Could anyone have drawn up a better scenario when the season started than what we will see next Wednesday Night?
The two-time defending MAC champion Central Michigan Chippewas, 8-2 (5-0), will host No. 14 Ball State, 10-0 (6-0), next Wednesday night on ESPN2. For some of you, this game will be another Wednesday night yawn, but those who love Mid-Major power, this has all the ingredients to be a barnburner.
The game features one of the most versatile quarterbacks...pardon me, two of the most versatile quarterbacks college football has to offer.
Nate Davis is anything but overrated. The 6'2" junior has all the tools to be playing on Sundays and has given the people of Muncie, Indiana something to boast about besides famous alumni Dave Letterman.
He has led the Cardinals to a 10-0 start and a number 14 ranking in the AP polls (subject to change), and he has all the writers in the country thinking of the mighty Cardinals as a BCS sleeper. He has amassed over 2,500 yards in the air and thrown for 20 scores.
Did I mention that, when given the opportunity, Davis can be very effective running as well?
On the other side of the ball, we are looking at the back-to-back defending MAC champs, the Central Michigan Chippewas.
What an odd year this one has turned out to be in Mt. Pleasant. They have had key injuries that would leave any other team in the dumpster. 2006 Freshman of the Year and 2007 Offensive Player of the Year Dan LeFevour has been battling injured ankles for the past three weeks.
- B/R Ticket Guide
They are off to their best start in over 10 years, even if they don’t make it look pretty. Central, who took a 23-3 lead to the locker room at halftime last night, came out and looked like a team of disarray in the second half. The Huskies of NIU compiled three touchdowns in eight minutes in the in the third and fourth quarters and nearly stunned the Chippewas.
Led by great quarterback play via Dan LeFevour, Central showed no signs of collapse in the last minutes of the game. With 30 seconds to go, Coach Jones elected to kneel the ball and gamble with his defense in overtime. There is a reason he has only lost one MAC game in his career, folks—the guy knows how to win.
After an interception by Josh Gordy, Andrew Aguila hit a 44-yard field goal for the win.
Throughout this game, commentator Shaun King kept stressing the importance of next week’s battle in Mt. Pleasant.
For those not familiar with Dan "The Man" LeFevour, here is an interesting stat for you.
LeFevour is the only player besides Vince Young in NCAA I-A History to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in a season.
He threw for 27 touchdowns in the air and added another 19 on the ground last season. (Can someone say Heisman numbers?)
As we go back to Muncie one last time, when CMU fans hear Ball State, they think Nate Davis. Not so fast my friends—there is another stud on campus that could possibly leave the Chippewa fans in awe come next Wednesday night.
Who is he? MiQuale Lewis.
Standing at a giant five-foot-six and weighing in at a buck eighty-five, Lewis' game is anything but small. In 10 games this year, Lewis has hit the century mark eight times (almost nine, seeing how he ran for 95 yards against Northeastern).
He has seen the end zone 17 times this year, scoring in every game besides one. If you’re looking for an impact player, I would take this guy seriously!
So who has the upper hand in this game come next week? Well, I will leave those predictions to you the sport fan, and those genius beat writers who work for the almighty ESPN Network.
I personally like Central Michigan at home, as close as it can get, 28-27—but time will tell.
This Will Be One Hell Of A Game!
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