Five seniors in the MAC had noteworthy performances Saturday. Here's a look:
Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch (6-foot-0, 216 pounds) isn't considered a draftable quarterback by most analysts, but, man, the guy can play. In Saturday's win over Eastern Michigan, Lynch threw four touchdown passes, ran for a TD and also had a TD reception. He passed the 1,000-yard plateau as a rusher by running for 99 yards in the victory.
Buffalo outside linebacker Khalil Mack (6-2, 245), seen as an all-but-certain first-rounder, had 10 tackles, a sack and an interception in a victory over Kent State. Tailback Branden Oliver (5-8, 208), who passed James Starks to become the school's leading career rusher last week, had 185 yards and four TDs on 31 carries. Oliver has good speed and runs with a toughness between the tackles.
Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning matched a career high with five TD passes as the Cardinals rolled past Akron 42-24. That gives Wenning (6-3, 220) 23 TD passes this season. Alas, his string of eight consecutive 300-yard games came to an end; he was 25 of 35 for 240 yards. He looks like a definite third-day draft pick.
Ohio routed winless Miami (Ohio) 41-16 behind a big game from wide receiver Donte Foster (6-1, 200); he had eight catches for 122 yards and three TDs. It's his third consecutive 100-game, and he now has six TDs this season. Foster had 56 catches for 629 yards and seven scores last season despite playing with thumb and back injuries. He's a consistent 4.5-second guy in the 40-yard dash, and has been clocked as fast as 4.42.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
