MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE Gradkowski keys Toledo's 49-30 win over Huskies

The Rockets improved their chances to advance to their third straight MAC title game.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOLEDO -- Bruce Gradkowski threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, leading Toledo over No. 21 Northern Illinois 49-30 and damaging the Huskies hopes for a bowl bid.
Gradkowski completed 24 of 27 passes. His biggest throw came after three penalties gave the Rockets a third-and-33 play late in the third quarter.
Gradkowski found tight end Andrew Clarke all alone over the middle and he rumbled 60 yards to put Toledo ahead 35-24.
The Huskies (9-2, 5-2 Mid-American Conference) grabbed the nation's attention just a few weeks ago while rising to No. 12 in the rankings, but they are in danger of not even getting a bowl bid.
Toledo (7-3, 5-1) can get to its third straight MAC title game by winning its last two games, including the season-ending contest at No. 25 Bowling Green.
Turnovers aid Huskies
Northern Illinois trailed 28-7 at the half, but Toledo turned the ball over twice in their territory during the first six minutes of the third quarter, and allowed the Huskies right back in it.
P.J. Fleck leaped high for a 7-yard touchdown that pulled the Huskies to 28-24 with 8:01 remaining in the third.
But Toledo scored on two of its next three possessions to put the game away.
Trinity Dawson rushed for 97 yards and scored on a pair of 1-yard runs.
Northern Illinois' Michael Turner had 32 carries for 177 yards and a touchdown.
Gradkowski completed his first 14 passes of the game. His only incompletion came when he missed Steve Odom wide open in the end zone.
But that hardly mattered.
Three plays later, he rolled out and found tight end Andrew Clarke for a 5-yard scoring pass that gave the Rockets a 28-7 lead with 1:17 left in the first half.
Three Huskies turnovers led to Toledo's first three touchdowns.
Akron 35, Ohio 28
AKRON -- Charlie Frye passed for three touchdowns and ran for the go-ahead score, completing a 21-point rally.
The Zips (7-5, 5-3 MAC) scored 21 points in just under six minutes of the third quarter to erase a 28-14 deficit.
The Bobcats (2-8, 1-5) scored the game's first 21 points and lost their lead because of an interception and a failed fourth down conversion.
Frye's 7-yard touchdown pass to Mike Brake made it 28-21 with 8:00 remaining in the third, and the Zips got the ball back four plays later when Cam Yeow intercepted a Ryan Hawk pass.
Frye hit Miquel Irvin for 44 yards on first down, and Bobby Hendry's 1-yard run on the next play tied it 28-all.
The Zips got the ball back at the Ohio 34 about a minute later by stuffing Hawk for no gain on fourth-and-1. Frye scored on an 11-yard run to give Akron the lead for good with 2:22 left in the third.
E. Michigan 38, Ball St. 14
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Tailback Anthony Sherrell tied his school record of 43 carries and ran for 230 yards and four touchdowns to lead Eastern Michigan.
The win gave the Eagles (3-8, 2-5 MAC) their second consecutive league win for the first time since 2000.
Sherrell's performance moved him to the top of Eastern's all-time, single-season rushing list with 1,361 yards. Bobby Windom held the previous record of 1,322 yards, set in 1977.
Senior quarterback Andy Roesch had two touchdown passes for the Cardinals (4-7, 3-4)
W. Michigan 44, Cent. Michigan 21
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Greg Jennings' three touchdown catches helped Western Michigan over in-state rival Central Michigan.
It was the Broncos' (5-6, 4-3 MAC) third consecutive win over the Chippewas (3-8, 1-7).
Quarterback Jon Drach completed 20 of 32 passes for 348 yards and a career-best five touchdowns. Eight of those completions went to Jennings, a wide receiver whose 204 receiving yards were the second highest in Western Michigan history.
A 94-yard scoring play from Drach to Jennings in the third quarter was the longest pass play in school history. Western Michigan totaled 491 yards of offense and never trailed.
Halfback Jerry Seymour ran for 162 yards to help lead Central Michigan's offense, while Terrance Jackson scored on runs of 1 and 2 yards.
Western Michigan defensive end Jason Babin got in on the record-making day, with four sacks of quarterbacks Derrick Vickers and Grant Amoldink giving him a school high 36. Babin forced two of Central's three lost fumbles.
With 190 passing yards, Vickers became the fifth quarterback in Central Michigan history to throw for more than 5,000 career yards. His total is 5,015.