Entering the second half of the season, the top dogs in the Mid-American Conference were prepared for a series of contests against games that could be considered road bumps if overlooked. But good teams do not look past opponents; they take care of business, and that is exactly what these MAC teams did.
Toledo Tops Central Michigan
Toledo's Astin Martin ran for 101 yards on 16 carries and scored three touchdowns on the way to a 31-13 victory over Central Michigan.
"This was a championship game for us," stated Toledo head coach Tom Astutz in a press release.
"In order for our future games to mean anything, we had to win this one. This was a tough football team. If we don't come in here mentally and physically ready to play, we could have gotten beat. It's that simple."
The Rockets (5-2 overall, 3-0 MAC) notched 643 total yards against the CMU Chippewas (2-5 overall, 0-4 MAC), running for 422 yards and passing for 221 more, setting a new stadium record.
Toledo scored all the points they would need in the first quarter as Martin ran four touchdowns and Trinity Dawson (26 carries for 165 yards, TD) added another. Lance Moore had 105 yards receiving on 13 catches to lead the Toledo passing attack.
RedHawks Rout Ball State, 49-3
The Miami of Ohio RedHawks (6-1 overall, 3-0 MAC) extended their winning streak to six games with a 49-3 beatdown of the Ball State Cardinals (3-4 overall, 2-1 MAC). MU also extended its record for forty-point games to six games.
The RedHawks' defense was stellar once again, as sophomores John Busing and Darrell Hunter each returned interceptions for touchdowns in the first half, marking the first time Miami scored a defensive touchdown this season. For the game, Miami allowed a season-low 182 yards of total offense and tallied a season-high four interceptions.
MU quarterback Ben Roethlisberger finished the day with 215 yards passing against the MAC's top-ranked pass defense - the 15th straight game in which he's passed for more than 200 yards. He also has thrown 110 straight passes without an interception.
Huskies Remain Hot with Win over Western Michigan
The sixteenth ranked Northern Illinois Huskies (7-0 overall, 3-0 MAC) extended their winning streak to seven games with a 37-10 win over the Western Michigan Broncos (3-4 overall, 2-2 MAC).
With the win, NIU keeps up with Oklahoma, Miami, Texas Christian and Virginia Tech as the only ranked unbeaten teams.
Huskies tailback Michael "The Burner" Turner caught a 38-yard TD pass in the first quarter to open up a 7-0 lead, and they never looked back, as they scored touchdowns on their next three possessions. Turner closed the game with 173 rushing yards and a rushing TD, which he scored with 3:45 left in the first half.
"It was probably, in my opinion, our best football game of the year, our best 60 minutes of the year," stated NIU head coach Joe Novak in a press release. "The highlight for us, was that long drive to open the third quarter. That was a great job by our offensive team."
Falcons Fly Past Eastern Michigan, 33-20
Falcons quarterback Josh Harris had 283 total yards and three rushing touchdowns as Bowling Green (6-1 overall, 3-0 MAC) beat the Eastern Michigan Eagles (1-7 overall, 0-4 MAC) by the score of 33-20. Harris threw for 187 yards and rushed for 96 more in the victory.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
