2013 Week 14

The Chippewas had a lot to be thankful for the day after Thanksgiving. A 41-28 victory over Eastern Michigan allowed CMU to claim the Michigan MAC Trophy as well as a spot in the MAC Championship game at Ford Field. "I'm just really proud of the guys and how we turned this season around" said Carlson. "It was tough to start off 0-2, but we told them after week 2 that we were still 0-0 in the conference and could meet all of the goals we set forth as a team. We faced some adversity in the loss to NIU, but the guys worked their tails off in preparation of BSU and that was a game we had to have."

The score was probably too close for comfort heading into the half for most Chippewa fans. CMU held a slim 28-21 lead over the Eagles. CMU would get some breathing room in the 2nd half, taking a 38-21 lead before EMU got the lead down to 38-28 in the 4th quarter. A late CMU field goal ensured the Chippewas 41-28 win. Senior RB Zurlon Tipton fell just short of his 4th consecutive 200 yard rushing game, finishing with 186 yards on 24 carries and scoring 2 TD's. Tipton caught 4 passes for 32 yards. "It's a great feeling to be on top of the MAC and represent the West Division in Detroit" said Tipton. "It's been a couple of tough seasons for everyone affiliated with the program, but I'm glad we are back and have a shot at the conference title." Freshman QB Cooper Rush put together arguably his best performance of the season since the game against NCSU in which he came in relief of Cody Kater. The young QB finished 21/23 for 280 yards and 3 TD's. Junior WR Titus Davis continued to be Rush's favorite target, hauling in 8 catches for 152 yards and 2 TD's. Davis is almost certain to break Antonio Brown's single season yardage record with two games left to play.

The Chippewas finish the regular season 9-3 (7-1) and will travel to Detroit to face the Buffalo Bulls 9-3 (6-2) for the Mid-American Conference Championship. On the sidelines for Buffalo is a familiar face, former CMU assistant coach Jeff Quinn will take his Buffalo squad to their first MAC Championship game since 2008. Kickoff is set for Friday, December 6th at 7:30 PM. The game will air on ESPN.