MAC Football Takes National Spotlight Tonight on ESPNU & ESPN2

 

• Toledo (8-2, 5-1 MAC)

• Northern Illinois (9-1, 6-0 MAC)

 

SERIES RECORD: Toledo leads, 29-10. The Huskies have won the last two games, including a 63-60 win in Toledo last year. Toledo is 11-7 in Huskie Stadium.

 

• Matt Campbell, 9-2 (1st full year) at Toledo, same overall. 0-0 vs. Northern Illinois.

• Dave Doeren, 20-4 (2nd year) at NIU, same overall. 1-0 vs. Toledo.

 

 

 

Somehow, it seems to always comes down to this game. Toledo vs. Northern Illinois. For the MAC West Division title. If it sounds familiar, it is. This is the third consecutive season the two schools have played late-season games that determine the MAC West title. NIU came away victorious in the last two, a 65-30 triumph in DeKalb in 2010 and a wild 63-60 win in Toledo last year.

 

Toledo is 8-2, 5-1 in MAC play following a 34-27 loss to Ball State on Nov. 6. Despite that defeat, the Rockets still control their own destiny. Victories over NIU and Akron on Nov. 20 will put Toledo into the MAC Championship Game for the first time since 2004. Northern Illinois can clinch its third consecutive trip to Ford Field with a win over UT.

 

The Rockets fell to Ball State despite another superb performance by junior RB David Fluellen. Fluellen gained 200 yards on 34 carries, his sixth-straight 100-yard game, three of which have been over 200 yards.

 

Northern Illinois (9-1, 6-0 MAC) is in first place in the West Division and has won nine consecutive games. The Huskies’ only loss was an 18-17 defeat

to Iowa at Soldier Field in the season opener. NIU is led by junior Jordan Lynch, a dual-threat QB who is second in the MAC with 1,342 yards rushing and in passing efficiency (155.6).

 

• This will be the 40th meeting between the two schools, with Toledo holding a 29-10 edge. The Huskies have won the last two, including last year’s head-spinning 63-60 affair in Toledo.

• Toledo cracked the Top 25 on Nov. 4 for the first time since 2001. Toledo ranked No. 23 in the most recent Associated Press poll, No. 25 in the USA Today coaches poll and No. 25 in the BCS rankings. It was the first-ever appearance for UT in the BCS Top-25. Toledo fell out of the polls following its 34-27 loss to Ball State on Nov. 6.

• Toledo’s loss to Ball State snapped an eight-game winning streak.

• Toledo is 19-3 in its last 22 Mid-American Conference games, with two of those losses coming to Northern Illinois in 2010 and 2011.

• Junior RB David Fluellen is tied for second in the nation in rushing with 1,381 yards.

• Senior LB Dan Molls’ 132 tackles is tied for most in the nation.

 

 

• Northern Illinois owns both the longest home winning streak and the longest conference winning streak in the country at 20 and 14 games, respectively.

• Overall, Northern Illinois has won nine consecutive games; the Huskies, Alabama and Oregon are the only NCAA FBS teams to win 18 of their last 19 games.

• In its final home game of 2012, NIU will honor 13 seniors who make up the winningest senior class in school history

• NIU first-year starting quarterback Jordan Lynch is No. 1 in the nation in rushing yards, total offense yards and points responsible for, proving himself as the top dual-threat QB in the country.

• Lynch has already set a new NCAA record for most 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback with nine and is taking aim at the mark for most rushing yards in a season by a quarterback.

• NIU defensive lineman Nabal Jefferson - who owns a 3.78 GPA in accountancy - won a 2012 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award, presented

to the top 15 student-athletes in all of college football.

• Northern Illinois is ranked just outside the Top 25 at No. 26 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ Polls.

• Dave Doeren is 20-4 in two seasons at the helm of the Huskie program.

• Northern Illinois is literally one play away from an 8-0 record as Iowa scored its lone touchdown of the season-opener on a 23-yard run on third-and-nine with 2:15 to play, giving the Hawkeyes a 18-17 victory over NIU.

• Over the last 10 years, NIU is the winningest program in the Mid-American Conference (87-50, 63.5%) and leads all FBS teams in Illinois in wins since 2002.

 

 

 

 

• Ohio (8-4, 4-2 in the MAC)

• Ball State (7-3, 4-2 in the MAC)

 

• Frank Solich, Ohio (8th year at Ohio, 58-42, and 14th year in his career, 116-61).

• Pete Lembo, Ball State (2nd year at Ball State, 13-9, and 12th year in his career, 92-45).

 

 

 

- Ohio travels to Ball State Wednesday night at 8 p.m. to take on the Cardinals. The game can be seen on ESPNU. 

- The Bobcats will make their 48th appearance on the ESPN Family of Networks since 2005. 

- Ohio’s Wednesday night meeting with Ball State is the Bobcats’ third midweek matchup of the year. 

- Ohio is 9-2 in midweek games dating back to 2009.

- The Bobcats’ 8-2 mark is their best mark through 10 games since 1997.

- The Bobcats have won 14 of their last 17 games dating back to last season. 

- Quarterback Tyler Tettleton became Ohio University’s all-time leading passer last week against Bowling Green

- Running back Beau Blankenship has rushed for over 1,000 yards and is the eighth individual in school history to surpass 1,000 yards rushing.

- Ohio became bowl eligible for the sixth time in the last eight years following its 38-31 win over Buffalo on Oct. 6 and was the first team in the country to become bowl eligible.

- The Bobcats won seven straight games to open the season. Ohio’s 7-0 start was its best start to a season since 1968.

- Ohio is one of three teams in the Mid-American Conference that has been ranked in the AP Top 25 this season.

- Ohio head coach Frank Solich coached in his 100th game last week against Bowling Green.

 

Ohio and Ball State will meet for the 23rd time on Wednesday night. The Cardinals hold the all-time series lead at 14-8. The first time the two teams met was in 1975 with Ohio earning a 10-0 victory over Ball State. The last meeting between the two teams took place on Oct. 15, 2011 in Athens. In that contest, the Bobcats dropped a 23-20 decision to the Cardinals. Ohio has defeated Ball State in three of the last four meetings.

 

- The Bobcats’ loss to Bowling Green was their first loss at home this season and their first setback at Peden Stadium since their contest against Ball State in 2011. The last time Ohio went undefeated at home was 1988.

- The Bobcats dropped to 9-2 in weekday games dating back to 2009.

- The Bobcats have a 21-8 record inside Peden Stadium since the start of the 2008 season. Ohio has outscored its opponents 226-134 in home games this season.

- Quarterback Tyler Tettleton finished the game with 145 yards through the air and became Ohio’s all-time career passing leader with 5,475. Former Bobcat Sammy Shon was previous all-time leader.

- Tettleton rushed in from five yards out to score the Bobcats’ first touchdown of the game, logging his first 15th career rushing touchdown. He also threw a touchdown to Chase Cochran in the second half. He has accounted for 60 touchdowns in his collegiate career.

 

 

 

- Ball State tallied a 34-27 win at nationally ranked Toledo Tuesday night for a fourth straight victory and to improve to 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the Mid-American Conference . . . The Rockets entered the game ranked No. 23 in The Associated Press Poll and No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll . . . The Cardinals are in the midst of their longest winning streak since the 2008 season.

 

- Ball State is bowl eligible for a second straight season . . . The Cardinals have reached seven wins for the first time since their 2008 undefeated regular season . . . The Cardinals were last bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons in 2007 and 2008 and Ball State played in the International Bowl after the 2007 campaign and the GMAC Bowl after the 2008 season.

 

- The Cardinals have beaten two teams from the Bowl Championship Series Automatic Qualifying Conferences in the same year for the first time in school history . . . Ball State defeated Indiana from the Big Ten Conference 41-39 Sept. 15, and tallied a 31-27 win over South Florida from the Big East Conference Sept. 22 . . . The win over Indiana marked the third straight meeting between the two teams the Cardinals have won.

 

- Ball State has won four games this season with a game-winning score in the final two minutes or overtime . . . The Cardinals have won three games on their final possession . . . Ball State won on a field goal as time expired at Indiana (Sept. 15) and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:02 left in its victory at home over South Florida (Sept. 22) . . . Ball State tallied a 30-24 overtime win over Western Michigan (Oct. 13) on a 15-yard TD run on the final play of the OT . . . The Cardinals defeated nationally ranked Toledo (Nov. 6) on a 15-yard TD run with 1:43 to play.

 

- The Cardinals rushed for 224 yards at Army, which marked the fifth time in 10 games this year Ball State has rushed for 200 or more yards in a game . . . The Cardinals also rushed for over 200 yards vs. Eastern Michigan (329), at Clemson (252), at Indiana (206) and vs. Central Michigan (233).

 

- Ball State has several players ranked in the top five in the nation . . . According to cfbstats.com, Willie Snead leads the nation in scrimmage plays of 10 plus yards -- rushing and receiving . . . Snead has 46 scrimmage plays of 10 or more yards, while Alex Amidon of Boston College is second with 44. . . cfbstats.com also lists Joel Cox as tied for second in the nation in blocked kicks/punts with three . . . Cox has blocked three extra points this season . . . Steven Schott is second in the nation in field goals per game . . . Travis Freeman is the NCAA leader among current players for total tackles in a career.