Benet: August 2008 Archives

There weren't too many places for Benet to hang its hat on Friday night during its season-opening 32-7 loss to Oswego.

But punter Andrew Veselik was as good of a hat rack as could be found. The senior had punts of 43, 37, 44 and 41 yards. What's even more impressive is that only one of those punts was returned, and that for only four yards.

That computes to an average net of 42.5 yards per punt. There isn't a coach in the state that would complain about that.

The only mishap for the punt team was the botched snap in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Veselik tried to snare the high snap, then tried to recover the loose ball, but Oswego recovered the fumble.

The last thing I expected to see after Oswego senior running back Tim Riley ran for a 68-yard touchdown on his team's first offensive play on Friday night against Benet was the Oswego offense stay on the field and attempt a two-point conversion.

Check that. The last thing I expected to see on Friday night was Oswego go for two after each of their five touchdowns in a 32-7 win at Benedictine Stadium.

That's the kind of thing I would do as the coach of a video game team. When I'm piloting my Purdue Boilermakers to an undefeated dynasty, I take no prisoners. But that's just how I roll in a simulated world. No class. No mercy.

So why did Oswego coach Dave Keely decide to employ the same tactic in an actual game in the real world?

Central Michigan quarterback and former Benet star Dan LeFevour appeared on ESPN's First Take on Friday morning. Here he talks about facing Georgia, the Heisman and his hole-in-one.

LeFevour also did an online chat with ESPN.com in which he answered questions from fans. You can find it here. Clearly, LeFevour's star is on the rise. These days he seems almost like an ambassador. Is there any doubt that he's the representative of the MAC? Of small conferences everywhere fighting for Top 25 recognition?

Also, let me know if this video actually worked for you. It's the first time we've really posted anything from ESPN.

Central Michigan unveiled a new, gigantic billboard of quarterback Dan LeFevour on Tuesday in Detroit. The former Benet star is now, unquestionably, the face of the program and really, the face of the Mid-American Conference.

LeFevour's success at CMU has thrown his name into the mix as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate this season. Chris Huston, the author of widely respected Heismanpundit blog, thinks LeFevour is a "legitimate darkhorse" for this season, but that he's being promoted for a serious 2009 run. The 60-foot high and 30-foot wide version of LeFevour is plastered on the back of the scoreboard at Comerica Park. The sign faces Ford's Field. LeFevour made a few brief comments about the billboard to ESPN's Graham Watson.

I think the billboard is very telling - the MAC and CMU plan to push LeFevour and a billboard in downtown Detroit will help make him more of a household name. If he's more of a household name, he has even more of a chance of becoming the first non-BCS player to win a Heisman, especially if he has another killer season like the last two. What do you think?