2008 MAC Championship Game

2008 Marathon MAC Championship Game
Conference Championship
Ball State Cardinals Buffalo Bulls
(12–0) (7–5)
24 42
Head coach: 
Brady Hoke		 Head coach: 
Turner Gill
APCoachesBCS
121312
1234 Total
Ball State 01077 24
Buffalo 702114 42
DateDecember 5, 2008
Season2008
StadiumFord Field
LocationDetroit, Michigan
MVPMike Newton (DB, Buffalo)
FavoriteBall State by 15
RefereeTom McCabe[1]
Attendance12,871[1]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2
AnnouncersSean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Rob Stone[2]
←  2007
2009 →
2008 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Buffalo x$   5 – 3     8 – 6  
Bowling Green   4 – 4     6 – 6  
Temple   4 – 4     5 – 7  
Ohio   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Akron   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Kent State   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Miami (OH)   1 – 7     2 – 10  
West Division
Ball State x   8 – 0     12 – 2  
Central Michigan   6 – 2     8 – 5  
Western Michigan   6 – 2     9 – 4  
Northern Illinois   5 – 3     6 – 7  
Toledo   2 – 6     3 – 9  
Eastern Michigan   2 – 6     3 – 9  
Championship: Buffalo 42, Ball State 24
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions

The 2008 MAC Championship Game was played on December 5, 2008 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The game featured the winner of each division of the Mid-American Conference. The game featured the Ball State Cardinals, of the West Division, and the Buffalo Bulls, of the East Division. The Buffalo Bulls upset the #12-ranked Ball State 42–24, ending hopes of an undefeated Cardinals season.

This was not the first time these two conference rivals have met. They met 5 times previously before this big Championship Game, with Ball State leading the series 5-0. Against the odds Buffalo faced the undefeated Cardinals and came out victorious in this matchup.[3]

Selection process

The MAC Championship Game matches up the winner of the East and West divisions of the Mid-American Conference.

With the Buffalo Bulls having 24 upperclassmen, it made the task of knocking off the undefeated and top of the conference Ball State Cardinals more of a realistic venture.[4]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information[1] Score
Length Time Ball State Buffalo
1 1:59 3 plays, 25 yards 1:11 Buffalo Naaman Roosevelt 2 yard pass from Drew Willy, A. J. Principe kick good 0 7
2 7:40 9 plays, 80 yards 4:01 Ball State MiQuale Lewis 4 yard run, Ian McGarvey kick good 7 7
0:00 6 plays, 18 yards 1:00 Ball State Ian McGarvey 47 yard field goal 10 7
3 11:24 7 plays, 80 yards 3:36 Buffalo Naaman Roosevelt 39 yard pass from Drew Willy, A. J. Principe kick good 10 14
8:07 7 plays, 65 yards 3:10 Ball State MiQuale Lewis 1 yard run 17 14
3:52 Buffalo Mike Newton 92 yard fumble recovery, A. J. Principe kick good 17 21
0:19 Buffalo Sherrod Lott 74 yard fumble recovery, A. J. Principe kick good 17 28
4 6:06 6 plays, 29 yards 2:48 Buffalo Naaman Roosevelt 8 yard pass from Drew Willy, A. J. Principe kick good 17 35
4:17 8 plays, 66 yards 1:41 Ball State Louis Johnson 22 yard pass from Nate Davis, Ian McGarvey kick good 24 35
2:53 4 plays, 25 yards 1:22 Buffalo James Starks 1 yard run, A. J. Principe kick good 24 42
Final score 24 42

Starting lineups

Source:[5]

Ball State Position Buffalo
Offense
Louis Johnson WR Naaman Roosevelt
Andre Ramsey LT Ray Norell
Michael Switzer LG Peter Bittner
Dan Gerberry C Chris Lauzze
Kyle Cornwell RG Jeff Niedermier
Robert Brewster RT Andrew West
Darius Hill TE Jesse Rack
Madaris Grant TE Kyle Brey
Nate Davis QB Drew Willy
MiQuale Lewis RB James Starks
Briggs Orsbon WR–FB Lawrence Rolle
Defense
Brandon Crawford LE Andrae Smith
Rene Perry LDT Matt Brennan
Drew Duffin RDT Anel Montanez
Robert Eddins RE Mike Thompson
Kenny Meeks SLB Raphael Akobundu
Davyd Jones MLB Adekun Akingba
Bryant Haines WLB Justin Winters
B.J. Hill LCB Domonic Cook
Trey Buice RCB Kendrick Hawkins
Alex Knipp SS Davonte Shannon
Sean Baker FS Mike Newton

References

  1. ^ a b c "Ball State vs Buffalo". MAC-Sports.com. December 5, 2008. Archived from the original on September 28, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  2. ^ "Marathon MAC Football Championship Game" (PDF) (Press release). MAC-Sports.com. December 3, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  3. ^ "Football Falls to Buffalo in MAC Championship Game".
  4. ^ "Ball State vs. Buffalo - Game Recap - December 6, 2008 - ESPN".
  5. ^ "Ball State vs Buffalo". ubbulls.com. Retrieved May 19, 2015.


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