Motor City Bowl: Purdue vs. Central Michigan

Teams: Central Michigan vs. Purdue
Date: Dec. 26, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.

Analysis
It’s a rare rematch in bowl season as Central Michigan and Purdue meet up for the second time in 2007. Back in mid-September, the Boilermakers jumped out to a 24–0 lead in the first quarter and coasted to a 45–22 win. Both teams had little difficulty moving the football, with Purdue rolling up 583 yards and CMU picking up 464.

Purdue went on to win its next two games (over Minnesota and Notre Dame) to improve to 5–0, but Joe Tiller’s club stumbled down the stretch, losing five its final seven to end the season with a 7–5 mark. Central Michigan lost to I-AA North Dakota State the week after the Purdue game, but the Chips went 7–2 the rest of the way, including a 35–10 win over Miami (Ohio) in the MAC title game.

CMU returns to the site of the title game — Detroit’s Ford Field — for its second straight trip to the Motor City Bowl. Last year, the Chippewas beat Middle Tennessee 31–14 for the first bowl win in school history. To make it two straight Motor City Bowl wins, Central Michigan will need to put forth its finest defensive effort of the season. The Chips ranked last in the MAC in total defense and 12th in scoring defense and, not surprisingly, had trouble stopping the run and the pass.

While the defense struggled throughout the 2007 season, the CMU offense was among the best in the league. With dual-threat quarterback Dan LeFevour running the show, the Chips scored 34 points or more nine times, including each of the final five games.

Purdue made significant strides on defense this year (jumping from 114th in the nation in 2006 to 60th), but the offense regressed, falling from 13th to 35th in total yards. Still, junior Curtis Painter was solid at quarterback, throwing for 3,300 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine picks, while junior tailback Kory Sheets gave Joe Tiller’s club a reliable option in the backfield.

Central Michigan played its best football late in the year, but the competition wasn’t nearly as strong in the final two months of the season. The MAC is a solid league, but it can’t compare to the week-to-week grind Purdue faced in the Big Ten. Purdue was the better team when these two teams played in September. And they are still the better team.

Breakdown: Central Michigan
Campus Location: Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Distance to Detroit: 155 miles
All-Time Bowl Game Record: 1–2
2007 Season: 8–5, 7–1 Mid-American Conference

NCAA Rankings (yards/points per game totals):
Rush Offense: 34 (183)
Pass Offense: 32 (265)
Scoring Offense: 26 (34)
Rush Defense: 72 (165)
Pass Defense: 111 (286)
Scoring Defense: 107 (36)
Turnover Margin: 43 (0.23)

Additional Notes:
Central Michigan gave up an average of 55.6 points in its three games vs. BCS competition (Kansas, Purdue and Clemson) and an average of 29.9 in its 10 games against non-BCS foes. …  Quarterback Dan LeFevour is only the second Division I-A player to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in the same season. The other? Texas’ Vince Young. … CMU’s Butch Jones was the only first-year coach to win an outright league title this season. Arizona State’s Dennis Erickson tied for the Pac-10 title but lost the tie-breaker to USC.

Breakdown: Purdue
Campus Location: West Lafayette, Ind.
Distance to Detroit: 337 miles
All-Time Bowl Game Record: 7–7
2007 Season: 7–5, 3–5 Big Ten

NCAA Rankings (yards/points per game totals):
Rush Offense: 77 (136)
Pass Offense: 17 (287)
Scoring Offense: 31 (33)
Rush Defense: 55 (149)
Pass Defense: 72 (236)
Scoring Defense: 47 (25)
Turnover Margin: 32 (0.33)

Additional Notes:
Purdue will be making its 10th bowl trip in the 11-year Joe Tiller era. The Boilermakers, however, have lost three bowl games in a row and six of the past seven. … This will be the first time Purdue will travel North for a bowl in school history. … Purdue has won five straight games against the MAC, dating back to the beginning of the 2003 season.

Prediction: Purdue by 17

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