When you're a sports reporter covering an upcoming rivalry game, it seems like the preparation starts two times faster. I typically spend my Mondays and Tuesdays doing a majority of the research on opponents and such, but for Western, I began looking at them from top to bottom on Sunday.
So expect daily updates on this blog, even though I haven't exactly kept my word the last two weeks or so, bye week and all. The goal is to maximize coverage of this game, because it's a biggie in more ways than one. But I'll get to that in the burning questions:
1. Forgetting about the rivalry factor, how big is this game for CMU?
This is obviously CMU's biggest game to date, not just because it's a rivalry. Everybody's talking about No. 24 ranked Ball State, but it's actually WMU with the better Mid-American Conference record at 4-0. If the Broncos take this game, they're 5-0, with home games against EMU and Toledo that they'll more than likely win before going to Ball State for the regular season finale. Even if BSU somehow loses two games and CMU wins out, in this situation, Western and Central would finish 7-1 and the head-to-head tiebreaker is in favor of WMU. So even though this is the MAC West opener, and even though there's still a LOT of football to play after this game, this could set the tone for the remainder of the season for both teams.
2. How's Dan LeFevour's right ankle doing?
I talked with Dan on Monday morning and he says it's just fine. He was warming up on the sideline during the second half of CMU-Temple and said he was ready to play if Brian went down. While a couple sources say he was seen wearing a crutch, I don't consider that as much of a worry - it's probably a precautionary move to assure his ankle's ready to play. Coach Butch Jones knows this game is critical and the team's going to need LeFevour's leadership, considering he's 16-2 in MAC play and 2-0 vs. Western.
3. What is the most improved aspect of Western's game from last season?
Quarterback Tim Hiller, easily, considering he averages more yards of total offense (297.3) than LeFevour and he's not even a running quarterback. Even though Saturday is the third time CMU will see Hiller, he's going to provide the CMU secondary its first big test since Purdue, when it performed very well in limiting quarterback Curtis Painter's damage. Not only that, but senior wide receiver Jamarko Simmons is going to play a factor. If you don't remember, he was ejected early in last year's game for kicking linebacker Red Keith while he was on the ground, so he really wasn't much of a factor in CMU's 34-31 win at Waldo. That's certainly going to be in the back of Simmons' mind heading into this game and will look to make a big impact.
4. What one thing does CMU need to do to beat Western for three in a row?
Get the offense going. As well as it has played the last few weeks, we haven't quite seen the Dan LeFevour we saw late last season, the guy who could single-handedly change the game with his arm and legs. Junior wide receiver Bryan Anderson was extremely effective against Temple and is going to need that kind of presence on Saturday as well. We've seen huge improvements out of the defense in recent weeks, so if it can maintain that sort of confidence, preventing too much damage shouldn't be a problem. But the offense needs to come together now, with five of the next six against MAC West opponents and yet another three-game road trip on the horizon.
5. What kind of atmosphere can we expect at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Saturday?
The best game day environment seen in the Mid-American Conference in years. A sell-out. More than 30,000 people and a LOT of maroon, although WMU will have its usual blackout section. With last year's game on a Tuesday, I could imagine that a lot of alumni who couldn't make it out for that game will make sure to attend this one. Then you have the more-than-usual number of students who will attend. Two years ago, Kelly/Shorts managed to fill up to 30,000 on a Friday night in the rain. I would be extremely surprised if there isn't a sell-out, even if it doesn't occur until game day.
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