MAC Conference Championship: Huskies vs. Redhawks

The MAC Conference Championship comes down to the Friday night game between the 25th ranked N. Illinois Huskies and the Miami of Ohio Redhawks. The MAC conference may be a second tiered league in terms of college football, but the Huskies are without a doubt a tremendously talented bunch.

N. Illinois is ranked 7th in rushing, 11th in points scored and 16th in points allowed this year, and could easily beat many of the BCS conference teams under the right circumstances. Chandler Harnish isn’t the type of quarterback that can take over a game, but he has done more than he has been asked in terms of moving this offense via the pass. Harnish is averaging 8.19 yards per pass, and has thrown 17 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions this year. The most impressive part of his passing game has been his completion percentage which is at 66%.

The Huskies are a predominant run team that uses the pass effectively. Chad Spann has 1239 yards on the ground this year, but his 20 touchdowns are amongst the leaders in all of college football. Spann has benefitted from the fact that Harnish is a mobile QB, that demands attention. As amazing as the N. Illinois offense has been this year, their defense has been equally as impressive.

Allowing 18.5 points per game would be impressive no matter what, but the fact that the Huskies have played several BCS conference teams this year makes it even more impressive. The MAC conference is considered one of the weakest in division 1 football by many college football experts, but they do have several teams that are capable of lighting up the scoreboard on any given night. The Huskies have taken on the best that this conference has to offer, and dominated!

The Redhawks have basically made it to this Championship game with one great performance against an over-rated Temple team. They have cruised to several easy wins against the bottom feeders of the MAC conference, and have at least given themselves the opportunity to compete for the MAC title.

Zac Dysert has been the key to the Redhawks success this year. His 2400+ yards passing have been critical in winning several games in which they were trailing after 3 quarters. Their rushing game isn’t bad either as Thomas Merriweather has contributed 736 yards on the ground and 8 touchdowns. Merriweather may be the answer for the Redhawks on Friday. If he can sustain drives with his legs, and keep the Huskies off of the field, then this may be a much closer game than most NCAA football handicappers expect.

Tune in Friday night as the 2 best teams in the MAC conference collide in what is sure to be a tremendous battle!

Related posts:

1. Huskies take on the Falcons in MAC Conference Battle
2. Bobcats host Redhawks in MAC Conference Showdown
3. Owls host Redhawks in MAC Conference Battle
4. MAC Conference Showdown: Miami of Ohio vs. Temple
5. Toledo hosts Northern Illinois in MAC Conference Showdown

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