Mid-American Conference

A look ahead to the 2014 MAC Football season with news and notes from around the Conference.

 

Beginning with the 2014-15 season, college football will enter a new four-team playoff era.  Two College Football Playoff Semifinals will be played in bowl games this year (Sugar Bowl; Rose Bowl) and the College Football Playoff National Championship will be played in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 12.

 

The two Semifinals and four other premier bowl games (Orange Bowl; Cotton Bowl; Peach Bowl; Fiesta Bowl) will be played on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.  The Semifinal games will rotate among these six different bowls.  All MAC programs will join every FBS team in college football with equal access to the playoff based upon its performance.  No team will qualify automatically.

 

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee will choose four teams for the playoffs based on body of work, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, comparison of results against common opponents, championships won and other factors.

 

The highest ranked program by the Selection Committee from either the MAC, American Athletic, Conference USA, Mountain West or Sun Belt Conferences will play annually in one of the premier bowl games.

 

• Five MAC programs were invited to bowl games last season as Bowling Green (Little Caesars Pizza Bowl), Northern Illinois (San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl), Ball State

(GoDaddy Bowl), Buffalo (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl) and Ohio (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburgh Bowl) represented the Conference during the 2013 bowl season.

 

• The five bowl invitations marks the sixth time in MAC history to have five or more teams receive a bowl invitation (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013) in a single-season. The MAC record is seven bowl invitations, which was established in the 2012 bowl season.

 

• In the last three bowl seasons, the MAC has a record of 6-11 in 17 bowl games – 2013 (0-5); 2012 (2-5); 2011 (4-1) – as ten different programs have appeared in a bowl game in that span. 

 

• In 2013, the MAC had three programs reach ten or more wins as MAC Champion Bowling Green (10-4, 7-1), Northern Illinois (12-2, 8-0) and Ball State (10-3, 7-1) all reached the ten

win plateau. The MAC tied for third among FBS conferences with three teams with ten wins or more with the ACC, Big 12 and Conference USA, trailing only the SEC and Pac-12 with five teams with ten or more wins.

 

• Bowling Green won the 2013 Marathon MAC Football Championship with a 47-27 win over No. 14 ranked Northern Illinois on Dec. 6 at Ford Field. It marked the first championship for

Bowling Green since the 1992 season. The Falcons had back-to-back MAC Championship seasons in 1991 and 1992.

 

• Northern Illinois (12-2) finished the 2013 season ranked No. 23 in the BCS Standings. The Huskies were ranked in all seven of the BCS regular season rankings starting on Oct. 20 and continuing each week during the season reaching their highest ranking of No. 14 prior to the Marathon MAC Football Championship Game against Bowling Green.

 

• The MAC had seven programs bowl eligible in 2013 -- Northern Illinois (12-2), Ball State (10-3), Bowling Green (10-4), Buffalo (8-5), Ohio (7-6), Toledo (7-5) and Central Michigan

(6-6) -- to match the 2012 MAC record for most programs bowl eligible in a single season. Toledo and Central Michigan were not selected for a bowl game.

 

• Northern Illinois senior quarterback Jordan Lynch was one of six finalists invited to New York City for the Heisman Award Trophy presentation on Dec. 14. Lynch finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, the highest ever for a MAC student-athlete. Lynch was just the third MAC student-athlete invited to the Heisman ceremony -- WR Randy Moss (Marshall, 1997) and QB Chad Pennington (Marshall, 1999).

 

• Northern Illinois has won four consecutive MAC West Division titles and appeared in the Marathon MAC Football Championship Game since 2010.  From the East Division, there have been four different programs during this period – Miami (2010); Ohio (2011); Kent State (2012) and Bowling Green (2013).

 

• Northern Illinois has witnessed the last four consecutive MAC Offensive Player of the Year – as quarterback Jordan Lynch (2012; 2013), quarterback Chandler Harnish (2011) and running back Chad Spann (2010) have won the award.

 

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 21, Boise, Ida.) San Diego State 49, Buffalo 24

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl (Dec. 23, St. Petersburg, Fla.) East Carolina 37, Ohio 20

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (Dec. 26, Detroit, Mich.) Pittsburgh 30, Bowling Green 27

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (Dec. 26, San Diego, Calif.) Utah State 21, NIU 14

GoDaddy Bowl (Jan. 5, Mobile, Ala.) Arkansas State 23, Ball State 20

 

In the last three bowl seasons, ten different MAC programs have received a bowl invitation, as both Northern Illinois and Ohio lead the Conference with three invitations during this span.  Ball State (2012, 2013), Bowling Green (2012, 2013) and Toledo (2011, 2012) each received two invitations in the last three years.  Buffalo (2013), Central Michigan (2012), Kent State (2012), Western Michigan (2011) and former MAC-member Temple (2011) received one bowl invite during the last three bowl seasons.

 

Since the end of the 2013 regular season, four new head football coaches have been named in the MAC. Bowling Green head football coach Dave Clawson was named the head coach at Wake Forest in December after five seasons at Bowling Green. Bowling Green named Dino Babers head coach on Dec. 18. Chuck Martin was introduced as Miami’s head coach on Dec. 3, Eastern Michigan named Chris Creighton head coach on Dec. 11 and UMass named Mark Whipple as head coach on Jan. 14.

 

Babers comes to Bowling Green after serving as the head coach at Eastern Illinois for two seasons. He brings 30 years of coaching experience, including a 19-7 record as a head coach. This season, Babers led Eastern Illinois to a 12-2 record, a No. 2 national ranking, and a quarterfinal appearance in the FCS playoffs. Babers took a Panthers team which had finished in last place in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2011, and led them to a first-place finish in 2012 with a 6-1 league mark. Babers was named Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year in each of the past two years.  During his two seasons at Eastern Illinois, Babers led the best offense in all of FCS. The Panthers led the nation in yards per game (589.5) and points per game (48.2) in 2013. Also, EIU averaged 372.4 yards per game passing and 217.1 yards per game rushing.

 

Martin spent the past four seasons at Notre Dame, serving as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (2012-13) and defensive backs/recruiting coordinator (2010-11). Martin, who has more than 20 years of collegiate coaching experience, brings six years of head coaching experience to the RedHawk program. He has twice been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Coach of the Year, earning the honor in 2005 and 2006 at Grand Valley State, and has coached in seven national championship games in the past 13 seasons.  In addition to his head coaching experience, Martin has served as a coordinator on both sides of the ball. Of those seven national championship game appearances, he has been a part of four national championship wins, with two titles under his direction as head coach/offensive coordinator and one as a defensive coordinator.

 

Creighton joins Eastern Michigan after serving as head football coach at Drake for the past six years. Creighton built Drake into a consistent power in the Pioneer Football League, sharing the conference crown during the 2011 and 2012 campaigns. During his 17-year head coaching career, he has accumulated eight conference titles and an all-time record of 139-46 (.764). Creighton departs Drake with the highest winning percentage in school history (.667) after also posting 63 wins as the head coach at Wabash College and 32 at Ottawa University. In his time at Drake, Creighton boasted a 30-5 home record and a 21-2 home conference record going undefeated against five conference opponents.  Drake had an 11-game home win streak during Creighton’s tenure as well as winning 16-straight home conference games with him at the helm.

 

Mark Whipple was officially named the team's head coach on January 14, 2014. In his first stint from 1998-2003, Whipple led the Minutemen to new heights by winning the NCAA I-AA National Championship in his first season and making two other postseason appearances in the following five years.  A 31-year coaching veteran of the collegiate and professional levels, Whipple is widely regarded for his prowess as an offensive coordinator and his ability to develop quarterbacks. He helped Ben Roethlisberger of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers win a Super Bowl in his second year, built the University of Miami's 2009 and 2010 offenses into two of its best all-time, and his teams set 40 offensive records while at UMass.

 

Ohio head coach Frank Solich has been the recent model for consistency in coaching in the MAC. Solich arrived in Athens, Ohio in 2005 and during his nine seasons running the Bobcats program has garnered a bowl appearance in six of his nine seasons.  During his coaching career at Ohio, Solich has a record of 66-49 and his 66 wins rank tied for sixth most in MAC history.

 

1. 110, Herb Deromedi, Central Michigan, 1978-93

2. 108, Bill Hess, Ohio, 1958-77

3. 79, Bob Pruett, Marshall, 1997-03

4. 77, Doyt Perry, Bowling Green, 1955-64

5. 73, Gary Pinkel, Toledo, 1991-00

    66, Trevor Rees, Kent State, 1951-63

8. 64, Bill Mallory, Miami, 1969-73; Northern Illinois, 1980-83

9. 62, Al Molde, Western Michigan, 1987-96

    62, Joe Novak, Northern Illinois, 1997-2007

 

Northern Illinois has set the MAC record for consecutive bowl appearances by a member of the Conference. The Huskies current six consecutive bowl appearances is the best-ever in the 67-year history of the MAC. Beyond appearing in six consecutive bowl games, the Huskies will have done so with four different head coaches-- Jerry Kill (2008, 2009), interim Tom Matukewicz (2010), Dave Doeren (2011) and current Head Coach Rod Carey (2012, 2013).  Right behind Northern Illinois is Ohio and head coach Frank Solich, who has led Ohio to five consecutive bowl appearances.

 

2008: Independence Bowl: 17-10 loss to Louisiana Tech

2009: International Bowl: 27-3 loss to South Florida

2010: Humanitarian Bowl: 40-17 win over Fresno State

2011: GoDaddy.com Bowl: 38-20 win over Arkansas State

2012: Discover Orange Bowl: 31-10 loss to Florida State

2013: San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:  21-14 loss to Utah State

 

2009: Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: 21-17 loss to Marshall

2010: R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: 48-21 loss to Troy

2011: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: 24-23 win over Utah State

2012: Advocare V100 Independence Bowl: 45-14 win over Louisiana-Monroe

2013: Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl: 37-20 loss to East Carolina.

 

Khalil Mack was named First-team All-MAC honors for the third straight season and the MAC Defensive Player of the Year.  He earned the Jack Lambert Award - given to the nation’s top linebacker and finished second in the voting for the Butkus Award.  Mack was named first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports and by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), while second-team honors came from the Associated Press, Walter Camp and USA Today. 

 

Mack broke the NCAA record for career forced fumbles (16) and has tied the NCAA mark for career tackles for loss with 75.  Mack finished his career ranked seventh in MAC history with 28.5 career sacks.  In 2013, Mack led the Bulls in tackles (100), tackles for loss (19), sacks (10.5), interceptions (3) and forced fumbles (5).

 

Northern Illinois senior quarterback Jordan Lynch capped a record-setting career with yet another record by placing third in the 2013 voting for the Heisman Memorial Trophy to earn the highest finish ever by a player from the Mid-American Conference.

 

Lynch, a dual-threat quarterback who led NIU to a 12-0 start and a 24-4 record in two seasons as the Huskies’ starter, placed behind only winner Jameis Winston of Florida State and runner-up A.J. McCarron of Alabama. Winston won the award with 2,205 total points, including 668 first-place votes, while McCarron had 704 points (79 first place) and Lynch collected 558 points and 40 first-place votes.

 

The previous best finish by a MAC player was fourth place by Randy Moss of Marshall in 1997, when he finished with 253 votes. Chad Pennington of Marshall placed fifth in 1999 with 247 points.  Lynch’s third-place finish also tied Colt Brennan of Hawaii as the best placing by a player from a non-automatic qualifying conference during the BCS era. Brennan finished third in 2007.

 

Bowling Green rolled up nearly 600 yards of total offense to win the Marathon MAC Championship and defeated No. 14 Northern Illinois, 47-27, to capture the school’s first league crown in 21 years. Sophomore quarterback Matt Johnson threw for 393 yards and five touchdowns, setting career bests in both categories.

 

Senior tight end Alex Bayer caught seven passes for 124 yards and one touchdown, while receiver Ronnie Moore had 145 yards receiving on four catches and one score and running back Travis Greene rushed for 133 yards and capped the win with a fourth quarter rushing touchdown. Each team scored on its opening drive of the night, but the Falcons then took a 17-7 lead and never trailed thereafter. The Falcons led by a 31-13 count at the half, and Northern Illinois could not draw closer than 11 points in the second period.

 

Last fall the MAC announced the creation of the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl, a newly created bowl game to begin in 2014, which will be based in Montgomery, Alabama, owned and operated by ESPN. The Raycom Media Camellia Bowl will feature a MAC program to face a member of the Sun Belt Conference for the next six consecutive seasons (2014-2019) in a pre-Christmas game televised nationally by ESPN or ESPN2. The game will be played in the Cramton Bowl, a 25,000 seat stadium that has undergone significant renovations over the last several years, including a new press box facility, locker rooms and VIP hospitality accommodations.

 

The MAC announced the creation of newly created bowl games in Boca Raton, Fla., Nassau, Bahamas and Miami Beach, Fla. for a six-year period (2014-2019).  The Boca Raton Bowl will be owned and operated by ESPN and will be a pre-Christmas game played at FAU Stadium, an open air stadium opened in 2011 which seats nearly 30,000 fans on the campus of Florida Atlantic University.  The Bahamas Bowl will be played at Thomas A. Robinson Stadium. The Miami Beach Bowl will be played at Marlins Park.

 

The MAC is a partner with the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl as a primary partner in 2017 and 2019, and a secondary partner in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018 bowl seasons. The MAC will play the Mountain West in both the 2017 and 2019 bowl seasons, played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

 

The creation of the Boca Raton, Bahamas and Miami Beach Bowls is the centerpiece of a joint agreement between several FBS conferences and will be supported by several FBS conferences on a six-year rotating basis. Starting in the 2014 season, the MAC will have a minimum five guaranteed bowl opportunities.

 

GoDaddy Bowl (Mobile, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.; vs. Mountain West)

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)

Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Fla.; vs. Conference USA)

Bahamas Bowl (Nassau, Bahamas; vs. Conference USA)

*Secondary in San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

 

GoDaddy Bowl (Mobile, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.; vs. Mountain West)

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)

Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Fla.; vs. American Athletic)

Bahamas Bowl (Nassau, Bahamas; vs. Conference USA)

*Secondary in San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

 

GoDaddy Bowl (Mobile, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.; vs. Mountain West)

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)

Bahamas Bowl (Nassau, Bahamas; vs. American Athletic)

Miami Beach Bowl (Miami, Fla.; vs. American Athletic)

*Secondary in San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

 

GoDaddy Bowl (Mobile, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.; vs. Mountain West)

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)

Bahamas Bowl (Nassau, Bahamas; vs. Sun Belt)

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego, Calif.; vs. Mountain West)

 

GoDaddy Bowl (Mobile, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.; vs. Mountain West)

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)

Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Fla.; vs. Conference USA)

Miami Beach Bowl (Miami, Fla.; vs. American Athletic)

*Secondary in San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

 

GoDaddy Bowl (Mobile, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.; vs. Mountain West)

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.; vs. Sun Belt)

Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Fla.; vs. American Athletic)

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego, Calif.; vs. Mountain West)

 

The Mid-American Conference will hold its annual Media Day on Wednesday, July 23 from Noon to 4:00 pm at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., site of the Marathon MAC Championship Game.  Media headquarters is the Downtown Renaissance.  For additional information, contact Ken Mather, Associate Commissioner/ Media & Public Relations, 216-566-4622, kmather@mac-sports.com. 

 

The 2014 football schedule will feature 14 midweek nationally televised games during the month of November on ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3 as the conference race unfolds in both the East and West divisions.  

 

The regular season will conclude with the 17th Marathon MAC Football Championship game on Friday, Dec. 5 at Ford Field in Detroit on ESPN2.  This will mark the 11th Marathon MAC Football Championship game at Ford Field.

 

For the seventh year in a row, league schools will face a formidable non-conference slate of opponents from the following Football Bowl Subdivision conferences – ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC. In addition, the conference will also face opponents from the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mountain West Conference, Sun Belt Conference and Independent Army.  

 

MAC programs will face six non-conference foes that finished in the final AP Top 25 poll: Michigan State (3), Missouri (5), Ohio State (12), Baylor (13), Wisconsin (22) and Vanderbilt (24). Two of these six games will be home games for MAC programs – Missouri at Toledo (Sept. 6) and Baylor at Buffalo (Sept. 12).

 

A total of 11 non-conference games will feature a Big Ten opponent (Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State (2), Purdue (2) and Wisconsin). The MAC will face foes from the ACC (5—Boston College, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech), SEC (5—Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Vanderbilt), Big 12 (3—Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas) and Pac-12 (1—Colorado). 

 

The MAC will also face opponents from the American Athletic Conference (2— Cincinnati (2)), Mountain West (1—UNLV), Conference USA (4—Marshall (3), Western Kentucky) and Sun Belt Conference (3—Idaho (2), South Alabama), along with Independent Army (3).

 

MAC programs continue to increase the number of home or neutral site games against FBS Automatic Qualifying (AQ) Conference opponents.  This season the MAC will host 11 games against FBS non-conference foes, including Baylor (Big-12), Boston College (ACC); Colorado (Pac-12), Indiana (Big Ten), Missouri (SEC) and Syracuse (ACC).

 

-Boston College (ACC) at UMass on Aug. 30;

-Marshall (Conference USA) at Miami on Aug. 30;

-Missouri (SEC) at Toledo on Sept. 6;

-Colorado (PAC-12) at UMass on Sept. 6;

-South Alabama (Sun Belt) at Kent State on Sept. 6;

-Baylor (Big-12) at Buffalo on Sept. 12;

-Syracuse (ACC) at Central Michigan on Sept. 13;

-Indiana (Big Ten) at Bowling Green on Sept. 13;

-Idaho (Sun Belt) at Ohio on Sept. 20;

-Marshall (Conference USA at Akron on Sept. 20;

-Army (Independent) at Kent State on Oct. 18;

 

 

 

• Akron posted its highest win total since 2008 last season, going 5-7 overall and 4-4 in Conference, and ended the year by winning three-straight and four of its last five games.

• Senior Jawon Chisholm finished eighth in the MAC in rushing (72.4 ypg) last season and tied for eighth with eight touchdowns on the ground.

• Junior Jatavis Brown, the Zips' first First-Team All-MAC selection since Brian Wagner in 2011, 

led a much-improved Akron defense with 107 total tackles (57 solo) in addition to 6.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups.

 

• Dino Babers, the 18th coach in school history, begins his first season as head football coach after two successful seasons as head coach at Eastern Illinois. He brings 29 years of coaching experience, including a 19-7 record as a head coach. In 2013, Babers led Eastern Illinois to a 12-2 record, a No. 2 national ranking, and a quarterfinal appearance in the FCS playoffs as the Panthers outscored their opponents, 675-319. 

• Junior quarterback Matt Johnson played in all 14 games last season, starting the final 13 games as he was inserted into the season opener’s third drive against Tulsa.  Johnson went on to finish the season 237-of-369 passing and threw for 3,467 yards and 25 touchdowns.  His 3,467 yards were fourth most in a single season in school history and 25 touchdown passes were tied for sixth all-time. Johnson threw for a career-high 393 yards and five touchdowns in the MAC Championship vs. Northern Illinois, earning Championship game MVP honors.

• Junior running back Travis Greene rushed for a school-record 1,594 yards, surpassing

Fred Durig’s mark of 1,444 set in 1951, and was named All-MAC second team at running back. Greene finished the year with 279 carries for 1,594 yards (5.7 ypc) with 11 rushing touchdowns and nine 100-yard games, most in school history for a single season.

 

• Buffalo is coming off one of its best seasons in school history, including its second ever bowl appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, with an 8-5 overall record and a school-record six MAC wins. The eight regular-season wins were the most in Buffalo’s Division I-A era. 

• Junior Joe Licata is coming off his first full season as the Bulls starter as he threw for 2,824 yards and 24 touchdowns while completing 58 percent of his passes.  His 24 touchdown passes were one shy of the single season school record.

• The offensive line has grown to be one of the strengths of Buffalo as Head Coach Jeff Quinn

has the luxury of having essentially all five starters returning. The Bulls lost first-team All-MAC

Jasen Carlson to graduation, but he missed the final six games of the 2013 season with an injury, giving an opportunity for some younger players to develop. The offensive line is anchored by senior Andre Davis, a starter since 2011 with 37 straight games playing both guard and tackle. Senior Tevor Sales has also been a mainstay on the offensive line and has started every game at center for the Bulls for each of the last two seasons.  Senior Jake Silas started all 13 games at right tackle last season and will likely return to that role this year.

 

• Sophomore second-year quarterback Colin Reardon made quite an impression his freshman year as he started 11 games and threw for 1,957 yards on 186-of-317 passing for 12 touchdowns.

• Senior running back Trayion Durham will be asked to spearhead the rushing attack as last year he rushed for 766 yards and six touchdowns.

• Junior linebacker Matt Dellinger ranked second on the team last year with 77 tackles and added two sacks in 12 starts.

 

• New Head Coach Chuck Martin brings a 74-7 career head coaching record to Miami, as he led Grand Valley State to back-to-back National Championships in 2005 and 2006. Martin spent the last four seasons at Notre Dame, serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks (2012-13) and defensive backs and recruiting coordinator (2010-11).

• Junior defensive end Bryson Albright led the team last year with 5.0 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss, along with 55 tackles.

• Junior linebacker Kent Kern was a second-team All-MAC performer last season and led the team with 98 tackles.

• Junior Kaleb Patterson returns for this third year as Miami's placekicker and has made 22-of-29 field goals in his first two years in Oxford.

 

• Ohio’s 62 wins since 2006 are the second most victories by any school in the MAC during that period and the Bobcats have received five consecutive bowl invitations. 

• Sophomore defensive end Tarell Basham was named to last year’s Football Writers

Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America Team. Basham was named to

the team after he led the Bobcats with 7.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss this past season. His 7.5 sacks are tied for fifth on the program’s all-time single season sack list. He also recorded 32 tackles (16 solo) and tallied five quarterback hurries.

• Senior wide receiver Chase Cochran has made a habit of coming up with the big play. In his 30 career games, Cochran has hauled in 12 passes of 40 yards or more.  Last season he collected 37 catches for 689 yards and four touchdowns.

 

• Mark Whipple was named the team's head coach on Jan. 14, 2014. In his first stint from 1998-2003, Whipple led the Minutemen to new heights by winning the NCAA I-AA National Championship in his first season and making two other postseason appearances in the following five years.  Whipple brings 31-years of coaching experience to Amherst.

• Senior linebacker Stanley Andre led the team last year with 111 tackles and six tackles for loss and one sack.

• Junior quarterback A.J. Doyle appeared in 11 games last year and threw for 1,274 yards and six touchdowns.

 

 

 

• Head Coach Pete Lembo owns a .658 winning percentage (25-13) through 38 games as Ball State's head coach, which marks the best winning percentage in a coaching career for the Cardinals since 1967. 

• Lembo is one of seven current FBS head coaches to have posted nine or more wins in a season at three different schools -- Pete Lembo, Ball State alum Brady Hoke, Dennis Franchione, Paul Johnson, Brian Kelly, Urban Meyer and Nick Saban.

• Ball State is the only FBS school in the country to have upped its season win totals every year from 2010 to 2013.  After tallying a 2-10 record in 2009, the Cardinals improved to four wins in 2010, six victories in 2011, nine wins in 2012 and 10 in 2013.

• Lembo has guided the Cardinals to a 4-3 record over teams from FBS AQ conferences in his three seasons at Ball State with wins over Virginia, South Florida and Indiana (twice).

• Senior Jahwan Edwards set the Ball State record for total touchdowns in a career with 39 last year as a junior.  Edwards holds the school record for rushing touchdowns in a career and has twelve 100-yard rushing games in his career.

 

• Head Coach Dan Enos enters his fifth season in leading the Central Michigan football program.  The Chippewas have finished the last two seasons (5-3 in 2013; 4-4 in 2012) with a .500 or better Conference record in the competitive MAC West Division.

• Senior wide receiver Titus Davis was named All-MAC First Team as he totaled 61 receptions for 1,109 yards and eight touchdowns.  Davis notched six 100-yard receiving games and now has 11 total for his career.  Davis also led the Chippewas with 1,301 all-purpose yards last season.

• Senior linebacker Justin Cherocci will lead the defense as last year he led the MAC with 121 tackles and ranked 16th in the nation in tackles per game (10.1 tpg).  Cherocci garnered All-MAC Third Team recognition and added 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.

 

• Chris Creighton was named Eagles Head Coach after serving as the Head Coach at Drake University the last six seasons.  Creighton boasts a career record of 139-46, without having a winning percentage lower than .667 at any of his three previous institutions.  During his 17-year head coaching career, Creighton has accumulated eight conference titles and an all-time record of 139-46 (.764 %). He left Drake with the highest winning percentage in school history (.667) after also posting 63 wins as the head coach at Wabash College and 32 at Ottawa University.

• Senior tight end Tyreese Russell earned second-team MAC honors as he led the team with 44 catches for 594 yards and three touchdowns. 

• Senior running back Bronson Hill surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career and the first Eagle since 2003. Last year Hill had 196 carries for 1,101 yards (5.6 avg.) with five touchdowns and now has nine career 100-yard rushing games.

 

• Northern Illinois is the winningest program in the MAC over the last decade, as the Huskies have won two MAC championships, four straight MAC West titles, a league record sixth straight bowl appearance with a berth in the 2013 San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.

• The Huskies will enter 2014 with a 26-game winning streak in their home stadium, the longest in the nation.

• Northern Illinois has 46 wins over the last four years and ranks second in the FBS behind only Oregon and ahead of Boise State (45), LSU (44) and Oklahoma (43).

• Last season, the Huskies became the first MAC team to defeat two Big Ten teams in the same season with wins over Iowa and Purdue.

• Northern Illinois is the only FBS team to win seven road wins in 2013 and its 15 consecutive road wins led the nation.

 

• Toledo’s offensive line features four returning starters, all seniors, including two All-MAC guards, Greg Mancz (second team) and Jeff Myers (third team).The returning tackles are Josh Hendershot and Chase Nelson. Robert Lisowski, another senior, was a top reserve in 2013 and is listed at No. 1 in the depth chart at center. The offensive line as a group has started in 97 career games.

• Rockets return five of the top six tacklers on defense from 2013. Senior linebacker Junior Sylvestre (118 tackles) and junior Chased Murdock (109 tackles) both finished in the top 25 in the nation in tackles per game. The Rockets’ other top returners are junior linebacker Trent Voss (60), senior cornerback Cheatham Norrils (52) and junior safety Chaz Whitaker (45).

• Senior placekicker Jeremiah Detmer was named 2013 MAC Special Teams Player of the Year. Detmer, who also made first-team All-MAC, connected on 19-of-20 field goals and 44-of-45 extra points.  He made his final 13 field goals of the season and was successful on 36 of his last 37 attempts over the past two seasons. His consecutive field-goal streak was stopped at 23 when he missed a 35-yarder vs. Eastern Washington on Sept. 14 on the last play of the first half. Detmer’s mark ranks tied for fifth-best field-goal streak in NCAA FBS history.

 

• Sophomore wide receiver Corey Davis became the seventh Bronco to earn MAC Freshman of the Year, which gives the Broncos more than any other program in the MAC.  Davis was also named Freshman All-America by Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and College Football News.

• Davis led all freshmen wide receivers in the FBS in receptions (67), receiving yards (941), touchdowns (6), receiving yards per game (85.5), and 100-yard receiving games (5) and set school freshman records in receiving yards and 100-yard games, sharing the record with former teammate Jaime Wilson for receptions.

• Western Michigan boasted the best recruiting class (according to Rivals) in Western Michigan and MAC history in 2014, ranking 59th in the country.

 

 

In 2013, the MAC had ten wins vs. FBS opponents. The MAC set the conference single season record with 16 wins over FBS non-conference opponents during the 2012 season. Dating back to the 2000 season, the previous mark for MAC’s number of wins vs. opponents from other FBS conferences was 14 regular season wins during the 2008 season.

 

2013: 10; Iowa; Purdue; Virginia; UConn; Tulsa; Marshall; Army; North Texas; Idaho; Navy

2012: 16; Penn State; Wyoming; Idaho; New Mexico St.; Army (4); UConn; Marshall; Indiana; Iowa; South Florida; Kansas; Cincinnati; Rutgers

2011: 10; Indiana; Army (4); UConn; Idaho; New Mexico State; Marshall; Maryland

2010: 7; Minnesota; Purdue; Marshall; Colorado State; UConn; Army; Louisiana-Lafayette

2009: 9; Michigan State; Purdue; Colorado; Florida International; Troy; UTEP; North Texas; Army; Navy

2008: 14; Navy; Indiana (2); Western Kentucky; Michigan; Idaho; Illinois; Syracuse; Army (3); Pittsburgh; Wyoming; UTEP

2007: 10; Navy; Army (2); Idaho; Iowa State (2); Iowa; Minnesota; Syracuse; La-Lafayette

2006: 11; Temple (5); Kansas; Virginia; North Carolina State; North Texas; FIU; Illinois

2005: 9; Army; Louisiana-Lafayette; Temple (4); Pittsburgh; Middle Tennessee State; Cincinnati

2004: 3; Temple (2); Kentucky

2003: 9; Kansas State; Northwestern; Colorado State; Cincinnati; Purdue; Maryland; Alabama; Iowa State; Pittsburgh

2002: 10; Rutgers; Troy; North Carolina; Cincinnati; UConn; Missouri; Kansas; Wyoming; Wake Forest; UNLV

2001: 11; UConn (2); Army; Cincinnati; Missouri; Temple (2); Minnesota; Northwestern; South Florida; Navy

2000: 9; Central Florida (2); Vanderbilt; Minnesota; UConn (2); Navy; Penn State; Iowa

 

 

Football programs continue to take notice of MAC head coaches. Last December, Bowling Green head coach Dave Clawson led the Falcons to the 2013 Marathon MAC Football Championship and one week later Clawson was named the head coach at Wake Forest. Clawson replaces Jim Grobe as head coach at Wake Forest and ironically Grobe previously coached at Ohio University. 

 

Clawson joined the lengthy list of former MAC head coaches currently at head coaching positions within FBS. In 2012, both coaches from the Marathon MAC Football Championship game received new opportunities. Former Northern Illinois head coach Dave Doeren was named head coach at North Carolina State and former Kent State head coach Darrell Hazell was named head coach at Purdue.

 

There are 13 former head coaches from the MAC in a current FBS head coaching position–including nearly half of the Big Ten (five total) and both coaches from the 2013 BCS Championship Game – Alabama’s Nick Saban (Toledo) and Notre Dame’s Brian

Kelly (Central Michigan).

 

 

Big Ten – Urban Meyer-Ohio State (Bowling Green), Brady Hoke-Michigan (Ball State), Jerry Kill-Minnesota (Northern Illinois), Tim Beckman-Illinois (Toledo), Darrell Hazell-Purdue

(Kent State)

Ind. – Brian Kelly-Notre Dame (Central Michigan)

SEC-Nick Saban-Alabama (Toledo), Gary Pinkel-Missouri (Toledo), Butch Jones-Tennessee (Central Michigan)

ACC-Al Golden-Miami (Temple), Steve Addazio-Boston College (Temple), Dave Doeren-NC State (Northern Illinois), Dave Clawson-Wake Forest (Bowling Green).

 

 

Over the last six years, the MAC West has had the upper hand in cross-over regular season games against the MAC East, winning the head-to-head regular season series in five of the last six years.

However, both the East and West have each won three Marathon MAC Football Championship games during the same six year span. From the East Division, Bowling Green (2013), Miami

(2010) and Buffalo (2008), while the West Division has witnessed Central Michigan (2009) and Northern Illinois (2011, 2012).

 

Over the last six seasons (2008-13), the West holds a 71-37 (.657%) regular season record in cross-over games over the East. Take a look at the last five years in divisional play between the

MAC East vs. the MAC West.

 

2013 West 12-6; Bowling Green (East) def. Northern Illinois (West), 47-27

2012 West 12-6; Northern Illinois (West) def. Kent State (East) 44-37 in double overtime.

2011 West 14-4; Northern Illinois (West) def. Ohio (East), 23-20

2010 West 12-6; Miami (East) def. Northern Illinois (West),26-21

2009 East 11-7; Central Michigan (West) def. Ohio (East), 20-10

2008 West 14-4; Buffalo (East) def. Ball State (West), 42-24

 

 

Northern Illinois finished the 2013season as No. 23 in the Final BCS Standings.  During the BCS era, Northern Illinois was the only MAC program to receive an invitation to a BCS Bowl Game.  The Huskies won the 2012 Marathon MAC Football Championship Game and were ranked No. 15 in the BCS, higher than two AQ (automatic qualifying) conferences – Big Ten (No. 16 Nebraska) and Big East (No. 21 Louisville) and received the invitation to the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl vs. Florida State on Jan. 1, 2013.

 

Northern Illinois was the only non-AQ program to receive a BCS Bowl invitation during a one-loss season.  Northern Illinois finished the 2012 season with a 12-1 overall record 8-0 in Conference play.  Also in 2012 season, the MAC had four separate programs ranked in the BCS Standings --Northern Illinois, Kent State, Toledo and Ohio. 

 

Ball State (8): 2008: Oct. 19 (20); Oct. 26 (16); Nov. 2 (17); Nov. 9 (14); Nov. 16 (17); Nov. 23 (15); Nov. 30 (12); Dec. 7 (22).

Bowling Green (9): 2003: Oct. 27 (17); Nov. 3 (16); Nov. 10 (23); Nov. 17 (20); Nov. 24 (20); Dec. 1 (18); Dec. 7 (24). 2004: Nov. 15 (25); Nov. 22 (25).

Kent State (3): 2012: Nov. 18 (23); Nov. 25 (17); Dec. 2 (25).

Marshall (6): 1999: Oct. 25 (14); Nov. 1 (14); Nov. 15 (14); Nov. 22 (13); Nov. 29 (12); Dec. 5 (12).

Miami (7): 2003: Oct. 27 (19); Nov. 3 (21); Nov. 10 (16); Nov. 17 (14); Nov. 24 (13); Dec. 1 (11); Dec. 7 (11).

Northern Illinois (14): 2003: Oct. 20 (10); Oct. 27 (23); Nov. 3 (22); Nov. 10 (21). 2010: Nov. 28 (25). 2012: Nov. 25 (21); Dec. 2 (15). 2013: Oct. 20 (18); Oct. 27 (17); Nov. 3 (18); Nov. 10 (15); Nov. 17 (16); Nov. 24 (14); Dec. 1 (14).

Ohio (1): 2012: Oct. 21 (24).

Toledo (1): 2012: Nov. 4 (25).

 

First-Team All-American: Northern Illinois QB Jordan Lynch (all-purpose)

Second Team All-American: Buffalo LB Khalil Mack

Third Team All-American: Northern Illinois S Jimmie Ward

First Team All-American: Buffalo LB Khalil Mack

Second Team All-American: Northern Illinois QB Jordan Lynch

First Team All-American: Northern Illinois S Jimmie Ward; Buffalo LB Khalil Mack

Honorable Mention: Northern Illinois QB Jordan Lynch; Toledo RB David Fluellen; Bowling Green RB Travis Greene; Buffalo RB Branden Oliver; Ball State WR Willie Snead; Kent State DL Roosevelt Nix; Bowling Green DB Jerry ‘BooBoo’ Gates; Toledo K Jeremiah Detmer; Miami P Zac Murphy; Northern Illinois (all-purpose) Tommylee Lewis

Second Team All-American: Buffalo LB Khalil Mack

First Team All-American: Buffalo LB Khalil Mack

Second Team All-American: Buffalo LB Khalil Mack

Third Team All-American: Northern Illinois S Jimmie Ward

Second Team: Western Michigan WR Corey Davis; Toledo RB Kareem Hunt

First Team All-American: Northern Illinois QB Jordan Lynch (all-purpose)

Second Team All-American: Buffalo LB Khalil Mack

First Team All-American: Buffalo LB Khalil Mack

Second Team All-American: Northern Illinois QB Jordan Lynch, Miami P Zac Murphy

 

In two seasons as starter, Jordan Lynch led NIU to a 24-4 record with three wins over BCS teams. He leaves NIU with three single-game, 16 single-season and six career records. Lynch set five NCAA FBS records for quarterback rushing, accounted for 100 total touchdowns (51 passing, 48 rushing, 1 receiving) and averaged 7.1 yards per play for his career.

 

Lynch threw at least one touchdown pass in 26 of last 27 games. He ranks second on the NIU career total offense list, is the Huskies’ third all-time rusher and is in the Top 10 in 24 career categories.  Lynch led all active players with 4,343 career rushing yards and first in 100-yard rushing games with 22. Averaged 137.1 rushing yards per game and his 1,920 rushing yards ranked second in the country and broke his own NCAA record for QB rushing.

 

He finished his career 509-of-824 passing for 6,209 yards and 51 touchdowns, while rushing for 4,343 yards on 662 carries and 48 touchdowns.  His final career total offense numbers include 10,552 career yards.

 

1. 321 - Jordan Lynch, vs. WMU, 11-26-13

Previous: 316, Lynch (NIU) vs. CMU, 10-19-13

1. 1,920 - Jordan Lynch, 2013

Previous Record: 1,815 - Lynch (NIU), 2012

1. 12 - Jordan Lynch, 2012

1. 11 - Jordan Lynch, 2012

Previous Record: 5, by Five Players

Jordan Lynch, 2012 (3,138 pass, 1,815 rush)

Jordan Lynch, vs. Toledo, 11-14-12 (407 pass; 162 rush)

Jordan Lynch, vs. Central Michigan, 10-19-13 (316 rush; 155 pass)

1. 137.1 - Jordan Lynch, 2013

Record: 135.8 - Beau Morgan, Air Force, 1996

 

11. 10,552, Jordan Lynch (2010-13)

1. 4,953, Jordan Lynch (2012)

2. 4,812, Jordan Lynch (2013)

2. 569 (407 pass, 162 rush), Jordan Lynch vs. Toledo, 11-14-12

1. 1,920 - Jordan Lynch, NIU, 2013

Previous Record: 1,815 - Lynch (NIU), 2012

3. 696, Jordan Lynch (2013)

4. 688, Jordan Lynch (2012)

1. 48, Jordan Lynch (2013)

4. 44, Jordan Lynch (2012)

7. 4,343, Jordan Lynch (2010-13)

4. 144, Jordan Lynch (2013)

19. 294, Jordan Lynch (2010-13)

T6. 49, Jordan Lynch (2010-13)

4. 24, Jordan Lynch (2013)

25. 51, Jordan Lynch (2010-13)

22. .618 (509-824), Jordan Lynch (2010-13)

2. 1,920, Jordan Lynch (2013)

6. 1,815, Jordan Lynch (2012)

9. 321, Jordan Lynch vs. WMU (11-26-2013)

10. 316, Jordan Lynch vs. CMU (10-19-2013)

3. 23, Jordan Lynch (2013)

7. 48, Jordan Lynch (2010-13)

 

Keith Wenning set the Ball State career records for touchdown passes (92), passing yards (11,402), pass completions (1,035) and pass attempts (1,642).  Wenning finished his career second in school history, behind only Ball State assistant coach Joey Lynch, in pass completion percentage in a career with a .630 mark.  Wenning threw for at least 300 yards in a game a school record 16 times in his career, 400 or more yards a school standard three times in his career and 250 or more yards in a game a school record 22 times in his career.  His 4,148 passing yards in 2013 set the Cardinals' single-season record, while his 3,095 in 2012 ranks fourth and his 2,786 in 2011 ranks fifth.

 

P.J. Fleck, 33, is the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I (FBS), taking over the youngest spot over Toledo’s Matt Campbell, 34, and Texas Tech’s Kliff Klingsbury, 34.

 

P.J. Fleck, Western Michigan 33 (11-29-80)

Matt Campbell, Toledo 34 (11-29-79)

Kliff Klingsbury, Texas Tech 34 (8-9-79)

Bryan Harsin, Arkansas State 37 (11-1-76)

Willie Taggart, South Florida 37 (8-27-76)

 

 

• Mid-American Conference, Ken Mather, Assiscant Commissioner/Media & Public Relations, 216-566-4622, kmather@mac-sports.com

•Akron, Dallas Moyer, Assistant Director Athletic Communications, 330-972-6292, dm60@uakron.edu 

•Ball State, Joe Hernandez, Associate Athletics Director, 765-285-8242, jhernand@bsu.edu 

•Bowling Green, Scott Swegan, Athletic Communications, 419-372-7077, swegans@bgsu.edu 

•Buffalo, Jon Fuller, Communications Director, 716-645-6762, jfuller3@buffalo.edu 

•Central Michigan, Rob Wyman, Director of Athletic Communications, 989-774-7614, wyman1rd@cmich.edu 

•Eastern Michigan, Greg Steiner, Associate AD/Media Relations, 734-487-0318, greg.steiner@emich.edu 

•Kent State, Aaron Chiment, Assistant Director for Communications, 330-672-8419, achiment@kent.edu 

•UMass, John Sinnett, Assistant Director Media Relations, 413-687-2237, jsinnett@admin.umass.edu

•Miami, Dave Meyer, Assistant AD of Communications, 513-529-4329, meyerd@miamioh.edu 

•Northern Illinois, Donna Turner, Associate AD Communications, 815-753-9513, donnaturner@niu.edu 

•Ohio, Tom Symonds, Assistant Athletic Director/Media Relations, 740-593-1298, symondst@ohio.edu

•Toledo, Paul Helgren, Assistant AD/Media Relations, 419-530-4918, paul.helgren@utoledo.edu 

•Western Michigan, Mat Kanan, Assistant AD/Media Relations, 269-387-4125, mat.kanan@wmich.edu