2008 MAC Championship Game
In-game article clicks load inline without leaving the challenge.
| vte | 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 championx – 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.
Selection process
The MAC Championship Game matches up the winner of the East and West divisions of the Mid-American Conference.
Despite Ball State being undefeated, the Buffalo Bulls having 24 upperclassmen made the game competitive in the eyes of odds makers.
Scoring summary
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Team | Scoring information | 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:
| 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 |