NCAA Football Western Michigan Football

What you just watched is a video Brian Cook shared with you earlier this week of the final play of Akron's 39-38 comeback victory over Western Michigan. It was a thrilling comeback to watch for anybody who saw it, but if you were to ask Western Michigan what they thought, they would probably tell you that Akron's win was a crock of naughty word.

What you saw happen there was Akron's Alphonso Owen pick up a free kick from Western Michigan at the eleven yard line. You then saw him return the kick 14 yards before tossing the ball to teammate Andre Jones, who then took it all the way for the game winning score.

You know what you didn't see? The illegal block in the back thrown by Akron's Tyler Campbell early in the return. Don't worry about it though, the officials didn't see it either. They even admitted as much in an apology to Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit.

This promises to be the only post in Fanhouse history categorized both "Akron Football" and "Western Michigan Football," so drink up.

It's not exactly the Music City Miracle, but it's not half bad:



That was the final play of Akron's 39-38 victory over Western Michigan, and it might go down as the finest completely unplanned cluster... uh... bomb of a final play since Cal-Stanford, since there's no way any of that stuff was thought out in any way. Also, it provides a definitive answer to "what obscure collegiate radio crew is the most biased in all the land?"

Ok, so I made that second part up, but the first is real. Oh, and why is it we just can't stop writing about a guy who has yet to coach a D-I game? Fie, you menace, fie.

[New Stanford coach Jim] Harbaugh had never spoken to Scott Shafer when he pulled up last year's NCAA statistics on the Web. But he knew what he was looking for. Harbaugh wanted to lure a coordinator from one of the top-rated defenses.

There, at No. 11, was Harbaugh's man.

Last year, Shafer's defense at Western Michigan was ranked 11th overall, sixth against the run and first in sacks and interceptions.

When Shafer arrived two years earlier, the Mid-American Conference school was much like Stanford is now - coming off a one-win season and ranked at the bottom of nearly all defensive statistics.

"Every program he has been involved with has been a rebuild," Harbaugh said. "I just felt like you don't have to know a guy to hire him. You spend 365 days with him, you're going to be best friends after a year."

That last quote just made the jaws drop of every head of HR in America. Needless to say I'll be adding them to the growing list of parties offended by Jim Harbaugh. Next?

Previously at FanHouse:
Jim Harbaugh's Not Done Alienating People
Carroll and Harbaugh Make Nicey Nice
Carroll, Harbaugh Not All Nicey-Nice, No

Just because you've never heard of anybody in the MAC Conference, doesn't mean there isn't anybody worth watching. With the college football season beginning soon, FanHouse gives you "MAC Daddies," a look at some players you may not yet know about but should.

Louis Delmas is the starting free safety for the Western Michigan Broncos. Odds are you haven't heard of the junior, but offensive coordinators in the MAC sure know who he is. He's caused so much havoc in the middle of the field that they've had to form entire gameplans around Delmas.

Delmas was slowed last season by an ankle injury and only played in 11 games, but still finished with 53 tackles, 4 interceptions and 5 passes defended. In other words, if you threw the ball against the Broncos defense, when it came down, Louis Delmas was in the immediate vicinity.

The thing that has most NFL talent scouts drooling when it comes to Delmas is his amazing closing speed, and his very good instincts. At times when you're watching Delmas it seems as though he knows where the ball is going before the quarterback does. It's not something you can teach, so when you find a player with that type of ability you're extremely grateful. It's also something that NFL teams take notice of come draft day.

When the upcoming season is coming to an end, Western Michigan will probably be sitting atop the West Division yet again. They'll also be one of the conference's top defenses again, if not the best. I also have the feeling that barring a huge season from somebody else, Delmas will be taking Defensive Player of the Year honors in the MAC.

Full Name: International Bowl.

Vitals: University of Cincinnati Bearcats (7-5, Big East 4-3) versus Western Michigan University Broncos (8-4, MAC 6-2).
Saturday, January 6, 12 pm, Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, ESPN2.
Spread: Cinci by 7.

How Cinci Got Here:
By not just finishing 5th in the Big East, but winning 4 of their last 5 including upset wins over USF and Rutgers. This led to Michigan State poaching their head coach. Cinci then grabbed the head coach of the Central Michigan Chippewas, Brian Kelly, who will be making his debut in this game.

How Western Michigan got here:
A 3d place finish in the MAC. Which kind of sucks since the 4th place team in the MAC at least got to go to San Diego in December for their bowl.

What you absolutely have to know about Cinci:
They have a nice pictorial of the evolution of the Bearcat to the present logo that now has the "apostrophe" claws over the "C." The school is the largest employer in Cincinnati. Cinci didn't become a state school until 1977. Prior to that, it was a municipally sponsored university.

What you absolutely have to know about Western Michigan:
It's located in scenic Kalamazoo, Michigan. This school is just over 100 years old with 90% of the 26,000 strong student body coming from in-state. It was the 4th school to be designated as a public university in Michigan in 1957.

What you absolutely have to know about this bowl game:
This is the first year of the International Bowl. Since the new laws and travel restrictions, you need a passport to get into Canada (technically, not until January 23 if you fly and not until next year by land or see, but they do prefer that you have one even right now). Otherwise, this is a bargain game with the most expensive tickets costing only $35. Have I mentioned that the game is in Canada.

The schwag from this game is, well, weak:

• Souvenir watch
• Souvenir football for autographs
• Leather club bag

Why to watch:
Unless you want to watch college basketball, you have nothing else. The NFL playoffs don't have a kick-off until 4:30

Besides, this is near the very end of it. Just a couple more games and that's it for actual college football games until the end of August. Savor these final morsels. Even if under normal circumstances you wouldn't linger on this game in September.

Score Prediction:
Cinci 28 Western Michigan 19.