As we approach Halloween, the puzzle that is the 2007 MAC season is beginning to come together. In some cases, the pieces fit together nicely; defending champ CMU is leading the West, trailed by preseason favorite WMU and dangerous Ball State. Makes sense. Over in the East, Buffalo is on top, Temple is within striking distance, and preseason picks Ohio and Kent State are in dead last. Wha happened???
So with the finish line starting to come in to view, I’ve decided to take on the completely ridiculous and pointless exercise of predicting every game the rest of the season, with how I think it might go down, and seeing how things shake down at the end. Now commencing with an exercise in total ridiculousness, the results of every MAC game for the rest of the season….Enjoy!
Week Nine.
CMU (3-0, 3-0, 4-4) at Kent State (1-3, 1-3, 3-5) – Golden Flashes coach Doug Martin refuses to name a QB starter until kickoff, hoping to gain any edge possible over CMU. On KSU’s first series, freshman Giorgio Morgan is under center to the delight of the 10,000 strong at Dix Field. Morgan struggles with two first quarter picks, enabling the Chips to take a 14-0 lead. Morgan is pulled in favor of third-string QB Jon Brown, who serves as the architect of two scoring drives, bringing KSU to within 14-10 at half. But CMU milks the clock with two backbreaking TD drives in the third quarter, and Dan LeFevour caps each drive with QB sneaks from inside the 1. CMU 33, Kent State 20.
Ball State (2-1, 3-2, 5-3) at Illinois – The Cardinals are 16 point dogs by kickoff, and they sit down the Memorial Stadium crowd with a 61-yard pass from Nate Davis to Dante Hill on their third play. Davis has a sparkling first half, going 12 of 19 in the half for 161 yards and two scores. The teams are knotted at 14 headed to the locker room, but the Cardinals let another one slip away, with the defensive line unable to provide resistance to the power running game of Illinois’ Rashard Mendenhall in the second half. The Cards are still in it, trailing 31-20 late in the fourth, but Illinois tackle machine drills Davis, forcing a fumble deep in Ball State territory. One more Mendenhall TD finishes it off. Illinois 38, Ball State 20.
NIU (0-3, 0-4, 1-7) at Toledo (0-2, 1-3, 3-5) – In a predictably wild game at Toledo’s Glass Bowl, Justin Anderson runs wild over the Rocket defense for most of the first quarter, tallying two TD runs of 40+ yards on his way to a whopping 121 yard quarter, putting the Huskies up 17-3 at the end of the first. But the Rockets mount yet another Glass Bowl come back, chipping away with dink and dunk passes until the teams are tied at 24 at half. Inexplicably, nobody scores in the third, then Aaron Opelt tosses a screen pass to Jalen Parmele, which the big back takes 74 yards to the house, giving Toledo a lead it never relinquishes. Toledo 37, NIU 31.
WMU (2-1, 2-2, 3-5) at EMU (1-1, 1-2, 2-6) – Sandwiched in between critical clashes with Ball State and Central, this smells like a trap game for Western, but it doesn’t play like it early, with Mark Bonds hammering home a 14 yard TD run on the first drive, giving the Broncos a 7-0 edge, which they build to 13-0 at half. But the Eagle D gets a big play from its stud LB, Daniel Holtzclaw, who picks off a Tim Hiller slant pass and takes it to the house just after half. Later in the third, EMU’s other big playmaker, Jason Jones, forces a Hiller fumble deep in Western territory, which the offense quickly turns in to a score, giving EMU a stunning 14-13 lead after three. The teams trade scores on their first drives of the 4th, leaving the Broncos trailing 21-20 with just over 3 minutes to play. EMU gets the ball, but can’t move it, and faced with 4th and 1 at midfield, Coach Jeff Genyk puts the faith in his playmaking defense to hold off the Broncos’ last drive. Hiller is on, leading WMU to the EMU 34 in just a minute ten. But Mike Jones’ 51 yard boot is short, and the Eagles get a big, big upset. EMU 21, WMU 20.
Akron (1-1, 2-1, 3-4) at Buffalo (2-0, 3-0, 3-5) – If we’d told you preseason that Akron at Buffalo might be a trap game, you’d say “Sure, for Akron.” But the shoe’s on the other foot, with the Bulls in sole possession of the MAC East lead. Chris Jacquemain has a great first half as the Zips get great execution honed by their bye week. James Starks can’t get loose and the Bulls offense sputters in the first half. At the break, its Akron leading, 24-10, and the magic isn’t there for Buffalo. But the Bulls go back to the drawing board at half, and QB Drew Willy takes over, leading two long scoring drives to get all square at 24 after three. After Igor Ivelijic drains a 40-yard kick with 3 minutes to go, the Bulls take over down 3. With every game in divisional play sacred, this could be their East title hopes on the line. Akron LB Brion Stokes has shadowed Starks all day, but the super sophomore finally gets free for a big gain thanks to a crushing downfield block by TE Jesse Rack. The Bulls equalize with 42 seconds left, and we’re headed to OT tied at 27. Buffalo gets a 14 yard score from Willy to Ernest Jackson, and the Zips get the ball. After a couple first downs, Akron has first and goal from the Buffalo 4, but the Bulls defense stiffens forcing a 4th and goal from the 2. Jacquemain fakes the handoff and rolls right, but is met by a blitzing Larry Hutchinson, and UB Stadium erupts. Buffalo 34, Akron 27 (OT).
Miami (2-1, 3-1, 4-4) at Vanderbilt – One week after one they’d like to forget, a loss at Temple, Miami heads to Commodore Country and the SEC squad works the Redhawks over, picking three Daniel Raudabaugh passes in the first half to build a 21-0 lead. Miami can’t get anything going offensively, as the big, fast defense just tears in to the Miami O-line, and only a 34-yard field goal from Nathan Parshegian in the third quarter getting Miami on the board. To make things worse, for the first time all year, the Redhawks play a school that might have a more attractive student population than theirs. Vandy 28, Miami 3.
Ohio (0-2, 1-3, 3-5) at Bowling Green (2-1, 2-1, 4-3) – One week after vaulting in to the spotlight with a 200 yard performance against Kent State, freshman back Willie Geter one ups himself with a 4-TD, 213 yard outing against the Bobcats. Geter gets all four scores in the first half, and looks a whole lot like the MAC’s next great feature back. Kalvin McRae does his part for Ohio, getting 171 yards and three touchdowns of his own, but the BGSU passing game is better than Ohio’s, helping the Falcons roll up another big offensive day and keep pace with (gulp) Buffalo. Bowling Green 40, Ohio 28.
Week Ten.
Temple (2-2, 3-2, 3-5) at Ohio (0-4, 1-4, 3-6) – Temple is still within striking distance in the East, but the loss of Adam DiMichele has made things dire, and Vaughn Charlton doesn’t get the job done in his first MAC road test. The Owls have no answer for Ohio’s McRae, who with the 165 yard day is all the way up to 1198 for the year. Theo Scott gets in on the action with two second quarter TD tosses as Ohio builds a 27-10 lead by the end of three. Charlton has some success late against Ohio’s prevent defense, getting two fourth quarter TDs to Dy’onne Crudup, but an onside kick with 14 seconds to go proves unsuccessful, as Ohio gets their first East win of the year and knocks Temple out of the race. Ohio 27, Temple 24.
Akron (1-2, 2-2, 3-5) at Bowling Green (3-1, 3-1, 5-3) – The Zips are on the road again, but show no hangover effect after the heartbreaking loss at Buffalo. Akron jumps to a 17-7 lead at half on the heels of Jabari Arthur’s monster first half line of 11 catches, 103 yards and two scores. But BGSU Coach Gregg Brandon stirs a big pot of whoop-ass in the locker room, and the Falcons come out of the locker room dialed in, as Willie Geter dashes 41 yards for a score, followed by LB Erique Dozier’s scoop and score off a Jacquemain fumble. From there, it’s back and forth, with each team getting TDs in the early fourth, putting the margin at 28-24, BGSU. With a little over four to play, Akron has the ball at its own 35, when Arthur takes the ball on an end around….no, it’s a pass! The former QB hums a perfect lob pass up the sideline to the seldom used junior wide out Brandon Williams. Williams goes to the house for a 65 yard score, but PK Ivelijic misses the point after, leaving the dial at 30-28. But Roger Williams, BGSU’s young kick returner, outdoes the other Williams, taking the ensuing kick back 93 yards, giving the Falcons a 34-30 lead that will stand up. BGSU 34, Akron 30.
Ball State (2-1, 3-2, 5-4) at Indiana – The Hoosiers lost to Illinois early in the year, but they can do things on offense the Illini can’t, and they show it, rolling up the points early and often on BSU’s undermanned defense. Kellen Lewis runs left, right, and straight over the Cardinal defense. But unlike most running QBs, Lewis can throw too, and he does, finding WR James Hardy for two red zone fade routes on the way to a big Indiana win. Indiana 44, Ball State 16.
Buffalo (3-0, 4-0, 4-5) at Miami (2-1, 3-1, 4-5) – The East’s two front runners meet on a dark, rainy day in Oxford. Miami has to have this one to stay in the title hunt, and the Redhawk defense answers the bell, forcing several Buffalo turnovers in the inclement weather. Daniel Raudabaugh isn’t amazing, but he holds on to the ball, and Miami leads 17-0 late in the third when Drew Willy finally gets the Bulls on the board, as Naaman Roosevelt takes a bubble screen 29 yards to the end zone. But Miami answers, going 78 yards in 16 plays, never having to throw the ball once, milking 8 minutes of clock and icing it with an Austin Sykes 4 yard sweep. Miami 24, Buffalo 14.
EMU (2-1, 2-2, 3-6) at Toledo (1-2, 2-3, 4-5) – On the heels of the program’s biggest win in awhile, EMU travels to the Glass Bowl where the Rockets wait. Toledo can’t win the West, but EMU can, and the Rocket fans turn out in droves to see their team go for its 5th win and increase their chances at finding the postseason. This one is about as evenly matched as a football game can be, with each team trading TDs through out the first three quarters. First, its Aaron Opelt, then Pierre Walker, then Parmele, then a pick-six from EMU’s Ryan Downard. On and on it goes, until the squads are knotted at 35 after regulation. Another wild game in the Glass Bowl ends when Alex Steigerwald drills a 39-yard FG right down the middle in Toledo’s half of overtime. EMU can’t move the ball, and a kick misses badly on 4th and 16 from the 31, giving Toledo its fifth home win of the year. Toledo 38, EMU 35 (OT).
Week Eleven.
Central Michigan (3-0, 4-0, 5-4) at Western Michigan (2-2, 2-3, 3-6) – The West title hangs in the balance at Waldo Stadium when the MAC’s best rivalry kicks off on a Tuesday night. Western fires up the crowd by striking first, getting a 31-yard hookup from Tim Hiller to WR Jamarko Simmons to take a 7-0 lead. After CMU’s punt, Bronco return man Schneider Julien takes the kick 71 yards to paydirt and the Waldo Stadium crowd erupts. After a quarter, the scoreboard still reads 14-nil Western, but Dan LeFevour and the CMU offense finally starts to go to work, putting together two efficient drives that both end in Justin Hoskins scoring runs. With the score still knotted at 14, the teams trade punts and when WMU sets up to return, Julien, who’s had a great game so far, calls for a fair catch. A CMU player drills Julien after his arm is in the air, and the refs totally miss the call. WMU’s sideline erupts, and the teams scuffle on the field for almost five minutes before the referees break up the fight. Julien and CMU’s Red Keith are ejected, and both teams head to the locker room without one of their big playmakers. LeFevour and the Central offense grabs bull by horns to start the second half, as a 30-yard reverse by Antonio Brown gives CMU a 28-14 lead with 3 to play in the third. Western makes a valiant attempt to get back in it, but every time the Broncos score, the Chips answer. Central wins, the Chips clinch, and these two teams hate each other even more than they did before the game. CMU 41, WMU 30.
Ohio (1-4, 2-4, 4-6) at Akron (1-3, 2-3, 3-6) – Theo Scott is firmly entrenched now as the Bobcats’ starting QB, and he kicks off the scoring with a 7-yard scramble on Ohio’s first drive. The Akron defense stiffens, and when the deadly Andre Jones takes a punt back 64 yards, the Zips lead 14-7. Ohio keeps kicking field goals, and by the end of the third, its 17-16 Akron after one Ivelijic boot and three kicks from Ohio’s Michael Braunstein. With eight minutes to play, Kalvin McRae rips off a couple nice gains to get third down conversions, but the drive stalls with five to play and Braunstein adds a fourth FG for a 19-17 lead. The Zips have one drive left in them, and work their way down the field methodically…inevitability grips the air in the Rubber Bowl, as Ivelijic drills a 31 yard boot as time expires to give Akron a 1-point won on their fifth straight game decided in the final minute. Akron 20, Ohio 19
BGSU (4-1, 4-1, 6-3) at EMU (2-2, 2-3, 3-7) – The Eagles come in with high hopes, but the Falcons fly higher, racing to a 28-0 first half lead on the heels of four Tyler Sheehan TD tosses. With CMU’s Dan LeFevour struggling, Sheehan is making a late play for conference player of the year honors, and today’s 4-score, 310 yard performance intensifies his candidacy. The Eagles score a bit late, but the Falcons’ early lead proves insurmountable, and the Falcons are a major front runner in the West race…BG 37, EMU 20
Penn State at Temple (2-3, 3-3, 3-6) – Temple is hoping for a let down from the peaking Nittany Lions, but a sold out Link crowd is mostly PSU fans, and the Owls get Penn State’s A-game. The Nittany Lion D terrorizes the ravaged Temple offense, and QB Vaughn Charlton gets a third quarter touchdown on a scramble, but by then its too late. Rodney Kinlaw already has 125 rushing yards and Anthony Morelli has three touchdown tosses. It’s a 31-0 lead before the Owls score, and by then, its far too late. Penn State 39, Temple 14
Kent State (1-4, 1-4, 3-6) at NIU (0-4, 0-5, 1-8) – This is the Huskies best chance yet for a first MAC victory, and the defense plays like it, keeping the Golden Flashes off the scoreboard for the first half. NIU has a hard time scoring themselves, but it’s a 10-0 margin at half. Kent State QB Jon Brown does his best work yet in an 80-yard drive to start the second half, but the extra point goes no good, and it’s 10-6 Huskies. NIU’s Justin Anderson crosses the 100-yard mark in the third, but NIU continues their red zone struggles, fumbling once, and being stopped on 4th down again. With seven minutes to go, Brown leads another TD drive, capped by Eugene Jarvis’ 12 yard run. It’s 12-10, and KSU goes for 2 to make up the missed extra point from earlier. Brown is flushed out of the pocket, scrambles, but is pulled down short of the goal line by NIU’s sack machine Larry English. With the score still 12-10, NIU puts it all on Anderson, feeding the beast 8 straight times on their way to Kent’s 27 yard line. On the game’s final play, Chris Nendick knocks home a 44-yarder that sneaks over the cross bar, and the Huskies have their first MAC win. NIU 13, Kent 12
Week Twelve.
Toledo (2-2, 3-3, 5-5) at Ball State (2-1, 3-2, 5-5) – Remarkably, the Rockets are on the cusp of bowl eligibility with five home wins by a combined 14 points. Ball State puts them in their place, turning the keys over to Nate Davis, who rips through the Rocket’s ravaged secondary for three first quarter scores. Dante Love catches one, Dante Hill catches one, and since BSU is out of Dante’s, Frank Edmonds catches one too. Once they’re up 28-7, the Cards get a bit sloppy, letting Toledo sneak to within 31-17, but Davis strikes quickly, zipping BSU down the field with passes to every Dante in sight. Edmonds catches it with a one-yard dive late in the third, and the Cardinals coast from there, becoming bowl eligible. Ball State 48, Toledo 20
Akron (2-3, 3-3, 4-6) at Miami (3-1, 4-1, 5-5) – With the win over Buffalo, the Redhawks are in the East driver’s seat now, needing wins over the Zips and Bobcats to wrap the title. Once again, the mostly unheralded Miami D comes to play, forcing two first quarter Akron turnovers, and converting both in to Nate Parshegian field goals. Down 6-0, Akron’s Jabari Arthur breaks free on a slant pass and outruns the entire Redhawk nation for an 82-yard score to give Akron a 7-6 lead. But the Miami offense stays efficient, mixing in Austin Sykes runs with short passes from Raudabaugh to Dustin Woods and Armand Robinson, for two more second quarter scores. By the half, it’s 20-7, and then the rain comes to Oxford, and with the second half played in a near flood, both offenses struggle. Miami wins, and they’re one win away from the East title. Miami 27, Akron 14.
EMU (2-2, 2-4, 3-8) at CMU (4-0, 5-0, 6-4) – The Chips already have the West title wrapped up, and now they’re playing for a perfect MAC slate. The CMU offense is inexplicably absent in the first half, as Dan LeFevour is uncharacteristically unsharp; the Eagles’ Jason Jones registers three first half sacks to bring his season total for tackles for loss to 25, just one short of the EMU record for TFL. The Eagle defense is a stone wall in the first half, and the Chips go to the locker room down a shocking 20-3. But CMU comes out gunning in the second half, with Dan LeFevour starting the scoring on a 22-yard scramble. Later in the third, LeFevour catches a pass from Antonio Brown on a little trickeration to bring the Chips within 3. EMU adds a FG, and Central gets the ball with five to go. LeFevour orchestrates a sterling drive, getting an 18 yard gallop from Justin Hoskins on 3rd and 4 to move the ball in to Eagle territory. With under a minute to go, the Chips move the ball to the EMU 5. A couple Hoskins runs get the ball to the 2 with just 16 seconds left. LeFevour drops back and is flushed out of the pocket by Jones, who’s going for both the sack and the EMU record. Jones extends an arm, but LeFevour is just out of reach, and turns the corner over the pylon for the score! CMU adds the extra point and escapes alive…barely.CMU 24, EMU 23
Kent State (1-5, 1-5, 3-7) at Temple (2-3, 3-3, 3-7) – The Owls have felt the ire of misfortune this year, getting bit by the injury bug like no team in recent memory. On the otherside of the coin, Kent State is almost lifeless, down a starting QB as well, but bearing the weight of failed expectations. Both teams start sluggish in the November snow, and head to the locker room tied 9-9. A third quarter scoring run by Temple’s Jason Harper gives the Owls a temporary edge before a 18-yard scamper by Eugen Jarvis ties it at 16. Neither team can do anything on offense from there on out, and the game heads to overtime, where the fireworks start en masse. Each squad gets a TD run from their feature back in the first OT, and when Jarvis scores on a 13-yard burst in the second, we’re headed for 3 tied at 30. Kent gets to the Temple 5, but stalls, getting a 22-yard kick from Nate Reed. On Temple’s first play of the triple, Kent doesn’t seem quite ready, and a quick count from QB Vaughn Charlton catches the Flashes secondary off guard. 25-yards later, it’s a touchdown to Bruce Francis, and Temple’s 4th league win.Temple 36, Kent 33 (3 OT)
Bowling Green (4-1, 5-1, 7-3) at Buffalo (3-1, 4-1, 4-6) – Both teams can still win the East if Miami falls next week at Ohio. The Bulls have had two weeks to prepare and unlike most MAC squads, they’re still pretty healthy. Turner Gill has pulled out all the stops to rear up the home crowd, and a record UB stadium turnout comes out in c classic, 15-degree, light snowy Buffalo day. On the game’s first offensive play, James Starks takes a pitch to the right and heads around end…until he pitches back to Naaman Roosevelt coming the other direction! Roosevelt burns past the Falcon secondary 83 yards for a score, and the tone is set for a wild shoot out. Each team is in the 20s by half, and Buffalo ends the third with Starks’ second TD run of the day, giving them a 35-24 lead. Sheehan and the Falcons strike back with a quick scoring drive to get within 4. Both teams trade punts, and when Drew Willy throws a rare, rare INT in his own territory with about three minutes left, BGSU is within range. The UB Stadium gets on their feet to help out the defense…and it works. On 3rd and 11 from the 28, freshman Davonte Shannon comes barreling in one a corner blitz, and Sheehan never sees him…until he’s picked up Sheehan’s fumble and is racing the other direction for a 65 yard score. The crowd goes berserk, and the Bulls will head to Kent next week with five MAC wins and an outside chance to make the title game. Buffalo 42, BGSU 31
WMU (2-3, 2-4, 3-7) at Iowa – On senior day in Iowa City, the Hawks need a win to make a bowl, so the oddsmakers have them a 13 point favorite. But the Broncos have none of it, spreading out the awful Iowa secondary like so many squads have done this year, and leaping to a 10-0 first quarter lead. The D-line wears down a bit against Iowa’s big o-line, but the WMU D comes up with one big stop after another, ending Hawkeye drives inside their own 40 three times in the first half. 13-7 at half, 16-7 after three, the Hawks get a 20-yard run from Damien Sims to get it within two with 44 seconds left. But the Bronco hands team snags the onside kick, and Western spoils Iowa’s big day with a huge road win. WMU 16, Iowa 14
NIU (0-4, 1-5, 2-8) at Navy – The season ended awhile ago for the Huskies, who just can’t get enough passing going to compete with teams. The win last week was nice, but there’s no chance against a Navy squad needing a win to up their bowl stock. Navy scores early, often, and then some more, racking up 367 rushing yards in a big win. Justin Anderson crosses the 100-yard barrier for the eighth time this year. Navy 42, NIU 7
Week Thirteen.
CMU (5-0, 6-0, 7-4) at Akron (2-4, 3-4, 4-7) – The Chips haven’t looked sharp since they wrapped up the West in Kalamazoo, and the trend continues this week against the Zips. It’s senior day in the Rubber Bowl, and the Akron class of ’07 delivers; Jabari Arthur catches his MAC-best 15th TD, Brion Stokes brings down Justin Hoskins in the Chip end zone for a safety, and DB Reggie Corner takes an errant LeFevour pass to the house for a 16-7 half-time lead. The Zips don’t let CMU off the hook like Eastern did, however, and LeFevour’s two late passes aren’t to win it, as the Zips prevail and send their seniors off winners. Akron 23, CMU 21
Toledo (2-3, 3-4, 5-6) at Bowling Green (4-2, 5-2, 7-4) – The Peace Pipe is on the line and Toledo is fighting for a .500 season, to boot. No shocker here, it’s a shootout, with Willie Geter pacing the Falcons with 112 first half rushing yards, and three scores. 14-14 after the first, 21-21 at half, 28-28 after three, and 35-up with six minutes remaining, Toledo gets the ball with a chance to win it. With two and a half to go, and facing fourth and 3 at the BGSU 44, Tom Amstutz rolls the dice and goes for it. Jalen Parmele is met by Falcon LB Adrian Baker at the line of scrimmage, and the Falcons take over and instantly get to work, with Sheehan dinking and dunking under loose coverage. A few first downs later, BGSU is at the Rocket 14 with a handful of ticks on the clock. Falcon kicker Sinisa Vrvilo leaves no doubt, hammering home a kick from 30 that would have been good from 55. Peace Pipe – Falcons. BGSU 38, Toledo 35
Temple (3-3, 4-3, 4-7) at WMU (2-3, 2-4, 4-7) – The Owls and Broncos are on opposite ends of expectation this year, with Temple shocking everyone to get to 4 wins, and Western the big West disappointment at just 4-7. It’s apparent early in this contest that the Owls are simply out of gas. WMU gets touchdowns from Mark Bonds, Brandon West, Branden Ledbetter and Jamarko Simmons in the first half, and gets a chance to clear the benches and play all the seniors on an easy breezy day in the ‘Zoo. WMU 40, Temple 17
Ball State (3-1, 4-1, 6-5) at NIU (0-4, 1-5, 2-9) – Ball State’s been cruising since the CMU loss, and they’ll be shaking their heads wondering how they let that one get away for a long time. It’s not a glorious, glamorous win, but a workmanlike victory in a hard, driving rain that makes passing hard on both teams. Frank Edmonds matches Justin Anderson carry for carry as both backs lug 25 times for 140+ yards, but the Cards practice better ball security, capitalizing on five Huskie turnovers. The Cardinals are solidly bowl eligible now, and will wait and see when the invites came out. The year is over, finally, for NIU and Joe Novak. Ball State 28, NIU 10
Buffalo (4-1, 5-1, 5-6) at Kent State (1-6, 1-6, 3-8) – The Bulls kickoff an hour before the Redhawks, needing a win and a Miami loss to make it to Detroit. Kent State is at the end of one of the most disappointing in school history, given the high preseason expectations. With rumors that coach Doug Martin’s job is in jeopardy, the Flashes come out inspired, and on the back of Eugene Jarvis, KSU is up 14-0 after a quarter. The Bulls have been bad on the road all season, and this starts out looking like another clunker. But Turner Gill huddles the team on the Buffalo sideline and lights in to his bunch; the next drive shows progress, with Drew Willy completing all 6 passes on a 9 play, 78 yard drive that leads to a touchdown from Starks. Only field goals for twenty minutes make the score 20-13 by the mid-third. With the Bulls driving late in the third, Starks is popped at the goal line and fumbles…senior DB Jack Williams recovers for the Flashes, and on the next series the Buffalo defense plays deflated, giving up another Jarvis TD on a 28-yard score. But the Bulls are undaunted, heading right back down the field, and this time when Starks gets the pig, he makes good, getting a 3-yard touchdown with 7 minutes to play to bring the Bulls within 7. Kent starts up on a nice drive, but the Bull D stiffens behind senior Larry Hutchinson’s big third down hit on Andre Flowers. Willy and Starks get the ball back with 3 and a half to play on their own 15, 85 yards from a chance at history. The Bulls convert a couple key third downs until confronted with a fourth and 2 at the KSU 42 with 65 ticks remaining. Turner Gill reaches deep in to the memory banks and conjures up a little Nebraska-style option. Willy runs right, and pitches…no, he keeps it, and the Flashes don’t bring him down until he’s lumbered all the way to the KSU 16. With 15 seconds left, Starks finds pay dirt on a third down draw play, leaving the Buffs down 1. For the second time in a minute, Gill rolls the dice, deciding he wants a chance to win the ball game right here. Willy runs right again, but this time he pitches to Naaman Roosevelt heading the other direction. Roosevelt’s in a foot race with Flashes LB Cedrick Maxwell…Roosevelt turns the corner, reaches for the pylon, and…is he in? The call on the field is no dice, but after a ten-minute review, the replay official rules that Roosevelt got the ball across the plain, and the Buffs go crazy in front of a tiny Dix Stadium crowd. After the celebration, Buffalo heads to the locker room to catch the finale from Athens …Buffalo 28, Kent State 27
Miami (4-1, 5-1, 6-5) at Ohio (1-5, 2-5, 4-7) – Win, and they’re in. That’s all the Redhawks have to do to make it to Detroit, and it should be easy against an Ohio team with nothing to play for, right? Wrong. We’ve seen it too many times in season finales over the last few years – the team with nothing to play for comes out nasty, desperate to play the spoiler card and head to December on a positive note. Sloppy weather is mirrored by the teams’ play, as nobody scores for the first fifteen minutes. Early in the second period, Kalvin McRae finally sneaks in to the Miami secondary for an 18 yard touchdown run. Down 7-0, the Redhawks get two Parshegian field goals before half time to make it 7-6. In the locker room, Coach Shane Armstrong gets word that Buffalo has just knocked off Kent State. Armstrong puts a gag order on the coaches so the players won’t know that Miami must win to reach Detroit. Things look good to start the second half, as Raudabaugh scrambles for a 14-yard touchdown run to give the Redhawks a 13-7 lead. But Ohio plays like a team with nothing to lose, running a nifty reverse pass from sophomore WR Taylor Price to TE Andrew Mooney, seizing the lead back 14-13. The Redhawks get another Parshegian field goal at the third quarter gun to lead 16-14. But once again, the Bobcats are undaunted, ripping down the field in 9 plays and getting a Theo Scott QB draw to take the lead back 21-16. Urgency is starting to set in on the Miami sideline, and the Redhawks receivers drop a couple passes on third downs, forcing Miami to punt. Finally, with four minutes to go, the ‘Hawks get the ball back on their own 31, needing a touchdown to win. The passing game starts clicking, with Raudabaugh finding young guns Dustin Woods and Eugene Harris to move the ball to the Bobcat 22 with 1:14 to go. Austin Sykes carries twice to the 14, but Raudabaugh is stopped for no gain on 3rd and 2, giving the Redhawks 4th and 2 at the 14 with 21 seconds left. It’s Detroit or bust for Miami. Raudabaugh takes the shotgun snap, rolls left from the pocket, sees an open Armand Robinson in the corner of the end zone! Raudabaugh rears back to throw, but at the last second Ohio LB Taj Henley shakes his block and tears the Miami QB to the ground. Ohio springs the upset and sends Buffalo to the Marathon MAC championship game Ohio 21, Miami 16
Final Standings.
WEST
- C. Michigan (5-0, 6-1, 7-5)
- Ball State (4-1, 5-2, 7-5)
- W. Michigan (2-3, 3-4, 5-7)
- Toledo (2-3, 3-5, 5-7)
- E. Michigan (2-3, 2-5, 3-9)
- N. Illinois (0-5, 1-6, 2-10)
EAST
- Buffalo (5-1, 6-2, 6-6)
- Miami (4-2, 5-2, 6-6)
- Bowling Green (4-2, 6-2, 8-4)
- Temple (3-3, 4-4, 4-8)
- Akron (2-4, 4-4, 5-7)
- Ohio (2-4, 3-5, 5-7)
- Kent State (1-5, 1-7, 3-9)
MAC Championship.
Buffalo (5-1, 6-2, 6-6) vs. Central Michigan (5-0, 6-1, 7-5) – Talk about your Cinderella stories. Buffalo, the worst program in D-I before the year according to ESPN, will battle CMU, the defending MAC champ, for the title. To make things even better, the Bulls can’t make a bowl if they lose at 6-7. The Bulls strike first with a James Starks TD run, and the huge Buffalo contingent in the Motor City erupts. Buffalo leads 7-0 after a quarter, but Dan LeFevour buckles down in the second, engineering three scoring drives to send CMU to the locker room up 17-7. Buffalo strikes back though, getting a Drew Willy touchdown toss to Naaman Roosevelt to bring the Bulls back to 17-14. CMU goes on the move again, though, sparked by a Justin Hoskins 21-yard run to the Buffalo 14. Another Hoskins run gets the Chips to the Buffalo 2, but on first and goal, Trevor Scott gets his 12th sack of the year; except this one jars the ball loose from LeFevour’s grasp, and Scott falls on it to give Buffalo the ball back. It’s not quick and easy, but 15 plays and 84 yards later, the Bulls are at the CMU 10, and and A.J. Principe field goal ties it with 13 minutes to play. CMU hasn’t won 13 MAC games in two years by shying away from a challenge, and LeFevour needs another great drive, completing 6 passes and running 4 times, the last of which is an 7-yard TD score, giving the Chips a 24-17 lead with 8 minutes to go. After the teams trade punts, Buffalo gets the ball at midfield with 3 minutes left. But again, the CMU D gets the big sticks and Turner Gill opts to punt on 4th and 8 from the 47. Buffalo punter Ben Woods drops a brilliant coffin-corner boot to the CMU 4. On 3rd and 8 from the 6, LeFevour gets caught down by Trevor Scott again at CMU’s 2. Gill gets a quick time out, and with 32 seconds left CMU has to punt. Buffalo brings the house, and they get the punt! The ball skitters around in the end zone for what seems like forever, and a huge pile takes what seems like ten minutes to unfurl If CMU has it, its just a safety, but if the Bulls have the ball, it’s a touchdown! After all the unpiling, the Bulls have the ball and the touchdown with just 24 seconds to go! Now Buffalo is down by 1, and for the second time in two weeks, Turner Gill decides to go for the deuce and win the game right now. This time, however, James Starks gets the call on a sweep around right tackle. Starks has some daylight, but CMU LB Red Keith meets him hard and stands him up at the 2. Starks wiggles for extra yardage, but Keith tears him down. CMU perseveres, and Buffalo’s dream season ends on Ford Field’s two yard line. CMU 24, Buffalo 23.
