College Football Preview 2008 - Mid American Conference (MAC)

Central Michigan:
Central Michigan welcomes back 45 lettermen, including eight starters on offense and defense, from a 2007 team that won the program’s second straight conference championship and appeared in the Motor City Bowl for a second consecutive season. MAC Offensive Player of the Year quarterback Dan LeFevour returns seven of his top nine targets from 2007, and four starters are back on the offensive line. Dan LeFevour’s top two targets—All-MAC second team receivers Bryan Anderson and Antonio Brown—return after record-setting campaigns in 2007. In all, seven players who caught at least 10 passes a year ago are back. Four players with starting experience return to fill three spots on the Chippewas’ defensive line. CMU must replace All-MAC third team pick Steven Friend at tackle, but nose guard Casey Droscha and ends Frank Zombo, Sam Williams and Larry Knight all return. Zombo tied for third in the MAC with 7.5 sacks last season and led the Chippewas’ defensive linemen with 62 total tackles. Droscha was in on 52 stops, including a team-high tying 11 tackles for loss. Antrione Archer, Sean Murnane and Tredale Kennedy all played key roles last season and will compete for playing time in 2008. Also in the mix is Josh Allison, who redshirted a year ago.

Ball State:
The 2007 season was the most successful to date with a 7-6 overall record, a 5-2 MAC mark and the Cardinals first bowl appearance since the 1996 season. The seven wins were also the most for Ball State since the 1996 team managed an 8-4 record and played in the Las Vegas Bowl. Ball State’s 4-1 divisional record tied for the best divisional record among the 13 MAC teams, and its non-conference schedule was highlighted by a 34-31 overtime win over Navy. Nate Davis ranks third in Ball State history for career passing yards with 5,642 . . . owns the Ball State career record for touchdown passes with 48 . . . ranks third in Ball State history for most passes attempted with 723 and third for most passes completed with 420 . . . has thrown for 250 yards passing or more in 12 games, which is a Ball State career record . . . has thrown for 300 yards or more in five games, which is a Ball State career record. Bryant Haines Started all 13 games to earn third letter , led Ball State in tackles, ranked 36th in the nation with 9.62 tackles per game, led or tied for team-high honors in tackles in eight games, tallied a season-high 14 tackles vs. Western Kentucky, managed the first fumble recovery of his career on the first play of overtime at Navy to set up the Cardinals 34-31 victory over the Midshipmen, led the team in tackles vs. Miami University (9), at Eastern Michigan (12), vs. Buffalo (7), vs. Central Michigan (12), at Indiana (13) and at Northern Illinois (9) . . . tied for team-high honors vs. Western Kentucky (14) and at Western Michigan (10) . . . credited with a career high three tackles for loss at Indiana,  managed two tackles for loss vs. Western Kentucky and vs. Toledo, credited with one sack at Indiana, recorded his first career interception at Northern Illinois and had one pass breakup at Illinois and one vs. Toledo.

Western Michigan:
In 2007, the Cubit-led offense had its first 3,000-yard passer since 1999 and saw a running back eclipse the 2,000-yard career rushing mark for only the 11th time in program history. Rated the 10th-toughest schedule among non-BCS schools, Western Michigan took on six bowl-eligible teams, including a pair of teams that fi nished the year ranked in the top six in the country (West Virginia and Missouri). WMU captured its second win over a BCS school in as many seasons, defeating Iowa, 28-19, in Iowa City. Western Michigan football enters 2008 with talent and leadership evenly spread throughout classes. The Broncos bring back 22 seniors along with 17 juniors, 23 sophomores and 39 freshmen, which include 15 redshirt freshmen. WMU is deep in multiple positions with experience almost everywhere you look. The offense has seven upper classmen penciled into starting roles, while the defense has 11, with a senior scheduled to start in all but two spots. The Broncos have five quarterbacks listed on the depth chart. Leading the way is fourth-year junior Tim Hiller. Hiller came back from injury in 2007 to throw for 3,021 yards and 20 touchdowns. He is only the second Bronco to throw 3,000 or more yards in a season. He worked with the coaching staff to regain the rhythm he had during his freshmen year in 2005 when he played seven games, starting five. The Broncos replenish a depleted group of defensive ends with half of the unit coming in as true freshmen. Despite the lack of upperclassmen, leadership on the edge is there in the form of seniors Zach Davidson and Greg Marshall, working the outside to contain the run and put pressure on the quarterback.

Miami, Ohio:
Junior quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh returns as Miami’s starting signal caller with two years of experience under his belt and an expert grasp of the offense. Following season-ending injuries to Brandon Murphy in game two and to Andre Bratton in game three, 2007 seniors Austin Sykes and Cory Jones stepped forward to handle the bulk of the rushing load ... sophomore-to-be Thomas Merriweather is the team’s leading returning rusher. Defensive coordinator Jay Hood’s troops were exceptional in MAC play in 2007, leading the league in total defense, rushing defense, passing defense, scoring defense and quarterback sacks. With nine of their 11 defensive starters returning in ‘08, the RedHawks hope to retain their title as the conference’s defensive kingpins.

Bowling Green:
It was an impressive 2007 season for the Bowling Green State University football program. Despite coming off a 4-8 record in 2006, and being picked to finish fifth in the MAC East preseason poll, the Orange and Brown finished 8-5 overall, and 6-2 in the MAC, finishing with a MAC East co-Championship. The eight wins were matched by only Central Michigan, for league honors, while the Falcons also advanced to the GMAC Bowl, their third bowl appearance in the last five seasons. Head coach Gregg Brandon, who received a contract extension through the 2011 season, will return 19 starters from last season’s 8-5 team. BGSU returns eight of those players on the offensive side of the ball. The offense finished in the top five of several MAC categories: scoring (30.2, 5th), pass offense (278.8, 2nd), total offense (402.5, 4th), pass efficiency (134.9, 3rd), first downs (299, 2nd) and third down conversions (41.1, 4th). Defensively, nine starters will be returning, including three All-MAC performers in Diyral Briggs, P.J. Mahone and Antonio Smith. They will also return eight of their top nine tacklers, led by Erique Dozier (112, 1st), John Haneline (96, 2nd) and Mahone (90, 3rd). The Falcons will also return all four starters in the secondary that finished third in the MAC in pass defense (216.6) in 2007.

Buffalo:
When the University at Buffalo football team takes the field for the 2008 season, it will be greeted with a feeling of excitement and optimism that hasn’t been felt at UB Stadium in a long time. Led by 2007 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year Turner Gill, Buffalo returns 18 starters, including four All-MAC selections, to a team that went 5-3 in MAC play a season ago and earned a share of the 2007 MAC East Division regular season title. The five wins overall were the most by the Bulls since moving up to Division I-A in 1999, and was just one of many milestones achieved by the football team last year. James Starks (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) had a breakout season in 2007 en route to earning All-MAC Second Team honors for the second straight season. Starks rushed for a career-best 1,103 yards to become the first UB running back in the Division I-A era to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He scored 12 touchdowns on the ground - the most in the D I-A era. Starks finished the season strong by averaging 129.4 yards rushing over the final seven games of the year, including a career best 65 yards on the year. He proved to be an excellent short-yardage back with a powerful running style. The Bulls will return three of their four starters on the defensive line in 2008. The bulk of the Bulls’ experience will be at the defensive tackle position. Ronald Hilaire (Laval, Quebec/Vieux) started 11 games in 2007 and 19 in his career.

Kent State:
Junior running back Eugene Jarvis will head into the 2008 season as the leading returning rusher in the nation. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native, gained a school record 1,669 yards last year, an average of 139.1 ypg to rank fifth in the country and first in the MAC. In addition, he had a school record nine 100-yard rushing performances and a team high  306 receiving yards en route to totaling 1,975 all purpose yards — the second-best total in school history. While KSU may return eight starters on defense, the depth is not evenly distributed throughout the 11 positions. The Flashes boast six seniors and four juniors on the depth chart for their front seven. However, in the defensive backfield, cornerback Rico Murray is the only senior in the two deep to go along with a trio of juniors.

Temple:
The third season under head coach Al Golden could be the charm for the Temple football team which returns all but one starter from last year’s squad. After playing the nation’s most freshmen for the second consecutive year, Golden guided the Owls to four wins last fall, all in conference play during their inaugural season of Mid-American Conference play. The 2008 Owls look to continue their winning ways with sights on a MAC Championship and bowl appearance. The Temple offense returns all 11 starters among the 25 lettermen. The unit will be under the direction of first-year offensive coordinator Matt Rhule who takes over the play calling after coaching the quarterbacks for two seasons. Rhule will continue to utilize a multiple offensive system designed to create a balanced running game and passing game. The Temple defense returns all 11 starters and 28 letter winners. Under the guidance of assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio, the Owls led the Mid-American Conference in five statistical categories in 2007, including total defense. Led by All-MAC honorees Andre Neblett and Dominque Harris, TU was also the nation’s best in red zone defense. How does Temple improve upon being the best? Focus and preparation.

Toledo:
In 2007, Toledo suffered through a number of key injuries, especially on defense. The Rockets were forced to put a lot of young players on the field, one of the factors that contributed to a 5-7 record. The good news is that four of the injured players— senior free safety Tyrrell Herbert, senior defensive end Sean Williamson, sophomore defensive end Doug Westbrook and redshirt freshman offensive tackle Jan Gewont— received medical hardship redshirts and are expected back in the lineup next fall. Sophomore linebacker Archie Donald also is back after sitting out last year. Last season, Stephen Williams and Nick Moore both had break-out seasons, becoming the first tandem of All-MAC receivers in Rocket history. Both are tall, fleet footed receivers with good hands and the ability to make tough catches in traffic. Williams ranked seventh in the MAC with 73 receptions and was third in receiving yards with 1,169. Moore was eighth in the league with 60 catches. That could be good news for a Rocket defense that ranked 12th in the Mid-American Conference in total defense in 2007, allowing 444 yards and a league worst 39.2 points per game. Of particular concern was the lack of pressure on the quarterback. Toledo ranked last in the MAC with just nine sacks.

Ohio:
The Bobcats wrapped up another spring season with lingering issues at quarterback. But unlike a year ago -- when no one played well enough to earn the position outright -- this time Ohio seemingly has several candidates performing at a high level. Juniors Theo Scott and Boo Jackson are the leaders after Ohio's spring game on April 26. Scott, a part-time starter last fall, has good athletic ability and is a mobile threat in Ohio's multiple-look offense. Jackson, who arrived on campus just a month ago, proved to be a quick study. More of a pocket passer, Jackson has settled in and aims to push Jackson for the starting role. The defense, torched for better than 30 points a game last season, didn't appear to take many steps forward. Nearly half of Ohio's projected starting 11 on that side of the ball missed the entirety of spring drills with injury. Key for the defense is the reconstruction of the middle. Ohio lost its top two defensive tackles, starting middle linebacker and strong safety to graduation. Senior linebacker Michael Brown, who moved to the middle this spring, will provide some stability, but the 'Cats were unable to get good looks at several of the other replacements. Solich, as he usually does, said nothing was settled as far as individual position battles were concerned. Continuous improvement, and open competition, will be the themes when the Bobcats reconvene in August.

Akron:
Akron ranked 12th in the 13-team Mid-American Conference in total offense (311.7 ypg) last season. The team's leading wide receiver from a year ago, Jabari Arthur (86 receptions, 1,171 yards, 10 touchdowns), has graduated. The team's leading rusher, Bryan Williams (728 yards, 4.8 ypc), has been moved to the secondary. Junior quarterback Chris Jacquemain, the starter for most of last season, appears to have come out of spring ball as the No. 1 signal-caller. Jacquemain threw three interceptions during the Blue-Gold spring game; however, Brookhart was willing to excuse two of the three. Akron's offensive staff believes there is plenty of depth at running back, even with Williams moving to shore up a depleted defensive backfield. He had a terrific spring game with 11 tackles and one sack. Senior running back Dennis Kennedy, who rushed 117 yards and two scores in the spring game, appears to have recaptured his 2006 form. The Zips also have University of Miami senior transfer Andrew Johnson and junior Alex Allen (420 rushing yards in 2007) in reserve. Akron was in dire need of a playmaking wide receiver to emerge. So senior free safety Andre Jones, one of the MAC's finest, made the move and caught five passes for 71 yards in the Blue-Gold game. West Virginia transfer Jeremy Bruce should help as well.

Northern Illinois:
Northern Illinois returns 20 starters from its 2007 squad, including nine each on offense and defense, along with specialists Andy Dittbenner (punter) and Nolan Owen (deep snapper). In addition, linebackers Cory Hanson and Zach Larsen split starting duties a year ago with six starts apiece. A player must have started seven games or more last season to be  designated as a returning starter. Hanson is one of four players on the 2008 roster who were starters in 2006 along with linebacker Tim McCarthy and defensive tackle Craig Rusch, who missed most of last year due to injury. Just one season as NIU’s starting tailback, Justin Anderson put himself in the Huskie record books. His 274 carries last year were the eighth most in school history, while his seven 100-yard rushing games in 2007 are tied for the seventh best single season total. Anderson also set the NIU school record for most catches by a running back with 45, and ranked second on the team in receptions. With 1,508 all-purpose yards, he cracked the Huskie top 10 for single season all purpose yards. Leading the way among the Northern Illinois returnees is defensive end Larry English, who won the 2007 Mid-American Conference Vern Smith Leadership Award, which is given annually to the Most Valuable Player in the league and is selected by MAC coaches. English became just the second defensive player ever, and the fi rst since Ray Bentley won the inaugural award in 1982, to claim the MVP honor.