Chippewas Roll in Regular Season Finale, 55-28

Friday, November 24

Buffalo, N.Y.

1:00 PM

Central Michigan University

8-4 , 7-1

Buffalo

2-10 , 1-7

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Central Michigan

Buffalo

11/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

Final Stats

Postgame Notes 

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Central Michigan University secured an outright Mid-American Conference West Division title in dominating fashion, rolling to a 55-28 win at Buffalo on Friday.

CMU improves to 8-4 overall, 7-1 in the MAC with the win. It marks the winningest season for CMU since 1994, when the conference champion Chippewas finished 9-3 overall, 8-1 in the MAC.

CMU eliminated any drama in the contest early on, as a pair of freshmen sparked the Chippewas to a 48-point first half. Tim Brazzel returned the opening kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown and blocked a punt on Buffalo’s first possession that led to CMU’s second score, while Dan LeFevour completed 14-of-16 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns before intermission.

Including Brazzel’s kickoff return, CMU scored touchdowns on each of its first seven possessions and need four or fewer snaps from scrimmage to score six of its eight total touchdowns. Six different players scored touchdowns in the win for CMU.

Brazzel set the tone for the contest in the opening seconds, scooping the bounding opening kickoff off the turf and racing nearly untouched to the end zone. The CMU defense forced a three-and-out, and Brazzel blocked a punt that the Chippewas recovered at the 23-yard line. Four plays later, Marcel Archer scored on a 1-yard run, and LeFevour’s two-point pass to Damien Linson made it 14-0 less than four minutes into the contest.

The Bulls answered by marching 75 yards in 10 plays, with Steven King scoring from 1 yard out to cut the lead in half. LeFevour responded just two plays later, hitting a wide-open Justin Gardner down the middle of the field for a 66-yard touchdown.

Buffalo punted three times and fumbled on its next four possessions; meanwhile, LeFevour threw scoring passes of 11 and 12 yards to Bryan Anderson and ran 2 yards for a touchdown. Marcel Archer tacked on a 3-yard scoring run with 3:27 left in the half.

The teams traded punts to open the second half before Buffalo crossed the goal line on three consecutive possessions. Stewart Sampsel threw touchdown passes of 19 yards to Chad Upshaw and 16 yards to Terrance Breaux, while Jared Patterson closed the scoring with a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter.

CMU’s only score of the second half came on a 50-yard pass from Brian Brunner to Jean Pitts on the first play following Upshaw’s score. Brunner tossed a screen pass to Pitts, who winded his way down the sideline for the score.

The Chippewas ran for just 47 yards on 29 carries as a team, but three quarterbacks combined to complete 16-of-20 pass attempts for 346 yards and four touchdowns.

Four players caught three passes apiece for CMU, including Gardner, who posted a team-high 95 yards. Two of Anderson’s three catches went four touchdowns.

Sampsel completed 15-of-28 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns off the bench for Buffalo. Upshaw caught six passes for 83 yards.

Defensively, Frank Zombo and Red Keith made a team-high five tackles, while Victor Doman made four tackles and intercepted a pass in the second half.

CMU will meet MAC East Division champ Ohio in the MAC Championship Game on Thursday at Ford Field in Detroit. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ESPN will televise the contest.