Philadelphia, PA – AKRON: After notching back-to-back wins for the first time in the Terry Bowden era, the Zips (4-7, 3-4) had a bye week. They will try for their fifth win on Friday when they host Toledo.
BALL STATE: The Cardinals (9-2, 6-1) had their hopes of winning the MAC Championship end on Nov. 13 with a loss to Northern Illinois. They were off this past week and will take aim at their 10th win on Friday when they host Miami-Ohio.
BOWLING GREEN: The Falcons (8-3, 6-1) limited the Eagles to only 65 yards of total offense and did not allow an offensive touchdown as they completed a 58-7 rout of Eastern Michigan at Rynearson Stadium. EMU's quarterbacks combined to complete only 1-of-18 pass attempts for four yards and tossed two interceptions. Matt Johnson threw one interception, but had a solid performance overall as he finished 13-of-23 for 264 yards and three touchdowns. All three scoring passes went to Ronnie Moore, who made seven receptions for 161 yards, all career-highs for the true freshman. Fellow sophomore Travis Greene continued his tremendous campaign as he accounted for a game-high 126 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Tate converted a career-high three FGs and 7 PATs in the game, for a career-high of 16 points in a game. The margin of victory was the largest for the Falcons since posting a 70-7 romp over Temple on Oct. 1, 2005. Tied with Buffalo for the top spot in the East Division, the Falcons will take on the Bulls this week in the final regular-season game for both programs.
BUFFALO: Senior linebacker Khalil Mack made history as the Bulls (8-3, 6-1) coasted to a 44-7 decision over Miami-Ohio on Tuesday. Mack had eight tackles, three sacks and three forced fumbles, which helped him shatter the NCAA record for career forced fumbles. He now has jarred he ball loose 16 times, breaking the previous record of 14 held by five different players. Anthone Taylor rushed for 154 yards and Branden Oliver gained 150 yards on the ground. Joe Licata hit on 20-of-32 pass attempts for 172 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Miami was limited to 65 passing yards with completions on only 5-of-20 throws. The RedHawks were held scoreless until there were just over three minutes remaining and finished with only nine first downs after being forced to punt eight times. Buffalo will take on Bowling Green at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Friday with the East Division title and a trip to the MAC Championship on the line.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Chippewas (5-6, 4-3) recorded their first shutout since their 2010 season opener as they downed Massachusetts, 37-0, at home on Saturday. The victory brought CMU within a single game of becoming bowl eligible after a 3-6 start. Titus Davis made seven catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns while Cooper Rush was 13-for-21 for 231 yards and two scores. Zurlon Tipton added 50 yards on the ground on 16 carries with one trip to the end zone. Davis's effort pushed him to 1,090 yards on the season, marking the first time the junior wideout has passed the 1,000-yard mark. Freshman safety registered his second pick six in as many games. CMU will try to become bowl eligible for the second straight season and recapture the MAC Michigan Trophy when it hosts Eastern Michigan on Friday.
EASTERN MICHIGAN: The Eagles (2-9, 1-6) were no match for the Falcons as they suffered a 58-7 setback at home to Bowling Green on Saturday. EMU finished with only 65 total yards of offense, led by junior running back Ryan Brumfield's 29 yards on nine carries. Freshman quarterback Brogan Roback went just 1-of-12 for four yards with one interception. Roback also lost a fumble. Tyler Benz came off the bench to throw incompletions on all five of his attempts including one pick. EMU picked up just four first downs and allowed BGSU to rack up 560 total yards of offense. The Eagles' only points came courtesy of a 10-yard interception return for a touchdown by Sean Kurtz. EMU will finish up its season on Friday at Central Michigan.
KENT STATE: First-year head coach Paul Haynes ended his inaugural year at Kent State (4-8, 3-5) on a positive note as the team completed a 44-13 rout of Ohio University on Tuesday. In the final game of his collegiate career, Dri Archer rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns while also tallying 53 yards on five catches. Colin Reardon threw for 213 yards and a touchdown on 18-of-30 passing. Nate Terhune converted his only rush into a 61-yard score for KSU. Nate Holley anchored the defense with 12 total tackles. The Golden Flashes set a new season-high with their 44 points and 31-point margin of victory.
MASSACHUSETTS: A handful of injuries and four turnovers hurt the Minutemen (1-10, 1-6) as they were shut out, 37-0, by Central Michigan on Saturday. The loss marked the fifth setback in a row and second time UMass has been shutout this season. A.J. Doyle connected on only 6-of-16 passes for 45 yards and was picked off three times as the team generated a total of only 173 yards of offense. With starting tailback Lorenzo Woodley out for the game, freshman Shadrach Abrokwah contributed 93 yards on the ground in his collegiate debut. UMass allowed CMU to gain 298 yards, but it help the Chippewas to just one touchdown on their four red zone visits. Junior linebacker Stanley Andre anchored the defense with eight total stops. The Minutemen will conclude their second year at the FBS level on Friday against the Ohio Bobcats at Peden Stadium.
MIAMI-OHIO: The struggle in Oxford continued for the RedHawks (0-11, 0-8) as they were dispatched, 44-7, by Buffalo at Yager Stadium on Tuesday. Miami was held to just 200 yards of total offense and did not score until the 3:04 mark of the fourth quarter to end a 44-0 run by the Bulls. Austin Gearing hit on only 5-of-19 pass attempts for 65 yards and was intercepted once and sacked seven times. The RedHawks committed three turnovers in total and allowed Buffalo to amass 517 yards of total offense. Josh Dooley led the defense with 13 total tackles and Heath Harding made an interception in the end zone in the third quarter. The RedHawks will try to end their 15-game losing slide on Friday in their 2013 finale at Ball State.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS: With Jordan Lynch leading the way, the Huskies (11-0, 7-0) overcame a slow start to defeat Toledo, 35-17, and clinch a spot in the MAC Championship for the fourth consecutive season. NIU trailed, 10-7, at halftime before scoring touchdowns on four straight drives to begin the second half. The Huskies had three drives stall and result in zero points as Matthew Sims missed on field goal attempts from 23, 40 and 47 yards away in the opening half. Lynch rushed for 161 yards and three scores. The senior signal caller also finished 17-of-22 for 202 yards through the air. The team was without starting receivers Tommylee Lewis and Da'Ron Brown due to injury, however Juwan Brescacin stepped up and made eight grabs for 121 yards. Cameron Stingily compiled 146 yards on 18 carries. Jimmie Ward made a spectacular interception to record his sixth pick of the campaign. The Huskies have won a nation-leading 15 road games in a row and also extended their FBS-best conference winning streak to 24 games. Now ranked 14th in the BCS poll, NIU will try to remain undefeated as it closes out its campaign at home against Western Michigan on Tuesday.
OHIO UNIVERSITY: The Bobcats (6-5, 3-4) lost on Tuesday for the third straight week since becoming bowl eligible as they were routed, 44-13, by Kent State at Peden Stadium. The Golden Flashes outgained the team on the evening, 537-204. Only 69 of the Bobcats' yards came on the ground. Ohio held a 6-3 lead at the end of the first quarter, but unraveled over the next 45 minutes of play. Senior quarterback Tyler Tettleton connected on only 11-of-24 attempts for 132 yards and a score. Donte Foster reeled in four catches for 35 yards and Beau Blankenship gained 76 yards on 23 rushing attempts. Sophomore linebacker Ben Russell recorded a team-best eight tackles. Tettleton, Blankenship and Foster will try to win their final game at Peden Stadium on Friday when the Bobcats take on Massachusetts.
TOLEDO: For the fourth season in a row, Toledo (7-4, 5-2) had its hopes of making a trip to the MAC Championship ended by Northern Illinois as it lost to the Huskies, 35-17, on Wednesday. Terrance Owens completed 17-of-29 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns with two picks. His interception in the first quarter snapped a string of 76 pass attempts without an interception. NIU found a way to slow down Kareem Hunt, who had his streak of four 100-yard games come to an end. Hunt finished with 91 yards on 19 carries as the Rockets fell to 10-2 at the Glass Bowl under coach Matt Campbell. Alonzo Russell made five grabs for 100 yards while Bernard Reedy made four catches for 63 yards and a score. The loss marked the team's first setback since Sept. 28 and also its first home setback since Nov. 6, 2012. Toledo will end its regular season at Akron on Friday.
WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos (1-10, 1-6) had a bye week after losing to Central Michigan on Nov. 16. They will try to snap their two-game losing slide on Tuesday when they visit Northern Illinois.
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