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Ford Field a familiar stop for CMU

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The Associated Press 5:36 PM Monday, November 30, 2009

DETROIT — December means one thing for local college football: Dan LeFevour and Central Michigan are about to take up residence at Ford Field.

Between the Mid-American Championship game and the Little Caesars Bowl (formerly the Motor City Bowl), the senior has started more college games at Ford Field than some quarterbacks start at their home stadium.

This Friday's MAC championship game against Ohio will be LeFevour's sixth game at Ford Field, and a widely expected Little Caesars Bowl berth would give him seven — three conference-championship games and four bowls.

"We've only got 13 seniors and a small junior class, so there aren't that many of us that have played at Ford Field a lot of times, but it's certainly been nice to be able to do it as often as we have," LeFevour said. "As a quarterback, I'm not going to lie, I look forward to playing in a stadium where I don't have to worry about wind and weather."

Much of the drive for this year's 10-2 reason, including a win over Michigan State and a perfect 8-0 conference record, came from the single blemish on that Detroit resume. Central Michigan missed last year's MAC championship game after losing their last two-regular season games to Ball State and Eastern Michigan.

"I'm cherishing every moment of this, and so are the rest of the seniors," LeFevour said. "Last year was such a disappointment for us that we really appreciate what it means to be here."

The game against Ohio (9-3) will be a rematch of LeFevour's first appearance in Detroit. In 2006, the Chippewas beat the Bobcats 31-10 behind 314 passing yards and three touchdowns from their freshman quarterback.

The teams played again in the 2008 regular season, with Central Michigan posting a 31-28 win in Athens. In that game, LeFevour threw for 361 yards and ran for 45 more.

"We know that Central Michigan has a tremendous program, and has for several years," said Ohio coach Frank Solich. "Dan had a great game against us a few years ago in the championship game, and he had another one against us last year at our place, so we know what he is capable of doing."

While LeFevour has been consistent during his career, it was the Central Michigan defense that struggled last season. This year, though, they have moved back into their usual place as one of the conference's best units.

"It hurt last year to be ranked near the bottom in team defense," said defensive end Frank Zombo. "That's why we missed the championship game, and we had to watch it on TV. That's what motivated us in the offseason. We didn't want to be on our couches watching the game again."

Chippewas coach Butch Jones felt that last year's absence motivated the entire team, not just the defense.

"You never take winning for granted in this game," he said. "Watching two other teams play in this game last year created a hunger in our kids. Even though we had a great season and accomplished a lot of our goals, not being in the championship game left us with an empty feeling."

This season, though, Jones, LeFevour and Zombo will be back where they feel they belong.

"We joke about Ford Field being our home away from home," Jones said. "I'm not sure it gives us a home-field advantage, but we've played there a lot of times, and it certainly helps to have that kind of familiarity with the building."

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November 30, 2009 10:33 PM EST

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