2008 Woodie Awards
LeFevour scores on team's final play
CMU retains MAC West crown at Kalamazoo's Waldo Stadium
By: Brian Manzullo
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
KALAMAZOO - Emotions were running high, while hearts were pounding.
Celebrations were switching from one side of Waldo Stadium to the other as the clock neared the end of regulation.
In the end, the Chippewas took their first win at Western since 1993 and their second consecutive Mid-American Conference West championship.
And it all came down to Dan LeFevour and his offensive line.
LeFevour scored on a quarterback sneak from less than 1 yard away to give CMU a 34-31 win against rival Western Michigan to clinch a berth at the Dec. 1 MAC Championship game in Detroit at Ford Field.
"My heart was pounding all the way to the end," said junior guard Andrew Hartline.
"We realized all the sacrifices we made," Hartline said. "All 11 guys had the mentality of doing whatever it takes."
The final touchdown came just seconds after a heartbreaking turn of events for the Chippewas.
With a 27-24 lead and a chance to run the clock down, LeFevour fumbled on a quarterback scramble, putting Western at CMU's 25-yard line with 1:51 remaining.
The Broncos took the lead three plays later on a 15-yard touchdown run by tailback Brandon West to leave CMU's sideline in shock.
But coach Butch Jones, in his first season as a head coach, believed in his players to the end.
"I looked in every man's eyes, and they said, 'we're going to get it done, coach.'" he said. "I can't say enough about the guys in our program."
The offense made its way to Western's 40-yard line before executing an abnormal play to put the Chippewas one yard away from victory.
LeFevour used a pump fake to fool Western defenders, leaving sophomore receiver Bryan Anderson open inside the Broncos' 10-yard line.
Anderson made the catch while stumbling down to the one-yard line.
"All I did was focus on the ball," he said.
It then took LeFevour three sneak plays to finally cross the goal line and put CMU ahead for good.
Once the Broncos' lateral-laden kickoff was over and the clock read zeros, players and fans clad in maroon and gold rushed onto Waldo Stadium's field.
The events that transpired even left senior linebacker Ike Brown dizzy.
"I can't even think," he said. "I've never been in a game that close, ever. That was definitely the wildest finish."
bmanzullo@cm-life.com
Celebrations were switching from one side of Waldo Stadium to the other as the clock neared the end of regulation.
In the end, the Chippewas took their first win at Western since 1993 and their second consecutive Mid-American Conference West championship.
And it all came down to Dan LeFevour and his offensive line.
LeFevour scored on a quarterback sneak from less than 1 yard away to give CMU a 34-31 win against rival Western Michigan to clinch a berth at the Dec. 1 MAC Championship game in Detroit at Ford Field.
"My heart was pounding all the way to the end," said junior guard Andrew Hartline.
"We realized all the sacrifices we made," Hartline said. "All 11 guys had the mentality of doing whatever it takes."
The final touchdown came just seconds after a heartbreaking turn of events for the Chippewas.
With a 27-24 lead and a chance to run the clock down, LeFevour fumbled on a quarterback scramble, putting Western at CMU's 25-yard line with 1:51 remaining.
The Broncos took the lead three plays later on a 15-yard touchdown run by tailback Brandon West to leave CMU's sideline in shock.
But coach Butch Jones, in his first season as a head coach, believed in his players to the end.
"I looked in every man's eyes, and they said, 'we're going to get it done, coach.'" he said. "I can't say enough about the guys in our program."
The offense made its way to Western's 40-yard line before executing an abnormal play to put the Chippewas one yard away from victory.
LeFevour used a pump fake to fool Western defenders, leaving sophomore receiver Bryan Anderson open inside the Broncos' 10-yard line.
Anderson made the catch while stumbling down to the one-yard line.
"All I did was focus on the ball," he said.
It then took LeFevour three sneak plays to finally cross the goal line and put CMU ahead for good.
Once the Broncos' lateral-laden kickoff was over and the clock read zeros, players and fans clad in maroon and gold rushed onto Waldo Stadium's field.
The events that transpired even left senior linebacker Ike Brown dizzy.
"I can't even think," he said. "I've never been in a game that close, ever. That was definitely the wildest finish."
bmanzullo@cm-life.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Kathleen Nickodemus
posted 11/07/07 @ 3:05 AM EST
Congratulations MAC division champs! You made it exciting for us all!
Rick
posted 11/07/07 @ 6:37 AM EST
Hell of a game! Fire up Chips!
Vince Chrisman
posted 11/07/07 @ 8:06 AM EST
Go Chips! Nice job - great game.
jayroddy
posted 11/07/07 @ 9:47 AM EST
Congratulations on back-to-back division titles! This has been an excellent season!
Butch Jones... There's two sides to a team. Just a thought: you might want to move some of your extremely athletic wide receivers (#s 5-8 on depth chart) into the secondary. (Continued…)
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