The MAC got weird in week 12. Ball State held on in overtime against Western Michigan which eliminated the Broncos from MAC West contention. That result really punctuates the free fall that Western Michigan was in. Ohio took Buffalo behind the wood shed and obliterated them, and that game should have been a toss up. Northern Illinois forgot how to move the ball against Miami and lost 13-7. The edge was taken off of that game since NIU clinched the MAC West the night before. Bowling Green, who has every excuse to drop dead, beats Akron and almost assuredly gets them to miss a bowl game. Lets get into the players that produced these weird results.
Quarterback of the Week
Surprise, surprise. Ohio scored more than 50 points and Nathan Rourke had a great game. Rourke completed 65% of his passes, threw for 209 yards, ran for 77, and combined for 4 touchdowns. Rourke has 69 total touchdowns in his 2 years as a starter at Ohio.
Honorable Mentions
Ball State quarterback Drew Plitt lead the league in passing yards and completing 80% of his passes, victimizing the Bronco defense. Golden Flash quarterback Woody Barrett did his best to keep his team in it against the Rockets. He threw for 198 yards, one touchdown, and rushed for 36 yards and one score.
Running Back of the Week
Week 12 was big for running backs, headlined by AJ Ouellette from Ohio. Power running backs are not a thing of the past in Ohio. Ouellette ran for 196 yards, caught two passes for 16 yards and had three touchdowns. It’s worth noting that Ohio rushed for 437 yards and averaged 7.8 yards per carry.
Honorable Mentions
LeVante Bellamy eclipsed 200 yards in his game against Ball State. A great game aside from one bad fumble. Bryant Koback scored twice on 17 carries and 192 yards for the Rockets.
Wide Receiver of the Week
Kent State wide receiver Mike Carrigan had 7 catches for 110 yards and one touchdown against Toledo. A 37 yard catch was his long on the day and the touchdown came on a 2 yard pass. The junior wide receiver has had a solid season and a big improvement over last year.
Honorable Mentions
Justin Hall and Giovanni Ricci tried to out duel each other Tuesday night. Ricci had seven catches for 65 yards and one score, while Hall had 9 catches for 117 yards. Ricci got the touchdown but Hall got the win.
Sack and Tackle For Loss Leader
Western Michigan defensive lineman Eric Assoua had 1.5 sacks and 2 tackles for loss in Muncie Indiana. Late in the fourth quarter, Assoua sacked Drew Plitt to put Ball State way behind the chains and force a punt. A solid game for Assoua on Tuesday night.
Volume Tackler
Ball State’s Bryce Crosby was all over the place. He had 17 total tackles to go along with 9 solo. Crosby finished with a half tackle for loss and a pass deflection.
Interceptions and Pass Deflections
Miami pulled the upset of Northern Illinois with a pick six in the second half to take the lead. Defensive back Ja’don Rucker-Furlow was the player top step in front of an out route and took it the distance. Coach Chuck Martin in his post game press conference said that he was telling the defense that some one needed to make a play, and that someone was Ja’don Rucker-Furlow.
See who were the players of the week last week!
