With Mid-American Conference play in high gear the MAC big boys looked to keep rolling, while some of their smaller name opponents had their eyes set on upsets. NIU survived a scare for the second week in a row, while Bowling Green disposed of Western Michigan.
Northern Illinois Rallies For Victory
Down 17-3 at the half, the Huskies 5-0 record looked to be in jeopardy. But just as they did the week before, the resilient Huskies (6-0, 2-0 MAC) came out strong in the second half and kept their undefeated record in tact.
NIU scored 37 points in the second half to roll to a 40-24 victory.
NIU's star running back Michael Turner burned the Chippewas (2-4, 0-3 MAC) for 199 yards on 28 carries, for a 7.1-yard average.
"I wasn't too worried about the score at halftime. I was worried more about how we were playing," stated Huskies head coach Joe Novak. "We have been down in every game this year, so our kids are used to it."
NIU had just 68 yards on the ground in the first half, despite Turner having 71 yards in the first quarter. Turner finished the game with 4,049 yards to become the tenth player in MAC history to rush for 4,000.
Bowling Green Bowls Over Western Michigan
Josh Harris threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns and also ran in scores to lead the Falcons over Western Michigan (3-3, 2-1 MAC).
"Josh Harris was without question, the guy today," Gary Darnell stated after the game.
Bowling Green (5-1, 2-0 MAC) racked up 510 yards of total offense against stud defensive lineman Jason Babin and the Broncos.
With the win Bowling Green joined NIU and Ball State atop the MAC West, with a showdown between BGSU and NIU looming in two weeks.
Falcons' defensive back Janssen Patton picked off three WMU passes to tie his own school record.
Marshall Flashes by Kent State
Marshall Stadium held a record crowd of 33,537 people as the Thundering Herd (3-3, 1-1 MAC) topped the Kent State Golden Flashes (3-4, 2-2 MAC) 49-33.
In his first start since suffering an injury against Tennessee, quarterback Stan Hill threw for 392 yards and five touchdowns on 27 completions. Two Marshall receivers had 100-yard games, with Josh Davis gaining 143 yards along with three touchdowns and Darius Watts providing 123yards and a touchdown.
"I set a standard and I want them to stay in this picture and if they're not in this picture we are going to do everything we can to keep them in that picture," stated Herd head coach Bob Pruett in his weekly press conference. "I have had championship rings around here every year I've been here and we are not going to give up on it that easy."
Wrap-up
Ohio defeated UCF 28-0, scoring 21 points in the first quarter in Athens, Ohio. Freshman quarterback Austen Everson rushed for over a hundred yards, the first Bobcat to do so this season. Toledo beat Eastern Michigan 49-14. Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski threw three touchdowns to three different receivers in the effort. He is tied for second in that category with 14. Akron breezed past Cal Poly 45-14. Akron is now in second place of the Eastern division, at 4-3, 2-2 MAC.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
