The Mid-American Conference is in the meat of its schedule, and as several teams break away to move up in the standings, the games seem to be finishing closer by the week.
Four games were decided by eight points or less, including Central Michigan’s 26-23 overtime victory over Toledo. Only two teams in the East division — Kent State and Miami — have winning conference records, compared to four in the MAC West, including 3-0 Northern Illinois. The Huskies’ recent success may come as a surprise to some after they were picked to finish last in their division in the 2021 MAC Preseason Media Poll.
Here are the top performances from around the MAC in Week 7 and what they mean for Ohio:
Standout team performance: Western Michigan defeats Kent State 64-31
Western Michigan put on a show with its offense Saturday, being the first MAC team to score 60 or more points in a game since Kent State put up 60 against Virginia Military Institute in mid-September. The Broncos’ 33-point margin of victory was the conference’s largest in Week 7.
Saturday’s game between Western Michigan and Kent State was close in the first half. The Broncos went into halftime with only a 23-17 lead.
The second half, on the other hand, was a turkey shoot.
Western Michigan scored touchdowns on six of its eight drives after halftime, and Kent State responded with just 14 points after beginning the third quarter with a lost fumble. Broncos quarterback Kaleb Eleby threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns as two receivers — Jaylen Hall and Skyy Moore — recorded at least 140 receiving yards apiece. Running back Sean Tyler also rushed for 169 yards.
Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum gave a respectable performance, passing for 210 yards and two touchdowns. But he was sacked five times, including three in the third quarter. All five sacks also came from different players.
Standout individual performance: Jay Ducker, running back, Northern Illinois
Prior to Northern Illinois’ game against Bowling Green, Ducker had just 85 rushing yards through four games. After Saturday, Ducker boasts 295 yards and the top single-game rushing performance by a MAC player through seven weeks.
With MAC rushing leader Harrison Waylee inactive, Ducker took command of the conference’s top rushing offense. He didn’t score any touchdowns, but he did help the Huskies to score 34 points against a Falcons defense that allows just 25.1 points per game.
What this means for Ohio
Ohio coach Tim Albin mentioned in his Monday press conference how critical Western Michigan’s second-half pass rush was for it to get ahead late in the game. The Broncos scored following every drive in which Crum was sacked.
Crum is set to be Ohio’s next opposing quarterback. The Golden Flashes have the top total offense in the MAC, but they also have the worst total defense. If the Bobcats defense takes care of Crum, their offense will have opportunities to blow the Golden Flashes out of the water like the Broncos did on Saturday.
Ohio can also take note of the top single-game rushing performances in the MAC. Aside from the fact that Ducker’s performance came against Bowling Green, Ohio’s final opponent of the regular season, running back De’Montre Tuggle and quarterback Armani Rogers fill two of the top five spots.
Only one of those performances — Tuggle’s 201 yards against Akron — resulted in a win.
The Bobcats have the ability to run up the score with their run game. Going forward, they’ll need to capitalize on those runs and finish out games with help from the passing game and defense.
