Little Caesars Bowl 2012: Grading Central Michigan and WKU's Performances

The Central Michigan Chippewas were able to outlast the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and came away with a 24-21 victory in the 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

Among the game's top performers were senior quarterback Ryan Radcliff, running back Zurlon Tipton and a couple of Central Michigan's wide receivers.

How did those stars and all of the other position groups grade out for both teams? Click ahead to find out!

Quarterbacks

Ryan Radcliff, Central Michigan Chippewas: Overall Game Grade: A-

The main reason Central Michigan defeated Western Kentucky is because of how well its senior quarterback performed. 

Radcliff finished the game 19-of-29 for 253 yards and three touchdowns. The Sherwood, Ohio native did miss some open receivers early on, but completed some critical passes down the stretch to lead the Chippewas to victory, including the game-winning, 11-yard scoring toss to Cody Wilson.

Kawaun Jakes, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Overall Game Grade: B

While Jakes did not lose the game for Western Kentucky, even though he missed tight end Jack Doyle on fourth-and-two on the Hilltoppers' final drive, the 6'3", 194-pounder was not able to make enough plays to secure a victory either.

Jakes completed 14-of-24 passes for just 199 yards and one touchdown, which is a decent stat line. However, Jakes was often inaccurate when the Hilltoppers needed him the most despite having ample time to throw the ball for much of the contest.

Much of Jakes passing yardage came on a 70-yard trick play on Western Kentucky's first snap from scrimmage.

The Saint Augustine, Fla. product also rushed for one touchdown.

Running Backs

Central Michigan Chippewas: Overall Game Grade: B

Junior running back Zurlon Tipton led the Chippewas with 101 yards on 23 carries, while one of the biggest plays of the game came courtesy of freshman tailback Saylor Lavallii.

Tipton did not find the end zone, but did more than enough to help Central Michigan establish its play-action passing attack and kept Western Kentucky's defense honest.

Meanwhile, Lavallii ripped off a 27-yard run on third-and-five that set the Chippewas up at Western Kentucky's five-yard line in the fourth quarter. Central Michigan eventually squandered the opportunity and turned the ball over on downs.  

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Overall Game Grade: B-

The only reason someone could label Antonio Andrews' performance as "sub-par" is because of how well the junior running back has played this season.

Andrews racked up 184 all-purpose yards on 33 total touches and helped keep Western Kentucky's offense moving when the Hilltoppers did manage to put a drive together.

The 6'0", 211-pounder came up 90 yards shy of breaking Barry Sanders' single-season yardage record, but did mange to become only the second player in NCAA history to compile over 3,000 all-purpose yards.

Wide Receivers & Tight Ends

Central Michigan Chippewas: Overall Game Grade: A+

Despite playing without three of their top wide receivers, Central Michigan's performance did not suffer one bit.

The Chippewas got a breakout performance from freshman wideout Andrew Flory, who hauled in three receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns, and an outstanding 10-reception effort from Cody Wilson.

The senior from Rochester Hills, Mich. finished the game with 101 receiving yards and the game-winning touchdown catch.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Overall Game Grade: C

Sophomore wideout Rico Brown hauled in the 70-yard reception on the trick play in the first quarter, but other than that, Western Kentucky's receiving corps proved to be unreliable and did not gain much separation from Central Michigan's defensive backs.

Willie McNeal hauled in three passes for 50 yards, though he will be remembered more for dropping a pass in one-on-one coverage that would have set the Hilltoppers up with first-and-goal in the third quarter.

Tight end Jack Doyle was a bright spot for Western Kentucky with six catches for 36 yards and a one-handed touchdown snag in the first half.

Offensive Line

Central Michigan Chippewas: Overall Game Grade: B+

Things did not look good early for Central Michigan's offensive line as Ryan Radcliff had to scramble under pressure, but the Chippewas pulled things together and were able to open up holes for Zurlon Tipton and the rest of the running backs to get through.

Potential first-round draft pick Eric Fisher appeared to be everything the pro scouts hope he will be at the next level and the Chippewas ran behind him for much of the day.

Central Michigan did not surrender a single sack against the Hilltoppers.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Overall Game Grade: C

Kawaun Jakes only got sacked once and the Hilltoppers were able to open up some holes for Antonio Andrews to run through, but Central Michigan's game plan to load up the box and stop Western Kentucky's No. 1 playmaker worked to perfection.

The offensive line struggled with the extra defenders Central Michigan brought to stop the run and the blocking was to inconsistent for Andrews to get in rhythm.

The Hilltoppers were held well below their season average of 186.2 rushing yards and only managed to grind out 128 yards against the Chippewas.

Defensive Line

Central Michigan Chippewas: Overall Game Grade: B-

The Chippewas were able to slow down Western Kentucky's prolific rushing attack, spearheaded by Antonio Andrews, in large part because Central Michigan won the battle at the line of scrimmage.

Although the Chippewas were able to limit Western Kentucky to 128 rushing yards, there were not a whole lot of standout plays or sacks registered by the defensive line; their grade is just slightly above an average mark.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Overall Game Grade: C

The Hilltoppers were not able to get much of a pass rush for much of the contest and Ryan Radcliff had all day to find open receivers, so Western Kentucky's defensive front is receiving a slightly lower grade than their counterparts.

Central Michigan also rushed for 140 yards and no one along the defensive line could find a way around left tackle Eric Fisher, who the Chippewas chose to run behind for much of the game.

Linebackers

Central Michigan Chippewas: Overall Game Grade: B

The Chippewas linebacking corps did not let Antonio Andrews break containment on more than a couple of plays and the group made plays when called upon to do so.

There were not too many missed tackles by Central Michigan's linebackers, but there were not any standout plays by the position group either, which is why the Chippewas are receiving a B in this category.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Overall Game Grade: B

The Hilltoppers missed some tackles early in the game, but recovered with a great performance in the second half.

Western Kentucky did not let Zurlon Tipton break containment too many times and the linebackers helped the defense make a goal-line stand early in the fourth quarter, which is why the position group is receiving a B.

Secondary

Central Michigan Chippewas: Overall Game Grade: B

None of the Western Kentucky receivers were able to get much separation from Central Michigan's defensive backs, which is a testament to how well the Chippewas secondary played after being torched on a trick-play in the first quarter.

Again, the Chippewas were seldom beat by the Hilltoppers' receivers, but there were not many standout plays made by the secondary, so a B is about right for Central Michigan's defensive backs.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Overall Game Grade: C-

Sophomore cornerback Jonathan Dowling had the best chance at making an impact play for the Hilltoppers, but he dropped what would have been a pick-six, and the rest of Western Kentucky's secondary got beat time after time by a patchwork group of wide receivers.

The Chippewas were without their leading receiver and two other standout pass-catchers and still accounted for 253 yards and all of Central Michigan's three touchdowns.

Special Teams

Central Michigan Chippewas: Overall Game Grade: B+

Junior punter Richie Hogan set the Little Caears Pizza Bowl record with an 82-yard boot in the first quarter of play, while David Harman converted a 50-yard field goal attempt and the Chippewas managed to block a punt.

Central Michigan did have a field goal attempt blocked, though, so its grade takes a bit of a dip.

It should also be noted that the Chippewas were able to keep the ball out of Antonio Andrews' hands on kick off and punt returns all but three times. 

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Overall Game Grade: B

Although the Hilltoppers had a punt blocked as a result of a low snap and their return game was neutralized by Central Michigan's specialists, junior punter Hendrix Brakefield saved Western Kentucky's report card with a 74-yard punt in the first quarter.

Brakefield nailed five punts for an average of 52 yards per kick and freshman kicker Garrett Schwettman knocked through all three of his extra point attempts.

The Hilltoppers also got a slight boost from the blocked field goal.

Coaching

Central Michigan Chippewas: Overall Game Grade: A

Head coach Dan Enos played to his team's strengths by running the football behind left tackle Eric Fisher and allowing senior quarterback Ryan Radcliff to win the game rather than just manage it for the Chippewas.

The game plan to load up the box and slow down Western Kentucky's rushing attack worked, as well, and Enos did not make any questionable decisions that hurt his team.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Overall Game Grade: A

Interim head coach Lance Guidry had to make the biggest decision of the game, and he decided to gamble on fourth-and-two rather than attempt a game-tying 36-yard field goal. Unfortunately, the Hilltoppers came up empty, but you've got to credit Guidry for going for the win rather than leaving the fate of his team on the foot of a freshman kicker.

Guidry and his staff called a solid game and the trick-play that went for 70 yards on Western Kentucky's first play from scrimmage put the Hilltoppers coaches on par with the Chippewas despite the loss.