With one win under their belts and one huge reminder standing over downtown Detroit that there’s college football in Michigan beyond Ann Arbor and East Lansing, quarterback Dan LeFevour and the Central Michigan University Chippewas might just be poised to capture the hearts of football fans throughout the state this season.
The transition happening at the University of Michigan with the arrival of coach Rich Rodriguez has been well-documented, leaving the Wolverines out of the Preseason Top 25 in many polls for the first time in years. And despite encouraging forecasts and hopes about Michigan State, many fans hesitate to buy fully into the Spartans’ hype until potential morphs into reality. Seeing is believing.
Should the Wolverines struggle (as many expect) and should the Spartans struggle (as many fear), college football fans from Marquette to Monroe will be looking to ride a hotter team into the bowl season. Fresh off two straight Mid-American Conference championships, a win in the MotorCity Bowl a year ago, and possessing one of the more exciting athletes to hit Mt. Pleasant since Dan Majerle lit up Rose Arena, the Chippewas might be in position to deliver the thrills.
Led by LeFevour - whose picture adorns the backside of the enormous scoreboard at Comerica Park (facing Ford Field, where the Chips won their first-ever bowl game last winter) – the CMU offense will again threaten to be one of the tops in the MAC. As an immediate reminder, the Chips hammered out 31 points in their 31-12 season-opening win against Eastern Illinois Thursday in Mt. Pleasant. LeFevour’s line was only slightly less stunning than last year’s gaudy passing numbers, throwing for 213 yards and three touchdowns. The double-threat QB, who turned a rare feat last season when he threw for over 3,000 yards and ran for over 1,000, also had 42 yards on 11 carries.
A season ago, LeFevour finished with 3,652 yards (355-for-543) and 27 touchdowns passing. On the ground, he gained 1,122 yards on 188 carries and scored 19 times. For ’08, he’s got primary targets back in wideouts Antonio Brown and Bryan Anderson, both 1,000-plus yard receivers last year, when the Chips finished 8-6, a step down from their 10-4 finish in ‘06.
Are the Chips for real this year? In the MAC, it appears there’s little doubt. But are they for real on a bigger stage, real enough to grab and run to another pair of Ford Field dates in December? Fans in Mt. Pleasant, maybe even in Ann Arbor and East Lansing, are hoping so.
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