On Dec. 26, the Chippewas will take on Florida Atlantic in the 12th annual Motor City Bowl. The game will mark the fifth time in three seasons that the Chippewas have played in Ford Field, which Brunner said has become a little bit of Kelly/Shorts Stadium Southeast.

“I think a couple years back when we played for the MAC championship game there, it had that kind of effect, that ‘wow, we’re playing in Ford Field. Holy cow, this is unbelievable.’ We were almost awestruck,” Brunner said. “Now it’s become a little bit of Kelly/Shorts Stadium Southeast. This is the fifth time in three years that we will be playing there, so I think we’re a little bit more comfortable.”

Brunner said that the Motor City Bowl can become similar to the home-field advantage that Boise State University and Hawaii University have with bowl games on their respective home fields.

“I think here with this being the third year in a row that we’re going down to Detroit in the Motor City Bowl, it’s really become for us kind of a home bowl game,” Brunner said. “It’s our game, this Motor City Bowl. It’s become almost a tradition, much like the bowl itself, that CMU is going to be playing in it. …It’s such a benefit for our program and for our fans to be able to see us every year in that postseason game. I mean, we know the area, they know us and it’s really become a good relationship.”

CMU junior quarterback Dan LeFevour said it is the metro Detroit’s reception to the Chippewas that excites them about heading back for another game.

Last season’s Motor City Bowl against Purdue drew a record 60,624 fans and although LeFevour said the team only focuses on things it can control, he admitted the Chippewas are hoping for a sellout crowd of 65,000.

“The support during that game is huge, but attendance is really not in our control and we’re not going to worry about that much,” LeFevour said. “It definitely brings a different level of energy, being a bowl game. Hopefully having sellout crowd, I think would excite us.”

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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.

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Unlike last season, when CMU lost 48-45 to Eastern at home, this season the Chippewas still have much to play at noon Friday when they enter Rynearson Stadium.

After losing its first meaningful Mid-American Conference game since 2006, Williams said CMU moved on from its 31-24 loss to Ball State and will be ready for Eastern (2-9 overall, 1-6 MAC).

“We bounced back well. We understand that losing is part of the game,” Williams said. “Eastern’s our next game and that our next biggest game of the season for us getting nine wins and possibly getting to a bowl game.”

Despite their record, the Eagles will present a challenge to even the most focused of CMU teams, Williams said.

The Eagles have scored on 86.7 percent of their red zone attempts, third-best among MAC teams. EMU scored touchdowns on 68.8 percent of its red zone attempts, second in the conference to No. 15 ranked Ball State’s 69.2 percent.

Many of those touchdowns have come from EMU senior running back Terrence Blevins, who is fifth in the conference with 10 rushing scores this season.

Williams said Blevins is equally as talented as former Eagle running back Pierre Walker, who ran for a game-high 149 yards and three touchdowns against the Chippewas last season.

“Not too much different, I mean, they’re both really good running backs. Pierre was really tough guy to tackle last year and (Blevins) has a lot of the same similarities,” Williams said. “We’ve just got to bottle him up and make sure we do a good job tackling him, I think we’ll be OK.”

Junior quarterback Dan LeFevour said the Chippewas know they will get their cross-state rivals’ best shot. The Eagles are 3-1 against CMU since 2004.

“Eastern Michigan has always played us tough no matter what their record is,” LeFevour said. “You can throw the records out the window, this is just one of those type of games.”

Friday’s game is important to CMU (8-3, 6-1 MAC) because it enhances its chance at a bowl game. Yet, the Chippewas will know by Tuesday night if the game could have conference championship implications as well.

If Western Michigan beats Ball State on Tuesday night in Muncie, Ind., a Chippewa win Friday could secure another division title. LeFevour said the team will watch the WMU-BSU matchup very closely.

“I’m sure we’ll be watching, obviously it has something to do with whether or not we have a chance to go to the MAC Championship,” LeFevour said. “So we’ll be tuned in to what goes on there.”

CMU also has a chance to win the Michigan MAC Trophy, given to the in-state school with the best record against its in-state rivals.

EMU stole the trophy with its win last season. But both WMU and EMU already have a loss against a Michigan school.

Friday’s game starts at noon and EMU is allowing free admittance for anyone into Rynearson Stadium.

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YPSILANTI- EMU quarterback Andy Schmitt made sure to send coach Jeff Genyk out with a win.

The EMU (3-9 overall, 2-6 Mid-American Conference) quarterback set an NCAA division I record with 58 completions en route to a 56-52 victory over CMU (8-4, 6-2 MAC) Friday.

“Andy Schmitt was spectacular. I knew coming in here that they were a very, very good football team,” said CMU head coach Butch Jones. “They were very explosive offensively and you saw that today.”

EMU receiver Tyler Jones tied an NCAA division I-A record with 23 receptions. Jones tied former UNLV receiver Andy Gatewood, who had 23 receptions for the Rebels on Sept. 17, 1994, against Idaho.

The loss marks the first time since 2005 that the Chippewas lost two consecutive MAC games. That year, CMU lost to NIU and Western in consecutive weeks.

Jones said despite the Chippewas’ second straight MAC loss, he still believes his team will reach a bowl game.

“If we go to a bowl game, we’ll only be the fourth team in the history of the Mid-American Conference to go to three straight bowl games,” Jones said. “Right now hopefully we have one more opportunity left for our seniors.”

Jones said the bowl destination did not matter, only that the team was offered a bid.

Genyk was coaching in his final game after being fired by the university administration on Monday. With the win, Genyk completed his coaching tenure at EMU with a 4-1 record against CMU.

Check back at cm-life.com later this afternoon for updates from today’s game.

For the first time since 2005, CMU must rely on other teams to decide its placement in the Mid-American Conference West Division.

“We can only control what we can control,” he said following Wednesday’s 31-24 loss to No. 14 ranked Ball State. “And that’s to come back with a great attitude and send our seniors off as winners and finish 9-3.”

The loss marked the first conference game since Nov. 12, 2005, when the team lost to Western Michigan, that the Chippewas lost without having the West Division clinched.

CMU travels to Ypsilanti on Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving. The Chippewas are 1-3 against the Eagles since 2004.

Last season, CMU lost 48-45 to Eastern on Nov. 17, but the Chippewas already had clinched the MAC West the week before.

The last time Central played Eastern in November with a possible conference title at stake was Nov. 1. 1980, when the Chippewas defeated EMU 51-15.

In 1980, CMU had lost its MAC game before the EMU game as well. It would finish that season as conference champions.

Junior receiver Bryan Anderson is hoping for a similar outcome this season.

“We only have one more game and then a bowl game after that,” Anderson said. “We’ve just got to take care of business next week against Eastern Michigan and then we’ll see what happens from there.”

The Chippewas also need rival Western Michigan to defeat the Cardinals on Tuesday. If the Broncos win and Central defeats Eastern Michigan on Nov. 28, it presents a three-way tie between Western, Ball State and Central.

Jones said his team is unconcerned with the tiebreaker situation.

Rather, his team is focused on ending the regular season with nine wins, the most since the Chippewas finished the 1994 MAC Championship season 9-2.

“Our kids will be focused,” Jones said. “That’s my job as a head coach to get these guys back. We’ll get them back because we’ve got high character kids that are very competitive.”

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Bellore said CMU’s familiarity with close games this season should help his defense contain tailback MiQuale Lewis, quarterback Nate Davis and the No. 14 Cardinals, which face the Chippewas at 7 p.m. today at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t. Every game seems to be coming down to the wire and most of the time we’ve come out on top,” Bellore said. “That’ll help us, but we just have to make sure we play our game throughout.”

Whereas CMU (8-2, 6-0 Mid-American Conference) has had its last eight games decided by 10 points or fewer, the closest game Ball State (10-0, 6-0 MAC) played was a 35-23 victory against Navy on Sept. 5.

In addition, CMU is going for a third straight MAC West championship, while Ball State has not won a MAC Championship since 1996.

Part of the reason of the Cardinals’ rather one-sided box scores is the play Davis and Lewis, both juniors. Davis is first in the conference with a 168.0 pass-efficiency rating, while Lewis’ 1,273 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns both are conference bests.

CMU junior defensive end Frank Zombo is one player the Chippewas are counting on to contain BSU’s vaunted offense. Zombo leads the MAC with eight sacks this season, but the Cardinals have allowed just eight sacks all season, first in the MAC.

Nevertheless, Zombo believes his presence in the backfield can disrupt the BSU offense.

“Nate Davis hasn’t really been hit all year,” Zombo said. “Their O-line is really good, so it’s a great challenge for our D-line. We’re just going to give it everything we got and try to get after the quarterback.”

Referees have not flagged the Cardinals for a penalty since their 24-7 win against Western Kentucky on Oct. 11.

Bellore is hoping crowd noise can rattle the BSU offense.

“We need everybody to come out for the game, I just can’t stress it enough. We always seem to have a great atmosphere, but we need that much more for this game,” Bellore said. “It’s the biggest game we’ve had in a long time.”

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The last time CMU and Ball State met, BSU coach Brady Hoke said his team tried to outsmart itself.

The Cardinals’ last Mid-American Conference loss was 58-38 last season to the Chippewas, thanks in large part to quarterback Dan LeFevour’s 506 total yards and six touchdowns.

“I was disappointed in us as coaches, number one – I don’t think I prepared the team very well,” Hoke said. “I just think we had too many things that we wanted to try and do defensively to some degree. Those little things added up to big things over the course of the game.”

Hoke said the team needs to execute a strategy against LeFevour today. In planning for CMU (8-2 overall, 6-0 Mid-American Conference), Hoke admitted the No. 14 Cardinals (10-0, 6-0 MAC) are not going try to change too much from what has made them successful all season.

“We’ve got a routine that our kids like. Our kids have done a good job in the routine and a good job of preparing every week,” Hoke said. “We’ve been pretty consistent in what we’ve been running all year, and we’re going to run what we run.”

Revenge is not the only motivating factor at work for the Cardinals.

Ball State is 10-0 for the first time in school history. A win tonight and Nov. 25 against WMU would assure the Cardinals their first MAC Championship game in school history.

Also, CMU and WMU are ranked No. 29 and No. 30, respectively, in the Associated Press Top 25 poll this week. Consecutive wins over both would put BSU in a position to earn a bid for the first Bowl Championship Series bowl game in conference history.

While Ball State may have the national attention this year, one CMU advantage is the team’s experience in big games.

As two-time defending conference champions, CMU coach Butch Jones said his team has developed the level-headed mentality needed for big game situations.

“Last year, I think we experienced the highs and lows throughout the course of the season,” he said, “where this year, our kids have pretty much just been focused on the task at hand.”

Perhaps in attempting to control his own team’s emotions, Hoke is downplaying the importance of tonight’s game.

“I don’t know if it’s the biggest game or not. It’s a great football game with two very good teams, with very, very good players on their teams and its going to be a lot of fun,” Hoke said. “We’ve just got to go out there and play our best football and execute and have fun doing it.”

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The CMU football team found itself in a familiar situation in the fourth quarter Wednesday.

It maintained a 24-24 tie with just several minutes remaining against No. 14 ranked Ball State, looking like it would take just enough offense in the final minutes to secure a third consecutive Mid-American Conference West Division championship.

But it was Ball State’s MiQuale Lewis who instead took over.

The junior running back dashed through the CMU defense, rushing for 63 yards on six carries to lead the Cardinals’ final scoring drive, which ended with quarterback Nate Davis’ 11-yard touchdown pass to receiver Briggs Orsbon with 7:29 to play.

The drive capped Ball State’s 31-24 victory over the Chippewas (8-3, 6-1 Mid-American Conference) at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

“We wanted Lewis to have a big day and he delivered,” said BSU coach Brady Hoke. “After awhile, our offensive line was able to consistently push Central’s defensive line back and create room to run.”

Lewis, the MAC’s leading rusher, finished with a game-high 177 yards on 28 carries.

CMU sophomore linebacker Nick Bellore, who had a team-high 12 tackles, said it was his team’s inability to stop Lewis in the fourth quarter that cost his team.

“We just didn’t finish the game out and those things are going to happen,” Bellore said. “We just didn’t execute in the crunch time.

“There’s a million different things you can look at that if that changed this would have happened, but who knows. That would have changed everything anyway.”

Coach Butch Jones said it was the mistakes his players made, not controversial penalties assessed by officials, that helped lead to Ball State’s victory.

“(The officials are) human. Did one call or one thing cost us the football game? No,” Jones said. “That’s the game of football. Whatever obstacles you had before you’ve got to overcome those. Some were some key calls but Ball State had some go against them as well.”

On CMU’s first drive of the game, junior quarterback Dan LeFevour was sacked by Ball State (11-0, 7-0 MAC) senior linebacker Kenny Meeks. Meeks appeared to grab LeFevour’s facemask, but no flag was thrown, much to the dismay of Jones and the CMU football team.

“They said they didn’t see (the facemask),” Jones said of the officiating crew. “I don’t know what else you can say. I think everyone else in the stadium saw it, but evidently they didn’t see it. So there’s nothing you can do about it.”

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The sophomore linebacker said Wednesday’s opponent, No. 14 Ball State (10-0 overall, 6-0 Mid-American Conference), has made the weekly preparation seem much more enjoyable.

“I’m just looking forward to it. It really hasn’t hit me that it’s already coming on Wednesday, but we know it’s on the way,” Bellore said. “If you can’t get up for this week, you really don’t have a passion for the game. We’re just taking every day, watching extra film and that kind of stuff.”

CMU (8-2, 6-0 MAC) has not received the same national attention as the Cardinals despite being two-time conference champions. CMU has yet to crack the Top 25 this season, while the Cardinals were nationally ranked since week seven (Oct. 12) when they were 7-0.

However, junior defensive tackle Frank Zombo said he and his teammates do not feel slighted by the attention that their division counterpart is getting.

“I’m happy the MAC is getting some national attention. They’re 10-0 and they deserve the attention,” Zombo said. “We’re just going to give it everything we’ve got and we’re happy to play them.”

CMU is expected to be an underdog for the fourth time in five games, and second consecutive home game. Western was favored entering Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Oct. 18, as were Indiana and NIU on Nov. 1 and Nov. 12, respectively.

Bellore said he and his teammates are approaching Wednesday as the underdogs again, a role they are growing comfortable with and do not mind playing.

“They’re 10-0; we’re 8-2. We’re the underdogs – we really have no problem with it,” Bellore said. “We’re used to that role, so we’re just going to give them our best shot.”

CMU moved its weekly practice times from 3:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. this weekend, in an attempt to prepare for Wednesday night’s game. As of Sunday, Wednesday’s high temperature was expected at 34 degrees Fahrenheit, with a game-time temperature of less than 30 degrees. Snowfall also is expected during the night.

Zombo is looking forward to a chance to compete in front of the team’s home fans, which he expects to attend the game despite the cold weather.

“It’s kind of more of just counting down to playing back at home again and having our crowd and our support,” Zombo said. “All season they’ve been here for us, and I’m expecting them to be here for us again. They’ve been great all year.”

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The junior quarterback missed two of the Chippewas’ past three games with injuries to both of his ankles, but showed no signs of rust in Wednesday’s 33-30 overtime win at Northern Illinois.

The junior quarterback ran for a game-high 121 yards and two touchdowns as CMU (8-2 overall, 6-0 Mid-American Conference), overcame a late comeback by the Huskies (5-5, 4-3 MAC).

LeFevour said his running game is a sign that his ankles are healed.

“It’s definitely something that I’m comfortable doing, and it’s something that gives me confidence out there,” LeFevour said. “I’m definitely feeling healthy and I’m ready to contribute to this team, because we know how well (backup senior quarterback) Brian (Brunner) can play and if I’m not able to do what I do then they’re not going to put me out there.”

It was LeFevour’s eighth 100-yard rushing performance of his career and his first since Sept. 27 against Buffalo. It was his highest rushing total of the season.

LeFevour credited his offensive line for his big rushing total. On many of his designed rushes, he wasn’t touched until he had reached the NIU secondary.

“The front five really won the game for us. I give all the credit for the success that I was able to have on the ground,” LeFevour said. “I don’t think you saw me break too many tackles or do anything too spectacular really. I think those guys really set up the run game really well.”

LeFevour had a part in all four of CMU’s touchdowns as he was 19-of-26 passing for 181 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown pass was a 25-yard completion to sophomore receiver Antonio Brown. His second was a 27-yard screen pass to senior running back Ontario Sneed.

The touchdowns came on consecutive drives to open the second quarter.

LeFevour missed CMU’s game at Indiana on Nov. 1 after injuring his right ankle Oct. 25 against Toledo. He missed the second half of CMU’s Oct. 11 game against Temple and the ensuing Oct. 18 game against WMU after injuring his left ankle against the Owls.

CMU coach Butch Jones said LeFevour’s diligent rehabilitation is responsible for him getting a chance to compete again at full health.

“Phil Adler, our trainer, has done a great job of getting him back, and Dan has been very tedious in the training room,” Jones said. “We put the challenge to our offensive line that we had to run the football, and we were able to do that with some different sets. I can’t say enough about (LeFevour), and the guys up front as well; they took it upon themselves to run the football tonight.”

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