Toledo, Ohio State on the road; Michigan, Bowling Green at home

10/13/2012
BLADE STAFF

Toledo at Eastern Michigan

■ Time: 1 p.m.

■ Records: UT is 5-1, 3-0 MAC; EMU is 0-5, 0-2.

■ Radio: 1370.

■ Series: UT leads 28-11.

■ Favorite: Toledo by 16.

■ Notes: UT has won five in a row this year and five in a row in this series. ... The Rockets scored two pick-sixes in the fourth quarter of last week’s win over Central Michigan, giving them three in the past two games. ... EMU has topped 20 points just once, in the opener at Ball State. ... The Eagles have been outscored 186-77. ... EMU punter Jay Karutz is averaging 45.4 yards per kick, which is tops in the Mid-American Conference. ... With a win UT will be bowl eligible for the third straight year. ... Rockets running back David Fluellen has topped 100 yards in each of the past two games, including a 213-yard outburst two weeks ago at Western Michigan. ... EMU has not scored in the first or third quarters this year. ... Opponents of EMU are averaging 6.1 yards per rushing attempt and 305.4 rushing yards per game. EMU ranks last nationally in both categories. ... Eagles quarterbacks Tyler Benz and Alex Gillett are both completing 47 percent of their passes. Gillett, of Clyde, did not attempt a pass in the last two games.


Miami at Bowling Green

■ Time: 3:30 p.m.

■ Records: Miami is 3-3, 2-0 MAC; BGSU is 3-3, 1-1.

■ TV: BCSN.

■ Radio: 1470, 99.1.

■ Series: Miami leads 42-21-5.

■ Favorite: BGSU by 7½.

■ Notes: The Falcons are looking for a win against one of the three East Division teams that is unbeaten in MAC play so far this season. … This is a curious rivalry in which the visiting team has won the last eight contests. … The Falcons have not beaten the RedHawks at Doyt Perry Stadium since 1997, losing the last six meetings in BG. … Miami is the only MAC school which leads the all-time series against BG. … The Falcons have two players from Middletown, Ohio, which is near Miami, in senior OL Chip Robinson and junior DB BooBoo Gates. … Robinson's brother, Geoff, played at Miami. ... Gates is the first player in BG history to own touchdown returns by kickoff return, punt return and interception return. … TE Alex Bayer has caught 20 passes for 263 yards and a pair of TDs in six games this season. He is closing in on his single-season bests of 22 catches for 298 yards set as a freshman in 2010.

 

Illinois at No. 25 Michigan

■ Time: 3:35 p.m.

■ Records: Illinois is 2-4, 0-2 Big Ten; UM is 3-2, 1-0.

■ TV: ABC.

■ Radio: 100.7.

■ Series: Michigan leads 68-23-2.

■ Favorite: Michigan by 25.

■ Notes: After last Saturday’s 44-13 win at Purdue, the No. 25 Wolverines host Illinois in their 2012 Big Ten Conference home opener, and Michigan is 39-6 in its last 45 Big Ten home openers. … Michigan has allowed an average of 13 points in its last three games - each of its opponents scored 13 points as the Wolverines went 2-1 in that stretch. … Illinois is on a three-game losing streak and hasn’t won since Sept. 15 - a 44-0 win over Charleston Southern in Champaign, Ill. … Michigan regards Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase as a threat, even though he missed two games because of an ankle injury. In his last two games against the Wolverines, Scheelhaase is 30 for 56 passing for three touchdowns and 381 yards with one interception. Two years ago, in Illinois’ 67-65 triple-overtime loss at Michigan, Scheelhaase was 14 for 25 passing for 211 yards and three touchdowns. … Michigan is first in the Big Ten and seventh in the nation in pass defense, allowing an average of 155 yards passing in its first five games. … Illinois has given up 20 sacks in its first six games.

 

No. 8 Ohio State at Indiana

■Time: 8 p.m.

■TV: BTN.

■Radio: 106.5.

■Series: OSU leads 67-12-5.

■Favorite: OSU by 17½.

■Notes: The Buckeyes are 24-2-1 all-time in Bloomington and have lost to the Hoosiers just twice in the past 60 years. The losses came in 1987 and 1988. ... Urban Meyer is the fourth coach since 1946 to start 6-0 at a Big Ten school. The others were Michigan’s Brady Hoke (2011) and Bennie Oosterbaan (1948) and Ohio State’s Earle Bruce (1979). ... The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in passing (307 yards per game) and are second in total offense (471.4 yards) but surrender big plays in near-equal measure. Indiana is allowing a league-worst 441 yards per game. ... Meyer said safety C.J. Barnett is on course to return from a high ankle sprain while running back Jordan Hall will likely miss a second game with a partially torn PCL. Linebacker Etienne Sabino is out for at least three weeks.