Archer, Bazuin Earn MAC West Honors

MOUNT PLEASANT - Freshman running back Marcel Archer of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas High School and senior defensive end Daniel Bazuin of McBain (Mich.) High School have been named Mid-American Conference West Division Players of the Week.

Marcel Archer earns the offensive honor after rushing for a career-high 70 yards and three touchdowns in the Chippewas’ 31-7 win over Western Michigan on Friday. He scored on runs of 2, 24 and 16 yards in the second half, becoming the first CMU player to rush for three touchdowns in a game since 2004.

Archer had run for a total of 201 yards and two touchdowns in the season’s first nine games before accounting for 70 yards and three scores against the Broncos. It is his first career conference honor.

Daniel Bazuin collected a season-high eight tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery against Western Michigan. He made arguably the biggest defensive play of the game, sacking Ryan Cubit on the first snap of the second half. Bazuin forced and recovered a fumble on the play, setting up Archer’s 2-yard touchdown run that gave CMU a 17-7 lead.

Bazuin spearheaded a CMU defense that held Western Michigan to just 234 yards of offense, including just 97 yards in the second half. It was the eighth time in his career he has recorded more than one sack in a game. Bazuin earns the conference’s weekly honor for the second time this season and fourth time in his career.

Central Michigan (7-3 overall, 6-0 MAC) closes the regular season with a pair of road trips. The Chippewas visit Northern Illinois on Friday at 7 p.m. (CDT). ESPNU will televise the contest live to a national audience.