2017 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game
Saturday, December 2nd at Noon ET
Toledo Rockets vs. Akron Zips
ESPN: Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Quint Kessenich
Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
WATCH LIVE on ESPN
LIVE Stats
Toledo Rockets MAC Championship Game Press Conference | Quotes
Akron Zips MAC Championship Game Press Conference | Quotes
MAC NOTES: TOLEDO NOTES ; AKRON NOTES:
• Toledo (10-2, 7-1 MAC) is making its first appearance in the Marathon MAC Football Championship Game since 2004. This marks Toledo’s 11th MAC West Division title and the program’s first outright division title since 1998. The Rockets have been a model of consistency in winning as Toledo has won at least nine games in six of the last seven years, and this year’s record of 10-2 is the ninth time in Toledo history to win at least 10 games in a season.
• Akron (7-5, 6-2) will visit Detroit for the program’s first appearance in the Marathon MAC Football Championship Game since 2005. Akron secured its third MAC East Division title as the Zips are bowl eligible for the second time in the last three years, also a program record.
• The MAC has seven teams bowl eligible -- Toledo (10-2), Ohio (8-4), NIU (8-4), Central Michigan (8-4), Akron (7-5), Western Michigan (6-6) and Buffalo (6-6). The 2017 bowl season will be set this Sunday, Dec. 3 as bowl invitations will be extended to bowl eligible teams. The MAC’s seven bowl eligible teams ties the MAC single season record. The MAC had seven programs accept bowl invitations during both the 2012 and 2015 bowl seasons.
• Over the last three seasons, the MAC will have six different programs participate in the Marathon MAC Football Championship Game. In 2015 Bowling Green defeated NIU, 34-14, while 2016 witnessed Western Michigan with a 29-23 win over Ohio.
2017 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game To Feature Toledo vs. Akron on Dec. 2 at Noon ET (ESPN) at Ford Field
The 2017 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game will feature the West Division Champion Toledo Rockets against the East Division Champion Akron Zips on Saturday, Dec. 2 at Noon ET in front of a national television audience on ESPN. This contest will mark the 21st annual championship game for the MAC and will mark the 14th neutral site game at Ford Field in downtown Detroit, Mich.
Toledo (10-2, 7-1 MAC) clinched the MAC West Division title with a 37-10 win over Western Michigan on Nov. 24. Toledo will be making its first trip to Detroit since 2004. This is Toledo’s 11th MAC West title and the first outright division title since 1998. After finishing with a 10-2 overall record, this marked the ninth time in Toledo history that a Rocket team has won at least 10 games in a season.
Akron (7-5, 6-2 MAC) clinched the MAC East Division title with a 24-14 win over Kent State on Nov. 21. Akron will be making its first visit to Detroit since 2005 as the Zips have advanced to the Championship game for only the second time in program history. Toledo and Akron faced each other during the 2017 regular season as the Rockets defeated the Zips, 48-21, on Saturday, Oct. 21 at the Glass Bowl in Toledo.
TOLEDO-AKRON REMATCH: FIRST IN CHAMP GAME SINCE 2005
The battle for the 2017 Marathon MAC Football Championship has a unique twist as Akron faced Toledo during the regular season and the two teams will have a rematch in the title game for the first time in the MAC since 2005. Earlier this year in the team’s head-to-head meeting on Oct. 21, 2017, Toledo utilized 626 yards of total offense en route to a 48-21 win over Akron at the Glass Bowl. At the time, the preseason MAC favorite Toledo improved to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the MAC, becoming the first MAC team to earn bowl eligibility this season. Akron suffered its first loss in MAC play, fell to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in league play.
For the Rockets, quarterback Logan Woodside threw for 304 yards and five touchdowns on 17-of-24 passing, while Terry Swanson rushed for 123 yards on 20 carries and Jon’Vea Johnson had 102 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Thomas Woodson started for Akron, going 18-of-33 for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Tra’Von Chapman led with 70 yards and a touchdown on six receptions, while senior running back Manny Morgan was the top rusher with 25 yards on nine carries.
The last time the MAC had teams playing in the Championship game that faced each other during the regular season was 2005 when Akron faced Northern Illinois. During the regular season, Akron defeated Northern Illinois 48-42 in overtime on Sept. 24, 2005 and in the 2005 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game the Zips also won with a 31-30 victory over the Huskies.
MAC FOURSOME LEADS THE NATION IN QUARTERBACK SACKS
The MAC is home to four of the top students in the nation in quarterback sacks. Northern Illinois sophomore Sutton Smith leads the nation with 14.0 sacks (1.17 per game), while Central Michigan senior Joe Ostman ranks second in the country with 12.0 sacks (1.20 per game). Ball State senior Anthony Winbush ranks tied for fourth in the nation with 11.5 sacks (0.96 per game) and Eastern Michigan sophomore Maxx Crosby is sixth in the country with 11.0 sacks (0.92 per game).
In addition, NIU’s Smith leads the nation with 28.5 tackles for loss for an average of 2.4 per game. Central Michigan’s Ostman ranks fourth in the country with 18.5 tackles for loss for 1.9 per game.
OHIO ACCEPTS INVITATION TO 2017 BAHAMAS BOWL
After compiling an 8-4 regular season record, the Ohio Bobcats (8-4, 5-3 MAC) will be taking its brand of football international as the Bobcats have accepted an invitation to the 2017 Bahamas Bowl and will be matched up against Conference USA opponent Alabama-Birmingham (8-4, 6-2 CUSA). The Bahamas Bowl will be played on Dec. 22 at 12:30 pm ET in the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas and broadcast live on ESPN. The Atlantis Paradise Island resort serves as the host site for all the bowl activities. This marks the ninth bowl appearance for the Bobcats under head coach Frank Solich and Ohio has been bowl-eligible for nine straight seasons.
THREE MAC STUDENTS CLIMB CAREER RECORD BOOK
Three MAC seniors continue to climb up the MAC career record book this 2017 season. Quarterback Logan Woodside (Toledo), along with running back Jarvion Franklin (Western Michigan) and defensive back Darius Phillips (Western Michigan) rank among career leaders in league history.
Toledo QB Logan Woodside
• Career Pass Completion Percentage - 65.5% (720-1,100) (3rd MAC history)
• Career Passing TDs – 89 (tied for 7th MAC history)
• Career Yards Passing – 10,083 (14th MAC history)
• Career Completions – 720 (22nd MAC history)
Western Michigan RB Jarvion Franklin
• Career Yards Rushing – 4,867 (5th MAC history)
• Career Rushing TDs – 52 (tied for 4th MAC history)
• Career Rushing Attempts – 942 (3rd MAC history)
Western Michigan DB Darius Phillips
• Career Interceptions Returned For TDs – 5 (1st MAC history)
