Chippewas Lose in a Heartbreaker! - alifeincomplete's Dynasty

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Chippewas Lose in a Heartbreaker!

Posted on September 28, 2013 at 10:31 PM.

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Chippewas Lose in a Heartbreaker!
Jorge "Se�or Ficticio" Armand | OSPN Assistant Editor | September 28, 2013

Raleigh, NC - The Wolfpack is howling tonight.

Central Michigan University marched into the home of the #23 North Carolina State Wolfpack as 14 point underdogs. They almost pulled off a season-defining upset, but almost doesn't count in this sport.

CMU's defense, which has quickly earned a reputation as stingy the past few weeks, stifled NC State right from the start. It struggled at times to contain the faster pace of the no-huddle, option-friendly offense at times, but as a whole, CMU kept themselves in a game that many thought they had no place contending in. Their offense sputtered consistently, however, and the score remained low well in the fourth quarter.

"These teams could not have been closer matched in it," Dave Doereon said after the game.

Truthfully, it's hard to argue against that. 422 total yards by NC State to CMU's 367. 217 through the air for CMU, 209 for Coach Doereon's club. Two crucial interceptions kept CMU alive despite its offensive woes by keeping NCSU's explosive offense off the field.

The heart-pounding action reached its apex in the final minute and a half. Central quarterback Cody Kater was provided with the opportunity to tie the game at 21 and force overtime. Without a timeout in his back pocket, Kater led a fast drive down field and connected on a 17 yard touchdown to sophomore Andrew Flory for the score to knot it at 21.

But the Wolfpack would not be denied. Not on this night, not in this stadium.

Quarterback Brandon Mitchell, with under forty seconds to play, led a quick-strike passing game down the field and found receiver Quintin Payton for a 33-yard touchdown that sealed CMU's fate. 28-21, Wolfpack.

"It was hard. I'm not going to stand here and lie... it wasn't easy. You can't... well," CMU's Coach Boyd seemed flustered in his post-game press conference. "You get that far, you get back into it, only to let yourselves down in the closing seconds -- it's a bitter feeling. A bad punch. But you roll with it, you learn from it. You don't make those mistakes again. We left some soft coverage on a few of those plays, some things we'll look at in the tape room, and look to correct in the future. That's the nature of the game. Make big plays or make big mistakes."

With the loss, Central Michigan falls to 3-2 on the season. Be sure to check out OSPN's Around the Nation to catch up with all the excitement of college football.

--- Key Leaders ---

C. Kater - 15/20, 217 yards, 1 TD, 5 car, 1 rushing TD
Z. Tipton - 19 car, 111 yards
C. Odykirk - 6 rec, 94 yards

B. Mitchell - 14/22 209 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INT, 12 car, 1 TD
S. Thornton - 17 car, 111 yards
B. Underwood - 5 rec, 111 yards, 1 TD