2018 MAC Championship Game

2018 Marathon MAC Championship Game
2018 Marathon MAC Championship Game
22nd MAC Championship Game
Northern Illinois Huskies	Buffalo Bulls
(7–5)	(10–2)
30	29
Head coach: ; Rod Carey	Head coach: ; Lance Leipold
Date	November 30, 2018
Season	2018
Stadium	Ford Field
Location	Detroit, Michigan
MVP	Offense: Marcus Childers (QB, NIU); Defense: Sutton Smith (LB, NIU)
Favorite	Buffalo by 3
Referee	Tim O'Dey
Attendance	10,255
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN2
Announcers	Clay Matvick (Play-By-Play); Dan Orlovsky (Analyst); Paul Carcaterra (Sidelines)
MAC Championship Game
< 2017	2019 >

2018 Mid-American Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Buffalo x	7	–	1	10	–	4
Miami (OH)	6	–	2	6	–	6
Ohio	6	–	2	9	–	4
Akron	2	–	6	4	–	8
Bowling Green	2	–	6	3	–	9
Kent State	1	–	7	2	–	10
West Division
Northern Illinois x$	6	–	2	8	–	6
Western Michigan	5	–	3	7	–	6
Eastern Michigan	5	–	3	7	–	6
Toledo	5	–	3	7	–	6
Ball State	3	–	5	4	–	8
Central Michigan	0	–	8	1	–	11
Championship: Northern Illinois 30, Buffalo 29
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions

The 2018 MAC Championship Game was an NCAA Division I college football conference championship game for the Mid-American Conference (MAC), that was played on November 30, 2018.^[2] It was the 22nd Mid-American Conference Championship, and was played at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Sponsored by the Marathon Petroleum Corporation, the game was officially known as the Marathon MAC Championship Game. Northern Illinois scored the game's final 20 points to erase a 19-point second-half deficit and defeat Buffalo, 30–29.^[3]

Teams

Northern Illinois Huskies

Northern Illinois went undefeated 6-0 in conference play, until the Huskies lost to Miami on November 14. The Huskies were able to clinch the West Division, after the last remaining contender, Western Michigan, lost their third conference game also that weekend, eliminating the Broncos from contention. Northern Illinois makes their first appearance in the title game since 2015.

Buffalo Bulls

Buffalo was able to clinch the East Division after defeating the Falcons of Bowling Green at the end of the season, compelling a conference record of 7-1. The Bulls make their first appearance in the game since 2008.

Buffalo vs. Northern Illinois series history

The match up was the 13th meeting against the Bulls and the Huskies. They last played each other last season in Amherst, New York. Northern Illinois defeated Buffalo in a close win of 14-13. After the 2016 match up, Northern Illinois lead the series, 11-1. Buffalo has not won against the Huskies since 1968. The championship game was the first time in history that the two schools played in post season.

Game summary

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	NIU	BUFF
1	6:38	13	94	5:39	BUFF	Kevin Marks 3-yard touchdown run, Alex McNulty kick good	0	7
2	14:55	11	94	5:00	BUFF	Anthony Johnson 13-yard touchdown reception from Tyree Jackson, Alex McNulty kick failed	0	13
2	9:51	12	75	5:04	NIU	Spencer Tears 13-yard touchdown reception from Marcus Childers, Andrew Gantz kick good	7	13
2	5:41	9	75	4:10	BUFF	Anthony Johnson 26-yard touchdown reception from Tyree Jackson, 2-point pass failed	7	19
2	1:42	12	53	3:59	NIU	39-yard field goal by Andrew Gantz	10	19
2	0:03	8	70	1:34	BUFF	24-yard field goal by Adam Mitcheson	10	22
3	11:25	8	75	3:35	BUFF	Jaret Patterson 9-yard touchdown run, Adam Mitcheson kick good	10	29
3	0:17	5	34	1:41	NIU	D.J. Brown 28-yard touchdown reception from Marcus Childers, Andrew Gantz kick good	17	29
4	12:51	4	63	1:17	NIU	Spencer Tears 32-yard touchdown reception from Marcus Childers, Andrew Gantz kick good	24	29
4	1:09	8	70	2:11	NIU	D.J. Brown 35-yard touchdown reception from Marcus Childers, 2-point pass failed	30	29
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							30	29

Statistics

	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	10	7	13	30
Bulls	7	15	7	0	29

Statistics	NIU	BUFF
First downs	23	26
Plays–yards	67–409	77–394
Rushes–yards	34–109	42–142
Passing yards	300	252
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	21–33–1	18–35–0
Time of possession	24:55	35:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Illinois	Passing	Marcus Childers	21/33, 300 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Marcus Childers	15 car, 58 yds
	Receiving	Spencer Tears	6 rec, 73 yds, 2 TD
Buffalo	Passing	Tyree Jackson	18/35, 252 yds, 2 TD
	Rushing	Kevin Marks	17 car, 72 yds, 1 TD
	Receiving	Anthony Johnson	7 rec, 124 yds, 2 TD

^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "2018 Marathon MAC Football Championship" (PDF). getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
^ "MAC Announces Updated 2018 Football Schedule". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. May 31, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
^ Lenzi, Rachel (December 1, 2018). "UB loses heartbreaker to Northern Illinois in MAC title game". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.

This college football-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[MACtion-1] "2018 Marathon MAC Football Championship" (PDF). getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. Retrieved December 1, 2018.

[date-2] "MAC Announces Updated 2018 Football Schedule". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. May 31, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.

[3] Lenzi, Rachel (December 1, 2018). "UB loses heartbreaker to Northern Illinois in MAC title game". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e 2018 NCAA football conference championship games
Division I FBS	ACC American Big 12 Big Ten Conference USA MAC Mountain West Pac-12 SEC Sun Belt
Division I FCS	SWAC

v t e MAC Football Championship Game
Years	1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Venues	Marshall University Stadium (1997–2000, 2002) Glass Bowl (2001) Doyt Perry Stadium (2003) Ford Field (2004–present)

v t e Northern Illinois Huskies football
Venues	Glidden Field (1903–1948, 1951–1965) Dekalb Township High School football field (1949–1950) Huskie Stadium (1965–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Ball State: Bronze Stalk Trophy
Culture & lore	"Huskie Fight Song" Huskie Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917–1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Buffalo Bulls football
Venues	Olympic Park (1894–1919) International Park (1915–1917, 1919) Rotary Field (1920–1942, 1955–1984) War Memorial Stadium (1946–1954, 1958, 1960, 1968–1969) Kunz Stadium (1985–1992) University at Buffalo Stadium (1993–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games
Culture & lore	Victor E. Bull "Victory March" Thunder of the East Marching Band
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees
Seasons	1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904–1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971–1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024