Stumble to the finish

Brian Manzullo

While Chippewa players and fans alike wait on a possible bowl invitation and opponent, the wait will be spent analyzing the regular season in hopes of improvement. Here’s a position-by-position rundown of what was an up-and-down regular season for CMU.

Quarterbacks – B

CMU had two good quarterbacks this season in senior Brian Brunner and junior Dan LeFevour. However, only one could be used at a time. Brunner showed flashes of brilliance, passing for 831 yards and five touchdowns in CMU’s two biggest wins of the season against WMU and at Indiana but was relegated back to the bench when LeFevour’s injured ankles healed. LeFevour was almost as good upon return, averaging 304 passing yards per game the final three weeks, while completing 66 percent of his passes and throwing eight touchdowns to only two interceptions in that time. Unfortunately, LeFevour’s junior year will be remembered most for the interception he threw on the final drive against Ball State Nov. 19.

Running Backs – C+

CMU rushers averaged only 3.6 yards per carry this season, third worst among Mid-American Conference teams. It is usually not a good sign for running backs when your quarterback is also your team’s leading rusher, as LeFevour was this season with 536 yards despite missing more than two games. Ontario Sneed showed flashes of his old self with eight touchdowns, but was not consistent enough. The team should hope breakout freshman Bryan Schroeder, who had 208 yards and two touchdowns, can pick up even more of the workload next year in Sneed’s absence.

Wide Receivers – B+

Junior Bryan Anderson and sophomore Antonio Brown’s statistics nearly were identical to last season’s numbers. The duo averaged 151.4 yards per game in 2008, compared to 152.5 last year. Yet, the main reason the entire receiving unit was so successful was the big plays it made. Key catches such as Brown’s two-point conversion catch against Purdue stick out. Sophomore Kito Poblah’s emergence also was a positive. Poblah finished third on the team with 472 yards receiving and will be crucial next season in keeping Anderson and Brown away from double teams.

Offensive Line – C

Granted, nearly all of the CMU starters missed some time with injuries. Still, that is not an excuse for allowing 29 sacks, tied for the worst in the MAC, especially with two senior tackles. The previously mentioned rushing attack also struggled as the line was unable to open up many holes all season. CMU seemed to have the most success running away from the line, either on quarterback bootlegs or sweep plays. Too many times the Chippewas were unable to gain a first down on third down-and-one.

Defensive Line – B

The most underrated unit on the team. After losing Steven Friend to graduation and Casey Droscha for much of the year with an injury, the CMU front four finished first in the conference against the run, allowing only 138.6 yards per game. CMU also led the MAC with 31 sacks, nine of which came from junior Frank Zombo, who was second in the conference. However, the unit was inconsistent with its passrush. Even though CMU led the conference in sacks, opposing quarterbacks were given too much time, too many times.

Linebackers – B+

Another group that deserves praise for replacing prolific players rather aptly. Despite the losses of Red Keith and Ike Brown, the unit also did a relatively good job of helping in pass protection. Sophomore Nick Bellore led the MAC with 135 tackles and his 11.4 per-game was fourth-best among all Football Bowl Subdivision defenders. With 68 tackles, sophomore Matt Berning also emerged as a physical presence the Chippewas can count on for the next couple of years.

Secondary – D

This unit seemed to fade at the end of the season. After giving up only 213 yards against Indiana on Nov. 1, the Chippewas gave up increasingly more yards in each successive game over the last three weeks, culminating with 516 yards and a NCAA record 58 completions to Eastern Michigan’s Andy Schmitt last Friday. Despite a pass rush that had 31 sacks, the CMU defense allowed 285.67 yards per game through the air, which ranked 118 out of 119 D-I Bowl Subdivision teams. The Chippewas finished with only eight interceptions tied for ninth in the MAC. Injuries obviously hurt this unit, particularly players like Eric Fraser and Josh Gordy going down, but a team that aspires to national recognition can not let a few injuries be an excuse for perhaps the worst pass defense in the nation.

Special Teams – B+

Brown’s 20.67 yards per return on punts was first in the nation and only one player (New Mexico’s Ian Clark) was within 2.5 yards of Brown’s total. Sophomore kicker Andrew Aguila was effective at most times connecting 14-of-19 field goals, or 73.7 percent of his attempts, third-best in the conference. Still, his mistakes against NIU could have been costly, and his missed field goals against Ball State might have made a difference in the strategy in the end. The punting unit was terrific, with punter Brett Hartmann pinning the opponent inside the 20-yard line on more than one-third of his attempts, while only having one kick blocked. CMU must iron out its onside kick coverage for next season. It nearly made the difference in two of its games (Sept. 27 against Buffalo and Nov. 12 at NIU).

Coaching – B

Head Coach Butch Jones did a good job of keeping his team focused throughout the year, particularly in the fiasco in Ypsilanti last Friday. Some calls were questionable (the fake punt on fourth-and-18 against Ball State comes to mind), but every coach makes some mistakes in every season. Despite a young team, the coaches helped their players mature quickly. However, the Chippewas ended the year with back-to-back losses and the coaches must take some responsibility for that.

Overall – B

It was not the ending the Chippewas hoped for. Regardless, CMU has a chance to go to a bowl game for the third consecutive year. This team learned what it is like to lose, a feeling many in the program had not experienced. That should help the Chippewas as it may make them more motivated in upcoming seasons. Next year, CMU will return nearly every significant player on both sides of the ball, as well as special teams. Its 8-4 record is not a bad mark, but without a MAC Championship, it is below what CMU has come to expect. Expect CMU to be back competing for a MAC championship next year, even hungrier and more experienced than this year.

sports@cm-life.com