three touchdowns
• Eastern Michigan dominated the first half offensively and defensively, outgaining the Cardinals 350 to 68 on the way to a 19-0 halftime lead
• EMU senior quarterback Matt Bohnet's went 22-for-32 passing for 310 yards, with one touchdown through the air and one on the ground
• EMU senior running back Anthony Sherrell rushed for 116 yards in his final home game