NIU clinches MAC West crown; EMU picks up second win
Northern Illinois 59 (at) Ball State 21 Northern Illinois clinched the Mid-American Conference West Division with its eighth consecutive win against the Cardinals in Muncie, Ind. The Huskies (9-2, 7-0 MAC) offensive attack was led by running back Chad Spann, who rushed for 81 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Chandler Harnish threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Ball State (4-5, 3-5 MAC) remains fourth in the MAC West. Running back Eric Williams scored two touchdowns on 63 rushing yards. Quarterback Kelly Page managed to score the lone passing touchdown, throwing an 80-yard completion to receiver Jack Tomlinson.
Eastern Michigan 21 (at) Buffalo 17 Eastern Michigan (2-9, 2-5 MAC) won its second game of the season, beating Buffalo at UB Stadium. The Eagles offense leaned on the shoulder of running back Dwayne Priest and he did not disappoint, single handedly leading the team to victory. Priest had 192 rushing yards and three touchdowns. UB quarterback Jerry Davis had 222 passing yards and two touchdowns. Davis’ two touchdowns were the only touchdowns scored by the Bulls.
(at) Western Michigan 38, Kent State 3 Kent State’s third consecutive loss was an embarrassing one. The Golden Flashes (4-7, 3-4 MAC) offense was unable to find a way to score points as quarterback Spencer Keith accumulated 244 passing yards but threw two interceptions. Western Michigan (5-6, 4-3 MAC) earned back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Freshman running back Tevin Drake led the team’s offense with 102 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Alex Carder struggled more than usual with only 163 passing yards and one touchdown. Running backs Brian Fields and Dareyon Chance also each scored a rushing touchdown.
(at) No. 12 Michigan State 36, Purdue 31 Purdue suffered its fifth consecutive loss in a game it could have won. The Boilermakers (4-7, 2-5 Big Ten) lead Michigan State 28-13 in the third quarter, but watched their lead fade away in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Rob Henry had 189 passing yards with two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions. Michigan State (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten) remains tied for first place in the Big Ten with this weekend’s come-from-behind win. Quarterback Kirk Cousins struggled early with only one touchdown in the first three quarters. Cousins scored three times in the fourth quarter to finish the game with 276 yards and 3 touchdowns passing, along with a rushing touchdown.
No. 7 Wisconsin 48 (at) Michigan 28 Wisconsin (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten) extended its winning streak to six as it defeated Michigan this weekend. Montee Ball put on a show, leading the Badgers offense 173 rushing yards and scoring four rushing touchdowns. James White also played well, scoring two rushing touchdowns off 181 rushing yards. Michigan (7-4, 3-4 Big Ten) lost to a ranked opponent for the third time this season. Denard Robinson had a big day for the wolverines, with 239 yards rushing and 121 yards passing. Robinson scored four touchdowns, accounting for the teams only touchdowns of the day.
