NCAA Football Middle Tenn State Football

Poor Oklahoma. They had an unsigned agreement to have Middle Tennessee State come to Norman for a guarantee game, but instead MTSU took a better offer. The Blue Raiders got a home-and-home with Mississippi State -- the first time an SEC team will play MTSU on the road. Mississippi State agreed to this only because Central Michigan reneged on its visit to Starkville.

Since MTSU pulled out late, Oklahoma was forced to scramble and could only find 1-AA Tennessee-Chattanooga to fill the gap. Something that pissed off Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione when people then questioned why Oklahoma would play such a game.

Several factors go into making a schedule work, including corresponding dates, availability and the exorbitant amount of money BCS powers like OU are forced to pay I-A teams to play in Norman.

"Let's face it," Castiglione said. "There are some (I-A) schools that just don't want to play you regardless of the opportunity or the offer."

Yes, the opportunity to travel for a road beating with no reciprocal game. Of course, those same BCS teams helped create the market that they then decry. The BCS schools were happy to support the addition of the 12th game that increased the demand. They seek only guarantee home games whenever possible and only against teams they can handle. They happily poach opponents with the increased bids.

10:03 PM. Central leads Middle 28-7 going into the fourth quarter; it looks like I'll be calling the bit of things that aren't the edge the "center" for the next year. They should play this thing every year. It could be a grudge match on a par with the annual Perimeter State-University of Circumference border battle.

HA! Border battle! I kill me!

We have a new Motor City Bowl attendance record: 54,000-ish. That's actually pretty impressive. The Central fans are representing.

Meanwhile, Central's gone three-and-out and will be punting from their own two. The flip in the field position is entirely due to the roughing the kicker penalty. Punt is up, and Desmond Gee zips, cuts, and slides his way up to the Central 15! Suddenly this might be something resembling a ballgame. Marks back in the game.

10:09 PM. PBP guy just said that Central leads in total yardage, "but that's the only statistic they lead in." In other news, Central has more touchdowns but that's the only scoring category they lead in.

Meanwhile, Middle punches it in with the short field. 28-14 Central.

10:16 PM. Michael Strahan also berates Jared about meat.

9:28 PM. Pet peeve: Middle is averaging over 7 yards per pass and exactly 3 per run, so what do they need to do in the second half to get back into the game? Run the ball, according to color guy. Say what? One yard on Middle's first play of the second half, a run.

Next play is yet another Desmond Gee WR screen, and though he's not Reggie Bush, he is a fast little bugger. Another Gee screen picks up the first down. Middle Tennessee starts driving -- nice slant -- but ends up in third and ten. Marks hurls it well behind a crossing route into Doug Kress's arms and he rumbles his way into the endzone. Central 28-7.

9:38 PM. Pressure on Marks that led to the pick-six? Dan Bazuin. He's fine, and the little girl who wants her pony just may get it.

Next Middle offensive play is a mob perfectly covered by a guy named Chaz West, a freshman from Florida. Gee's wide receiver screen is finally shut down, and it's third and twelve again.... third and seventeen. False start. Central hasn't touched the ball yet this half, interception aside, and has extended their lead by seven. Time of possession? Pshaw.

Third and 17? McBain time. Bazuin comes around the left tackle and splatters Marks. Three and out, punting from the endzone, and this game is about 40 yards from game over.

9:44 PM. Subway had John Cena and Jared in a room talking about meat.

9:45 PM. First Central snap comes with 7:03 left in the half. Dude... the color guy is a Central alum. What are the chances of a Central alum capable of doing something other than slurring drunkenly after 8 PM on a Tuesday? Central goes three-and-out, failing to convert a third and short on a stretch play. The punt dies on the two yard line. The punter freaks out like he's just won the punting Super Bowl.

Anyone notice that when the announcers talk about Ford Field they mention the Super Bowl and the Motor City Bowl but never the Lions? Good idea, that.

Middle swaps QBs and heads backwards with a false start on the first play and ends up going three-and-out, punting from their own two. Central hits the kicker, giving Middle another shot at moving the ball. Horrible penalty. IMO, you should never rush a punt when it's third and less than five, especially when you're going to get the ball on the opponent's side of the field anyway.

10:00 PM. Middle can't do anything against the Central defense despite the get-out-of-jail card and ends up punting after a festival del penalty, both ways. End of the quarter, Central 28-7.

8:17 PM. The announcers are floored by an Incredibly Surprising Quarterback Draw when a slot guy takes a direct snap and plows ahead for a few yards. Bazuin continues terrorizing opposing quarterbacks, but Marks manages to shovel a pass to his scatback for a third down conversion. Rats. Still, an opportunity to deploy a McBain picture:


Oh yeah, that's the stuff. Middle now driving with a first and goal on the three with Brian Kelly on the phone trying to explain his depature for Cincinnati, which isn't hard. Another review as the first and goal play was ruled down while it appears to be a touchdown... and it is. 14-7 Central.

7:32 PM. Aannd we're off. Reason to love college footbal #3,459: Central Michigan's third string quarterback returned the opening kickoff and did a creditable job.

Brian Kelly is NOT* coaching this game, flying directly to Toronto, and coaching in the International Bowl, which will have to change its name when we annex Canada and turn Quebec into a massive radioactive waste dump.

*(apparently I misunderstood this. I am teh dumb.)

7:37 PM. It's never a good sign when the color guy offhandedly says your defense looks more like a I-AA team's before they even face a snap. MTSU quickly prves this time-tested adage by yielding a Chippewa touchdown on the first drive of the game.

The CMU crowd goes wild! This first time the majority of the fans at Ford Field was happy since... last year's Motor City Bowl!

7:42 PM. MTSU's offense appears to be wide receiver screens to a 5'8" guy. Working, though. Central Michigan gets a sack from an unblocked defensive end... and apparently Sun Belt offensive tackles are no better than their referees. Sack by a guy named "Ogle," but the camera shot momentarily obscures only the L on his jersey. For one brief, thrilling moment it appears that the guy's name is "OGRE," but alas.

Vitals:
Central Michigan (9-4, 7-1 MAC, Champions) vs. Middle Tennessee State (7-5, 6-1 Sun Belt)
December 26, 7:30 Eastern, ESPN

Spread:
Central by 8.5.

How Central Michigan Got Here:

On the strength of a fortuitous concussion. Chippewas starting quarterback Brian Brunner rolled out and ran on Central's first series of the year. He met two Eagles and Mr. Head Injury after a four yard gain, and then it was Enter the LeFevour. Redshirt freshman Dan LeFevour came off the bench and was inexplicably effective. Trailing 31-24, CMU was driving to tie when Brian Kelly, newly the coach at Cincinnati, inexplicably called a swinging gate play that ended in a dismal interception. From there, there was no cure for LeFevour. Ending line: 231 of 362 for 2869 and a 25-10 TD-INT ratio. He ended the season 20th in passer efficiency, and after Central's season-opening BCS death slate Central took off, going 7-1 in the MAC and beating Ohio in the championship game.

How Middle Tennessee Got Here:

Nobody knows, really. The Sun Belt co-champs were humiliated regularly by any OOC team they were offered up to: 59-0 against Oklahoma, 44-17 versus Louisville, 52-7 versus South Carolina. They did manage to stay within two touchdowns of Maryland, but the overall picture is Glorified I-AA. They did manage to stomp the Unglorified I-AA represented by the rest of the Sun Belt aside from the season-ending one point loss to the Troy Trojans of Troy (We're From Troy!).

What You Absolutely Have To Know About Central Michigan:

In Central's ugly loss to Northern Illinois, linebacker Josh Cowbell sacked LeFevour eight times, intercepted three passes, and made rough love to the Chippewa cheerleaders at halftime.

What You Absolutely Have To Know About Middle Tennessee State:

If you hate the RIAA (and you do), you'll want to root for Central: MTSU's toughest program is the Department of Recording Industry, where you can take classes in Suing Children, Lowering Royalties For Artist, and Pumping Dreck Into The Nation's Ears.

Score Prediction:
Superficially, Central has the same sort of record MTSU does, but their respective losses against good competition could not be more different. Central should win the game handily, but Kelly's departure for Cincinnati mucks things up. It might be competitive as a result... emphasis on "might." CMU 35, MTSU 17.

What You Absolutely Have To Know About This Bowl Game:

Either team would be a small favorite over the Detroit Lions.

Miscellaneous:

-This is the Motor City Bowl's tenth anniversary, amazingly. There's no bowl game in Chicago, but you can't kill the Motor City Bowl.

-Central Michigan defensive end Dan Bazuin is a potential first-round draft pick if he tests well. He'll be the best player on either team.

-If I ran Middle Tennessee State -- and I'm available, Blue Raiders -- I think I'd drop the "Middle," but that's just me.

-A couple of years ago I regularly beat the sin out of MTSU in my epic Idaho national championship runs in NCAA 2004. Ha ha.