Repeat run

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Bad start

Kansas 52, CMU 7

Sept. 1 – Lawrence, Kan.

An upstart Kansas team jumped on the Chippewas right from the beginning. The eventual Orange Bowl-champion Jayhawks racked up 28 first downs and 538 yards of offense. KU quarterback Todd Reesing completed 20-of-29 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns. CMU’s only score came in the fourth quarter on a 16-yard pass from Dan LeFevour to Bryan Anderson, but by then, KU had built an insurmountable 45-0 lead.

Sweet victory

CMU 52, Toledo 31

Sept. 8 – Mount Pleasant

A back-and-forth contest in the first three quarters – the teams were tied at 31 after the third quarter – turned into an offensive explosion for CMU in the fourth.

The Chippewas scored 21 points in the quarter and shut out the Rockets for their first Mid-American Conference win.

Ontario Sneed ran for 168 yards and three touchdowns for CMU, as UT’s Aaron Opelt threw for 334 yards against the CMU secondary.

Preview of the postseason

Purdue 45, CMU 22

Sept. 15 – West

Lafayette, Ind.

It was an ugly first quarter for CMU -Purdue jumped out to a 31-0 lead at halftime. Purdue racked up 583 yards of offense -?402 in the first half. However, the Chippewas awoke in the second half, outscoring PU 20-14 and outgained the Boilermakers 304-181.

LeFevour finished 34-of-56 passing for 364 yards, new career highs. He also threw two touchdowns in front of a crowd of 60,038.

The low point

North Dakota State 44, CMU 14

Sept. 22 – Mount Pleasant

A windy Kelly/Shorts Stadium played host to the Football Championship Subdivision Bison, but they didn’t mind. NDSU running back Tyler Roehl ran for three touchdowns in the second half and finished with 143 yards.

Bison quarterback Steve Walker was accurate all day, completing 25-of-30 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown.

LeFevour, meanwhile, was held to 25-of-40 for 186 yards and threw two interceptions.

Homecoming

rebound

CMU 35, Northern

Illinois 10

Sept. 29 – Mount Pleasant

The score at halftime ended up holding up as CMU featured solid special teams play and used some trickery. LeFevour caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from receiver Duane Brooks to give CMU a 14-0 lead.

NIU outgained the Chippewas 521-381, but the defense kept the Huskies out of the end zone besides a 92-yard pass that made the score 14-7.

But seconds later, Antonio Brown returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and NIU never got closer.

Big statement

CMU 58, Ball State 38

Oct. 6 – Muncie, Ind.

CMU took care of its biggest MAC West threat in record-breaking fashion. LeFevour totaled a school-record 506 yards of total offense and threw a record-tying five touchdown passes. CMU’s 658 total yards broke a school record and was the 11th-most in MAC history.

BSU quarterback Nate Davis struggled, completing just 16-of-35 passes for 204 yards.

Dante Love’s 100-yard kickoff return cut CMU’s lead to 14-7, but CMU’s offense proved too much.

Defensive wall

CMU 47, Army 23

Oct. 13 – Mount

Pleasant

The defense forced seven turnovers – five interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Cornerback Josh Gordy had three interceptions, one for a touchdown.

By halftime, the Chippewas had built a 33-16 lead. LeFevour completed 30-of-39 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 100 yards and scored three touchdowns on the ground.

Blowout

Clemson 70, CMU 14

Oct. 20 – Clemson, S.C.

After CMU jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on a touchdown pass from LeFevour to Brooks, Clemson came to life in the second quarter, scoring 28 points and taking a 35-7 lead into halftime.

Clemson’s 35-15 advantage in first downs and 341 rushing yards doomed the Chippewas.

Standing tall

CMU 41, Kent State 32

Oct. 27 – Kent, Ohio

An offensive explosion in the first half changed in the fourth quarter, as the CMU defense held KSU scoreless. An injured Red Keith returned to anchor the defense from the linebacker position in the second half.

LeFevour went 33-for-43 for 359 yards and ran 12 times for 75 yards. Running back Justin Hoskins broke out with 24 rushes for 151 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Drama

CMU 34, Western Michigan 31

Nov. 6 – Kalamazoo

The two teams scored combined for 48 points in the fourth quarter after just 17 in the previous three frames. LeFevour’s quarterback sneak with 12 seconds left gave CMU the win. The touchdown came after a 39-yard catch by Bryan Anderson.

WMU took a 31-27 lead on running back Brandon West’s 15-yard run after LeFevour fumbled deep in CMU territory. The win was CMU’s first in Kalamazoo since 1993 and gave CMU its second consecutive MAC West title and a trip to the MAC Championship Game in Detroit.

Another

hangover

Eastern Michigan 48, CMU 45

Nov. 16 – Mount Pleasant

After holding the lead for most of the game, CMU was outscored 20-7 in the fourth quarter on senior night. EMU captured the Michigan MAC Trophy and left the Chippewas stunned.

Andrew Aguila’s 52-yard field goal missed with 22 seconds remaining after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved CMU back to the 34-yard line.

Close call

CMU 35, Akron 32

Nov. 23 – Akron,

Ohio

On a frigid day after Thanksgiving, CMU scored 15 points in the last seven minutes to come back from down 32-20 and clinch a bowl bid. Brown had a school-record 15 receptions for 174 yards. LeFevour passed for 382 yards and ran for 132 more, including a 43-yard run in the second quarter.

LeFevour’s 514 total yards broke his earlier school-record at Ball State and was the third-highest in MAC history.

Sweet repeat

CMU 35, Miami 10

Dec. 1 – Detroit

A close game turned into a convincing defeat as CMU scored 21 points in the fourth quarter. LeFevour ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Sneed rushed for 67 yards and two touchdowns to lead CMU to its second consecutive title.

Rematch

Purdue 51, CMU 48

Dec. 26 – Motor City Bowl in Detroit

A 41-yard field goal by Purdue’s Chris Summers on the game’s last play sank CMU’s hopes of repeating as Motor City Bowl champions.

Down 34-13 at half, CMU rallied back to tie the game at 41 with 10 seconds left in the third quarter. In front of 60,624 fans, PU’s Painter passed for 546 yards and three touchdowns.

Compiled by Sports Editor Dan Monson.