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PREVIEW: No. 17 Western Michigan at Ball State

10/31/2016

Tuesday, Nov. 1 – 8 p.m. ET
Scheumann Stadium
ESPN2

The way Western Michigan has been playing, little if any cautionary messages seem necessary. Still, anybody looking at last week’s MAC action might be tempted to say, “Wow!”

It’s the kind of wow that serves as its own cautionary statement. All four MAC favorites lost last week, kicking off a chaotic MACtion schedule. Undefeated Western Michigan would seem to be above such turmoil, but the MAC West has been the scene of some unexpected outcomes in recent years.

The Broncos seemed . . .

PREVIEW: Bowling Green at Northern Illinois

10/31/2016

Tuesday, Nov. 1 – 8 p.m. ET
Huskie Stadium -- DeKalb, Ill
ESPNU

It might be a little hard to believe in the moment, but this week’s game between Northern Illinois and Bowling Green is a rematch of the participants in the last three MAC championship games. This is Week 10 of the 2016 season, and the two programs own three wins between them.

If the Northern Illinois Huskies . . .

This week in MAC Play

10/31/2016

Lest we get confused with all this weekday football, here is how this week shapes up. Ten MAC teams will be playing over four days – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Some start as early as 6 p.m., so tell the boss you need to leave early to do some field research

Tuesday, Nov. 1
Bowling Green at Northern Illinois (8 p.m. ET)
#17 Western Michigan at Ball State (8 p.m. ET)

Wednesday, Nov. 2
Toledo at Akron (7:30 p.m. ET)

Thursday, Nov. 3
Buffalo at Ohio (6 p.m. ET)

Friday, Nov. 4
Central Michigan at Miami

Late rally sends Kent State past Chippewas

10/30/2016

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich – Shane Hynes' 35-yard field goal as time ran out capped a string of 17 consecutive points that lifted Kent State to a 24-17 come-from-behind victory over Central Michigan on Saturday at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

The Golden Flashes had not scored a game-winner with only zeros left on the clock since 2003 and Hynes had never experienced the thrill of celebrating a walk-off kick in his entire college and high school career. And yet, Hynes had a feeling Saturday would be his first.

After taking the . . .

Miami makes it three straight with win at EMU

10/30/2016

Jared Murphy led Miami with nine receptions for 122 yards and a TD. (MVSmith/MRO)

By MIKE SMITH
YPSILANTI, MI – In a conference blessed with some prolific passers, Gus Ragland’s numbers don’t always draw a lot of attention. Two numbers, however, are gaining the Miami RedHawks quite a bit of attention. Those numbers are 3 and 0.

Miami (3-6, 3-2 MAC) moved its record with Ragland at quarterback to 3-0 Saturday with a 28-15 win over Eastern Michigan at Rynearson Stadium.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)

Ragland, a redshirt sophomore who . . .

Zips, Eagles get basketball preseason poll nod

10/28/2016

Preseason All-Conference Player picks also announced

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Akron Zips and Eastern Michigan Eagles have been selected to win their respective divisions according to the 2016-17 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll. The poll was determined by the league’s 12 head coaches and a 24-member MAC News Media Panel.

The Zips also garnered 15 votes to win the MAC Men's Basketball Tournament. Ten of the league's top men's basketball players were also selected to the preseason All-MAC teams for the East and West Divisions as announced by the league office.

Under coach Keith Dambrot, the Zips . . .

PREVIEW: Kent State at Central Michigan

10/28/2016

Saturday, Oct. 29 – Noon ET
Kelly/Shorts Stadium
CBS Sports Network

By EVAN MEYER
Two teams looking to get back on the winning track will battle Saturday at Kelly Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

The Kent State Golden Flashes came back from a 14-0 first half deficit and had a late opportunity to upset the Ohio Bobcats last week at home. Four cracks starting from the seven-yard line, however, failed to produce the necessary touchdown and KSU absorbed its second straight defeat. It was the Flashes third in their last four Mid-American Conference games. Those defeats were decided by a total of 12 points.

Meanwhile, the Central Michigan Chippewas . . .

Ohio beats UT, takes over MAC East lead

10/28/2016

By MIKE SMITH
TOLEDO, OH -- Dorian Brown gashed Toledo for 212 rushing yards with one touchdown to lead the Ohio Bobcats past Toledo, 31-26, Thursday at the Glass Bowl. The outcome was significant for both teams.

Toledo (6-2, 3-1 MAC) not only lost just its second game overall, it dropped its first MAC contest, falling behind nationally-ranked (No. 20) Western Michigan in the West.
Ohio, meanwhile, not only . . .

Johnson sets record as Bulls upset Akron

10/28/2016

BUFFALO, NY – Senior running back Jordan Johnson rushed for a school-record 282 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the Buffalo Bulls to a 41-20 win over Akron at UB Stadium on Thursday night. Johnson broke a 25-year-old record held by Alan Bell who rushed for 266 yards against Duquesne in 1991.

Johnson spearheaded a rushing attack that . . .

Eagles and RedHawks both on rise

10/27/2016

By MIKE SMITH
Two teams picked at or near the bottom of their respective division in a preseason media poll will meet on the gridiron Saturday. Both are feeling relatively upbeat about themselves right now.

Eastern Michigan, which hosts Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. ET tilt at Rynearson Stadium, has thus far fashioned one of the better turnarounds not only in the MAC, but nationally, as well. After posting just one victory in 2015, the Eagles are 5-3 overall and 2-2 in MAC play this season.

Miami, meanwhile, battled . . .

MRO Preview: Ohio at Toledo

10/26/2016

Two division co-leaders will be facing each other Thursday night (7:30 p.m. ET) when Ohio meets Toledo at the Glass Bowl.

The Ohio Bobcats have won four of their last five, but they were upset at home by Ball State two weeks ago and barely escaped with a win last week at Kent State.

Toledo’s sole loss on the entire season was a 55-53 at BYU, ending with the Cougars kicking a game-winning field goal as time expired.

UT has . . .

East leader Akron meets struggling Bulls

10/26/2016

By EVAN MEYER
he Akron Zips came up with possibly their biggest win of the 2016 season last week. After falling behind Ball State by 10-points, the Zips came roaring back, outscoring the Cards 28-8 the last 2 ½ quarters to register a 35-25. It was Akron’s fourth straight Mid-American Conference road win dating back to last season.

The victory kept the Zips in a first place tie with Ohio atop the Eastern Division as they begin the final four games of the season. All four will be night games, with the first coming Thursday night in Western New York against the Buffalo Bulls. Ball State catches a calendar break and will have extra time to prepare for a Nov. 1 matchup against No. 20 Western Michigan in Muncie.

UB enters Thursday riding a four-game losing streak after being routed last Saturday at Northern Illinois, 37-7. The Bulls are just 1-6 on the season and winless so far in their three MAC games.

Here’s more on the two teams . . .

MRO Power Rankings – Oct. 25

10/25/2016

Jim Olsen
There weren’t all that many “upsets” per se in last Saturday’s action. Nonetheless, it got a little weird when it came time for doing this week’s power rankings. Perhaps it provided more clarity for reading the tea leaves – or something like that. At any rate, there is a fair amount of movement in the latest rankings.

Click Read More to continue . . .

MAC announces Week 8 POTW

10/24/2016

The Mid-American Conference has announced its Week 8 Players of the Week.

East Division honorees are: Van Edwards (RB, Akron); Tarell Basham (DE, Ohio) and Kyle Kramer (P, Miami).
West Division honorees are: Cody Thompson (WR, Toledo); Robert Spillane (LB, Western Michigan) and Aregeros Turner (KR, Northern Illinois)

(CLICK READ MORE FOR DETAILS . . . )

Weeknight games impact Week Nine schedule

10/24/2016

HEADS UP!!! It’s that time of year again – MACTION time!!!
That means weeknight games, which will then impact the overall schedule. Here’s the schedule for Week Nine, which is a bit of transition week. Eight MAC teams will see action either Thursday or Saturday.

Thursday, Oct. 27:
Akron at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN3
Ohio at Toledo, 7:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN

Saturday, Oct. 29:
Kent State at Central Michigan, TBD
Miami at Eastern Michigan, 3:30 p.m. ET

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PREVIEW: No. 17 Western Michigan at Ball State

PREVIEW: Bowling Green at Northern Illinois

This week in MAC Play

Late rally sends Kent State past Chippewas

Miami makes it three straight with win at EMU

Zips, Eagles get basketball preseason poll nod

PREVIEW: Kent State at Central Michigan

Ohio beats UT, takes over MAC East lead

Johnson sets record as Bulls upset Akron

Eagles and RedHawks both on rise

MRO Preview: Ohio at Toledo

East leader Akron meets struggling Bulls

MRO Power Rankings – Oct. 25

MAC announces Week 8 POTW

Weeknight games impact Week Nine schedule

MAC Football

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