2008 Woodie Awards
Motor City Bowl is enticing
By: Brian Manzullo
Issue date: 12/5/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
My initial reaction to the CMU vs. Purdue matchup for the Motor City Bowl was just like everybody else's.
Why Purdue? Why not Michigan State, the last Bowl Championship Series team that CMU defeated (1992)? Why not Indiana, which had not played Central since 2005?
We know there was no choice after MSU and Indiana were taken ahead of Purdue. But the whole idea of watching the Chippewas play a team they already have played this season seemed to put a damper on this year's Motor City Bowl.
But now it is a few days later and I have done some research. I have dug into each team a little bit, looking into what has changed since Purdue's 45-22 win over CMU on Sept. 15.
To be honest, this year's Motor City Bowl has the potential to be the best bowl game before New Year's Day.
Think about it. Both teams have changed substantially since they met in West Lafayette, Ind. CMU is 7-2 in its last nine games. Purdue is 2-5 in its last seven.
This game will be at Ford Field in Detroit and not in Purdue's backyard. There will be more CMU representation than just a pocket of maroon and gold flooded by thousands donning black.
CMU will be healthier and hungrier. This team has matured since September. If there were any butterflies in the first half, when Purdue outscored CMU 31-0, they will be nonexistent this time around.
Think of the storyline this game will have - the Chippewas are itching to prove themselves against big-time competition since being routed 70-14 by Clemson on Oct. 20.
They also would like to do it against one of the teams they fell to earlier this year.
Purdue nearly squandered its bowl chances after ending the season with losses to Penn State, Michigan State and Indiana. If it was not for Ohio State making the BCS Championship and allowing Illinois to play in the Rose Bowl, Purdue could have been sitting at home this bowl season.
Furthermore, with the exception of Central, the Boilermakers have yet to beat a Football Bowl Subdivision team with a record higher than .500.
I am not suggesting that CMU will beat Purdue on Dec. 26, but this game will be more competitive than 45-22, especially if CMU's defense plays anything like it did against Miami University in the MAC Championship.
The coaching staff and the players will not admit it, but there has to be a feeling of redemption involved in this game that there would not have been if Michigan State or Indiana went to Detroit instead.
I am expecting a high-scoring affair this time from both sides. Purdue might be the favorite, but if Central wins, which certainly is possible, it would be monumental for coach Butch Jones and the rest of the team.
bmanzullo@cm-life.com
Why Purdue? Why not Michigan State, the last Bowl Championship Series team that CMU defeated (1992)? Why not Indiana, which had not played Central since 2005?
We know there was no choice after MSU and Indiana were taken ahead of Purdue. But the whole idea of watching the Chippewas play a team they already have played this season seemed to put a damper on this year's Motor City Bowl.
But now it is a few days later and I have done some research. I have dug into each team a little bit, looking into what has changed since Purdue's 45-22 win over CMU on Sept. 15.
To be honest, this year's Motor City Bowl has the potential to be the best bowl game before New Year's Day.
Think about it. Both teams have changed substantially since they met in West Lafayette, Ind. CMU is 7-2 in its last nine games. Purdue is 2-5 in its last seven.
This game will be at Ford Field in Detroit and not in Purdue's backyard. There will be more CMU representation than just a pocket of maroon and gold flooded by thousands donning black.
CMU will be healthier and hungrier. This team has matured since September. If there were any butterflies in the first half, when Purdue outscored CMU 31-0, they will be nonexistent this time around.
Think of the storyline this game will have - the Chippewas are itching to prove themselves against big-time competition since being routed 70-14 by Clemson on Oct. 20.
They also would like to do it against one of the teams they fell to earlier this year.
Purdue nearly squandered its bowl chances after ending the season with losses to Penn State, Michigan State and Indiana. If it was not for Ohio State making the BCS Championship and allowing Illinois to play in the Rose Bowl, Purdue could have been sitting at home this bowl season.
Furthermore, with the exception of Central, the Boilermakers have yet to beat a Football Bowl Subdivision team with a record higher than .500.
I am not suggesting that CMU will beat Purdue on Dec. 26, but this game will be more competitive than 45-22, especially if CMU's defense plays anything like it did against Miami University in the MAC Championship.
The coaching staff and the players will not admit it, but there has to be a feeling of redemption involved in this game that there would not have been if Michigan State or Indiana went to Detroit instead.
I am expecting a high-scoring affair this time from both sides. Purdue might be the favorite, but if Central wins, which certainly is possible, it would be monumental for coach Butch Jones and the rest of the team.
bmanzullo@cm-life.com
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