AKRON AT MIAMI OF OHIO

There is a lot on the line for Miami of Ohio as they meet the Zips in another mid-week, made for TV appearance on ESPN2. If the RedHawkSkins win this game, in which they are favored by nine points, their MAC East Division record would improve to 4-1 -- so -- Akron, which has been out of the divisional race since the Temple game, has a chance to play spoiler again, as it did with last week's victory over the Ohio U Snobkittens. Akron's victory over OU spoiled a chance for the MAC East Championship to be on the line when Miami meets their arch-rival in Athens next week.

With a victory, Miami of Ohio would come within one game of clinching, at least a share, of the MAC East title for the fourth time in the last five years. The Zips fortunes in "The Cradle of Coaches" has not been very impressive, losing the last six out of seven games in Oxford.

The RedHawks have won their last three contests at Yager Stadium, defeating Syracuse (17-14) and Buffalo (31-28). Miami has not won four consecutive games on its home field since it won five in a row at Yager during the 2004 season.

Miami tops the MAC in scoring defense, allowing 26 points per game through 10 contests. Through five conference games, the RedHawks have yielded a league-leading average of just 16.4 points.

DUELING QBs

Like Akron, Miami has had two quarterbacks leading their offense -- sophomore Dan Raudabaugh and Senior Mike Kokal. The season started with Raudabaugh as Kokal's back-up, however, head coach Shane Montgomery used both on a regular basis. Raudabaugh and Kokal have combined for 2,830 yards passing and 11 touchdowns. Both chalked up an impressive performance in a three-overtime, 41-35 loss at Minnesota, with a combined 30 completions in 52 attempts for 418 yards. The two-quarterback sho ended, however, when Kokal injured a knee in game six against Kent State. Since then, Raudabaugh has started every game, leading the RedHawks to two wins and two losses.

Defensively, Miami runs a 4-3. The D-line has a nice mix of two sophomores, a junior and a senior, who can put pressure on the quarterback. Against Buffalo, the Miami D-line had six sacks, adding to their MAC-leading tally of 25.

Miami is also strong in the specialty phase of the game. Junior punter Jake Richardson ranks seventh in the nation with an average of 45.6 yards per kick. Eugene Harris, a freshman, ranks second in the MAC in punt returns, averaging 11 yards per return.

REDHAWKS HAVE BLUE BLOOD

You will notice two famous names on the Miami roster. Junior linebacker Chris Shula, who is normally a back-up, starting only one game against Vanderbilt, is the grandson of NFL Hall of Fame coach and John Carroll grad Don Shula. Another name you may recognize is Nate Parseghian, Miami's starting place kicker. Yes, Nate is the grandson of former Notre Dame coach and Miami alum (and Akron native) Ara Parseghian.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Miami is going to be a tough game for the Zips. Akron's young offensive line, although improving, is going up against a formidable foe in Miami's front four. The Zips' defense is taking on a potent passing attack guarded by the only offensive line to ever earn the MAC East Division Players of the Week Award. A talented RedHawk team, combined with the fact that the Zips look forward to playing in Oxford about as much as General Custer vacationed at Little Big Horn, means a long night for the blue and gold.

Akron at Miami game notes

Preview: Toledo vs. Ball State

Just a quick announcement here, but sorry for not getting the previews for the Kent State/NIU and Penn State/Temple games. GMoney, by the way, correctly predicted a Northern Illinois upset, but it never made its way onto here. The reason? Well, I drifted away into to sleep while watching the remaining minutes of the Rutgers/Army game last Friday night.

Then, I didn't have access to a computer on Monday so I wasn't able to recap the weekly action! So, once again, I'm a slacker :(





When: 7:30 PM ET, ESPN2

Why You Should Care: This game certainly does provide a lot of intrigue with the MAC bowl picture up in the air at this point. Ball State sits at 5-5, Miami OH sits at 5-5, and Toledo sits at 5-5. It's beginning to look like Bowling Green will get one of those 3 MAC bids up for grabs (or 4 if Louisville can't become eligible) assuming they can force a split against Buffalo and Toledo which isn't a given. CMU is a lock for the Motor City Bowl. So the MAC is in a state of flux when it comes to its bowl representations. Plus, if you like offense this is your game! Ball State and Toledo are loaded offensively, but neither defense has had a lot of luck this year.

Toledo Will Win Because...: This team is about as hot as they come offensively as they've been racking up the yards. The Cardinal defense gives up about 435 yards a game! The Rockets have been averaging about 46 points a game over their last five.

Ball State Will Win Because...: As much as you can say about Ball State's defense, they are 5th in turnover margin. Plus, Toledo's defense has been downright terrible, 115th in the nation in points allowed per game. Nate Davis should have a career day.

Keep an Eye on...: Jalen Parmale. Most MAC people are aware of what Parmele can do, but those who will be tuning in for the first time to Toledo football will be impressed. He should be primed for a big day because, let's face it, Ball State's run defense isn't all that spectacular....

Prediction: Toledo's defense and lack of home field will prevent them from pulling out the victory. I'm sure most of us remember that great finish these two teams had last year, but just expect more scoring this go-around. Ball State will come up with one more crucial defensive stop, offensive play, and turnover to win a close game. Ball State wins, 41-35.

MACwire

OWLS BETTER BUT CAN'T BEST LIONS

It had been 13 years since Penn State played Temple in Philadelphia, and it will take all of, oh, 13 hours to forget yesterday's ho-hum addition to the one-sided series. The Nittany Lions scored a 31-0 victory over the improved Owls at Lincoln Financial Field, but if there's anything to remember about the game, it's not how Penn State went about boosting its record against Temple to 33-2-1. The Philadelphia Inquirer

LIONS AND OWLS FANS STAKE OUT TURN EARLY

If you wanted to tailgate at yesterday's sold-out Penn State-Temple football game, you had to get in line. The Philadelphia Inquirer

TEMPLE SETS ATTENDANCE RECORD IN LOSS TO PENN STATE

Twenty-fifth-ranked Penn State's Rodney Kinlaw ran for a career-high 168 yards and a touchdown as the Nittany Lions beat a Temple, 31-0, on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field. The attendance of 69,029 was the largest home crowd in the history of Temple football and the largest home crowd in Mid-American Conference history. Owlsports.com

PENN STATE POST GAME INTERVIEWS (video)...PennLive.com

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HUSKIES DOUBLE THEIR PLEASURE

Northern Illinois University's 27-20 victory over Kent State won't make big headlines, not like Illinois' 28-21 toppling of top-ranked Ohio State. Daily Chronicle (DeKalb, IL)

ANDERSON ETCHES NAME INTO BOOKS

Northern Illinois University tailback Justin Anderson disappointed his offensive line by not scoring a touchdown on his historic carry. Starting right guard Onyebuagu said the line discussed Anderson passing the 1,000-yard mark with a long touchdown run. Daily Chronicle (DeKalb, IL)

FLASHES FALTER AGAINST NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Northern Illinois rolled up over 500 yards of total offense to hold on for a 27-20 Mid-American Conference win on Saturday over the visiting Kent State Golden Flashes. Record-Courier (Kent-Ravenna, OH)
(photo: Kate Weber/Daily Chronicle)

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In MAC Basketball Action...

ROCKETS SQUEAK OUT OPENER

UT shoots 61.5 percent in first half, holds off Missouri St. The Blade

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KNIGHT GETS 22 IN FALCONS WIN

Chris Knight scored 22 points in his personal homecoming as Bowling Green opened up a big first-half lead before settling for a 78-67 win over Belmont yesterday. The Blade

FALCONS DOWN BELMONT 78-67, TO GIVE ORR FIRST WIN AT BGSU

The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team led from start to finish, posting a 78-67 win over Belmont University Saturday evening (Nov. 10). The non-conference contest was held at Fifth Third Arena on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. BGSU Athletics

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TOO PHYSICAL: BRONCOS WHISTLED FOR STYLE, FAIL TO ADJUST IN LOSS TO PACIFIC

The Broncos committed 28 fouls Saturday night in a 90-76 season-opening loss to Pacific here in the first of three games at the World Vision Invitational. The Kalamazoo Gazette

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UMASS DOWNS HUSKIES

The Minutemen held control of the game for the previous 35 minutes, knocking down 14 three-pointers and scoring 31 points off NIU turnovers on their way to the 102-87 non-conference triumph at the McLeod Center. The Chronicle (DeKalf, IL)

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DETROIT MERCY 61, KENT STATE 60

Detroit Mercy senior point guard Jon Goode nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Titans a surprising 61-60 victory over Kent State on Saturday. Detroit Free Press

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Today's MAC Basketball Action

Preview: BGSU vs. EMU

When: 7:30 PM ET, ESPNU

Why You Should Care: Is Bowling Green going to separate themselves from the pack with a win tonight? They've been a very on-and-off style football team while Eastern Michigan hasn't been able to score against anybody (besides Ohio). The Eagles will try to make their season seem at least somewhat decent with another surprising MAC victory.

Bowling Green Will Win Because...: Eastern Michigan has an average pass defense, but the Falcons should be able to exploit it anyway. As of the moment, we're talking about the #11 passing offense in the country led by the explosive sophomore, Tyler Sheehan.

Eastern Michigan Will Win Because...: If there's anything you can say Eastern Michigan does well besides punting, it would be their ability to run (even though they're 75th in the nation there). Bowling Green has been having all kinds of trouble stopping the run so Pierre Walker might have a good day.

Keep an Eye on...: Anthony Turner. We all remember Turner as the QB of the 2005 team when Omar Jacobs succumbed to an injury and as the starter during the 2006 season. Coach Brandon figured he could be best utilized as their Antwaan Randle El. He gets a bunch of touches and he has the athleticism that might burn Eastern's defense a few times.

Prediction: Eastern has the potential to make things interesting if they can get something out of the passing game, whether it be with Kyle McMahon or Andy Schmitt. Even so, Bowling Green will have way too much offensive pop to be stopped tonight. Falcons win, 37-20.

Lou Holtz = Nostradamus?

How did he do that?

MAC Basketball Already Underway!

In case you missed it, Wednesday night Buffalo barely squeezed out a victory over Ohio Valley winning 89-82 in the Coaches vs Cancer Classic. Junior swingman Greg Gamble scored a career high 25 points in the victory.

The Bulls face UConn today @ 9 PM EST on ESPN U. It should be interesting to watch, because UConn barely won their game over Morgan State 69-65. A perfect opportunity for the Bulls to upset the unsuspecting Huskies. Buffalo also put together a deal that would send UConn to play @ Buffalo next year because of this game.

Akron & Miami OH are still in their pre-season slates playing Walsh University and California (PA) respectively on Thursday. Xavier plays @ Oxford on Tuesday and Akron plays in Alaska in a week.

Friday

Brown visits EMU for their season opener at noon. Then a couple night games happen at 7 PM with Ball State hosting last year's surprise team Butler and NMSU visiting Athens for Ohio's opener. I expect a ton of points being scored in that game!

NIU must play 3 games in 3 days in the BTI Kickoff Tournament starting with an 8:15 game against UNI @ Cedar Rapids, IA. Get your scoreboards ready for that one! UMass & Cal Poly are the other opponents on the weekend for the Huskies.

Bowling Green also has a 3-game slate @ the Peggy Cronin Classic in Cincinnati. They play Western Carolina at 9 and then Belmont on Saturday & Cincinnati on Sunday.

Saturday

Toledo kicks off their season at 7 PM hosting the Missouri State Bears who are ranked #7 in the Mid-Major poll. Kent State is still in exhibition mode until next Sunday's Chicago Invitational, as they are playing @ Detroit-Mercy at 7 pm as well.

NIU and Bowling Green continue their tourney games, while Western Michigan heads west for the World Vision Invitational @ Eugene, OR. They start off with Pacific, Pepperdine on Sunday and then they play #12 Oregon on Monday.

Sunday

NIU & Bowling Green wrap up their tourneys, while WMU is in their 2nd game against Pepperdine. EMU hosts Radford at 4 PM.


I'll recap some of the games and look at the upcoming matchups at the beginning of next week sometime.

Breezy

Wednesday Preview: Ohio vs. Akron

When: 7:30 PM ET, ESPN2

Why You Should Care: Ohio was sort of left for dead a little bit ago. However, they've managed to string 3 victories in their last 4 games, that one loss coming on a heatbreaker of a meltdown to Toledo. Akron is struggling right now and they're looking to get some consistency on offense.

Ohio Will Win Because...: Akron's rushing defense is ranked 88th in the nation and the Bobcats have Kalvin McRae. Can somebody say, mismatch? The Zips haven't been spectacular against the run so Coach Solich should exploit that. In this little run, Ohio hasn't played a lot of defense, but maybe a 7-point-allowed game against Temple last Friday will turn that around.

Akron Will Win Because...: J.D. Brookhart is too good of a coach to have this poor of a season. Akron should be a whole lot better than this and there's no excuse to losing to Buffalo and Temple in the same season (even though both are mightily improvded). The Zips have had issues at QB especially, but they did get some offense generated against Bowling Green.

Keep an Eye on...: Let's keep our eyes peeled for Brion Stokes. He hasn't been a huge force on defense, but the guy has a lot of ability and he's one of the best LBs in all of the Mid-American Conference.

Prediction: Don't expect a scoringfest. Neither team has a great offense and I do think that the Zip defense will show up and play tonight in the Rubber Bowl. My only fear is that they won't have an easy day stopping McRae. Expect Kalvin to rush for about 150+ tonight on their way to a solid victory. Ohio wins, 27-17.

Wow! CMU/WMU Analysis

Holy cow! Where do we begin?

First off, if you didn't see it, you really missed out on a special game. Just about everything in the game was really fun to see (well, besides maybe the second quarter).

It starts off very heated because it is indeed a rivalry game. Things are a little chippy, Hiller spoke of a "clean" hatred for one another, and of course the biggie tonight and the probable game-changer for the Broncos: Jamarko Simmons' ejection.

Simmons was ejected for "kicking" (more like a "get-away-from-me" kind of shove and he happened to have his foot entangled) Red Keith, the Central Michigan linebacker. He sort of did an acting job because there's no way he was shoved that hard by somebody's foot and it didn't look like he exerted enough force on Keith to really move him that far. Anyway, the ref saw this and ejected Simmons. Simmons couldn't control his frustration and was sent to the lockeroom.

Western Michigan did start out strong scoring early and taking a 7-0 lead. The Broncos had a shot at taking a 10-0 lead off of a Dan LeFevour INT, but the snap was bobbled and they lost possession. Central responded with a FG near the middle of the second quarter. The receivers were not helping Hiller or LeFevour out at all. Both teams suffered a ton of dropped passes all of the way until the third quarter. Also, I haven't seen either team play as well defensively as these teams did for the first three quarters of the game. It was refreshing to see because CMU has been getting torched and Western has totally stunk defensively so far this season. I did notice one thing and Ray Bentley pointed out was the fact that CMU didn't burn a timeout which caused all sorts of confusion. They were in the red zone and had to settle for a FG instead of a TD.

The fourth quarter was when things really began to heat up. Western knocked a FG through the uprights to tie things up at 10 a piece. At this point in the game, Dan LeFevour starting ripping through the Western defense. It really wasn't pretty, but the Broncos did respond time and time again on offense. The spearing penalty really hurt Western on one of CMU's scoring drives and Bryan Anderson really stepped up to the plate being the only Chippewa who could catch a pass longer than 5 yards tonight....

Anyway, a great rush prevented Tim Hiller from making a wise choice, so he flung a football right at Calvin Hissong. He couldn't take it into the endzone though and CMU had to settle for a FG. I turned the channel over to Dennis Miller's new show on Versus for a second because even I had lost hope for the Broncos. The instant I flip it back to ESPN2, I see a fantastic catch by Herb Martin which put the Broncos within three points.

And, with a bit of foreshadowing in the mix, LeFevour failed to call a timeout (audibling instead) while the play clock was running low which caused all kinds of confusion. The blockers on the left side didn't pick up their blocks and LeFevour fumbled the ball right into Western's hands. Western scored on a dash from Brandon West which included two hideous arm tackles.

So, the score is now 31-27 and it looks like all hope is lost. After all, it's about time that something goes Cubit's way.

Turns out that wasn't the case. Wilson bit on a combo of the LeFevour pump fake and the great route running by Bryan Anderson. One accurate bomb later from the sophomore QB, CMU was setting up shop inside the one yard line with a little under a minute to go. CMU tried a QB sneak that probably was a TD and, after much reviewing, was ruled incorrectly due to lack of substantial evidence to overturn the call. The Chippewas tried it one more time (reminding me of the "Bush Push" which Bentley pointed out) and that should've been stopped due to FORWARD PROGRESS. It's clear that he was stuffed and the refs should have blown the whistle. Instead, LeFevour gets pushed into the endzone and after yet another review, the play stood.

But wait! It's not over. After a failed lateral on the kickoff return, the Broncos had two seconds. They were actually pretty successful on some of the laterals after a Tim Hiller completion and I started thinking, "Hmmmmmmm........Trinity/Millsaps, perhaps?" But, it didn't work out that way. Western suffered yet another devastating blow.

There are a few things we can take away from this game. Central Michigan finally played some defense which I suppose is newsworthy. Western Michigan played a little bit of that too by not getting steamrolled in the early going. I think both teams have some good resolve and they know how to bounce back from adversity. The Broncos had nothing to play for in this game besides embarrassing a despised rival and they played with an amount of intensity I haven't seen before. Central Michigan never lost faith that they could win and I think the coach, Butch Jones, deserves some credit for that.

One thing is for sure: This game cracks my all-time favorite-game list. No, it's not just because they're MAC teams, this was just a great rivalry game that won't be forgotten up here at least.

Where Does Akron Go From Here?

Now that any hope of winning something for the trophy case is over, it's time for coach J.D. Brookhart to start thinking of what needs to be done this year to lay a solid foundation for next year. And there is much to do.

Needs:

A starting quarterback that displays leadership skills. Can that role be filled by either Jacquemain or Jackson? Perhaps Jacquemain can mature to the point of being effective. Many of his mistakes were the mental errors of a rookie. In my opinion, Jackson shoud be at another position.

An offensive line.

With the loss of Jabari Arthur, receivers.

With the loss of John Mackey, someone to blitz and perhaps even more important - lead!

Rethinking the 3-3-5 defense.

Yes, coach Brookhart has to use these remaining games to right the ship. It starts this Wednesday night against Ohio U.

I sensed at the Bowling Green game that the Zips had given up, especially on defense. We know the D has talent. So, their play at BG can be nothing more than a lack of having the right attitude, as witnessed by defensive captain John Mackey chewing their butts out on the sideline. I'm not sure the offense ever had the talent this year, so whether or not they have raised the white flag on the season is difficult to determine.

Is thinking about next year giving up on the current season? No, not from a development stand point. But whatever arrangements Brookhart is going to make, he had better start now. It's too difficult to do this while the season is underway. He could actually look at this as an opportunity to improve.

We all knew going in to this season that the Zips were young, especially on offense...had to find a new starting quarterback...had to start developing a predominately new offensive line.

From what I've read on the Internet, many Zips fans have given up on Brookhart. The swager and confidence that they had in him after the 2005 MAC Championship, Motor City Bowl and victory over NC State in 2006 has been reduced to many of them asking, "Is J.D. the man?"

I was not looking for a MAC championship this year...just progress. The Zips, so far, have displayed neither. Clearly, the highlight of the 2007 season was winning the Wagon Wheel back from Kent State. In these final three games -- against Ohio, Miami and Central Michigan -- I'm holding out hope that now that the chance for a championship is history, the chance for progress is not.

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Tuesday Preview: CMU vs. WMU

When: 7:30 PM ET, ESPN2

Why You Should Care: Is Western Michigan going to roll over in this game? Trying to cap off a disappointing season (and a tough early OOC schedule), they could at least stop a little bit of the bleeding with a win over hated rival, Central Michigan. CMU has been great in MAC play, but awful out of it and, obviously, this is a conference game (meaning good CMU might show up).

Central Michigan Will Win Because...: The Chips aren't keen on running the football, but when they do, expect some fireworks. Western Michigan had a good rushing defense last year, but for some reason in 2007, they're just awful. Standing at 96th against the run, Justin Hoskins should have a good day. Plus, any time you've got Dan LeFevour, you have a chance to win football games. Western's offense has really been sputtering over the last few games here and Tim Hiller isn't getting a lot of help around him.

Western Michigan Will Win Because...: It's tough to say with the way they played against Eastern, but these guys have a real good chance to stick it to the defending MAC champions and play spoiler for a little bit. Ball State is still alive if they can defeat the Chips tonight. Hiller has some skill, it's just a matter of getting him in the right situations. They need to establish the running game as well. Also, Central Michigan's defense has done absolutely next to nothing all season long getting trounced when offenses execute halfway decently.

Keep an Eye on...: Red Keith. The guy just makes plays all over the place. By far and away the best CMU defender, Keith has a chance to keep the Bronco offense from doing too much tonight.

Prediction: This might be a little lower scoring than predicted. I think the weather situation might have an effect on that. The forecast calls for below-freezing temps (low 30's, high 20's), 10+ mph wind, and sleety/rainy/snowy forms of precipitation. However, this won't stop Dan LeFevour cold in his tracks (no pun intended). He'll be able to run and run and run and run against the Broncos and Hoskins has the potential for a big game. Still, with this being an in-state rivalry and all, Western won't roll over as badly as they did against Eastern. It'll be a battle, but Central will wind up on top at Waldo Stadium by a score of 34-28.

Youtubage: Part 1

Well, being a boring Tuesday, I figured this post might exert some kind of excitement for you. It's a video of the Ohio/Toledo epic that was an absolute joy to see.

Ugh...Monday....

Just cluin' you guys in, I'm going to recap the MAC action after Wednesday's Ohio/Akron game. I'll kind of be recapping a week and a half of football, but.............That's the plan, so there. :D

I'll get back to you guys then.