MU looks to claim MAC title in Detroit

RedHawks need win Saturday over Chippewas to guarantee bowl game

Dan Kukla

Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Sports

Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year Clayton Mullins will have the responsibility of stopping Central Michigan's No. 1 ranked offense.

For the third time in the last five seasons, the Miami University RedHawks will make the four-hour trip up to Detroit for the Mid-American Conference Championship game. The RedHawks will battle the Central Michigan University Chippewas at 11 a.m. with the game airing on ESPN2.

The game will feature a classic matchup of strength versus strength. Miami boasts the MAC's top defense while Central Michigan features the MAC's top offense. As cliché as it may be, something has got to give.

"When you have the top ranked scoring defense, you wouldn't want to have to play anyone else in the championship game but the top offense," junior linebacker Joey Hudson said. "I know we're all really excited about the challenge."

Hudson, who was injured in game two against the University of Minnesota, didn't let the injury slow him down, and has had 90 tackles through Miami's 12 games. When the MAC announced the season ending awards, Hudson, along with several other RedHawks, won awards for their play this season. Hudson was voted to the All-MAC Second Team Defense, while junior linebacker Clayton Mullins was voted the MAC's Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conference with 129 tackles. Junior defensive lineman Joe Coniglio was a member of the Third Team Defense.

In stark contrast, Central Michigan had six players selected to the All-MAC Team Offense, headlined by sophomore quarterback Dan LeFevour, who was the MAC offensive player of the year. Containing LeFevour will be Miami's greatest challenge Saturday, and it proves to be a tall order. He set CMU's single-season records for passing yards (3,175), completions (314), pass attempts (475) and total offense (4,013) this season. LeFevour's artillery is not only limited to his passing abilities either, as he is a talented runner as well: He ranks second in rushing touchdowns amongst Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks, with 15 behind University of Florida Heisman candidate Tim Tebow who has 22.

"Obviously we have to control their quarterback," Hudson said. "He's probably the best player in the MAC on offense. He's tough to bring down and he can move, so we're really going to be keying on him, trying to get some good shots on him and play as fast as we can."

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