1. MAC passers came to play Saturday
Earlier this season, I addressed the fact that the Mid-American Conference is still a pass-first league. After week 6, I feel confident in saying that once again. Take a look at the top passing stats from Saturday's games:
1. Tyler Sheehan, BGSU -- 44-63 for 505 yards and four touchdowns
2. Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan -- 16-22 for 318 yards and three touchdowns
3. Tim Hiller, Western Michigan -- 16-26 for 270 and three touchdowns
4. Kelly Page, Ball State -- 22-37 for 237 yards and two touchdowns
5. Zach Maynard, Buffalo -- 16-20 for 232 yards and three touchdowns
One notable missing from this list is Toledo's Aaron Opelt, who led the conference in passing yards and was second in the nation in passing yards/game coming into the week. He suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder in the second quarter of UT's loss to Western Michigan and did not return. He was listed as day-to-day and probable for this weekend's game by coach Tim Beckham Monday.
Sheehan now leads Opelt in the conference with his 1,960 passing yards and is second in the nation behind
Houston's Case Keenum (2,130 yards). Sheehan does lead the nation in attempts though, with 296, and it's not a surprise as he has thrown the ball more than 60 times twice this season and fewer than 44 times just once (against Boise State, he had 29). The most passes attempted in an NCAA season is 719, and it's very unlikely Sheehan will even come close to matching that record. To get there, he would need to average 70.5 attempts per game. However, he is on pace (592) to break the MAC record for attempts in a season, which is held by LeFevour (543).
2. Kent State: MAC champs in 2011 and 2012?
Falcon fans got a first-hand look at what will likely become a big part of the MAC's football future in Kent State. I mean, if those youngsters continue to perform, that team is going to be scary in a few years. Consider the following key players Kent State has starting already:
1. Quarterback -- Spencer Keith, Freshman (Pictured)
2. Running Back -- Jacquise Terry, Sophomore
3. Receiver -- Tyshon Goode, Freshman
4. Receiver -- Kendrick Pressley, Sophomore
5. Receiver -- San Kirkland, Sophomore
6. Center -- Chris Anzevino, Freshman
7. Right guard -- Josh Kline, Redshirt freshman
8. Right tackle -- Brian Winters, Freshman
9. Kicker -- Freddy Cortez, Freshman
10. Punter -- Matt Rinehart, Sophomore
The key to their success will be finding players to replace their defense. Ten of their 11 starters are either juniors or seniors. The one sophomore is Josh Pleasant, who intercepted Sheehan in Saturday's game. But so long as the Flashes are able to score good recruits, they should be one dangerous team in two years.
3. You can't say enough about Central Michigan, but ...
I won't deny it, I wondered if Central Michigan was going to live up to the hype after putting up just six points against a mediocre Arizona team in a week 1 loss. But since then, the Chippewas have easily been the No. 1 team in the conference, averaging 40.2 points per game. So you can't say enough about Central Michigan, but ...
Earlier this season, I addressed the fact that the Mid-American Conference is still a pass-first league. After week 6, I feel confident in saying that once again. Take a look at the top passing stats from Saturday's games:
1. Tyler Sheehan, BGSU -- 44-63 for 505 yards and four touchdowns
2. Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan -- 16-22 for 318 yards and three touchdowns
3. Tim Hiller, Western Michigan -- 16-26 for 270 and three touchdowns
4. Kelly Page, Ball State -- 22-37 for 237 yards and two touchdowns
5. Zach Maynard, Buffalo -- 16-20 for 232 yards and three touchdowns
One notable missing from this list is Toledo's Aaron Opelt, who led the conference in passing yards and was second in the nation in passing yards/game coming into the week. He suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder in the second quarter of UT's loss to Western Michigan and did not return. He was listed as day-to-day and probable for this weekend's game by coach Tim Beckham Monday.
Sheehan now leads Opelt in the conference with his 1,960 passing yards and is second in the nation behind
2. Kent State: MAC champs in 2011 and 2012?
Falcon fans got a first-hand look at what will likely become a big part of the MAC's football future in Kent State. I mean, if those youngsters continue to perform, that team is going to be scary in a few years. Consider the following key players Kent State has starting already:
2. Running Back -- Jacquise Terry, Sophomore
3. Receiver -- Tyshon Goode, Freshman
4. Receiver -- Kendrick Pressley, Sophomore
5. Receiver -- San Kirkland, Sophomore
6. Center -- Chris Anzevino, Freshman
7. Right guard -- Josh Kline, Redshirt freshman
8. Right tackle -- Brian Winters, Freshman
9. Kicker -- Freddy Cortez, Freshman
10. Punter -- Matt Rinehart, Sophomore
The key to their success will be finding players to replace their defense. Ten of their 11 starters are either juniors or seniors. The one sophomore is Josh Pleasant, who intercepted Sheehan in Saturday's game. But so long as the Flashes are able to score good recruits, they should be one dangerous team in two years.
3. You can't say enough about Central Michigan, but ...
I won't deny it, I wondered if Central Michigan was going to live up to the hype after putting up just six points against a mediocre Arizona team in a week 1 loss. But since then, the Chippewas have easily been the No. 1 team in the conference, averaging 40.2 points per game. So you can't say enough about Central Michigan, but ...
The one Achilles heel for the team has been playing on the road. In road games, the Chips 
average just 18.3 points per game (50.6 per game at home), 19.6 points
allowed per game (9.6 per game at home), 337.3 yards of offense per
game (454.2 per game at home) and 399 offensive yards allowed per game
(195.6 per game at home). Don't get me wrong, they have pulled out two
of those road wins, including a 29-27 upset over Michigan State in week
2. However, this is of note because Central is going on the toughest
road stretch of their schedule, traveling to Western Michigan, Bowling
Green and Boston College for the next three weekends. If the Chippewas
get through that stretch unscathed (or even with one loss), it will be
really hard for anyone else to touch them in the MAC.
4. The MAC East is just as it was advertised: a wide-open race
Despite three teams already at 0-2, the MAC East race is far from over. Temple (pictured) and
Ohio look like the division's darlings since they are 3-0 and 2-0 in
conference games, respectively. But, they have both played
cookie-cutter schedules, with the toughest challenge being Ohio's 44-37
win over Bowling Green. Temple has beaten Buffalo, Ball State and Miami
while Ohio also beat the underachieving Akron Zips. Nothing fancy there
at all. Overall, those five teams have a combined season record of 5-24, which doesn't prove much except that Temple and Ohio are above the worst teams in the league.
Meanwhile, Bowling Green and Kent State are at 1-1 after the Falcons squashed the Flashes in the last few seconds Saturday. For the Falcons, they don't play Temple and don't hold the tie-breaker over Ohio if it comes to that. Kent State plays at Ohio and Temple later on this season. The 0-2 teams (Buffalo, Akron and Miami) have a chance to make some noise, but most likely have the chance to play spoiler by upending one of the four top teams later in the season.
For anyone without a rooting interest, the ideal situation is for things to stay the same. Ohio and Temple face off in the final game of the season at OU on Nov. 27. That is the perfect atmosphere to set up a battle for the division title.
5. Fun facts from Week 6
Akron true freshman quarterback Patrick Nicely saw his first collegiate action after Matt Rodgers was injured against Ohio in a 19-7 loss ... Ball State scored two touchdowns within two minutes in a 24-19 loss to Temple ... However, the Cardinals also committed five turnovers ... Buffalo led Gardner-Webb 33-3 at halftime en route to a 40-3 victory ... Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour accounted for six touchdowns for the second straight game ... Also in that game, punt returner Antonio Brown broke a 72-yard return that was No. 9 on Sportscenter's Top 10 plays Saturday night ... The 48-point margin of victory for CMU in their 56-8 win over Eastern Michigan was the largest for the Chippewas since beating EMU by 49 points in 1981 ... CMU received votes in both major polls Sunday ... Kent State had two straight touchdowns of more than 80 yards in the first quarter against Bowling Green in a 36-35 loss ... BG quarterback Tyler Sheehan's game-winning score was No. 10 on Sportscenter's Top 10 plays Saturday night ... Kent State's Josh Pleasant has two career interceptions, both coming off Sheehan passes ... Western Michigan led Toledo 21-0 after just over five minutes of play ... Toledo freshman quarterback Austin Dantim saw his first collegiate action after senior Aaron Opelt was injured in the second of a 58-26 loss ... WMU quarterback Tim Hiller is now tied for first place on the school's all-time list for passing touchdown with 87
6. Saturday's results
Northwestern 16, Miami 6
Central Michigan 56, Eastern Michigan 8
Temple 24, Ball State 19
Buffalo 40, Gardner-Webb 3
Bowling Green 36, Kent State 35
Ohio 19, Akron 7
Western Michigan 58, Toledo 26
7. This weekend's schedule
Bowling Green at Ball State, noon
Temple vs. Army, 1 p.m.
Miami at Ohio, 2 p.m.
Akron at Buffalo, 3:30 p.m.
Central Michigan at Western Michigan, 3:30 p.m.
Kent State at Eastern Michigan, 4 p.m.
Northern Illinois at Toledo, 7 p.m.
8. Game of the Week
This week's MAC Game of the Week is Central Michigan at Western Michigan at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
WHAT'S AT STAKE: Dan LeFevour and Tim Hiller face off for the final time in their collegiate careers. Interestingly, the two have only faced off once with LeFevour coming away with a 34-31 win in 2007. In 2006, Hiller was still waiting in the Ryan Cubit's wings, and in 2008, LeFevour was injured for the game.
LAST TIME: The two teams met last season with Central Michigan pulling out a 38-28 win.
LAST TIME, PART 2: The last time the two met with LeFevour and Hiller at quarterback was in 2007 in one of the most exciting finishes in recent MAC history. CMU led the Broncos 10-7 going into the fourth quarter, when both teams scored 24 points and LeFevour scored the winning touchdown with 12 seconds left, clinching the MAC West for the Chips. It was also one of the most balanced games in recent memory as several statistical categories were nearly identical: Total offense (WMU 418, CMU 384), first downs (CMU 22, WMU 21), time of possession (CMU 30:17, WMU 29:43), leading rusher (both at 72 yards) and leading receiver (WMU 124, CMU 120).
KEY MATCHUP: Antonio Brown vs. Western Michigan's punt coverage.
4. The MAC East is just as it was advertised: a wide-open race
Despite three teams already at 0-2, the MAC East race is far from over. Temple (pictured) and
Meanwhile, Bowling Green and Kent State are at 1-1 after the Falcons squashed the Flashes in the last few seconds Saturday. For the Falcons, they don't play Temple and don't hold the tie-breaker over Ohio if it comes to that. Kent State plays at Ohio and Temple later on this season. The 0-2 teams (Buffalo, Akron and Miami) have a chance to make some noise, but most likely have the chance to play spoiler by upending one of the four top teams later in the season.
For anyone without a rooting interest, the ideal situation is for things to stay the same. Ohio and Temple face off in the final game of the season at OU on Nov. 27. That is the perfect atmosphere to set up a battle for the division title.
5. Fun facts from Week 6
Akron true freshman quarterback Patrick Nicely saw his first collegiate action after Matt Rodgers was injured against Ohio in a 19-7 loss ... Ball State scored two touchdowns within two minutes in a 24-19 loss to Temple ... However, the Cardinals also committed five turnovers ... Buffalo led Gardner-Webb 33-3 at halftime en route to a 40-3 victory ... Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour accounted for six touchdowns for the second straight game ... Also in that game, punt returner Antonio Brown broke a 72-yard return that was No. 9 on Sportscenter's Top 10 plays Saturday night ... The 48-point margin of victory for CMU in their 56-8 win over Eastern Michigan was the largest for the Chippewas since beating EMU by 49 points in 1981 ... CMU received votes in both major polls Sunday ... Kent State had two straight touchdowns of more than 80 yards in the first quarter against Bowling Green in a 36-35 loss ... BG quarterback Tyler Sheehan's game-winning score was No. 10 on Sportscenter's Top 10 plays Saturday night ... Kent State's Josh Pleasant has two career interceptions, both coming off Sheehan passes ... Western Michigan led Toledo 21-0 after just over five minutes of play ... Toledo freshman quarterback Austin Dantim saw his first collegiate action after senior Aaron Opelt was injured in the second of a 58-26 loss ... WMU quarterback Tim Hiller is now tied for first place on the school's all-time list for passing touchdown with 87
6. Saturday's results
Northwestern 16, Miami 6
Central Michigan 56, Eastern Michigan 8
Temple 24, Ball State 19
Buffalo 40, Gardner-Webb 3
Bowling Green 36, Kent State 35
Ohio 19, Akron 7
Western Michigan 58, Toledo 26
7. This weekend's schedule
Bowling Green at Ball State, noon
Temple vs. Army, 1 p.m.
Miami at Ohio, 2 p.m.
Akron at Buffalo, 3:30 p.m.
Central Michigan at Western Michigan, 3:30 p.m.
Kent State at Eastern Michigan, 4 p.m.
Northern Illinois at Toledo, 7 p.m.
8. Game of the Week
This week's MAC Game of the Week is Central Michigan at Western Michigan at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
WHAT'S AT STAKE: Dan LeFevour and Tim Hiller face off for the final time in their collegiate careers. Interestingly, the two have only faced off once with LeFevour coming away with a 34-31 win in 2007. In 2006, Hiller was still waiting in the Ryan Cubit's wings, and in 2008, LeFevour was injured for the game.
LAST TIME: The two teams met last season with Central Michigan pulling out a 38-28 win.
LAST TIME, PART 2: The last time the two met with LeFevour and Hiller at quarterback was in 2007 in one of the most exciting finishes in recent MAC history. CMU led the Broncos 10-7 going into the fourth quarter, when both teams scored 24 points and LeFevour scored the winning touchdown with 12 seconds left, clinching the MAC West for the Chips. It was also one of the most balanced games in recent memory as several statistical categories were nearly identical: Total offense (WMU 418, CMU 384), first downs (CMU 22, WMU 21), time of possession (CMU 30:17, WMU 29:43), leading rusher (both at 72 yards) and leading receiver (WMU 124, CMU 120).
KEY MATCHUP: Antonio Brown vs. Western Michigan's punt coverage.
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