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Nick's 2005 MAC Football Picks - Week #1 Recap

Western Illinois @ Toledo

Notes:

• Bruce Gradkowski threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score Thursday night to help Toledo rout Western Illinois 62-14 in the season opener for both teams. Gradkowski, a senior who only played in the first half, completed 9 of 17 passes for 134 yards to help the Rockets build a 41-0 lead.
• The Division I-AA Leathernecks committed six turnovers and didn't score until late in the fourth quarter.
• Richard Davis had 13 carries for 111 yards for Toledo , which finished with 401 yards of offense.
• Antonio Malone started the scoring for Toledo , intercepting a first-quarter pass by Steve LaFalce and running 60 yards for the score.
• Richard Davis returned the second-half kickoff 94 yards for a TD and added a 9-yard scoring run for the Rockets.

Nick’s Pick:                            Toledo 41 – WIU 17
Line:                                       NL
Actual Score:                          Toledo 62 – WIU 14

Eastern Michigan @ Cincinnati

Notes:

• Dustin Grutza threw for two touchdowns and rushed for a third Thursday night, leading Cincinnati to a 28-26 victory over Eastern Michigan . Cincinnati erased a 20-14 halftime deficit on Grutza's 21-yard TD run on the opening drive of the third quarter. Bradley Glathaar scored on an 11-yard run to increase the lead to 28-20 with 13:13 left.
• EMU’s ture freshman Tim Connor scored his second touchdown on a 33-yard run with 10:59 remaining. Matt Bohnet's pass for Eric Deslauriers on the tying two-point conversion attempt fell short.
• Bohnet went 22-of-33 for 167 yards and a 27-yard scoring pass to Deslauriers in the first. Bohnet also was the Eagles' leading rusher with 65 yards on 10 carries.

Buffalo @ UCONN

Notes:

• Matt Bonislawski threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score in his first start for Connecticut to lead the Huskies to a 38-0 win over Buffalo on Thursday night. The game also marked the return of UConn tailback Terry Caulley, who has missed nearly two years because of a knee injury. The speedster quickly found his groove and rushed for 100 yards and one touchdown.
• The Huskies (1-0) dominated in all phases, running their series lead over the Bulls to 12-4. Buffalo (0-1), which lost its 2004 finale Connecticut , 29-0, hasn't had a season-opening win since 1997.
• The Huskies rushed for 290 yards, the most since their upgrade to Division I-A four years ago.
• The UConn defense pressured Bulls quarterback Stewart Sampsel all night. Sampsel had played in only one game before Thursday. He and backup Tony Paoli combined for 60 yards passing. UConn held Buffalo to 77 rushing yards. Steven King led the Bulls with 56 yards on the ground.

Nick’s Pick:                            U Conn 20 – Buffalo 10
Line:                                       U Conn by 18
Actual Score:                          U Conn 38 – Buffalo 0

Temple @ Arizona State

Notes:

• Freshman Keegan Herring rushed for 134 yards on 12 carries in the most prolific debut by a running back in school history and the 20th-ranked Sun Devils beat Temple 63-16 in Thursday night's opener.
• Sam Keller threw four touchdown passes, two to Derek Hagan, and then sat out the final quarter while Arizona State finished off the Owls' 22nd consecutive loss to a ranked team and ninth straight defeat on the road.
• The 18-year-old Herring had runs of 33 and 28 yards, along with a 4-yard touchdown run, en route to the school record for most yards in the first game of a career. The old mark of 117 yards, on 21 carries, was set by Woody Green against Houston in 1971.
• The Sun Devils amassed 559 yards, 300 on the ground. Arizona State 's reserves scored three times in the final quarter, the last with 36 seconds to go.
• Mike McGann completed 18 of 37 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown for Temple . He was intercepted twice.

Indiana @ Central Michigan

Notes:

• Blake Powers threw for three touchdowns in his first start while James Hardy and Marcus Thigpen combined for seven grabs and 199 yards in their first game to help Indiana beat Central Michigan 20-13 Friday night. Powers was 17-for-35 for 276 passing yards.
• Penalties and missed opportunities hurt Central Michigan, which failed to score on first-quarter drives to the Indiana 36, 35 and 23.
• The Chippewas narrowed the score to 14-13 early in the fourth quarter when Ontario Sneed scored on an 80-yard run after a leaping interception by Pacino Home for a touchback.
• Indiana countered on the next drive when Powers threw a 74-yard pass to Thigpen, but the Chippewas' Isaac Brown blocked the extra point.
• An apparent Indiana fumble on the following kickoff was negated by a Central Michigan offside penalty. The Hoosiers seized that opportunity and took a 7-3 lead on a 21-yard pass from Powers to Hardy.

Nick’s Pick:                            Indiana 31 – CMU 27
Line:                                       Indiana by 9
Actual Score:                          Indiana 20 – CMU 13

Kent State @ Michigan State

Notes:

• Jehuu Caulcrick rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns Saturday and Michigan State had 685 total yards - second-most in school history - on the way to beating Kent State 49-14 in the first meeting between the schools. Drew Stanton completed 22 of 29 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns with one interception for Michigan State (1-0). Stanton, who sat out the fourth quarter, also rushed for 60 yards on 10 carries.
• Michigan State led 35-14 at halftime and had 438 yards of total offense - a school record for a half. The school record for total offense in a game is 698 yards against Purdue in 1971.
• Michigan State has won seven straight home openers, six of its last seven season openers and 12 straight against Mid-American Conference teams. Kent State (0-1) is 0-7 all-time against the Big Ten.
• Kent State quarterback Michael Machen was 31-of-52 for 293 yards and two TDs with one interception. But the Golden Flashes were ineffective running the ball, finishing with 14 yards on 15 carries. Machen found Najah Pruden for a 31-yard TD strike in the second quarter to make it 27-14 with about eight minutes remaining in the first half.

Nick’s Pick:                            MSU 23 – KSU 12
Line:                                       MSU by 18
Actual Score:                          MSU 49 – KSU 14

Ball State @ Iowa

Notes:

• Quarterback Drew Tate was sharp, the running game clicked and the young defensive front held its own as No. 11 Iowa rolled past a depleted Ball State 56-0 to extend the Hawkeyes' home winning streak to 19 games, the third-longest in the nation.
• Four Iowa running backs scored touchdowns, and the Hawkeyes rushed for 241 yards overall, a major improvement for a team that fielded one of the nation's worst rushing attacks a year ago.
• The Cardinals (0-1) were overwhelmed in every facet of the game, a fact made worse by 13 player suspensions handed down by the university Friday. Seven of the players disciplined were expected to start, including the team's top rusher, Charles Wynn, its best offensive lineman, three defensive linemen and two from the secondary. The punishments stem from an ongoing investigation into NCAA rule violations alleging the players misused a book loan program to obtain textbooks they didn't need or received improperly obtained books from other players.
• Iowa 's defense, anchored by four underclassmen on the front line, held the Cardinals to 22 yards total offense in the first half and helped Iowa notch its first opening game shutout since 2001.
• The game was played before the biggest crowd ever to attend a game in Kinnick Stadium. With the new renovations to the 76-year-old stadium, including a new grandstand in the south end zone, Iowa set a new attendance record of 70,585.

Nick’s Pick:                            Iowa 52 – BSU 7
Line:                                       Iowa by 39
Actual Score:                          Iowa 56 – BSU 0

Bowling Green @ Wisconsin

Notes:

• The Wisconsin Badgers didn't have the defense to keep up with Omar Jacobs. They still found a way to stop Bowling Green 's prolific passer: by putting the ball in Brian Calhoun's hands. The transfer from Colorado rushed for a career-best 258 yards and a school record-tying five touchdowns on 43 carries in Wisconsin 's 56-42 win over the Falcons on Saturday. Calhoun, a Milwaukee-area native, played two seasons for the Buffaloes before returning home and sitting out last year while awaiting his chance to join the long list of premier running backs at Wisconsin .
• His first three scores came during a 35-point second quarter eruption, the biggest in Barry Alvarez's 16 seasons as coach. But his shortest score might have been his biggest. It snapped a 35-35 halftime tie and set the tone for a vastly different second half after the defenses had been shredded for 10 touchdowns.
• The 98 points were the second-most scored at Camp Randall Stadium, trailing only the Badgers' 106-0 shutout of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1890.
• Falcon’s running back P.J. Pope was hit from behind while blocking on the ensuing kickoff and he left the game with a sprained left ankle. The Falcons drove 77 yards without him and Lane's 5-yard TD combined with Jacobs' 2-point toss to Partridge tied it at 28.

Miami @ Ohio State

Notes:

• Ted Ginn Jr. caught a 42-yard touchdown pass and Donte Whitner returned an interception 26 yards for a score as No. 6 Ohio State tuned up for next week's matchup with Texas by beating Miami of Ohio 34-14 Saturday. Justin Zwick completed 17-of-23 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown with one interception, tailback Antonio Pittman gained 100 yards on 14 carries and Ginn had five catches for 75 yards and his score.
• The Buckeyes defense never let the RedHawks inside the Ohio State 34 until Miami scored two late touchdowns against substitutes. Ohio State harassed Miami quarterback Josh Betts all day, sacking him five times. The RedHawks netted just 48 yards on 30 rushes.
• Miami never threatened to score until late in the game against second- and third-teamers. The RedHawks broke through on Jimmy Calhoun's 3-yard run. Ohio State then fumbled the kickoff and Miami scored again on Betts' 35-yard pass to Ryne Robinson.
• Betts was 24-of-44 for 250 yards with one TD and one interception. Martin Nance had nine catches for 106 yards and Robinson added eight for 96 yards.

Nick’s Pick:                            Ohio State 27 – Miami 17
Line:                                       Ohio State by 16
Actual Score:                          Ohio State 34 – Miami 14

Ohio @ Northwestern

Notes:

• Brett Basanez threw two touchdown passes to Shaun Herbert and ran for another - all in the first half - as Northwestern rolled to a big lead Saturday and beat Ohio 38-14, spoiling Frank Solich's return to college coaching. Basanez's 3-yard TD run with 13 seconds left in the second quarter after the Wildcats had recovered a fumbled kickoff gave Northwestern a 31-7 halftime lead.
• Basanez completed 27-of-37 passes for 353 yards - the fourth 300-yard passing game of his career - and was 19-of-26 for 255 yards by the half. He played just one series of the fourth quarter before being replaced.
• True freshman Tyrell Sutton - Mr. Football in Ohio in 2004 gained 104 yards on 17 carries with a pair of TD runs, including a 20-yarder late in the third quarter that made it 38-7. He also had a 17-yard scoring run to wrap up an 88-yard drive in the second quarter that put the Wildcats ahead 17-0.
• The Wildcats' Barry Cofield (Cleveland , OH) then recovered a fumble by Ohio quarterback Austen Everson, and Northwestern hoped to build on its big lead.
• Ohio just missed getting a momentum booster on the final play of the half when Mayle took a 58-yard pass from Everson but was tackled on 2-yard line by Marquice Cole as time expired. The Bobcats made it 38-14 with 10:54 left on Everson's 4-yard run at the end of a 68-yard drive.

Nick’s Pick:                            Northwestern 27 – Ohio 14 
Line:                                       Northwestern by 15
Actual Score:                          Northwestern 38 – Ohio 14

Northern Illinois @ Michigan

Notes:

• Michigan made Northern Illinois pay for its mistakes, using turnovers to turn a competitive game into a convincing victory. Mike Hart ran for 117 yards and a scored two touchdowns, and the fourth-ranked Wolverines took advantage of five Northern Illinois giveaways to beat the Huskies 33-17 on Saturday.
• A season after leading the nation by losing only one fumble, the Huskies lost four fumbles and threw an interception while the Wolverines turned it over only once.
• The Huskies ran for 211 yards and threw for 200, but they were doomed by the turnovers and a blocked field goal.
• Michigan's Chad Henne was 20-of-31 for 227 yards and two TD passes. Jason Avant had nine receptions for 127 yards and a score. Hart had 27 carries and ran for more than 100 yards for the sixth time in his last eight games. He also caught four passes for 49 yards.
• Garrett Wolfe had 17 carries for 148 yards and a TD for the Huskies, but his fumble in the second quarter was the first of their turnovers. Phil Horvath was 17-of-25 for 200 yards with an interception and a fumble. Wolfe scored on a 76-yard run two plays later to make it 14-10 early in the second quarter.

Western Michigan @ Virginia

Notes:

• Marques Hagans threw one touchdown pass and ran for another score as Virginia did most of its scoring in the first 17 1/2 minutes in beating Western Michigan 31-19 Saturday night. The No. 25 Cavaliers (1-0), unable to stop the Broncos' short passing game most of the night, led only 24-19 when they finally got the stop they needed with 11 minutes left. On fourth-and 4 from the Virginia 31, Tony Franklin and Jermaine Dias tackled tight end Brandon Ledbetter 3 yards short of a first down and the Cavaliers took over.
• Western Michigan (0-1), playing its first game under coach Bill Cubit, looked nothing like a team on a 10-game losing streak, even though it’s starting quarterback sat the game out. Ryan Cubit, the coach's son, has a leg fracture and was replaced by Robbie Haas, who had an excellent game completing 33 of 49 passes for 271 yards.
• Greg Jennings had 16 receptions for 156 yards, and got loads of help from running back Mark Bonds, who bulled his way for 119 yards on 30 carries.
• The Cavaliers played without linebacker Ahmad Brooks, a second-team All-American and their top tackler the last two seasons, and lost starting tailback Wali Lundy on their second offensive series when he pulled up limping on a 28-yard run.

Nick’s Pick:                            Virginia 48 – WMU 17
Line:                                       Virginia by 33
Actual Score:                          Virginia 31 - WMU 19

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