We’re well into the month of November and last week we were treated to five games of Midweek MACtion and a Saturday dessert. The Tuesday night games were absolute thrillers, while the Wednesday and Saturday clashes were more one-sided affairs.
So, in this week’s edition of Monday MAC Musings, let’s reflect on the week with thoughts, takeaways, stats and notes on all six games:
Kent State 42, Akron 35 (OT)
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What a game. Rivalries reign. It’s no coincidence that the top four MAC games of the season were the Wagon Wheel (Kent State-Akron), the Battle of I-75 (Bowling Green-Toledo), the Battle of the Bricks (Ohio-Miami (OH)) and the Battle for the Victory Cannon (Western Michigan-Central Michigan). Rivalries bring out the best in the MAC, and this is no exception.
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Most MAC teams are better on defense than offense this year. It was a nice change of pace to finally watch a MAC game where the offenses reigned supreme. Kent State quarterback Dru DeShields threw for 317 yards and 5 touchdowns on a 17-of-25 performance. Akron quarterback Ben Finley threw for 424 yards and 3 touchdowns on 32-of-59 total receptions, with 14 receptions and 206 yards belonging to wide receiver Marcel Williams. There was no shortage of offensive fireworks during the most impactful conference game of the MAC season.
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Kent State has the fewest red zone attempts in the country this year at 15. The Golden Flashes have just eight red zone touchdowns. Yet they have four touchdown passes of 75 yards or more. The extent to which this offense fluctuates is fascinating. DeShields’ touchdown passes came from 89, 43, 7, 27 and 25 yards Tuesday night.
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Da’Realyst Clark finally checked another box on his resume. The polymath receiver now has two kick return touchdowns, a passing touchdown and a receiving touchdown. He received a deep ball 89 yards in the second quarter, marking his third touchdown of 80 yards or more this season. He’s a First Team All-Electricity type player.
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There were some serious 2023 undertones in this Wagon Wheel match. In 2023 at InfoCision Stadium, Akron erased a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to eliminate Kent State. Two years later, at the same venue, the Zips trailed by 18 in the fourth quarter and came back to force overtime. The comeback was aided by one of the most perfectly executed onside kicks in recent memory, caught on the sideline by Marcel Williams. The comeback seemed like destiny at that point, but Kent State stopped it on fourth down in overtime.
Western Michigan 17, Ohio 13
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Western Michigan controls its own destiny for a MAC Championship Game appearance after knocking off the defending champions in Kalamazoo. The Broncos’ remaining schedule features two non-bowl eligible teams in Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan, although both are in road environments. Despite fielding many competitive teams over the years, Western Michigan surprisingly hasn’t advanced to the MAC title game since the storybook 2016 season under PJ Fleck.
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Western Michigan’s defense is so elite. Toledo only managed 14 points on the Broncos and Ohio only had 13. These are two of the best offenses in the MAC. It’s obvious in hindsight that this unit would be special because of how it contained College Football Playoff contender North Texas (the FBS’s No. 1 offense) in Week 2 – holding the Mean Green to 27 points in regulation. Nadame Tucker is an excellent pass rusher. Tate Hallock is a media coverage star. This unit is loaded at all levels and delivers regularly on a weekly basis.
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Ohio’s scoring defense is remarkably consistent in MAC play. Here’s what they allowed in six conference games – 20, 20, 21, 21, 20 and 17.
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Western Michigan won this game going 0 of 8 on third down, 1 of 3 on fourth down and missing two field goals. A Tailique Williams completion that spanned 71 yards was the deciding factor in this one, setting up the go-ahead run for Jalen Buckley’s fourth-quarter touchdown.
Central Michigan 38, Buffalo 19
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Central Michigan’s ground attack came out of the gate shooting through the air, which was pretty surprising – considering the team throws fewer passes than all FBS teams outside of option-based offenses (Army, Navy, Air Force and Rice). The Chippewas opened the contest with four straight passes, and that was just a preview of what was to come. Joe Labas threw a season-high 24 attempts and successfully completed 18, totaling a season-high 247 yards. This game proved the Chippewas’ versatility when the running game is shut down, and this 75-yard deep throw to Langston Lewis was a beauty.
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Buffalo’s turnover issues are concerning. The Bulls have committed exactly five turnovers in each of their last two losses, falling to Akron and Central Michigan due to turnover issues. Against Central Michigan, many of those turnovers were created by a mismatch at the line of scrimmage. The Chippewas were much more physical in the trenches, generating five sacks and putting the game out of reach on a strip sack in the fourth quarter.
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Central Michigan produced two defensive touchdowns in the same game for the first time since October 7, 2006 against Toledo. The Chippewas opened their scoring effort with a 48-yard pick-and-roll from Jordan Kwiatkowski and Dakota Cochran recorded an 85-yard scoop-and-score in the fourth quarter.
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Ta’Quan Roberson went out with an injury in the fourth quarter, leaving Gunnar Gray to close out this game. Buffalo also briefly experimented with a more mobile quarterback in rookie Jason Wright. All three QBs could see advanced playing time as Buffalo strives for bowl eligibility and possibly an appearance in the MAC title game – depending on health and other game factors.
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This game made the MAC championship race even more complicated. There are now five 4-2 teams in MAC play, including Buffalo and Central Michigan.
Northern Illinois 45, UMass 3
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Northern Illinois never scored more than 21 points all year. The Huskies had 24 at 2:29 of the second quarter, 31 at halftime, and finished with 45 despite going scoreless in the final 23 minutes of action. It felt like an entire season of offensive frustration was pouring out all at once.
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The 42-point victory marked NIU’s largest FBS victory since October 26, 2019. This stat is a recurring theme among MAC teams this year. Kent State had its biggest FBS win since 2021 and Akron since 2002 when they played UMass this year.
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NIU is eliminated from bowl eligibility with two games remaining, but the Huskies have found a starting quarterback in Jalen Macon. Sure, it might have just been UMass, but NIU’s offense couldn’t find that gear against any opponent all year — including its FCS opponent from Week 1. Macon completed 3-of-4 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown, while also reaching 98 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries. Great dual-threat effort from Macon, and he got the role for the rest of November.
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I can’t believe we had the perfect time to replicate the famous meme: “Chris Paul hits a huge three to cut the lead to 42.” With 6:13 left, UMass ended the shutout and took Northern Illinois ahead 45-0 on a 44-yard field goal by Derek Morris – in other words, a huge three to cut the lead to 42. Suddenly, McGuirk Alumni Stadium unloaded the clip of fireworks, as if it were the city of San Diego on July 4, 2012.
Toledo 24, Miami (OH) 3
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Coming into this game, Dequan Finn confronting his old school’s history was extremely intriguing. It was quite surprising to find out that he was unavailable in the moments leading up to the match, and even more surprising to find him off the roster two days later. I will miss watching Dequan Finn at the MAC. He had six good seasons in the conference.
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Toledo did it! Toledo finally won a road game! The Rockets’ offensive production was nowhere near their usual production at the Glass Bowl, but the defense was so dominant that it didn’t even matter. Miami completed 11 of 38 passes for 147 yards and achieved just 75 yards rushing for a 2.3 average. It’s a multi-faceted defensive dominance from the unit that ranks second in the FBS in fewest yards allowed, only behind Ohio State.
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I wonder how many draft picks come from that Toledo secondary. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is certainly one of them. Avery Smith, Andre Fuller, Braden Awls and Nasir Bowers are all excellent in coverage, and there could be some future pro talent in this group. And here’s the thing: All but Fuller were initiated in Toledo. This shows how excellent the development of the Rockets defensive back has been. Co-defensive coordinator Ross Watson – who specializes in working with the DB room – has been on staff for 10 years, and Toledo has already produced four NFL draft defensive back selections during his tenure: Ka’dar Hollman, Tycen Anderson, Samuel Womack and Quinyon Mitchell. This is a great line in a position group for a MAC program.
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This one isn’t on Miami’s defense. Toledo had four goals and only one insider from its own territory. The RedHawks produced three takeaways and countered the Rockets offense quite well. Despite the result, this unit performed very well.
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The entire trajectory of this game changed on Bryson Hammer’s 54-yard punt return (assisted by interference from the Miami coaching staff) seconds before halftime. Being down 7-0 at halftime to 14-0 is a monumental contrast in a game where the defenses are this good.
Eastern Michigan 24, Ball State 9
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Ball State is no longer undefeated at home. The Cardinals fell to 4-1 in Muncie, and this loss will make bowl eligibility much less likely. Ball State must defeat Toledo and Miami (OH) in order to qualify for its first playoffs in four years.
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Ball State needs a passing attack to get to the next level. The Cardinals can operate with a mobile quarterback in Kiael Kelly, but they’ve only reached 200 passing yards once this year. They rank fourth to last in passing yards, only ahead of the offense options of Army and Rice, as well as Northern Illinois. Ball State finished 13 of 22 for 62 yards through the air on Saturday.
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Eastern Michigan continues to unearth new stars at receiver. A few weeks ago, it was true freshman Harold Mack, who had six receptions, 179 yards and two touchdowns against Miami (OH). This time it was senior Jamarian Wheeler. Wheeler has never reached more than four receptions or 32 yards in three years at the FBS level, but Saturday was a forgettable game for him. He caught six passes for 131 yards and a touchdown as Eastern Michigan’s leading receiver, carrying the Eagles to a second straight victory.
