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Michigan State vs. Central Michigan


Recap
 
 
 
LeFevour makes MAC history as Chippewas shock Spartans
 
 
CBSSports.com wire reports

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Andrew Aguila's toughest kick of the day? It wasn't the one that sailed through the uprights with 3 seconds to go, the game-winner that will be talked about for a long time at Central Michigan.

No, it was the onside kick that gave the Chippewas the ball and a chance to win -- a chance they cashed in when Aguila made a 42-yarder to stun Michigan State 29-27 on Saturday in a wild, come-from-behind game oddsmakers had figured the Spartans would win by two touchdowns.

"The onside was the biggest kick. The field goal is going to be remembered, but the onside was executed perfectly," Aguila said.

No one would disagree. And Central Michigan has a marquee victory, though it was a nail-biter until the end.

Chippewa quarterback Dan LeFevour, who became the Mid-American Conference's all-time leader in total offense during the game, threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Paris Cotton with 32 seconds left to pull his team within 27-26. Central Michigan went for the win, but the 2-point conversion pass attempt was caught out of bounds.

That's OK. Bring on Aguila, whose kickoff bounded over the Michigan State line and into the arms of streaking wide receiver Bryan Anderson.

The Chippewas (1-1) drove into position for a 47-yard field goal. Aguila missed it, but Michigan State (1-1) was whistled for an offsides penalty, giving Aguila another shot from 42 -- and he nailed it.

 

"I can't say enough about Andrew Aguila," Central Michigan coach Butch Jones said. "That last-second field goal seemed like an eternity. I think it took about 20 minutes to make a 5-second kick."

When time expired, Central's players ran in all different directions, some piling on each other and others heading toward the maroon-and-gold section in one corner of the stadium. One player waved an oversized "C" flag as the Spartan faithful streamed out of the stadium.

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The win was Central's second straight over a Big Ten opponent and fourth all-time against the conference. It also snapped the program's four-game losing streak to the Spartans.

"Even after the onside kick, we still had a chance," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "All we had to do was not jump offside.

"But there are no excuses here. We got beat today. They were better than us."

LeFevour finished 33 of 46 for 328 yards with three TDs and an interception a week after an ineffective outing at Arizona.

"My pride was hurt ... a little bit," he said. "I felt like [the 19-6 loss] was my fault, and I didn't want to feel that way this week."

The suburban Chicago native surpassed Byron Leftwich's record of 12,084 yards on a 12-yard TD pass to Kito Poblah that tied the game 20-20 less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Leftwich, of Marshall, now is the starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. LeFevour, a senior, has compiled 12,166 yards of total offense.

Michigan State took a 27-20 lead on a 7-yard pass from Kirk Cousins to B.J. Cunningham with 7:33 remaining.

Cousins, who was 13 of 18 for 164 yards and the one TD, started and played the majority of the game. Fellow sophomore Keith Nichol completed 3 of 8 passes for 51 yards and a score.

Michigan State led 17-13 at halftime, thanks to a 16-yard pass from Nichol to Charlie Gantt that the tight end caught while falling down in the end zone with 4 minutes to go in the second quarter.

Brown did a little bit of everything on Saturday for Central Michigan, catching passes and returning punts and kicks. He threw a 24-yard pass to LeFevour and ran twice from scrimmage. He finished with 248 all-purpose yards.

Brown's fellow receiver, Anderson, not only recovered the onside kick, he extended his streak of consecutive games played with a reception to 42, the nation's longest active streak. He finished with six catches for 120 yards.

Michigan State's Blair White followed up his nine-catch, 162-yard performance in a season-opening win over Montana State with seven grabs for 105 yards. But he was upset with himself for letting the onside kick get past him.

"They got a great bounce on a great kick," he said. "I misplayed it, and it took a big bounce over my head. I just misjudged it."

 
Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
 
 
 
Kito Poblah (1) and Frank Zombo carry Central Michigan coach Butch Jones off the field after the upset victory.
 
Kito Poblah (1) and Frank Zombo carry Central Michigan coach Butch Jones off the field after the upset victory. (AP)
 

 
 
Scoreboard
Central Michigan  (1-1) «31001629
Michigan State  (1-1)1073727
 
 
Scoring Summary
MISTCaulton Ray 1 yd run (Brett Swenson kick)
CMIAndrew Aguila 49 yd FG
MISTBrett Swenson 39 yd FG
CMIAndrew Aguila 31 yd FG
CMIAntonio Brown 6 yd pass from Dan LeFevour (Andrew Aguila kick)
MISTCharlie Gantt 16 yd pass from Keith Nichol (Brett Swenson kick)
MISTBrett Swenson 32 yd FG
CMIKito Poblah 12 yd pass from Dan LeFevour (Andrew Aguila kick)
MISTB.J. Cunningham 7 yd pass from Kirk Cousins (Brett Swenson kick)
CMIParis Cotton 11 yd pass from Dan LeFevour (failed 2pt pass)
CMIAndrew Aguila 42 yd FG
 
Team Stats
 CMIMIST
First Downs2717
Third Down Efficiency8-156-13
Fourth Down Efficiency1-10-0
Plays-Net Yards76-41856-316
Rushes-Yds29-6630-101
Passing Yds352215
Kick Return Yds15099
Punt Return Yds2427
Passes34-47-116-26-0
Punts3-1175-228
Fumbles-Lost0-01-0
Penalties-Yds6-768-81
Time of Poss.33:2526:35
 
Individual Stats
RUSHING
CMI: Paris Cotton 6-27, Bryan Schroeder 8-26, Dan LeFevour 13-10, Antonio Brown 2-3
MIST: Caulton Ray 16-51, Larry Caper 6-33, Keith Nichol 3-17, Glenn Winston 3-3, Keshawn Martin 1-2, Kirk Cousins 1--5
PASSING
CMI: Dan LeFevour 33-46-328-1, Antonio Brown 1-1-24-0
MIST: Kirk Cousins 13-18-164-0, Keith Nichol 3-8-51-0
RECEIVING
CMI: Antonio Brown 10-71, Bryan Anderson 6-120, Bryan Schroeder 5-38, Kito Poblah 4-44, Paris Cotton 2-20, Cody Wilson 2-18, David Blackburn 2-15, Dan LeFevour 1-24, Sean Skergan 1-4, Tim Phillips 1--2
MIST: Blair White 7-105, B.J. Cunningham 4-55, Charlie Gantt 2-28, Keshawn Martin 1-14, Dion Sims 1-7, Andrew Hawken 1-6
 
Standings
TeamStandingsConferenceOverall
Central Michigan1st Mid American West 9-012-2
Michigan State6th Big Ten 4-46-7