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2005 MAC Report Online Offensive MVP Greg Jennings

Our awards are not intended to slight anybody but instead to recognize those players whose contributions on the field of play were the difference makers for their teams,

Each year the selection process becomes a little more difficult with so much talent in the Mid-American Conference and our staff worked tirelessly to come up with what we consider to be the top players in each category.

So, without further ado, here are our choices for MAC Report Online's 2007 Year-End Football Awards:

Offensive MVP
While many offensive players had superb years this season in the MAC, none stood above Central Michigan sophomore quarterback Dan LeFevour.

LeFevour follows up his MAC Report Online 2006 Freshman of the Year award by claiming our 2007 Offensive MVP honor.

The redshirt sophomore quarterback, with one regular season game and the MAC Championship still to be played, tops the MAC by accounting for 33 touchdowns so far this season. LeFevour has passed for 20 scores and rushed for another 13 in leading a potent Chippewas offense that has averaged 44 points per game in conference play and an incredible average of 490 yards of offense against MAC competition.

LeFevour has twice been named MAC Report Online's Offensive Player of the Week this season  and was named USA Today National Player of the Week after leading Central Michigan over Army on October 13, recording 351 yards in offense and six touchdowns, including four rushing scores.

As dangerous through the air as on the ground, LeFevour leads his team with 706 yards rushing, which also places him 8th among all ground gainers in the MAC. His 13 rushing touchdowns ranks second nationally among all quarterbacks.

Still only a sophomore, LeFevour already holds the Central Michigan career records for touchdown passes and total offense.

Behind LeFevour, the Chippewas have claimed their second straight MAC West title and are on the verge of back-to-back bowl game appearances for the first time since joining the Mid-American Conference.

Through the course of the season LeFevour has demonstrated calm demeanor under pressure and his game management skills belie the fact that he is only a sophomore. With LeFevour at the helm for another two seasons, the Chippewas will likely again be considered frontrunners to repeat in the MAC West.

For his leadership and outstanding 2007 season, Dan LeFevour is our choice for 2007 Offensive MVP.

Previous Winners
2006 Offensive MVP: Garrett Wolfe - RB - Northern Illinois
2005 Offensvie MVP: Greg Jennings - WR - Western Michigan

Defensive MVP
In a conference known more for its high-scoring offense, the defensive side of things can often be overlooked but that is not to say that the MAC was lacking in solid, top-notch defensive players.

This year's selection for Defensive MVP was among the most hotly debated but in the end it was the consensus that Miami linebacker Clayton Mullins deserved our nod as the 2007 Defensive MVP.

Mullins, a redshirt junior, was the anchor of the MAC's most dominant trio of linebackers this season and was a critical component of a defense that held six opponents to 14 points or less this season, including the MAC's only shutout; Miami's 7-0 victory over Akron.

The RedHawks, behind Mullins, own the MAC's top-rated scoring defense and the conference's second-ranked unit in total defense.

During Miami's title clinching game against Akron, Mullins forced the game wining fumble as Miami's defense accounted for the only points of the contest.

Mullins tops the formidable RedHawks defense this season with 12.5 tackles for loss which is good for fifth in the MAC and his 116 tackles also tops the RedHawks and places him second among all MAC defenders in that category. His four quarterback sacks also place him among the top ten in the conference.

During Miami's stretch run to the MAC East Division title, the RedHawks allowed an average of only 14 points per game with Mullins averaging 10 tackles and 1.6 tackles for loss during the RedHawks' final seven contests.

Leading a defense that was the stingiest to score upon this season in the MAC, Mullins had a breakthrough season and with two games yet to play, could finish atop the MAC in tackles and tackles for loss, but more importantly, Clayton Mullins has been the key ingredient for Miami's defense in its MAC East title clinching season and therefore is our choice for 2007 Defensive MVP.

Previous Winners:
2006 Defensive MVP: Ameer Ismail - LB - Western Michigan
2005 Defensive MVP: Dion Byrum - DB - Ohio

Freshman of the Year
We may have to change the official colors of this award to Maroon and Gold as for the third straight year our selection for Freshman of the Year comes from Central Michigan.

Wide receiver/return specialist Antonio Brown has been one of the Chippewas' primary weapons this season both on offense and special teams and has earned our nod as 2007 Freshman of the Year.

Brown first caught everyone's attention with his return abilities and was named the MAC's Special Teams Player of the Week following a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Northern Illinois but that was only a harbinger of things to come for the multi-faceted freshman performer.

Going into the final game of the regular season Brown has already shattered the Mid-American Conference record for all-purpose yards by a freshman in a single season that was set, ironically, by MAC Report Online's Freshman of the Year in 2005, Central Michigan running back Ontario Sneed. He currently has 1,809 all-purpose yards and ranks fourth overall in the MAC that category.

Brown has also been a prolific wide receiver this season as well, breaking Central Michigan's record for receptions in a season with 77 catches heading into the Chippewas' regular-season finale at Akron.

Nationally, Brown ranks second among all freshmen in receptions, all-purpose yards and kickoff returns.

Brown has displayed the kind of game-changing ability that forced teams to avoid kicking the ball in his direction in the latter part of the season but opposing defenses have not been able to slow him down and he has become one of Dan LeFevour's most dependable receivers and an integral part of CMU's explosive offense.

Already in the CMU and MAC record books in his freshman season, Antonio Brown has the potential to be an offensive star for several seasons to come in the MAC and his standout season has earned our award as 2007 Freshman of the Year.

Previous Winners:
2006 Freshman of the Year: Dan LeFevour - QB - Central Michigan
2005 Freshman of the Year: Ontario Sneed - RB - Central Michigan

Special Teams MVP
Special teams is typically one of the more overlooked areas, until a mistake is made. This season though several Mid-American Conference players have excelled on special teams and particularly in the area of punting where the MAC has had several players in the top five statistically throughout the season.

Toledo punter, senior Brett Kern, has had perhaps the best season however out of all of the MAC's specialists and is our selection for 2007 Special Teams MVP.

Kern currently leads the MAC and ranks second in the nation, averaging 46.5 yards per punt and has placed more than one-third of his punts inside the opponents' twenty-yard line, pinning the opposition deep in their own end on 17 of his 50 punts this season. Twice this season he placed five punts in a single game inside the opponents' twenty-yard line, turning the trick against both Purdue and Kansas.

Kern has also averaged better than fifty yards per punt in a single game on two different occasions this season.

Against Ball State on November 13, Kern averaged 52.2 yards on four punts which included a season-long 66-yard punt. Earlier in the season Kern punted six times for an average of 53.8 yards against Western Michigan which also included a 62-yard boot.

Toledo's offense has not often failed to move the ball this season, but when called upon Brett Kern has been among the nation's best in his specialty and has been named one of three finalists nationally for the Ray Guy Award which honors the nation's top collegiate punter.

One of the most dangerous special teams weapons in the MAC this season, Brett Kern is our choice for 2007 Special Teams MVP.

We remember when we first spoke with Shane Montgomery before his first full season as head coach at Miami and the humble appreciation he expressed when recounting the greats who have coached at Miami before him. But things looked shaky for Montgomery following a 2-10 2006 campaign. After all, losing seasons are not well tolerated around Oxford.

Therefore it is especially gratifying to recognize Miami head coach Shane Montgomery as our choice for 2007 Coach of the Year.

Not only did Montgomery maintain a calm resolve following the RedHawks' disappointing 2006 campaign, he also weathered a fairly rough start to the 2007 season that saw the RedHawks stumble out of the gate, losing three of their first four games. Along the way the RedHawks lost their top offensive weapons to injury and appeared headed toward another disappointing season.

But Montgomery's RedHawks displayed the same quiet resolve and confidence as their coach and rattled off five wins in their next seven games, including a non-conference home win over Syracuse and then clinched the MAC East title with one of the strongest defensive efforts seen in some time in the MAC, defeating Akron 7-0.

Not afraid to make changes in mid-stream, Montgomery made the switch from Mike Kokal to Daniel Raudabaugh at quarterback and devised a game plan for the rest of the season that played to the RedHawks' strengths, namely their defense, while Raudabaugh gained comfort in his new role as a starter.

Often times it is the subtle changes that make the difference and Montgomery and his staff tweaked the defense and offense just enough and were able to overcome the loss of several starters in leading the RedHawks to a MAC East title.

Leading a turnaround from a 2-10 season in 2006 to the top of the MAC East and being on the verge of a bowl berth one year later, Miami head coach Shane Montgomery has clearly earned the title of 2007 Coach of the Year.

Previous Winners:
2006 Coach of the Year: Brian Kelly - Central Michigan
2005 Coach of the Year: Bill Cubit - Western Michigan