Nobody knows who will win tonight's Mid-American Conference championship game at Ford Field. But you can be pretty sure that Dan LeFevour will put on a show. He always does.
LeFevour will wrap up one of the great college careers ever in this state, against Ohio.
Consider: LeFevour has run for 46 touchdowns in his career. He has thrown for another 99. And he caught one touchdown pass, too.
That gives him 146 touchdowns in 51 career games -- nearly three per game. This season, LeFevour has accounted for 39 touchdowns. That means that, of 120 NCAA FBS teams, Dan LeFevour University (Enrollment: 1) is tied for 63rd in the country in touchdowns.
In the past two years, he has thrown more than one interception in a game once.
And yet, defining LeFevour by his stats is like measuring a gourmet meal by the recipe. His performances are something to savor.
His coach, Butch Jones, talked Thursday about LeFevour's ability to "extend plays"
-- either run for a first down or find an open receiver after a play breaks down. Sometimes LeFevour gives the impression that he is winging it.
"I think that's a tough skill to teach,"
LeFevour said. "It's not something that I look to do. We've done a great job of calling plays and executing them. A few times, things break down, and you've gotta make something happen. That's not something you can build your game around."
Maybe not. But it can be the difference in close games. LeFevour's ability to create was a key factor in CMU's upset of Michigan State in September.
In that game, as in many others, opposing fans had to wonder: Why can't WE have that guy?
So, to answer the question: Why doesn't anybody else have that guy?
Dan LeFevour grew up in the Chicago suburbs and did not receive scholarship offers from any BCS conference teams. It seems impossible that nobody from a big school would take a chance on him. He has the size, the speed and the arm of a big-time quarterback. It isn't like he is one of those 5-foot-10 guys who found a way to succeed.
