Week six of Mid-American Conference (MAC) play will display the largest number of in-conference matchups so far this season, with a few key matchups that will look to cause a shakeup in the standings, including the Battle for the Mallory Cup between Miami (OH) and Northern Illinois.
As with week five, this weekend will see the absence of two rivals that will see each other later down the line: Bowling Green (2-3, 0-1) and Toledo (3-2, 1-1).
Ohio vs. Ball State
Ohio (3-2, 1-0) senior quarterback Parker Navarro continues to show his dual-threat abilities week in and week out, as he’ll lead the second-highest scoring offense in the conference against a struggling Ball State Cardinals (1-3, 0-0) squad that has lost three out of their last four games.
OU junior wide receiver Chase Hendricks will also look to continue his dominance, as he now leads the entire conference in receiving yards and has become Navarro’s number one target with 29 receptions for 481 yards, averaging 5.8 yards per reception, and four touchdowns.
Hendricks has also been named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.
Central Michigan vs. Akron
The Central Michigan Chippewas (3-2, 1-0) will look to achieve a start in conference play that hasn’t been done since 2009, and that is starting out with a 2-0 record.
The path to the goal will come from traveling southeast to face an Akron Zips (1-4, 0-1) team that was trounced the previous week against the Rockets, 45-3.
Central Michigan has also won 10 out of the 11 matchups, with Akron’s last win against the Chippewas coming on Oct. 27, 2018, with a win at home, 17-10.
Miami vs. Northern Illinois
Head coach Chuck Martin and the Miami RedHawks (1-3, 0-0) were finally able to find some rhythm in week five against Lindenwood, 38-0. However, they’ll face a Northern Illinois Huskies (1-3, 0-0) that currently boasts the second-ranked defense in the MAC, led by senior linebacker Quinn Urwiler, who leads the conference in tackles.
The offense for the Huskies is a much different story, as NIU ranks dead last in trips to the endzone. The production will have to change this week, as Miami sits as the fifth-best-ranked offense so far this year, with senior quarterback Henry Hesson leading the charge.
Eastern Michigan vs. Buffalo
Second to last in the standings is where the Eastern Michigan Eagles (1-4, 0-1) can be found heading into week six, as they will travel east to face a Buffalo Bulls (2-3, 1-0) team that is coming off a close loss to a non conference game against the UConn Huskies, 20-17.
Throughout the five weeks of this season, Buffalo has remained in the top 3 in both offense (ranked third) and defense (ranked second). This includes senior linebacker Red Murdock, who is second in the conference in tackles with 23, just behind Urweiler.
Western Michigan vs. Massachusetts
The UMass Minutemen (0-4, 0-0) enter their first Mid-American Conference game since the 2015 season, while also still searching for their first win of the year, as they are the only team in the conference yet to accomplish this goal.
While not facing a high-powered offense in the Western Michigan Broncos (2-3, 1-0), as the Yellow and Brown currently sit eighth, they will encounter a defense that was able to hold Toledo to just 13 points in their only MAC victory back in week three.
Kent State vs No. 5 Oklahoma
The final out-of-conference game for the Kent State Golden Flashes (1-3, 0-1) will see them on the road facing a top-25 opponent in the past four games, with the Oklahoma Sooners (4-0, 1-0) of the Southeast Conference (SEC) being the next stop on their schedule.
The Flashes rank last in defense in the entire conference, with also being been out-scored on offense with 24 points for and 128 points against in the two pervious appearances against Texas Tech and Florida State.
