Saturday might have been the day the Mid-American Conference made all of college football stand up and take notice, as Marshall, Toledo and Northern Illinois each beat nationally-ranked opponents.
Northern Illinois' victory pushed it into the top-25 polls, including 20th in the AP Poll. Marshall, Toledo and Bowling Green, which lost 24-17 to Ohio State, are also in the top 35 in the country in both the AP and the ESPN/USA Today coaches polls.
The MAC has now recorded five of the nation's 15 victories against top-25 teams by unranked opponents this year. The conference had defeated only five top-25 teams between 1982 and 2002.
Marshall earns upset
Marshall led the way with a 27-20 win over No. 6 Kansas State, its first-ever victory against a ranked opponent.
They said we raised the bar in the MAC
Marshall coach Bob Pruett said. I think all the MAC has raised it with us. We might have raised the bar so high we might have trouble jumping it now.
Kansas State out-gained Marshall in total yards, 369-316, but Marshall held the advantage in the only area that matters: final score.
Marshall quarterback Graham Gochneaur, who recorded his first collegiate victory as a starter, threw the winning touchdown pass with less than four minutes left in the game.
Toledo tops Pittsburgh
Toledo mounted a furious comeback to top the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Glass Bowl in Toledo, 35-31.
Toledo quarterback Bruce Gradkowski led the Rockets to two touchdowns in the final seven minutes. He threw for 461 yards and three touchdowns.
I know I wouldn't want to play Pittsburgh a whole lot of times Toledo coach Tom Amstutz said. They're a very good football team.
Toledo receivers Lance Moore and Steve Odom both topped 100 yards for the game. Moore hauled in 15 catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns, and Odom totaled 135 yards on 11 catches.
Northern Illinois ranked
Northern Illinois completed the momentous day for the MAC with a 19-16 win against No. 21 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Alabama gained nearly 400 total yards to Northern Illinois' 267, but the Huskies controlled time of possession.
It was really key that we try to keep the football and not have a lot of three-and-outs
Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak said.
17
Archives
Matt LaWell
