The MAC has several games of interest this week, even if a pair of them seem to be mismatches based on the team's records. There are a few clear cut favorites right now in the conference, but this weekend could really shake up the standings.
Ball State at Akron
Ball State is 7-1 and a perfect 4-0 in the MAC whiel Akron got their firrst conference win last week against winless Miami and is just 2-6. However, the Zips have been efficient in getitng to third and manageable,s averaging needing just 6.7 yards to convert. Their big issue really just has been their inability to slow down opposing passing games; theyre allowing a 63.8% compeltion rate and over eight yards per attempt with a better than 2:1 TD to Int ratio. The Zips have surrendered 49 passing plays of more than 15 yards, something Keith Wenning should be able to take advantage of after tossing 55 of his own big passing plays. His success in hitting those big plays is a big reason why Ball State goes three and out on just 20% of their drives. If the Zips can't slow down Wenning an Willie Snead (58 catches, 957 yards, 8 TDs) it will be a long day.
Buffalo at Kent State
The Golden Flashes have been one of the more disappointing stories in the mid major ranks this year. Just a year after going 11-3 and nearly pulling the upset in the MAC championship game, they have to win out just to get bowl eligible and thats unlikely to happen. Dri Archer has missed two games and has been limited from being one of the most exciting players in the league, and they need to get him going to have success. Their two wins have come in games where Archer has averaged better than 10 yards per carry. And he should be getting more touches, since Trayion Durham and Colin Reardon havent exactly carried the run game, both averaging well under four yards per carry. The Buffalo Bulls have gone the other day, being one of the pleasant surprises. Since they got blown out by Baylor and skating by Stony Brook, the Bulls have scored at least 32 points in each game. Most of the national talk is centered around Khalil Mack, the superb LB who has 44 tackles, ten of them for loss with sic sacks and a pair of int tds, to go with 4 passes defended. But QB Joe Licata has been pretty darn solid, completing nearly 60% of his passes for seven yards per attempt with a 3:1 TD to Int ratio.
Toledo at Bowling Green
The Rockets played possibly the toughest non conference schedule of anyone in the nation, traveling to Florida and Mizzou to begin the season. Since then theyve dropped just one game against Ball State while scoring at least 30 points in each game. Theyve been able average needing under 7 yards on third downs in half of their games so far, and have averaged 33 yards per drive while going three and out just 16.7% of the time. However, workhorse back David Fluellen is questionable for this game, and the RB corps behind him has fewer than 70 carries combined this season. That is not what Terrance Owens needs since he has already struggled to push the ball down the field (averaging just 5.8 yards per attempt with 21 passes of 15 yards or more). The Falcons of Bowling Green though have a defense that hasnt exactly been solid, allowing over 100 yards rushing in five games, and more than 200 twice. They also don't force many turnovers, with just 2 Ints so far on the season. Their workhorse back though, Travis Greene, is healthy and has 27 runs of more than 10 yards, and is averaging four yards per carry in the redzone. The Falcons also only go three and out on 15.5% of their drives, and are averaging better that 42 yards while starting at their own 29 on average.
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