By Staff
DETROIT – Chris Summers' 40-yard field goal on the game's final play lifted Purdue to a 51-48 win over Central Michigan in the highest scoring Motor City Bowl in history.
A Motor City Bowl record crowd of 60,624 was treated to an offensive shootout that featured a combined 1,022 yards of offense and saw the Chippewas twice tie the score late in the game after trailing by 21 points three different times.
Dan LeFevour, who passed for 292 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 114 yards and two scores, hooked up with Bryan Anderson for a 19-yard touchdown with 1:09 remaining in regulation. Andrew Aguila's point-after evened the score at 48-48.
Desmond Tardy returned the ensuing kickoff to the 39-yard line, and Painter completed 4-of-5 passes to move the ball to the CMU 19-yard line. Painter took a 3-yard loss to place the ball in the middle of the field, and following a Purdue timeout Summers split the uprights on the final play.
Nick Bellore, who finished with a game-high 11 tackles, intercepted a tipped pass on the game's opening possession that led to a 27-yard Aguila field goal and a 3-0 CMU lead just over two minutes into the contest.
The Boilermakers were forced to punt on their next possession, but then closed the first half by scoring on six consecutive possessions. Curtis Painter threw a pair of touchdown passes, Kory Sheets scored on a 1-yard run and Summers kicked two field goals; CMU, meanwhile, mustered a 47-yard field goal by Aguila and a 49-yard scoring pass from LeFevour to Anderson, and Purdue took a 34-13 lead into the locker room.
Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year Antonio Brown scored on a 76-yard catch-and-run on the second play of the third quarter to pull CMU within 34-20. Painter, who completed 35-of-54 passes for 546 yards, answered with a 19-yard scoring throw to Jake Standeford that extended the Purdue lead to 41-20 with 12:53 remaining in the third quarter.
LeFevour took over for the remainder of the third quarter, throwing a 10-yard scoring pass to Anderson and scoring on runs of 9 yards and 4 yards to pull the Chippewas even at 41-41 with 10 seconds left in the third quarter. LeFevour's 4-yard touchdown run was set up when Casey Droscha forced a Kory Sheets fumble that Bellore recovered at the Purdue 6-yard line.
Purdue pieced together its longest scoring drive of the game midway through the four quarter, covering 76 yards in 12 plays and draining 4:12 off the clock. The Boilermakers converted a pair of third downs before Jaycen Taylor scored on a 13-yard run. Summers' PAT gave Purdue a 48-41 lead with 8:19 remaining.
The teams traded punts before CMU took over on its own 34-yard line with 2:15 remaining in regulation. Facing third-and-16 from the 28-yard line, LeFevour hit Duane Brooks for 24 yards, Anderson for 13 yards, ran for 16 yards and connected with Anderson for 19 yards in succession to draw the Chippewas even on the scoreboard for the final time.
LeFevour matched a career high with six total touchdowns. He finishes the 2007 season with a school-record 27 passing touchdowns, 19 rushing and one receiving.
Anderson caught seven passes for 129 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, while Brown caught four passes for 94 yards.
CMU, which closes the year 8-6 overall, fell to 1-3 all-time in bowl games with the loss.
(Story provided by Central Michigan University)
Purdue 21 13 7 10 – 51
Central Michigan 6 7 28 7 – 48
CMU – AGUILA, Andrew 27 field goal
PUR – Sheets, Kory 1 run (Summers, Chris kick)
PUR – Orton, Greg 29 pass from Painter, Curtis (Summers kick)
CMU – AGUILA 47 field goal
PUR – Keller, Dustin 62 pass from Painter (Summers kick)
PUR – Summers 30 field goal
PUR – Summers 21 field goal
CMU – ANDERSON, Bryan 49 pass from LeFEVOUR, Dan (AGUILA kick)
PUR – Sheets 1 run (Summers kick)
CMU – BROWN, Antonio 76 pass from LeFEVOUR (AGUILA kick)
PUR – Standeford, Jake 19 pass from Painter (Summers kick)
CMU – ANDERSON 10 pass from LeFEVOUR (AGUILA kick)
CMU – LeFEVOUR 9 run (AGUILA kick)
CMU – LeFEVOUR 4 run (AGUILA kick)
PUR – Taylor, Jaycen 13 yd run (Summers,Chris kick)
CMU – ANDERSON, Bryan 19 pass from LeFEVOUR (AGUILA kick)
PUR – Summers 40 field goal