CMU gets first bowl win in three years in GMAC Bowl
MOBILE, Ala. — The CMU sideline erupted and partially poured onto the field while junior defensive back Vince Agnew was getting mobbed by the 10 other CMU players on the field.
It was double-overtime of the 2010 GMAC Bowl on Wednesday and Agnew had just blocked a Troy 31-yard field goal attempt. Four plays after the block, senior kicker Andrew Aguila kicked a 37-yard field goal to give CMU a 44-41 win at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
It gave No. 25 CMU its first bowl win since it beat Middle Tennessee State in the 2006 Motor City Bowl.
Agnew, the player infamously remembered for being hurdled by former Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno during CMU’s lopsided loss to the Bulldogs last season, has put distance between now and his past.
“Definitely the most memorable game of my career,” said Agnew, who was named the defensive player of the game.
But Agnew’s block was not the only play on special teams that CMU used to change momentum.
With the Trojans leading CMU 31-19 with just more than eight minutes remaining, junior wide receiver Antonio Brown awaited the kickoff after a Trojans’ touchdown.
“I was really just thinking that whatever I could do to get the team going, I was just trying to make a play,” Brown said.
With 7:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, Brown provided the spark he hoped for, returning the kick 95 yards to the end zone to cut Troy’s lead to five points.
“Antonio Brown … unbelievable,” said interim head coach Steve Stripling. “The kick return, I don’t think we’ve had anything like it all year.”
But Brown did more damage than the kick return. He accounted for 403 all-purpose yards, including 178 receiving yards on 13 catches and a rushing touchdown on 22 yards.
He said senior wide receiver Bryan Anderson and junior wide receiver Kito Poblah took coverage away from him throughout the game.
“I think Bryan (Anderson) did a really good job of clearing out the cornerbacks and allowing me to come underneath,” he said.
LeFevour’s last game
Quarterback Dan LeFevour did not disappoint in his final game at CMU. The senior, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player, threw for 395 yards and accounted for two total touchdowns, including a 13-yard rushing touchdown in the first overtime.
After Brown’s kick return for a touchdown, CMU got the ball back with 4:22 remaining in the fourth quarter still trailing by five points and starting at its 15-yard line.
“We’ve been in that position quite a few times at CMU and its gone both ways,” he said. “A lot of times, last year, it went the wrong way.”
Last year against Ball State, it did not end in CMU’s favor. But that was not the case against Troy. LeFevour orchestrated an 11-play, 85-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Anderson to give CMU a three-point lead.
Troy came back to force overtime, but LeFevour rallied the offense for 10 more points after regulation.
Stripling shown respect
Just prior to the trophy presentation near midfield after the game, the team collectively gave its show of support for its interim head coach.
“We want Strip,” the players chanted, referring to the possibility of Stripling becoming the permanent fixture atop the program.
Stripling said he was moved by the vote of confidence.
“I’m very proud that they felt that way,” he said.
Brown, who has asked the NFL draft advisory committee for information regarding where he would be drafted, said his decision would be affected by the coaching situation.
“I’m going to wait until I find out who is the CMU new coach,” he said. “Hopefully it’s Coach (Stripling).”
Athletics Director Dave Heeke said a decision on CMU’s next head coach has not been made.
