NIU trails 17-13...

[bgsufalcon24]

Watching that 4th quarter, I feel like Toledo lost this game between the ears. They just didn't execute even the simple plays, missed passes, dropped balls, missed blocks, blown coverages, the whole nine yards.

I guess that sort of thing happens when you lose to a team 5 times in a row, a few bad things happen and you start thinking "oh god here we go again". That might be our biggest obstacle when we face the scuds in a few weeks. They know they can beat us...they didn't have that same confidence against NIU and that's why they lost tonight.

[Flipper]

WTF happened to Kareem Hunt? That kid looked like Beast Mode Jr last year. This year...not so much.

32-27...NIU takes their 6th in a row from UT. Un-fricking-believable

[Flipper]

Say what? I only saw the 4th qtr...Hunt had 140 yds? When? He didn't seem like much of a factor late...

[bgsufalcon24]

On the flip side...this result turns the MAC West into a fatal four way. The Boat Rowers of Western Michigan are now in the lead, 1/2 game ahead Northern Illinois, Toledo, AND Central Michigan. What a fight that's going to be coming down the stretch.

I would estimate that if we beat Toledo on November 17th, their chances of going to Detroit die at the Doyt. One of those other teams will finish with 7 wins in all likelihood.

[factman]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..............what a shame........we don't get to beat them twice now!

I can't help it, I'm glad to see them lose anytime!

[Falconfreak90]

ut now goes on the road to CMU, BG and finishes at home with WMU. Not a good way to end the year.

[Cork]

Hats off to NIU. Top 2 players go down and they stayed focused. I'm very impressed. I would like to play them in the MACC.

Had a hard time believing ut as a top 25 team. Good team just not that high. Campbell is a good coach but he may have lost a couple million $ tonight.

[Falcon137]

NIU missing it's top playmaker and starting quarterback for nearly 2.5 quarters come from behind and win. Oh Toledo. This is why you can't have nice things.

[MarkL]

I'm enjoying some good ol' fashioned schadenfreude over here

The west is wide open. The only one who controls their own destiny is WMU but they still have NIU and UT to deal with. If I had to take a guess, it would be the prediction I had at the beginning of the season. MAC title game is NIU vs BG. The way it should be. The MAC's two best programs going at it.

We need to take care of Ohio first and the east is all but ours. Then we go to WMU in what will be a great game and as good of a preparation for what comes next as we could get. Then we host UT. They will show up in desperation mode. Then we stuff their run game, run up the score, and send them out of the Doyt with their tails between their legs. Sounds like a perfect November evening to me!

[jpfalcon09]

All Toledo did was confirm what I've thought about them all season - they're a slightly above average team which hid their weaknesses most of the season. Their passing game is atrocious and it's amazing how poor Ely played last night given the performance they got out of Swanson and Hunt.

If BG doesn't ruin this team in two weeks, they'll never beat Toledo again.

[Flipper]

NIU stacked the box and forced Ely to make plays to win. UT went FG, missed FG and an INT on their last three drives. A TD on any of those drives and you're likely looking at a different outcome.

[jpfalcon09]

NIU stacked the box and forced Ely to make plays to win. UT went FG, missed FG and an INT on their last three drives. A TD on any of those drives and you're likely looking at a different outcome.

Yep, which means NIU focused on UT's weakness and exploited it. Carey did a great job at half making some adjustments and essentially putting the game on the back of his defense. They slowly chipped away in the second half and then took advantage of UT's miscues. Carey outcoached Campbell again and deserves a ton of credit for getting the W last night.

[Beaker]

Like many others here, I wanted the scuds to come to our place undefeated, so the loss we hand them could sting just that much more. However, when watching the game last night, I just couldn't bring myself to root for them. I just couldn't do it. I get such pleasure out of watching them lose (especially on their home field) that I can't see ever being able to pull for them to win, no matter what the consequences. Now that the seal is broken and they have that loss, I hope they can manage to lose out the rest of the way and be relegated to playing in the Toilet Bowl, come December.

[Redwingtom]

WTF happened to Kareem Hunt? That kid looked like Beast Mode Jr last year. This year...not so much.

32-27...NIU takes their 6th in a row from UT. Un-fricking-believable

He's injured. Groin issues...and those rarely heal mid-season...especially if they keep trotting him out there.

[Redwingtom]

NIU stacked the box and forced Ely to make plays to win. UT went FG, missed FG and an INT on their last three drives. A TD on any of those drives and you're likely looking at a different outcome.

Yep, which means NIU focused on UT's weakness and exploited it. Carey did a great job at half making some adjustments and essentially putting the game on the back of his defense. They slowly chipped away in the second half and then took advantage of UT's miscues. Carey outcoached Campbell again and deserves a ton of credit for getting the W last night.

Except for that end of game management. There was no reason to leave Toledo with a timeout and 2 minutes. They were snapping the ball with 15+ second left on the play clock when they were already in chip shot field goal range down 2.

And then not going for 2 to make it a 6 point game was really bad. A 5 point lead means nothing...a 6 however might if Toledo were to score and miss the XP.