Around the MAC

The Mid-American Conference made a statement Saturday with three big wins and proved that it belongs to be in the BCS picture. MAC teams won three-of-four games against ranked BCS conference opponents and made a major impact on the national football landscape.

Marshall Stuns Kansas State

Marshall kicked off the MAC's big day with their first ever win against a ranked major college opponent.

"I can't say enough about the team and the courage they showed," stated Marshall Coach Bob Pruett in a press release. "Everybody had us 1-3, except us. It's a great win for us, maybe the biggest win since the win over Xavier (1971)."

Marshall backup Graham Gochneaur threw two touchdowns, including the game winner with three minutes to go, in place of the injured Stan Hill. The Thundering Herd, usually known for their passing game, ran all over the Wildcats, getting 112 yards rushing from Franklin Wallace and another 83 from Earl Charles.

Toledo Punks Panthers

Toledo made a stunning effort pay off against No. 9 ranked Pittsburgh as the Rockets took down the Panthers 35-31. Gradkowski set a MAC record, throwing 49 passes in 62 attempts for 461 yards.

"He's getting more confident with the offense and himself," stated Toledo coach Tom Amstutz in a press release. "As a coach that's all you can ask for a player, to keep getting better every game."

He led the Rockets on a 98-yard drive in the final minutes, the big play coming on third down at midfield when he found Steve Odom for a 31-yard gain. That play set up Trinity Dawson's 2-yard TD that cut Pitt's lead to 31-28 with 6:45 remaining.

Huskies be Illin'

Northern Illinois took down their second ranked opponent when No. 21 Alabama fell against the Huskies 19-9. Josh Haldi threw two second-half touchdown passes, one to Shatone Powers for 13-yards and one to Dan Sheldon for 48-yards. The Huskies remain undefeated.

"When we got the touchdown to take the lead, that was big for our confidence and put them on their heels," Huskies coach Joe Novak stated in a press release. "Then we got another one and they started to panic a bit."

Around the MAC

No. 4 Ohio State defeated Bowling Green 24-17. Buckeyes defensive end Will Allen picked off a Josh Harris pass on the final play of the game to save the Ohio State win. Syracuse thumped Central Florida 38-14 at the Carrier Dome. Walter Reyes rushed 31times for a school second-best 241 yards. Penn State overcame a 10-0 deficit and beat Kent State 32-10 on the back of Austin Green's 100-yard, three touchdown day. Navy rushed for 372 yards as they beat Eastern Michigan 39-7. The Midshipmen's Tony Lane rushed just five times for 82 yards. Ball State rode Talmadge Hill's three touchdown passes to a 27-14 win over MAC rival Central Michigan. Miami (OH) captured the program's 1000th victory with a 41-21 spanking of Colorado State. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns and Mike Smith added three rushing touchdowns. Akron pounded Division I-AA Howard 65-7. The Zips ran for 340 yards on 47 carries, racked up 352 yards passing and never punted the ball.