CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Toledo Rockets got a nice Mid-American Conference inheritance Tuesday night. Ohio University upset Northern Illinois on the road, leaving Toledo alone atop the MAC’s West Division.
The challenge now is to stay there. If the Rockets can avoid the same fate Friday at home against Western Michigan (6-5, 5-2), they will head to the MAC title game next week in Detroit’s Ford Field against Bowling Green.
Ohio outclassed the Huskies from start to finish, 26-21, knocking out NIU quarterback Ryan Graham in the third quarter and forcing the Huskies to use a fourth quarterback this season as the top two were already out for the season.
A pair of backup OU quarterbacks each threw a touchdown pass and kicker Josiah Yazdani had four field goals. Tailback A.J. Oullette rushed for 140 yards to control the clock more than 10 minutes longer against the defending MAC champions, who never led in the game.
The Bobcats (8-4, 5-3) were already on the list of seven MAC teams eligible for a bowl game, but the victory over the Huskies (8-4, 6-2) might be worth a better bowl destination in the end.
Also Tuesday, Bowling Green bounced back easily from its loss to Toledo last week by trouncing Ball State on the road behind quarterback Matt Johnson. The Falcons have had the MAC East title wrapped up for weeks.
But the MAC West drama is extended to the final day of the season. Toledo (9-1, 6-1), with its tailback tandem of Kareem Hunt and Terry Swanson, must hold off the Broncos to get that short bus trip across the state line. A loss by Toledo could lead to a four-way tie (NIU, Toledo, WMU, Central Michigan) for first place. In that scenario, Northern Illinois would win the tiebreaker and get a third straight trip to the Motor City.
Here is the rest of the MAC Schedule for the week.
FRIDAY
Western Michigan (6-5, 5-2) at Toledo (9-1, 6-1), noon, CBS Sports Net: The Broncos can salvage a somewhat disappointing season with a road upset at Toledo. But the Rockets, coming off a road win at Bowling Green, will be tough to handle at home with tailbacks Terry Swanson and Kareem Hunt both at full strength and the UT defense back on top of its game.
Kent State (3-8, 2-5) at Akron (6-5, 4-3), noon, ESPN3: A late season roll with three straight wins has propelled the Akron Zips to bowl eligibility. Quarterback Tommy Woodson is coming off a four-touchdown game over Buffalo, arguably his best performance of the season. Kent is going in the opposite direction, having lost four straight as scoring remains a huge challenge.
UMass (2-9, 1-6) at Buffalo (5-6, 3-4), 4 p.m., ESPNU: A very disappointing exit for UMass, playing in its final season in the MAC. UB needs a win to become bowl eligible.
Central Michigan (6-5, 5-2) at Eastern Michigan (1-10, 0-7), 1 p.m., ESPN3: CMU holds out hope of getting a share of first in the MAC West, but must win and hope for help from others.
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