CMU and Purdue Set For Motor City Bowl

MOUNT PLEASANT - The 11th Motor City Bowl will feature a rematch from the 2007 regular season. Central Michigan University and Purdue University will square off in the Motor City Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit on Wednesday, Dec. 26. ESPN will televise the contest, set for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

Central Michigan is making its second consecutive appearance in the Motor City Bowl and fourth bowl appearance overall. The Chippewas defeated Middle Tennessee State, 31-14, in front of a Motor City Bowl record crowd of 54,113 in 2006.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be participating in the Motor City Bowl and representing the Mid-American Conference,” said CMU head coach Butch Jones. “I know all of our players are looking forward to the bowl game experience.”

The Chippewas were invited to the Motor City Bowl after claiming their second straight Mid-American Conference title on Saturday. CMU pre-sold more than 1,500 bowl game tickets through its ticket office on Sunday alone. The CMU Athletic Ticket Office will open at 7 a.m. on Monday morning, and tickets can be ordered by calling 1-888-FIRE-UP2 (1-888-347-3872).

The Motor City Bowl will feature a Mid-American Conference-Big 10 Conference pairing for just the second time in its 11-year history. The only previous MCB contest featuring the two conferences saw Bowling Green defeat Northwestern, 28-24, in 2003.

CMU will enter the bowl game 8-5 overall after defeating Miami, 35-10, in the MAC Championship Game on Saturday. The Boilermakers are 7-5 overall, but closed the regular season having lost three straight.

Purdue claimed a 45-22 victory when the teams met in West Lafayette, Ind. on Sept. 15 this season. Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter completed 29-of-39 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns, while Kory Sheets ran for 144 yards and two scores. Dan LeFevour completed 35-of-56 passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns for CMU.

This marks the second time in CMU’s bowl history that the Chippewas have faced an opponent they played during the regular season. In 1994, CMU claimed a 35-23 win over UNLV at home before dropping a 52-24 decision to UNLV in the Las Vegas Bowl.

The matchup will be the fourth between CMU and Purdue. The Boilermakers have won each of the previous three meetings.