MAC Championship Game Preview -
Central Michigan vs. Miami
Courtesy of The MAC
November 28, 2007

Game No. 13: 2007 Mid-American Conference Championship Game
Central Michigan University Chippewas (7-5 overall, 6-1 MAC, 4-1 MAC West) vs. Miami University RedHawks (6-6 overall, 5-2 MAC, 4-2 MAC East)
Date: Saturday, December 1, 2007
Kickoff: 11 a.m.
Site: Ford Field; Detroit, Michigan; 65,000 capacity; FieldTurf
Radio: CMU Sports Network with Kurt Wilson (play-by-play), Stan Shingles (color analyst) and Bryan Wieferich
Television: ESPN2 with Pam Ward (play-by-play), Ray Bentley (color analyst) and Rob Simmelkjaer (sideline)

The Matchup
West Division champion CMU and East Division champion Miami meet in the 2007 Mid-American Conference Championship Game at Ford Field in Detroit. The Chippewas enter the game as the defending conference champions, while Miami is making its first appearance in the title game since 2004. CMU is the only team to rank in the top three in the MAC in scoring, passing, rushing and total offense, while Miami is one of just two teams to rank in the top three in the MAC in scoring defense, pass defense, rush defense and total defense.

The Coaches
Butch Jones is in his first season as the head coach at CMU. A former assistant at CMU (1998-2004), Jones spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons as an assistant under Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia. He is one of 11 current head coaches in the MAC who is a first-time head coach and is the third coach to lead a team to the MAC Championship Game in his first season.
Shane Montgomery is in his third season as the head coach at Miami. The RedHawks are 15-20 overall during his tenure. He led Miami to a share of the MAC East Division title in his first season in 2005.

The Series
Miami leads the all-time series, 11-9-1. The Chippewas claimed a 38-37 win in Oxford in the teams’ last meeting in 2005. Ontario Sneed, then a true freshman, scored on a 60-yard run on fourth-and-2 with 1:44 remaining; Jacob Brown, older brother of current linebacker Ike Brown, deflected a potential game-tying field attempt on Miami’s final possession to secure the win.