Nov 29, 2006, 17:35 GMT
Detroit, MI - Two teams making their first-ever appearance in the Mid-American Conference championship game will clash this Thursday night at Ford Field, as the Ohio Bobcats battle the Central Michigan Chippewas. The Chippewas are coming off their best season since 1994 when the team finished with a 9-2 ledger and claimed the MAC title. CMU's season got off to a rough start, as the team lost three of its first five games. Fortunately the Chippewas were able to right the ship and closed out the season winning five of their last six matchups, with the lone loss coming against Northern Illinois, 31-10. A victory this Thursday for the Chippewas would give the team its first-ever Division I-A postseason win and its fifth overall MAC title. As for the Bobcats, this is unfamiliar territory, as the team will be looking for its first-ever postseason victory as well. Overall the team is 0-2 in postseason play, losing the 1962 Sun Bowl and 1968 Tangerine Bowl. It has been a long time since Ohio has had this much success in a season. In fact, a win Thursday would give the team its first 10-win season in close to 40 years. The Bobcats 2006 campaign was very similar to that of the Chippewas, as Ohio opened its schedule with losses in three of its first five games. However, since the team's last setback on September 30th the Bobcats have been perfect, winning seven consecutive games. The all-time series between the two schools has been dominated by Central Michigan, as the Chippewas head into this title match with a solid 18-4-2 lead over Ohio. Although the Chippewas have a commanding lead in the series, the Bobcats have won two of the last three meetings.
The Chippewas possess one of the most dangerous offensive units in the MAC in 2006, mainly because of the team's potent passing attack, which produced 247.2 ypg. The success of the aerial assault has led to 29.2 ppg, which ranked the team first in the MAC in scoring. Quarterback Dan LeFevour is the biggest reason for the success, as the redshirt freshman had a sensational season, completing 63 percent of his passes for 2,555 yards. LeFevour finished the regular season with 22 touchdowns against just nine interceptions and because of his solid numbers, the signal-caller was named MAC Freshman of the Year and also selected to the All-MAC First Team. Also selected to the first team was LeFevour's main target, freshman wideout, Bryan Anderson. Anderson grew into his role as the season progressed and finished with 61 receptions, 746 yards and five touchdowns. Although it played second fiddle to the passing attack, CMU's ground game had moderate success throughout the year, as the team averaged 126.6 ypg. Ontario Sneed did the majority of the damage on the ground for the Chippewas, as the tailback collected 586 rushing yards, but only scored twice. Marcel Archer emerged as the team's goal line back as the freshman led CMU with seven rushing touchdowns, while rushing for just 298 yards.
Defensively, the Chippewas were not dominant by any stretch of the imagination, however the unit did enough to help produce victories. Overall the team surrendered 24 ppg, while allowing the opposition to collect 353.2 total ypg. The unit had some success against the run, permitting just 135.2 ypg, but the team's weak spot came against the pass, as opponents threw for 217.9 ypg. CMU was able to make big plays on the defensive side of the ball, as the team forced 24 turnovers and collected 23 sacks on the year. The majority of those sacks came from star defensive end Daniel Bazuin. Bazuin was the anchor for the Chippewas front line and finished the season with 54 stops, 11.5 TFLs and a team-high eight sacks. It was another sensational year for the defensive end, who was selected to the All-MAC First-Team for the third time in his career. Joining Bazuin on the first team is linebacker Red Keith. Keith has also had a tremendous season for the Chippewas, as the junior led the team with 109 tackles and also collected six TFLs.
As for the Bobcats, they do not possess an offensive unit as dangerous as Central Michigan's. However, with that said, the unit is still solid, mainly because of its rushing attack which is churning out 161.1 ypg. The main source of production out of the backfield has come from Kalvin McRae. McRae was a workhorse all season for the Bobcats and closed out the regular season with 1,139 yards and 14 scores. McRae also played a large part in the passing attack, as the back led the team with 27 receptions, while racking up 250 yards and one more touchdown. McRae is only the second back ever at Ohio to rush for over 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons and because of his solid performance in 2006 the junior was selected to the All-MAC First-Team for a second straight year. With the success of the ground game, the Bobcats rarely let the ball fly, and it shows as the team averaged just 124.3 ypg through the air. Austen Everson took the majority of the snaps for Ohio this season, however the signal-caller rarely found success or an open receiver for that matter. The senior quarterback only completed 56.1 percent of his passes and finished the year with only 1,167 yards and six scores against seven interceptions.
The main reason Ohio will be playing for the MAC title is because of its defense which has simply dominated opposing offenses all year. Overall the unit surrendered just 16.2 ppg and held the opposition to just 291.6 total yards per contest. During the team's seven-game winning streak, the defense allowed just one touchdown in four of the contests. The unit was successful against the run and pass, allowing just 130.1 ypg on the ground, while permitting just 161.5 ypg through the air. If there is one knock on this unit it is its lack of big play ability as the team forced 23 turnovers, but recorded just 18 sacks. Linebacker Matt Muncy was without a doubt the leader of this defense, as the senior recorded 78 tackles to go along with a team- high 14.5 TFLs. Muncy also collected 2.5 sacks and two interceptions as he was selected to the All-MAC First-Team for the second consecutive season. Fellow linebacker Tyler Russ also had a dominant 2006 campaign, as the senior led the squad with 82 tackles and also collected three interceptions. Because of his performance throughout the season, Russ was also named to the 2006 All-MAC First-team.
It is hard to go against the Chippewas' offense, especially when considering how dominant the unit was throughout the season. However, if the old saying is true, 'defense wins championships', then the Bobcats should reign supreme in this matchup.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ohio 27, Central Michigan 21
© 2006 The Sports Network
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