2005 MAC Championship Game

The 2005 MAC Championship Game was played on December 1, 2005 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.[2] The game featured the Akron Zips, winners of the Mid-American Conference East Division, and the Northern Illinois Huskies, winners of the West Division.

2005 Marathon MAC Championship Game
Conference Championship
1234 Total
Akron 100021 31
Northern Illinois 010146 30
DateDecember 1, 2005
Season2005
StadiumFord Field
LocationDetroit, Michigan
MVPQB Luke Getsy (Akron)
RefereeBill Alge[1]
Attendance12,051[1]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersMike Tirico, Kirk Herbstreit, Erin Andrews[2]
2005 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
Akron xy$  5 3     7 6  
Miami x  5 3     7 4  
Bowling Green x  5 3     6 5  
Ohio  3 5     4 7  
Buffalo  1 7     1 10  
Kent State  0 8     1 10  
West Division
Northern Illinois xy  6 2     7 5  
Toledo x  6 2     9 3  
Western Michigan  5 3     7 4  
Central Michigan  5 3     6 5  
Ball State  4 4     4 7  
Eastern Michigan  3 5     4 7  
Championship: Akron 31, NIU 30
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions

Down 14 points the fourth quarter, the Zips manufactured a comeback. Northern Illinois led by 6 points with 17 seconds remaining in regulation when Luke Getsy connected with Domenik Hixon on a 36-yard touchdown pass. This and the subsequent successful extra point attempt would prove to be the game winning plays. Their victory earned the Akron football program its first MAC championship and bowl game berth.[3][4]

References

  1. "Akron 31, NIU 30". MAC-Sports.com. December 1, 2005. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
  2. "Akron and NIU Meet In Football Championship Game" (Press release). MAC-Sports.com. November 30, 2005. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
  3. http://gozips.com/news/2005/12/2/12_2_2005_2621.aspx?path=football
  4. "Zips Win First MAC Championship" (Press release). MAC-Sports.com. December 1, 2005. Retrieved September 22, 2009.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.