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Wednesday, November 1
Marshall thundering toward MAC title game

By Andy Spradling
Special to ESPN.com

It took eight games but Marshall University is right back where it is used to being -- in the driver's seat.

At least in the Mid-American Conference East Division. For the three-time MAC champ to get through likely-MAC championship foe Western Michigan, it will take some serious tinkering from coach Bob Pruett.


	Bob Pruett has Marshall back on track to make the MAC championship game.

The Thundering Herd, 4-4 overall and 3-0 in the east division, controls its own destiny if it can continue to win thanks to a 31-28 come-from-behind win over Akron last week. Win, and they're in the title game again. Lose, and well, a number of scenarios could play out is the Herd drops a game to either Miami or Ohio in the final two weeks of the season. MAC tie breakers begin with head-to-head competition, followed by results with common opponents.

"To beat Marshall someone is going to have to take it from them," Akron coach Lee Owens said. "They're not going to give it to you. They had plenty of opportunities to let us win that game as well as we were playing.

"But they're not going to do that. They're the defending champion. You're going to have to pull away from them. There are teams capable of doing that, that's for sure, but it's not going to be easy."

Especially now with the the young Marshall team beaming with confidence after marching down the field and scoring the last second win over the Zips.

"The one thing about coming from behind and putting together an 87-yard drive is now they've done it," Pruett said. "They'll know they can do it again.

"At Michigan State and North Carolina we needed to come back with a drive and we couldn't put it away. We lost some of our confidence. This really helps us."

Akron, meanwhile, has a week to recover.

"We've lost control of determining the outcome which is something you'd like to have a hold of," Owens said. "And the players are upset about that. But they'll regroup. The still have a couple of games left and a week off.

"We've got a bunch of seniors and leaders who want to end this thing in the right way. I'm glad they have the week off."

And Owens knows Marshall could lose two of its final three.

"In the back of their minds and my mind it's there," Owens said. "But it's not realistic at this point. Marshall's a really good football team. Although they play three good teams.

"Anything could happen. We sure don't want to be in a position in the last two weeks where we don't play good and could have backed into a championship. All we can control now is how well we play against Buffalo."

Around the MAC

Akron
Idle this week, the Zips (4-5, 3-1) host Buffalo on Nov. 11. Coach Lee Owens praised fullback Tony McCray, who notched 73 yards and a TD, and Brandon Payne, who had 93 yards and three TDs, and helped the Zips amass 235 rushing yards in a 31-28 loss to Marshall. ... At 95.1 yards rushing per game, Payne is fourth in the MAC. ... CB Dwayne Smith still leads nation with eight interceptions and leads the MAC with 16 passes defended.

Ball State
The Cardinals (4-4, 2-1), winners of four-straight, host Western Michigan in a key West Division shootout. "Western is a different team then we've seen in the last four weeks in all honesty," coach Bill Lynch said."On both sides of ball fly around." ... Marcus Merriweather rushed 42 times for 257 yards in win over Central. "We've been able to run and that's the best weapon for a young quarterback (Talmadge Hill). It's not good for a young quarterback to be in passing situations all the time." BSU hopes to return OT John Moore this week, FB Tony DelAngel (knee) won't be back. ... DT Rachman Crabel is out for season with a knee injury.

Bowling Green
The Falcons (2-6, 1-3) host Marshall Saturday, and have Ohio and Toledo remaining on the schedule after a bye week. "The off week came at a good time," coach Gary Blackney said. "We're playing some young players don't know what it takes to play a whole season." ... Joe Alls should return at tailback. "He won't be 100 percent, but at whatever percentage he'll help our offense." ... BG is third in MAC in turnover ratio (1.0) and second rushing defense (104.9) behind Toledo.

Buffalo
The Bulls (1-7, 1-3) host Kent State, after giving up 73 points to Northern Illinois. RB Albert Grundy rushed for a career-high 173 yards in 18 carries. ... Duane Williams is tied for first in MAC with eight sacks, and is third in tackles for loss with 12. ... QB Joe Freedy is seventh in MAC in passing efficiency at 110.6.

Central Michigan
The Chippewas (1-7, 0-2) travel to Eastern Michigan. ... Rover Rodrico Epps made 22 tackles and had an interception return for a score. "That was by far his best football game," coach Mike DeBord said. "We played him a little different which helped. He has a great attitude and plays hard for us." ... Safety Brian Leigeb and LB Darvin Lewis are 1-2 in MAC tackling at 12.0 and 10.9, respectively. ... CMU is first in MAC in pass defense (158.1).

Eastern Michigan
Idle last week, the Eagles (1-7, 0-2) host Central Michigan. "It was nice to have a buy to get people healthy," coach Jeff Woodruff said. "Unfortunately most of our injuries have been surgical. But they were able to hit the books." ... Woodruff praised receiver Kevin Walters (35 catches for 434 yards). "He may be the hardest working player in the program," he said. "He'll dive and lay out for the ball. I wish he had a little more foot speed."

Kent
Golden Flashes (1-8, 0-4) travels to Buffalo this week. "Buffalo is searching for some answers just like us," coach Dean Pees said. "They play good sometimes and bad at times. One of us is going to get our second win and one of us is not." ... John Nurczyk is tied for first in MAC with three forced fumbles. ... Punter Jared Fritz is fifth in MAC with 41.0 yards per game average. ... KSU is sixth in rush defense at 161.2.

Marshall
Quarterback Byron Leftwich earned MAC offensive player of week honors after throwing for 393 yards (26-of-49) against Akron with two TDs. The sophomore leads the MAC in passing yards per game (276.1) and total offense (285.9). His pass to interception ratio is fourth in the nation. ... Curtis Jones took over the MAC lead in kickoff returns and earned MAC special teams honors by making an 83-yard return that set up a game-tying TD. ... DT Jimmy Parker leads MAC with 16 tackles for loss. Linebacker Max Yates is 8th in MAC with 10.1 tackles per game (81).

Miami
The RedHawks (4-4, 2-1) host Ohio at noon Saturday in their final home game of the year. Coach Terry Hoeppner likes the Bobcats. "They've recruited well, they're playing hard and have more multiple formations," he said. "They really do a good job. We've have had some success in the past, but their 2000 offense is spectacular." ... Miami turned the ball over four times against Cincinnati. DT Andy Aracri (dislocated shoulder third play of season) is close to returning to last year's form. "Last year led the league in tackles for loss," Hoeppner said. "That's hurt us because we haven't been able to get big plays from our defense."

Northern Illinois
The Huskies (5-3, 1-1) host Toledo after defeating Buffalo 73-10. Senior R Justin McCareins gained 277 all-purpose yards, 10 receptions for 151, three TDs, including a punt and kickoff return. ... Sophomore CB Vince Thompson intercepted three passes to earn MAC defensive player of the week honors. Coach Joe Novak praised QB Chris Finlen. "He's not a flashy guy, but he's a tremendous game-day player. I like the way our kids play. They play hard every week. The balance of our team has been our strength." ... Thomas Hammock leads MAC in scoring with 10.5 points per game.

Ohio
The Bobcats (5-3, 2-1) face Miami after an open week. "Anytime we play Miami that's a big rivalry for our kids," Grobe said. "They play against each other in high school not just here." ... OU is coming off an open week. "I have mixed emotions about the open date. We were start to playing pretty well. We gave them the weekend off. Hopefully we can get back on track where we left off," Grobe said. ... Chris Knaack has been dynamite at tight end, after trying him at fullback last year. Ohio leads MAC with 309.5 rushing yards per game, in net punting (38.7) kickoff returns (22.5) and passing efficiency (138.9).

Toledo
The Rockets (7-1, 2-1) travel to Northern Illinois after earning a come-from-behind win at Navy. "That was good for our players," coach Gary Pinkel said. "We hadn't been down a lot at halftime." ... Pinkel said Northern Illinois is playing as good as anybody. The Rockets still dominate MAC stats including scoring defense (10.1), rushing defense (71.3) and total defense (262.9). ... MU's Pruett said both Toledo and Western Michigan deserve to be in the Top 25.

Western Michigan
The Broncos (7-1, 2-0) travel to Ball State after downing Kent State 42-0. "We're playing the hottest team in the league again," coach Gary Darnell said of BSU's four-game streak. "They're playing with emotion, a great deal of execution, 16 of the starting 22 have been in program three years. They have all of our attention." ... Darnell praised DL Terrance Moore, who has forced three fumbles. "He has been in a lot more big plays than we'd every imagined." ... Both Mario Evans and Garrett Saldano have gone over 300 tackles for their careers. TB Robert Sanford leads MAC with 128.6 yards per game and surpassed 1,000 (1,029) for third time in career.

Andy Spradling covers Marshall University and the MAC for the Charleston Daily Mail.

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