Chippewas hammered by second-ranked Georgia

by Brian VanOchten | The Grand Rapids Press

Saturday September 06, 2008, 9:00 PM

AP PhotoGeorgia running back Knowshon Moreno (24) evades Central Michigan defensive back Tommy Mama (14). The Chippewas lost the game, 56-17.

ATHENS, Ga. -- A quick glance at the scoreboard is all Central Michigan needed to gain further inspiration for its matchup against No. 2 Georgia.

Miami of Ohio frustrated Michigan.

Ohio also put a real scare into third-ranked Ohio State, as Mid-American Conference schools threatened to upset a pair of Big Ten powers.

So much for inspiration.

The Chippewas fell flat in their bid to keep up with the Bulldogs, suffering a 56-17 defeat in front of a crowd of 92,746 Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium.

It marked the first meeting between both schools.

Georgia (2-0) upped its record to 22-0 under coach Mark Richt in non-conference home games and improved to 6-1 all-time against current MAC members. The Bulldogs' lone defeat occurred against Miami in 1974.

CMU (1-1) is 0-for-7 against Southeastern Conference opponents.

"We have played a lot of good football teams and I would put Georgia right up there," CMU coach Butch Jones said. "We knew coming in Georgia was very talented."

Georgia, ranked second in both major polls, led 28-0 before the Chippewas responded with a quick burst for a touchdown late in the second quarter.

CMU quarterback Dan LeFevour lofted an 11-yard pass into the corner of the end zone on third-and-10 that senior Joe Bockheim snared at its highest point. The former West Catholic standout planted his right foot in bounds while he was falling backward, but before landing out of bounds.

"I was just open," Bockheim said. "We go into every game, as an offense, knowing we can move the ball against anyone. We weren't afraid of them."

In the third quarter, CMU at least made it interesting.

LeFevour marched the Chippewas 68 yards on the opening possession of the second half. He rifled a 32-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jean Pitts streaking down the right sideline, trimming the deficit to 28-14.

Two plays later, Georgia reclaimed the momentum.

Knowshon Moreno broke free on a 52-yard touchdown run. He led the Bulldogs with 168 yards on the ground, including hurdling a CMU defender on a 29-yard scamper in the third quarter, and finished with three scores.

Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford finished 18-of-28 passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns. He hit Mohamed Massaquoi in full stride with a 54-yard strike midway through the third quarter to put it out of reach.

LeFevour faced a relentless pass rush all afternoon.

He got off to a sluggish start but finished 23-of-43 passing for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also led the team with 19 yards rushing.

"We got turned into a one-dimensional team," LeFevour said of CMU's total of 59 yards rushing. "To their credit, they're a great football team. (Their) defense is very fast and physical. There are a lot of things our offense could have done better."

In the second quarter, LeFevour had a pass tipped by Georgia cornerback Prince Miller that Demarcus Dobbs, a 6-foot-2, 282-pound defensive end, caught and returned 78 yards for a lumbering touchdown.

"It was a freak play and it just popped straight up," he said.

Antonio Brown led the Chippewas with seven receptions for 67 yards. Bockheim caught five passes for 59 yards and Bryan Anderson, a junior from Rockford, finished with three catches for 41 yards after being shut out in the first half.

"We came out thinking (we had a chance)," Anderson said of the inspired efforts of Ohio and Miami against Big Ten opponents earlier in the day.

"We were moving the ball in the beginning of the game, but we committed some mistakes and penalties that hurt us," he added. "We just didn't finish our drives."