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In college football you have to run the ball and create turnovers to be successful. This was evident in the Mid-American Conference this weekend as NIU and Marshall had multiple 100-yard backs en route to big wins over their opponents on Saturday.

West Virginia also had a running back go over 100 yards and had a big special teams play - a blocked punt for a touchdown - that helped them to win against UCF. Turnovers were also a factor in NIU's win over Ball State as they scored 20 points in the second quarter as a direct result of turnovers.

No. 21 Northern Illinois defeats Ball State 48-23

The Northern Illinois Huskies did everything right in their 48-23 win over Ball State Saturday. The defense played well against Ball State, creating turnovers and shutting down the passing game, and the offense did their part producing two one hundred-yard backs and capitalizing on turnovers scoring 48 points in the win.

The win gives NIU an 8-1 record overall and a 4-1 record in the MAC, and drops Ball State's record to 4-5 overall and 3-2 in the Mid-American Conference.

NIU took control of this football game in the second quarter scoring 27 points against Ball State, 20 of which came as a result of turnovers.

"You can't turn the ball over like that and expect to win, I lost count after three," stated Ball State head coach Brady Hoke after the loss. "We had no momentum. We'd throw an interception or have a dumb penalty. You have to control the football and get some points on the board."

NIU running back Michael Turner had a big game against the Cardinals, with 126 yards rushing and three touchdowns as well as 52 yards receiving out of the backfield. Turner rushed for over 100 yards for the 18th time in his career.

"We knew the whole week that we had a chance to run the ball well," Turner stated in a press release.

During the loss to Bowling Green last week Turner only carried the ball 17 times during the course of the game. This week in their win over Ball State Turner had six straight carries in the game's opening drive for 39 yards leading NIU down the field for a score.

"They ran the ball where they wanted to and when they wanted to," stated Ball State coach Brady Hoke.

Marshall Thunders to Another Victory

Marshall's offense was the story of the game as they racked up the yardage on Akron with 573 total yards, along with having two running backs with over a hundred yards rushing in the game. The win improves Marshall's record to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the MAC. Akron's record falls to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the MAC.

Earl Charles ran for 121 yards and three touchdowns for Marshall and Butchie Wallace had 147 yards and a 36-yard rushing touchdown in the win over Akron.

"Our running backs ran the ball very well tonight," Marshall head coach Bob Pruett stated after the victory. "Butchie, Earl and Tank all did a great job and I cannot say enough about their performance tonight."

Marshall quarterback Graham Gochneaur went 15-for-25 for 199 yards and two touchdowns, along with 52 yards rushing in the win.

"Graham was excellent, he did a great job of getting us in and out of plays and throwing the ball," stated coach Pruett.

"I was really proud of our football team and coaches," stated Pruett after the win. "The defense was outstanding and we controlled the line of scrimmage. We were good in every phase of the game and it was a great win for us."

Golden Knights get Mountaineered

West Virginia had to overcome some mistakes and injuries in their win over University of Central Florida on Saturday 36-18. The Mountaineers lost quarterback Rasheed Marshall to a concussion in the third quarter of the game.

Big plays put West Virginia in position to win the game after failing to convert for touchdowns on two possessions inside of UCF's 10-yard line. West Virginia recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown and backup quarterback Charles Hales connected with Chris Henry for a 79-yard TD pass play to give the Mountaineers a 33-11 lead in the fourth. West Virginia also rushed the ball very well in the game as Quincy Wilson ran for 135 yards in the contest.

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