Date Opponent Time/ResultSept. 1 Presbyterian W, 49-3Sept. 10 at Oklahoma State W, 30-27Sept. 17 UNLV W, 44-21 Sept. 24 at Virginia L, 49-35Oct. 1 Western Michigan* L, 49-10Oct. 8 Ball State* W, 24-21Oct. 15 at No. Illinois* W, 34-28, 3OTOct. 22 at Toledo* L, 31-17Oct. 29 Kent State * L, 27-24Nov. 4 at Miami* L, 37-17Nov. 15 Ohio* W, 27-20Nov. 22 at Eastern Michigan* 7 p.m.
* Mid-American Conference game ALL TIMES EASTERN
2016 EASTERN MICHIGAN SCHEDULE6-5, 3-4 MAC
Date Opponent Time/ResultSept. 2 Mississippi Valley St. W, 61-14Sept. 10 at Missouri L, 61-21Sept. 17 at Charlotte W, 37-19Sept. 23 Wyoming W, 27-24Oct. 1 at Bowling Green* W, 28-25Oct. 8 Toledo* L, 35-20Oct. 15 at Ohio* W, 27-20Oct. 22 at Western Michigan* L, 45-31Oct. 29 Miami* L, 28-15Nov. 8 at Ball State* W, 48-41Nov. 16 Northern Illinois* L, 31-24Nov. 22 Central Michigan* 7 p.m.* Mid-American Conference gameALL TIMES EASTERN
TVESPN3Play-by-Play: Michael ReghiAnalyst: Dustin Fox
RADIOChippewa Sports Network from IMG – presented by Fabiano BrothersWUPS-FM 98.5 – Houghton Lake WXYT-AM 1270 – DetroitWUPS-FM 98.5 – Houghton Lake WLUN-FM 100.9 – Midland*WJRW-AM 1340 – Grand Rapids WLAW-FM 92.5 – Muskegon WJML-AM 1110 – Petoskey WLUN-FM 100.9 – MidlandWJNL-AM 1210 – Traverse City*Select games carriedPlay-by-Play: Don ChiodoAnalyst: Brock GutierrezPregame begins one hour prior to kickoff.
INTERNET AND MOBILELive in-game statistics will be available via CMUChippewas.com. Live audio and stats are also available through the CMU Athletics Gameday mobile app.
• Central Michigan (6-5, 3-4 Mid-American Conference) will face Eastern Michigan (6-5, 3-4 MAC) at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti
• Kickoff is scheduled for 7:04 p.m. (ET). The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
• The Chippewas have a four-game winning streak against Eastern Michigan. Eastern’s last victory against CMU came in 2011, when the Eagles won, 35-28.
• CMU owns a 59-28-6 edge in its all-time series with Eastern Michigan.
• In 2015, quarterback Cooper Rush threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-28 victory against visiting EMU. Running back Romello Ross had three touchdown runs and caught a touchdown pass.
MEET EASTERN MICHIGAN
• Eastern Michigan is bowl eligible for the first time since the 1995 season. The Eagles have not played in a bowl game in 29 years.
• EMU last earned a bowl bid in 1987, when it captured the Mid-American Conference title and went to the California Bowl, where it beat San Jose State, 30-27.
• Quarterback Brogan Roback was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week Nov. 14 after passing for a career-high 468 yards in a 48-41 victory against Ball State.
• Roback is 167-for-289 passing for 2,039 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games.
• Roback is coming off a season-best 65-yard rushing game against Northern Illinois and has rushed for at least 20 yards in four games this season.
• Running back Ian Eriksen rushed for a career-high 171 yards Tuesday in a 31-24 overtime loss to Northern Illinois. Eriksen had two touchdown runs.
• Eriksen has rushed for 741 yards and nine touchdowns.
• Junior wide receiver Sergio Bailey II leads the Eagles with 49 receptions for 695 yards and five touchdowns. His best game came against Ohio when he caught eight passes for 143 yards and a touchdown.
• Jason Beck and Kyle Rachwal lead the Eagles’ defense. Beck has 90 tackles, including 18 for a loss of yards. Rachwal had 88 tackles and an interception.
NEXT FOR THE CHIPPEWAS
• Central Michigan is bowl eligible for the eighth time in the last 11 seasons.
• CMU played in the Quick Lane Bowl on Dec. 28, 2015, and came up short against Minnesota, 21-14.
• The Mid-American Conference bowl game ties:
– Famous Idaho Potato Bowl vs. Mountain West
– Dollar General Bowl vs. Sun Belt
– Miami Beach Bowl vs American Athletic
– Popeyes Bahamas Bowl vs. Conference USA
– Raycom Medai Camellia Bowl vs. Sun Belt
• MAC teams may be conditional picks for the Quick Lane Bowl and the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.
HONORARY CAPTAIN
• CMU’s honorary captain this week is Leo Griffin. Griffin played running back from 1990-93 for the Chippewas. He rushed for 90 yards on Sept. 12, 1992, as CMU won at Michigan State, 24-20. In 1993, he had a 133-yard rushing day against Kent State. He finished his CMU career with 602 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
The Starting LineupMEDIA AVAILABILITY SCHEDULEMonday, Oct. 31• MAC coaches conference call. Head
coach John Bonamego (10:02-10:10 a.m.)
Friday, Nov. 18• Media availability at 11:15 a.m. in the
north end zone of Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Saturday, Nov. 19• Media availability at 5 p.m. in the north
end zone of Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Tuesday, Nov. 22• No availability prior to kickoff. Head
coach John Bonamego and select players available following the game.
MEDIA INFORMATIONPlayers and coaches are generally available following practice on Monday (approx. 11:15 a.m.) and Tuesday (approx. 11:15 a.m.), or by appointment, if necessary. Please coordinate all coach and player interview requests through Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Communications Jim Knight. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
POSTGAME PROCEDUREHome Games: Following a 15-minute cooling off period, head coach John Bonamego and select players will meet with the media in the football meeting room in the Indoor Athletic Complex (IAC), which is located adjacent to Kelly/Shorts Stadium on the northwest side.
Road Games: Following a 15-minute cooling off period, head coach John Bonamego and select players will meet with the media in an area near the team’s locker room.
CMU’s locker room is closed to the media at all times.
SOCIAL MEDIAVisit CMUChippewas.com/socialmedia for a complete directory of CMU’s official social media sites.
CMU football is on Facebook at Facebook.com/CMUFootball and on Twitter @CMU_Football. lsls
CHIPPEWA NAMEThe Central Michigan University Board of Trustees has approved the continued use of the nickname “Chippewas” in association with CMU. The university’s goals are to use the name with honor and respect, increase supportive connections between CMU and Native Americans, and improve efforts to sensitize students, faculty, and staff to Native American traditions and cultures.
Media representatives have been extremely cooperative as we have worked to address this important issue. In nearly all cases, print and broadcast reporters have supported CMU’s efforts to eliminate the use of symbols, headlines, and copy that present inappropriate and inaccurate images of Native Americans.
Central Michigan University is grateful for your help, and we ask for your continued cooperation and sensitivity. With your assistance, we can continue to use the Chippewa name with dignity and respect.
CMU QUICK FACTSLocation Mount Pleasant, Mich.Enrollment 26,080Founded 1892Nickname ChippewasColors Maroon and GoldStadium Kelly/Shorts StadiumSurface AstroTurfCapacity 30,255 Conference Mid-AmericanAffiliation NCAA Division IPresident Dr. George E. RossAthletics Director Dave HeekeHead Coach John BonamegoWebsite CMUChippewas.com
CMU COACHING STAFFHead CoachJohn Bonamego (second season, 13-11)Assistant Head Coach/Wide ReceiversMose Rison (sideline)Offensive Coordinator/QuarterbacksMorris Watts (press box)Defensive CoordinatorGreg Colby (press box)Special Teams Coordinator/SafetiesMike Dietzel (press box)Defensive BacksArchie Collins (sideline)Offensive LineDerek Frazier (sideline)Running Backs /Recruiting CoordinatorGino Guidugli (sideline)Tight EndsSherrone Moore (press box)Defensive LineGeorge Ricumstrict (sideline)Director of OperationsReed Schuitema (sideline)Director of Player PersonnelBen Presnell (sideline)
ABOUT THE CMU OFFENSE
• Cooper Rush continues to climb all-time statistical listings at CMU and in the Mid-American Conference. With 12,397 career passing yards, he ranks second all-time in the MAC. The all-time MAC leader is Dan LeFevour, who had 12,905 yards while playing at CMU from 2006-09.
• On Nov. 1, Rush was named one of 12 recipients of the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award for 2016. A total of 156 student-athletes were nominated for the award, which includes an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. Rush and the other award winners are finalists for The William V. Campbell Trophy. The winner’s scholarship will be raised to $25,000. The winner will be named Dec. 6 in New York at the 59th NFF annual Awards Dinner, alongside the 2016 College Football Hall of Fame Class.
• Rush has connected with seven teammates for 23 touchdown passes in 2016. Corey Willis has nine TD receptions, Tyler Conklin has six, Mark Chapman has four, and Brandon Childress, Devon Spalding, Jesse Kroll and Trevor Thomas have one apiece.
• Rush has 90 career touchdown passes, sixth all time in the MAC. He is two TD passes shy of Keith Weinning, who played at Ball State from 2010-2013.
• Rush passed for 402 yards against Virginia, the eighth-best single-game passing performance in CMU history. Rush also owns the No. 1 spot with his 493-yard game against Western Kentucky in 2014 and the No. 6 slot with a 430-yard game against Syracuse in 2015.
• This season, Rush is 11th in the nation in passing yards with 3,043 and tied for 14th in touchdown passes with 23.
• CMU’s passing offense is No. 28 in the nation and No. 2 in the Mid-American Conference at 278.3 yards per game.
• Wide receiver Mark Chapman, a junior, has 1,091 receiving yards in his career. He passed the 1,000-yard mark against Kent State.
• Wide receiver Corey Willis had a six-reception (2 TDs), 108-yard performance against UNLV and a six-reception (2 TDs), 145-yard game against Virginia. He had at least one touchdown catch in each of the first four games this season and has caught a touchdown in seven of the 11 games.
• On Nov. 1, Willis was added to the watch list of the Biletnikoff Award by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation. The honor is presented to college football’s outstanding receiver, regardless of position.
• Willis is tied for 19th in the NCAA in touchdown receptions with nine. His nine TD receptions tie him for third on CMU’s single-season list. Bryan Anderson is second on the list with 10 (2007) and Titus Davis is first with 13 (2014).
• Jahray Hayes scored twice against Miami on 1-yard runs and had another 1-yard TD run against Ohio. He leads CMU’s running backs with eight touchdowns.
• Hayes picked up 60 yards rushing against Miami and has 434 rushing yards for the year and 758 for his career.
• Tight end Tyler Conklin caught the first two touchdown passes of his career against Oklahoma State. He finished with seven receptions for 96 yards. Conklin was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week on Sept. 14 for his game against OSU, and he is on the midseason watch list for the award.
• Conklin caught two more touchdown passes against Ohio, including a one-handed grab that was featured in the top 10 plays of the day on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”
• CMU is 22nd in the nation in time of possession at 32:56 per game.
ABOUT THE CMU DEFENSE
• CMU is tied for fifth in the NCAA with four defensive touchdowns. All four came off interceptions.
• The Chippewas are tied for 22nd in the NCAA with 12 interceptions.
• Senior safety Tony Annese snared CMU’s 11th interception of the season against Kent State and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown. It was his third career pick-six, the last coming in 2013.
• Annese has eight career interceptions. He was on the Thorpe Award Watch List to start the season. The Thorpe Award goes annually to the college football’s best defensive back.
• Amari Coleman and Josh Cox, both juniors, are tied with seven others for the MAC lead for interceptions with three.
• Coleman returned his first two interceptions for touchdowns and the third, against Ball State, stopped the Cardinals’ final drive in the fourth quarter.
• Coleman is first in the MAC with 17 passes defended.
• Cox recorded his third interception of the season against Northern Illinois. He has five for his career.
• Junior defensive end Joe Ostman is fifth in the MAC with 12 tackles for a loss. Linebacker Malik Fountain has nine and is tied for 16th.
• Fountain averages 7.2 tackles a game, tied for 15th best in the MAC.
• Senior linebacker Nathan Ricketts established a career high with 10 tackles against Northern Illinois. Three were for a loss, and he intercepted a pass in the first overtime. Ricketts has 8.5 tackles for a loss, a sack, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this season.
• Junior defensive lineman Joe Ostman leads CMU – and is tied for second in the MAC – with eight sacks.
ABOUT CMU SPECIAL TEAMS
• CMU is tied for second with six other teams in the NCAA in blocked kicks with five.
• The Chippewas are tied for sixth in the NCAA in blocked punts with two.
• The Chippewas rank 10th in the NCAA in kickoff return defense with an average of 17.08 yards allowed.
• The Chippewas made a two-point conversion against Kent State when quarterback Cooper Rush threw to tight end Tyler Conklin for the conversion. It marked the first time CMU made a two-point conversion since Oct. 18, 2014, when Rush hit Jesse Kroll for a conversion in a 32-29 loss to Ball State.
• CMU recorded a safety against Kent State when Winslow Chapman blocked punt on the first play of the second quarter. The ball rolled through the end zone for the safety.
• Senior defensive lineman Kelby Latta blocked a field goal attempt in the third overtime against Northern Illinois, setting up CMU’s game-winning play.
• Latta has 17 tackles, including two sacks, this season.
• Two sophomores – Cooper Mojsiejenko and Jack Sheldon – share punting duties. Mojsiejenko averages 41.3 yards per punt. Sheldon averages 40.8 and has pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 14 times in his 37 punts.
• Mojsiejenko is the son of Ralf Mojsiejenko, the former Michigan State star who went on to punt in the NFL for seven-plus seasons.
• Sheldon is an Australian who played Australian Rules Football, but never played American football before coming to CMU.
• Redshirt freshman Jamil Sabbagh, a wide receiver, has returned 12 kicks in recent weeks, including one for 29 yards. He averages 18.7 yards per return.
• Senior place-kicker Brian Eavey earned Second Team All-Mid-American Conference honors last season, going 16-of-24 on field goals and 38-of-38 on extra points. He is 38-for-38 on PATs this season.
• Eavey’s career-long field goal is a 48-yarder,
and he twice kicked three field goals in a game in 2015. He had a 45-yard field goal against Western Michigan and another 45-yard against Miami.
HONORING DERRICK NASH
• The CMU football program lost an important member of the program on June 22, 2015 – Derrick Nash.
• Nash, a defensive back from Saginaw, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in May 2013 as he neared the end of his senior year at Carrollton High School.
• After undergoing chemotherapy treatment, Nash played in the Chippewas’ annual Maroon and Gold Spring Game. He was on schedule to claim a spot on the active roster when doctors discovered the leukemia had returned. He began his second round of treatment in October 2014 and did not appear in a game.
• Nash served as CMU’s honorary captain for the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl in 2014.
• To honor Nash, one Chippewa wore the No. 21 in each of CMU’s 13 games in the 2015 season. The honor will continue this season. As last year, No. 21 will rotate to a new player each week. Because of NCAA rules regarding uniform numbers, interior offensive lineman may not wear the number, but a player lining up at any other position – offensive, defensive or special teams – may.
• Those who wore No. 21 this season: Winslow Chapman vs. Presbyterian; Nathan Ricketts vs. Oklahoma State; Josh Cox vs. UNLV; Jabari Dean against Virginia; Joe Ostman vs. Western Michigan; Devon Spalding vs. Ball State; Amari Coleman vs. Northern Illinois, Tyler Conklin vs. Toledo, Malik Fountain vs. Kent State, Cooper Rush against Miami and Colton Odykirk against Ohio. Anthony Scarcelli will wear No. 21 against Eastern.
FIVE PLAYERS NAMED CAPTAINS
• Central Michigan has five captains for the 2016 season. They are senior safety Tony Annese, senior fullback Joe Bacci, senior defensive lineman Kelby Latta, senior defensive lineman Jabari Dean, and senior quarterback Cooper Rush.
• Annese, who had a season-high 11 solo tackles against Minnesota in the Quick Lane Bowl last season, has 35 tackles, four passes broken up and an interception in seven games.
• Bacci, relied on for his skills as a blocker as a fullback, has eight catches for 82 yards this season.
• Latta has two sacks and 15 tackles this season.
• Dean has 16 tackles this season.
• Rush is a captain for the second consecutive season.
Central Michigan’s roster contains 83 players who are from the state of Michigan, which equates to 79 percent of the Chippewas’ roster. Among state Division I schools, Michigan ranks second with 50 players followed by Western Michigan (48), Michigan State (44), and Eastern Michigan (36). In 2015, CMU’s roster featured 75 Michiganders, ranking ahead of Michigan (51), Western Michigan (50), MSU (40), and Eastern Michigan (37).
INDIVIDUAL DEFENSIVE CAREER HIGHS (TACKLES)Player Position Total Tackles (Solo) Game (Date)Malik Fountain LB 13 (7) vs. Toledo (10/22/16)Tony Annese DB 11 (0)2X vs. Miami (11/04/16)Otis Kearney DB 10 (9)2X vs. Ball State (10/08/16) Nathan Ricketts LB 10 (10) at Northern Illinois (10/15/16)Josh Cox DB 9 (7) at Oklahoma State (9/9/16)Joe Ostman DL 9 (6) 2X vs. Toledo (10/22/16)Tyree Waller LB 9 (4) vs. Ball State (11/15/16)Alex Briones LB 8 (7) 2X at Northern Illinois (10/15/16)Winslow Chapman DB 8 (3) at Virginia (9/24/16)Amari Coleman DB 8 (8) 2X vs. Ohio (11/15/16)Trevor Apsey LB 8 (5) vs. Miami (11/04/16)Kelby Latta DL 7 (3) at Ball State (10/24/15)Jeff Perry LB 6 (3) 2X at Eastern Michigan (11/27/15)Jabari Dean DL 5 (3) 5X vs. Toledo (10/22/16)Chris Kantzavelos DL 5 (2) 2X at Kent State (11/18/15)Mike Danna DL 5 (3) vs. UNLV (9/17/16)Colton Odykirk DB 4 (2) vs. Ohio (11/15/16)Michael Steinhauer DL 3 (3) vs. UNLV (9/17/16)Zach Oakley DB 3 (3) vs. Ball State (10/8/16)Sean Bunting DB 3 (2) 2X vs. Ohio (11/15/16)Mitch Stanitzek DL 2 (0) 6X vs. Minnesota (12/28/15)Nate Brisson-Fast DL 2 (2) at UNLV (9/17/16)Gary Jones DB 2 (2) 3X vs. Ohio (11/15/16)Donny Kyre DL 2 (2) vs. Presbyterian (9/1/16)Michael Oliver LB 2 (2) 2X vs. Toledo (10/22/16)Carlos Clark LB 2 (1) 2X vs. Miami (11/04/16)D. Baker-Williams DL 2 (2) vs. Miami (11/04/16)Shahid Bellamy DL 2 (2) vs. Miami (11/04/16)
THE 2016 CHIPPEWAS ARE...4-2 .............................................................at home2-3 ......................................................on the road0-0 ................................................at neutral sites4-3 ................................................during the day2-2 ..............................................................at night0-1 .............................................................on grass6-4 .............................................. on artificial turf4-2 ......................................... when scoring first2-3 ......................when opponent scores first3-0 ..............when leading after one quarter2-5 ...............when trailing after one quarter1-0 ..................... when tied after one quarter5-0 ...........................when leading at halftime1-4 ............................when trailing at halftime0-1 ..................................when tied at halftime4-1 .........when leading after three quarters1-4 ..........when trailing after three quarters1-0 ................ when tied after three quarters1-0 ...................................................... in overtime3-3 .... with more turnovers than opponent3-1 ... with fewer turnovers than opponent0-1 .... with the same turnovers than opponent6-3 ..................with more time of possession0-2 ..................... with less time of possession3-0 ....................when rushing for 150+ yards6-4 ................... when passing for 200+ yards0-0 .......... when gaining less than 200 yards1-2 .................... when gaining 200-299 yards0-2 ....................when gaining 300-399 yards5-1 ..........................when gaining 400+ yards3-3 ............when opp. rushes for 150+ yards2-3 ........... when opp. passes for 200+ yards1-0 .....when opp. gains less than 200 yards0-0 .............. when opp. gains 200-299 yards5-1 .............. when opp. gains 300-399 yards0-4 .................... when opp. gains 400+ yards0-3 ........... when scoring less than 20 points2-1 ........................when scoring 20-29 points2-1 ........................when scoring 30-39 points2-0 ........................... when scoring 40+ points1-0 ... when opp. scores less than 20 points5-1 ................when opp. scores 20-29 points0-2 ................when opp. scores 30-39 points0-2 ................... when opp. scores 40+ points0-0 .......................................................... in August3-1 .................................................. in September2-3 ........................................................ in October1-1 ................................................... in NovemberSmallest Margin of Victory ............................ 3Largest Margin of Victory ............................46Avg. Margin of Victory .............................. 14.7Smallest Margin of Defeat ............................. 3Largest Margin of Defeat .............................39Avg. Margin of Defeat ...................................18
John Bonamego became the 28th head coach in Central Michigan football history when he was named to the post on Feb. 8, 2015. Bonamego, who played at CMU for the legendary Herb Deromedi in the mid 1980s, proclaimed the position his “dream job” as he became the first CMU alum to lead the program since Bill Kelly in 1951-66. In his first season in charge of the program, Bonamego led the Chippewas to a 7-6 finish, the Mid-American Conference West Division championship and a berth in the Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit. That the Chippewas finished 6-2 in MAC play and atop their division came as a surprise to some considering that they were selected to finish fifth in the six-team West Division in a preseason poll of media who cover the league. Just months after being named to lead the Chippewas, Bonamego was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments while simultaneously leading his troops through preseason practices. Bonamego was pronounced cancer free in November, just as the Chippewas were surging down the stretch, winning five of their last six regular-season games. In Bonamego’s first season, eight CMU student-athletes earned All-MAC honors, including center Nick Beamish, who was named to the first team for the second consecutive season. The Chippewas placed a league-high 17 student-athletes on the Academic All-MAC team, and
the Bonamego fileHometownPaw Paw, Mich.
High SchoolPaw Paw, 1983
CollegeCentral Michigan, 1987
Family Wife, Paulette;Daughter, Bellina; Sons, Javier & Giovanni
coaching history1988–1991 Maine Assistant Coach1992 Lehigh Assistant Coach1993–1998 Army Assistant Coach1999–2001 Jacksonville Jaguars Assist. Special Teams Coach 2002 Jacksonville Jaguars Special Teams Coordinator2003–2005 Green Bay Packers Special Teams Coordinator2006–2007 New Orleans Saints Special Teams Coordinator 2008–2010 Miami Dolphins Special Teams Coordinator 2011 New Orleans Saints Assist. Special Teams Coach 2012 Jacksonville Jaguars Special Teams Coordinator2013-14 Detroit Lions Special Teams Coordinator2015-Present Central Michigan Head Coach
“I cannot put into words how hum-ble, grateful, and proud I am to be the head coach at Central Michigan University. For me this is not, never will be, and never has been, a job. For me this is THE job.
“This is a place that, when I left a long time ago, it never left me. It has been a part of who I am, a part of everything I’ve done and I’ve passed it on with every player that I have ever touched. I’m very proud to be here and to call myself your football coach. I plan to be here a very, very, very, very, very long time.”
CMU safety Kavon Frazier was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Draft in April. In his relatively short time in charge of the Chippewa program, the charismatic and personable Bonamego has established a strong rapport on the CMU campus, in the Mount Pleasant community, and across the state of Michigan, engaging the student body, fans, alumni and supporters with his sincerity and unbridled enthusiasm for the university and its athletic program. Prior to taking the reins of the CMU program, Bonamego, who graduated from Paw Paw High School in southwest Michigan, spent 16 years in the National Football League as an assistant, primarily as a special teams coordinator. Among Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches, only UCLA’s Jim Mora has more NFL experience than Bonamego. The 2016 season marks Bonamego’s 28th in the coaching profession. Among his career highlights: • During his two seasons with the Detroit
Lions (2013-14) he helped punter Sam Martin record the top-two single-season marks for net punting average in team history with a 40.4-yard average in 2013 and a 40.1 mark in 2014.
• As the special teams coordinator in Jacksonville in 2012, he was instrumental in the development of rookie punter Bryan Anger, who set franchise records for punting average (47.8) and net punting average (40.8), with both totals leading all rookie punters.
• He was a member of the coaching staff of the 2011 NFC South champions, serving as the assistant special teams coordinator for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints went 13-3 that year, advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs.
• From 2008-10, Bonamego served as the special teams coordinator for the Miami Dolphins. During his time there, he developed young specialists including kicker Dan Carpenter, punter Brandon Fields, and kick returner Ted Ginn Jr. Carpenter was selected to the 2009 Pro Bowl after making 25 of 28 field-goal attempts. Fields set a franchise record for net punting average (39.9), and Ginn became the first NFL player in 42 years to have two returns for touchdowns in the same quarter. The Dolphins won the 2008 AFC East crown as
they put together the biggest turnaround in NFL history, going from 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5 in ‘08.
• Bonamego spent the 2006-07 seasons as the Saints special teams coordinator, helping the team to the division crown and a berth in the NFC Championship game in 2006. Bonamego was part of one of the most important games in NFL history: the first post-Katrina game in the Superdome. The Saints’ Steve Gleason blocked a punt vs. Atlanta, and the ball was recovered for a touchdown in the first quarter. New Orleans also blocked a field goal later in that game.
• Bonamego helped the Green Bay Packers to a pair of NFC North titles from 2003-05. The Packers went 10-6 in both 2003 and ‘04, capturing divisional crowns in both seasons. The club had four game-winning field goals in 2004, the most by the team since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger.
• Bonamego’s first stint in the NFL was from 1999-2002 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. For the first three seasons, Bonamego worked as the assistant special teams coach under legendary NFL special teams coach Frank Gansz and was promoted to special teams coordinator in 2002. In Bonamego’s first season as the Jaguars’ special teams coordinator, the unit was ranked third by the Dallas Morning News. The Jaguars advanced to the AFC Championship game in 1999 after winning the AFC Central title.
Bonamego earned his degree in health fitness from CMU in 1987 and turned to coaching immediately. He received an honorary doctorate degree from Central Michigan after serving as the university’s commencement speaker in May 2009. He got his start in college coaching as an assistant at Maine from 1988-91. He went to Lehigh in 1992, and spent five years as an assistant with Army from 1993-98. During his time at Army, the Black Knights beat Navy five of six times, and finished 10-2 in 1996, recording the only 10-win season in school history. Army played Auburn that season in the Poulan/Weed Eater Independence Bowl and finished in the top 25 in both major polls. He was a player/coach for a football team in Verona, Italy, in spring of 1987 and was the junior varsity co-coach at Mount Pleasant High School in the fall of that year.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT JOHN
BONAMEGODETROIT LIONS HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL“It’s not very often where a guy in our profession has an opportunity to coach his alma mater. It’s a very special, unique opportunity. John has spoken often about having an opportunity to coach at Central Michigan, and I think it was really – I don’t know if you want to call it his bucket list – but one of his ultimate goals.”
BALTIMORE RAVENS HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH“John is an experienced, very enthusiastic and energetic football coach. He loves Central, and I know this opportunity has been a dream of his for many years. He has worked extremely hard to make it happen. The CMU administration has found a great motivator, and John will be a tireless recruiter. It’s a bold hire and I congratulate CMU for making it.”
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON“John and I worked together for three years. Coming in as an initial member of our coaching staff in 2006, he played an important role in helping get our program pointed in the right direction. Having worked with both offensive and defensive players on special teams in 16 years in the NFL, John has the experience of interacting with players from all position groups, which will help him as a head coach. I’m happy that he’s receiving this opportunity as a head coach at his alma mater and I think he has what it takes to build a strong program at Central Michigan.”
IOWA HEAD COACH KIRK FERENTZ“The thing that stuck out most about John when I worked with him at Maine was his passion and love for the game of football. He made the game enjoyable for the people around him and his energy is infectious. John’s love of CMU was clear from the moment I met him and those feelings have remained strong during the past 20-plus years we have known each other. John is a fantastic teacher and he will make sure his players are prepared for every situation during a game. I think CMU has made a terrific hire and I know John will do a great job.”
Last Time it Happened ...Kickoff Return for TDBy CMU: Courtney Williams vs. EMU, 11/29/13, 84 yards, CMU 42-10By Opponent: KeVonn Mabon, BSU, 10/24/15, 89 yards, CMU 23-21
Punt Return for TDBy CMU: Antonio Brown vs. Eastern Michigan, 75 yards, 10/10/09, CMU 56-8By Opponent: DJ Green, NC State, 9/28/13, 37 yards, NC State 48-14
Interception for TDBy CMU: Tony Annese vs. Kent State, 18 yards, 10/29/16, KSU, 27-24By Opponent: Darius Phillips, Western Michigan, 10/01/16, 85 yards, WMU 49-10
Blocked Punt Returned for TDBy CMU: Lorenzo White at Toledo,11/26/2010, recovered in end zone, Toledo 42-31By Opponent: Joe Reynolds, Michigan, 8/31/13, returned 30 yards, UM 59-9
Blocked PuntBy CMU: Winslow Chapman vs. Kent State, 10/29/16, KSU 27-24By Opponent: Charles Williams, UNLV, 9/17/16, CMU 44-21
Blocked Field GoalBy CMU: Jabari Dean vs. Kent State, 10/29/16, KSU 27-24By Opponent: Quan Robinson, Kent State, 10/29/16, KSU 27-24
Blocked PATBy CMU: Jabari Dean vs. Michigan State, 9/26/15, MSU, 30-10By Opponent: Travonte Boles, Western Michigan, 11/16/13, CMU 27-22
Safety RecordedBy CMU: vs. Kent State, 10/29/16, blocked punt, KSU 27-24By Opponent: vs. Syracuse, 9/13/14, penalty in end zone, Syracuse 40-3
200-Yard Receiving GameBy CMU: Titus Davis vs. WMU, 11/3/12, 208 yards, WMU, 42-31By Opponent: Matt Simon, Northern Illinois, 9/29/07, 205 yards, CMU 35-10
200-Yard Rushing GameBy CMU: Thomas Rawls vs. NIU, 10/11/14, 270 yards, CMU 34-17By Opponent: Jordan Lynch, NIU, 10/19/13, 316 yards, NIU 38-17
400-Yard Passing GameBy CMU: Cooper Rush vs. Virginia, 9/24/16, 402 yards, Virginia 49-35By Opponent: Kurt Benkert, Virginia, 9/24/16, 421 yards, Virginia 49-35
Fumble Return for a TDBy CMU: Jahleel Addae at Western Michigan, 9/17/11, 0 yards, Western Michigan 44-14By Opponent: Marqez Hodge , Syracuse, 9/13/14, 36 yards, Syracuse 40-3
Two-Point ConversionBy CMU: Tyler Conklin pass from Cooper Rush vs. Kent State, 10/29/16, KSU 27-24By Opponent: Richard Burney, rush, 9/24/16, Virginia 49-35
50-Yard Field GoalBy CMU: David Harman vs. Western Kentucky, 12/26/12, CMU 24-21By Opponent: Scott Secor, Ball State, 10/18/14, 55 yards, Ball State 32-29
Four or More Passing TDs in a GameBy CMU: Cooper Rush vs. UNLV, 9/17/16, 6 TDs, CMU 44-21By Opponent: Logan Woodside, Toledo, 10/22/16, 4 TDs, Toledo 31-17
Three Rushing TDs in a GameBy CMU: Jahray Hayes vs. Presbyterian, 9/1/16, 43 yards, 3 TDs, CMU 49-3By Opponent: Terrel Hunt, 92 yards, 3 TDs, Syracuse, 9/13/14, Syracuse 40-3
Four Rushing TDs in a GameBy CMU: Zurlon Tipton vs. UMass, 11/23/12, 185 yards, 4 TDs, CMU 42-21By Opponent: Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois, 10/16/04, 226 yards, 4 TD, Northern Illinois 42-10
Three or More Receiving TDs in a GameBy CMU: Titus Davis vs. WKU, 12/24/14, 137 yards, 4 TDs, WKU 49-48By Opponent: Cody Thompson, Toledo, 10/22/16, 122 yards, 4 TD, Toledo 31-17
50 Points in a GameBy CMU: 51 points vs. Buffalo, 10/17/15, CMU 51-14By Opponent: Michigan, 59 points, 8/31/13, Michigan 59-9
Four Field Goals in a GameBy CMU: David Harman at Iowa, 9/22/12, (33, 25, 20, 47 yards), CMU 32-31By Opponent: Scott Secor, Ball State, 10/18/14, 55 yards (39, 37, 20, 55 yards), Ball State 32-29
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr./El. Hometown/Last School 1 Alonzo McCoy DB 5-11 185 Fr. Detroit, Mich./Thurston 1 Tony Poljan QB 6-7 225 Fr. Lansing, Mich./Lansing Catholic 2 Jakkar Jackson DB 5-10 190 Fr. Farmington Hills, Mich./Farmington 2 Jake Johnson QB 6-2 205 RFr. DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt 3 Mark Chapman WR 6-0 180 Jr. Port Huron, Mich./Port Huron 3 Emmett Thomas DB 5-10 175 So. Brunswick, Ga./Glynn Academy 4 Winslow Chapman DB 6-0 190 Sr. Port Huron, Mich./Port Huron 4 Jamil Sabbagh WR 5-9 200 RFr. Dearborn, Mich./Fordson 5 Jonathan Ward RB 6-0 185 Fr. Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara 6 Bailey Edwards WR 6-1 185 Fr. Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea 6 Da’Quaun Jamison DB 6-0 190 RFr. Leesburg, Ga./Lee County 7 Amari Coleman DB 5-11 188 Jr. Flint, Mich./New Lothrop 7 Tommy Lazzaro QB 6-3 225 So. Monument, Colo./Dodge City CC 8 Malik Fountain LB 6-2 230 So. Chicago, Ill./Rich Central 8 Corey Willis WR 5-10 175 Jr. Holland, Mich./Holland 9 Cooper Mojsiejenko P 6-4 215 So. Bridgman, Mich./Bridgman 9 Damon Terry WR 6-0 200 RFr. Lansing, Mich./Everett 10 Zach Oakley DB 6-1 205 So. Osceola, Ind./Penn 10 Cooper Rush QB 6-3 230 Sr. Charlotte, Mich./Lansing Catholic 11 Trevor Apsey LB 6-0 215 So. Maple City, Mich./Glen Lake 11 Jahray Hayes RB 5-11 215 Sr. San Francisco, Calif/City College of San Francisco 12 Eric Cooper WR 5-11 205 Jr. Flint, Mich./Beecher 12 Marcel Ray DB 6-0 185 Fr. Fayetteville, Ga./Starr’s Mills 13 Kaden Keon K/P 5-9 180 Fr. St. Louis, Mich./St. Louis 14 Josh Cox DB 5-11 190 Jr. Warren, Mich./De La Salle Collegiate 15 Tee’ondre Harvey DB 6-0 165 Fr. Detroit, Mich./Mumford 16 Austin Hergott QB 6-3 220 Fr. Fort Thomas, Ky./Highlands 16 Matt Krause RB 5-10 205 RFr. Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion 17 Marcus Samuels DB 5-9 185 So. Riverview, Mich./Riverview 17 Austin Stewart WR 6-6 210 Sr. Normal, Ill./West 18 Tony Annese DB 6-1 215 Sr. Hartland, Mich./Rochester Adams 18 Brandon Childress WR 6-2 195 RFr. Baldwin, Mich./Baldwin 19 Bobby Banks LB 5-11 215 RFr. Detroit, Mich./Southfield Christian 19 Jay Roberson RB 6-2 215 Jr. Belleville, Mich./Belleville 20 Gage Kreski DB 6-1 195 Fr. St. Ignace, Mich./St. Ignace 22 Gary Jones DB 6-2 215 Jr. Allegan, Mich./Allegan 23 Anthony Scarcelli WR 6-0 185 Sr. Marine City, Mich./Marine City 24 Chris Nelson RB 5-10 220 Fr. Okemos, Mich./Okemos 25 Devon Spalding RB 5-11 205 Jr. Westland, Mich./John Glenn 26 Trent Grimes RB 6-0 195 So. Fenton, Mich./Flint Powers Catholic 27 Sean Bunting DB 6-1 180 Fr. Clinton Township, Mich./Chippewa Valley 28 Jerrod Davis RB 5-11 195 RFr. Detroit, Mich./Portage Central 29 Andy Branch DB 5-10 192 Fr. Stevensville, Mich./Lakeshore 30 Alex Briones LB 6-2 240 So. Ishpeming, Mich./Ishpeming 31 Berkley Edwards RB 5-9 195 Jr. Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea 32 Jeff Perry LB 6-2 225 Jr. Morris, Ill./Morris 33 Kumehnnu Gwilly RB 6-2 225 Fr. Shelby Township, Mich./Utica 33 Tyree Waller LB 6-1 220 Jr. Ypsilanti, Mich./Lincoln 34 Colton Odykirk DB 6-2 200 Sr. Mount Pleasant, Mich./Mount Pleasant 34 Romello Ross RB 5-10 200 So. Detroit, Mich./Detroit Western 35 Trevor Thomas RB 5-11 215 Jr. Davison, Mich./Davison 36 Tyjuan Swain DB 6-0 190 Jr. Olympia Fields, Ill./College of DuPage 37 Otis Kearney DB 6-0 200 So. Toms River, N.J./Toms River South 38 Ray Golden DB 6-1 180 Jr. San Diego, Calif./Mount San Jacinto JC 39 Michael Oliver LB 5-11 235 RFr. Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech
NAME ...................................... CAREER STARTS (CONSECUTIVE)Cooper Rush .............................................................................................. 47 (46) Jabari Dean ................................................................................................. 39 (11) Tony Annese .................................................................................................37 (5) Kenny Rogers ...............................................................................................31 (5) Jesse Kroll ............................................................................................................26 Joe Ostman .................................................................................................26 (11)Malik Fountain .......................................................................................... 24 (24)Amari Coleman ........................................................................................ 24 (24)Nathan Ricketts .........................................................................................23 (14) Derek Edwards ............................................................................................23 (6)Kelby Latta ..................................................................................................22 (12)Josh Cox .......................................................................................................22 (12) Mark Chapman ..................................................................................................21 Austin Doan ........................................................................................................20Joe Bacci ..............................................................................................................18 Mitch Stanitzek .................................................................................................13Devon Spalding ................................................................................................12 Joe Austin .................................................................................................... 12 (11) J.P. Quinn ..................................................................................................... 12 (11)
NAME ...................................... CAREER STARTS (CONSECUTIVE) Chris Kantzavelos .......................................................................................10 (3) Corey Willis .....................................................................................................9 (7) Alex Briones ........................................................................................................ 9 Anthony Rice ........................................................................................................ 8 Shakir Carr ............................................................................................................. 8 Jeff Perry ................................................................................................................ 7 Zach Crouch ......................................................................................................... 6 Jahray Hayes .................................................................................................. 5 (2)Otis Kearney ......................................................................................................... 3 Jack Ford ................................................................................................................ 2 Tyree Waller .......................................................................................................... 2 Jonathan Carson ................................................................................................. 1Romello Ross ........................................................................................................ 1 Emmett Thomas ................................................................................................. 1 Mike Danna ........................................................................................................... 1
DEFENSE
OFFENSE WR LT LG C RG RT TE TE/FB/WR QB RB WR/TE
PC Kroll Austin Quinn Doan Rogers Edwards Carson Rice Rush Spalding M. Chapman
Ok State Kroll Austin Quinn Doan Rogers Edwards Conklin Rice Rush Spalding M. Chapman
UNLV Kroll Austin Carr Doan Quinn Edwards Conklin Bacci Rush Spalding M. Chapman
Quickie Statistics (Final)Presbyterian vs Central Michigan (Sept 1, 2016 at Mount Pleasant, Mich)
PC CMUScore 3 49FIRST DOWNS 6 23RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 33-44 38-255PASSING YDS (NET) 82 237Passes Att-Comp-Int 22-10-2 27-16-2TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 55-126 65-492Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0Punt Returns-Yards 2-16 1-26Kickoff Returns-Yards 6-92 1-11Interception Returns-Yards 2-4 2-27Punts (Number-Avg) 11-40.5 5-37.8Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0Penalties-Yards 6-60 7-56Possession Time 27:55 32:05Third-Down Conversions 1 of 14 3 of 9Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 0 0 of 0Red-Zone Scores-Chances 1-2 3-4
Presbyterian Central MichiganRushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgBRIDGES, D. 21 49 10 39 0 8 1.9CHEEK, B. 10 24 20 4 0 10 0.4HARVEY, S. 1 2 0 2 0 2 2.0DAVIS, D. 1 0 1 -1 0 0 -1.0
Rushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgSPALDING, Devon 15 135 0 135 1 69 9.0WARD, Jonathan 7 79 0 79 1 45 11.3HAYES, Jahray 9 43 0 43 3 12 4.8KRAUSE, Matt 2 5 0 5 0 5 2.5
Passing C-A-I Yds TD Long SackCHEEK, B. 10-22-2 82 0 27 2
Passing C-A-I Yds TD Long SackRUSH, Cooper 16-26-2 237 1 46 3KROLL, Jesse 0-1-0 0 0 0 0
Receiving No. Yards TD LongBRIDGES, D. 4 8 0 9WILSON, D. 3 29 0 19DAVIS, D. 2 28 0 27WATSON, D. 1 17 0 17
Tackles UA-A Total Sacks TFLLINDSAY, J. 7-2 9 1.0 1.0COLEMAN, K. 7-0 7 0.0 0.0MACK, K. 5-0 5 2.0 2.0BEIDEL, G. 2-2 4 0.0 0.0
Tackles UA-A Total Sacks TFLRICKETTS, N. 6-0 6 0.0 2.0BRIONES, Alex 4-1 5 0.0 1.0CHAPMAN, W. 4-0 4 0.0 0.0COLEMAN, Amari 3-0 3 0.0 1.0
Qtr Time Scoring Play V-H1st 14:22 CMU - SPALDING, Devon 69 yd run (EAVEY, Brian kick), 2-75 0:38 0 - 72nd 07:02 CMU - HAYES, Jahray 2 yd run (EAVEY, Brian kick), 7-33 3:32 0 - 14
00:39 PC - NORTON, B. 36 yd field goal, 4-5 0:52 3 - 143rd 07:37 CMU - HAYES, Jahray 12 yd run (EAVEY, Brian kick), 5-68 2:37 3 - 21
03:26 CMU - WILLIS, Corey 46 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 6-71 3:02 3 - 284th 10:46 CMU - HAYES, Jahray 8 yd run (EAVEY, Brian kick), 3-45 1:16 3 - 35
10:03 CMU - COLEMAN, Amari 27 yd interception return (EAVEY, Brian kick) 3 - 4207:09 CMU - WARD, Jonathan 45 yd run (EAVEY, Brian kick), 2-49 0:47 3 - 49
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Cooper Rush was solid and the run game clearly improved. And the defense? Well, all that was expected of it and more.
Central Michigan took care of business before 16,000-plus on opening night, dispatching Football Championship Subdivision Presbyterian, 49-3, Thursday at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Devon Spalding ran for 135 yards and Jahray Hayes scored a career-high three rushing touchdowns as the Chippewas finished with 255 yards on the ground, their highest total in a 16-game stretch dating to a 38-7 win over Eastern Michigan on Nov. 1, 2014.
“Obviously there are a lot of things we would like to do better,” said John Bonamego, who is beginning his second season in charge of the Chippewas program. “Our defense was stellar, we’re right where we hoped we would be. Offensively, we just hurt ourselves with penalties and were a bit sloppy at times.
“I talked to them at halftime, and they looked better, but there is plenty to address. We can’t win when we turn the ball over and make mistakes and have penalties in tight games down the stretch. We’re going to have to play better, and we will. “
Spalding, a junior who missed the final eight games a year ago with a shoulder injury, raced 69 yards – the longest run of his career – for a TD on the second play of the game to put CMU up, 7-0.
CMU led 14-3 at halftime, then flexed its muscle in the second half in wearing down the Blue Hose, who finished 2-9 a year ago.
Rush completed 16 of 26 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown against two interceptions.
CMU finished with 492 total yards and 23 first downs while holding the Blue Hose to 126 yards, including 44 on the ground, and six first downs. Presbyterian running back Darrell Bridges, who rushed for 1,065 yards in 2015, finished with 39 yards.
Hayes scored on a 2-yard run midway through the second quarter to extend CMU’s lead to 14-0.
The second half was all Chippewas. Hayes scored on a 12-yard run midway through the third quarter, then Rush connected with Corey Willis for a 46-yard touchdown pass play to make it 28-3 late in the third.
In the fourth quarter, CMU got an 8-yard TD run from Hayes, a 27-yard interception return from cornerback Amari Coleman, and a Jonathan Ward 45-yard scoring run to finish it off.
Tackles UA-A Total Sacks TFLCOX, Josh 7-2 9 0.0 0.0BRIONES, Alex 4-4 8 0.0 0.0FOUNTAIN, Malik 4-2 6 0.0 0.0Ricketts, N. 4-2 6 0.0 1.0
Tackles UA-A Total Sacks TFLBurton, Jordan 6-3 9 0.0 0.0Sterns, Jordan 6-2 8 0.0 1.0Richards, Ramon 5-3 8 0.0 0.0Lampkin, Ashton 3-1 4 0.0 0.0
Qtr Time Scoring Play V-H1st 04:49 OSU - McCleskey,Jalen 26 yd pass from Rudolph, Mason (Grogan, Ben kick), 5-57 1:03 0 - 7
02:23 OSU - Veatch, Zac 18 yd pass from Rudolph, Mason (Grogan, Ben kick), 4-63 0:47 0 - 142nd 12:13 CMU - CONKLIN, Tyler 24 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 11-79 5:05 7 - 14
09:25 OSU - Ammendola, Matt 53 yd field goal, 8-31 2:48 7 - 1704:08 CMU - EAVEY, Brian 30 yd field goal, 10-53 5:52 10 - 17
3rd 05:16 CMU - CONKLIN, Tyler 5 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 12-89 6:44 17 - 1702:58 OSU - Grogan, Ben 35 yd field goal, 8-57 2:18 17 - 20
4th 09:40 CMU - SPALDING, Devon 31 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 8-95 4:20 24 - 2005:12 OSU - Washington, J. 2 yd pass from Stoner, Dillon (Grogan, Ben kick), 4-20 1:13 24 - 2700:00 CMU - WILLIS, Corey 9 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper, 1-51 0:00 30 - 27
STILLWATER, Okla. - It was over. The clock read 0:00 and a 27-24 loss for the Central Michigan football team.
And then, it wasn’t.
The Chippewas took advantage of a final chance with no time remaining Saturday and quarterback Cooper Rush’s Hail Mary found the target as CMU stunned No. 22-ranked Oklahoma State, 30-27, at Boone Pickens Stadium.
It was the Chippewas’ first win over a ranked team since it knocked off No. 18 Michigan State, 20-3, on Sept. 14, 1991, at Spartan Stadium.
Dillon Stoner tossed a 2-yard pass to James Washington with just over 5 minutes remaining to put the Cowboys in front, 27-24. The score came after CMU had fumbled on its own 20-yard line.
The Chippewas had what appeared to be their final opportunity dashed when Rush was intercepted with 1:54 to play.
Oklahoma State took over needing simply to run out the clock. With 4 seconds remaining and on fourth down, Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph threw out of bounds and was called for intentional grounding.
Though time had expired, the Chippewas received one final play because of the penalty and loss of down.
Starting at his own 49-yard line, Rush heaved a bomb to Jesse Kroll who stood at the Oklahoma State 10. The 6-foot-3 Kroll went up in front of a defender, caught the ball, and, as he was falling with his back to the goal line, lateralled to Willis.
Willis gathered the ball and raced to the far side of the field - toward the CMU sideline - and dove across the goal line with a defender on his back, giving the Chippewas the dramatic victory.
Rush completed 30 of his 42 pass attempts for 361 yards and four touchdowns.
The Cowboys, using a frantic no-huddle offense, built a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter and appeared to have CMU gasping for breath.
The teams traded field goals and CMU tied it 17-17 on Rush’s second TD pass to Conklin, this one a 5-yarder, with under 6 minutes to play in the third quarter.
Oklahoma State re-took the lead on a field goal with 2:58 to play in the third. The Chippewas took their first lead of the game on a 31-yard Rush-to-Devon Spaulding TD pass with just over nine minutes to play.
UNLV Central MichiganRushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgTHOMAS, L. 17 133 20 113 1 85 6.6WILLIAMS, C. 10 33 0 33 0 7 3.3STANTON, Johnny 8 30 11 19 0 10 2.4GREENE, David 3 19 2 17 0 15 5.7
Rushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgWARD, Jonathan 12 51 0 51 0 12 4.2HAYES, Jahray 11 36 0 36 0 7 3.3RUSH, Cooper 3 36 0 36 0 29 12.0KRAUSE, Matt 2 15 0 15 0 9 7.5
Passing C-A-I Yds TD Long SackSTANTON, Johnny 15-41-2 131 1 21 1
Passing C-A-I Yds TD Long SackRUSH, Cooper 20-33-0 352 6 42 0KROLL, Jesse 0-1-0 0 0 0 0
Receiving No. Yards TD LongSTEVENSON, M. 5 48 0 16WOODS JR., D. 3 38 1 21WILLIAMS, C. 3 11 0 16PRICE, Andrew 2 20 0 15
Punting No. Yds Avg Long In20 TBSHELDON, Jack 4 143 35.8 39 2 1Team 1 0 0.0 0 0 0
Punt Returns No. Yards TD LongBORG, Aaron 1 11 0 0STEVENSON, M. 1 -2 0 0
Punt Returns No. Yards TD LongTHOMAS, Emmett 2 0 0 2CHAPMAN, W. 1 11 0 0
Kick Returns No. Yards TD LongWILLIAMS, C. 4 54 0 17THOMAS, L. 1 27 0 27
Kick Returns No. Yards TD LongCHAPMAN, Mark 2 51 0 33JONES, Gary 1 21 0 21
Tackles UA-A Total Sacks TFLHAWTHORNE, Tro 5-5 10 0.0 0.0LOTULELEI, Tau 6-1 7 0.0 1.0MCALEENAN, Rya 4-0 4 0.0 0.0HUGHES JR., M. 4-0 4 0.0 0.0
Tackles UA-A Total Sacks TFLFOUNTAIN, Malik 8-1 9 0.0 2.0ANNESE, Tony 6-0 6 0.0 0.0RICKETTS, N. 5-0 5 0.0 0.0DANNA, Mike 3-2 5 0.5 0.5
Qtr Time Scoring Play V-H1st 10:32 LV - WILLIAMS, C. 0 yd blocked punt return (PANTELS, Evan kick) 7 - 0
04:38 CMU - KROLL, Jesse 30 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 6-75 2:23 7 - 701:35 CMU - CHAPMAN, Mark 13 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 5-48 1:37 7 - 14
2nd 13:07 LV - THOMAS, L. 85 yd run (PANTELS, Evan kick), 2-78 0:49 14 - 1407:34 LV - WOODS JR., D. 13 yd pass from STANTON, Johnny (PANTELS, Evan kick), 10-62 3:58 21 - 1405:07 CMU - CHAPMAN, Mark 29 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 5-82 2:27 21 - 2101:51 CMU - WILLIS, Corey 26 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 7-80 2:37 21 - 28
3rd 06:34 CMU - WILLIS, Corey 31 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 3-48 1:24 21 - 3504:40 CMU - CHAPMAN, W. safety 21 - 37
4th 14:14 CMU - CHILDRESS, B. 42 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 1-42 0:07 21 - 44
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – No heroics necessary this week.
A very good Cooper Rush and a stingy defense was plenty.
Rush threw for 352 yards and a Kelly/Shorts Stadium-record six touchdowns Saturday as the Central Michigan football team downed UNLV, 44-21, before 19,922.
Saturday’s win, which gave CMU its first 3-0 start since 2002, came one week after CMU scored on a Hail Mary pass with no time remaining to upset No. 22-ranked Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla.
The Chippewas go to Viriginia next weekend eyeing their first 4-0 start since 1985. After that, the Chippewas play host to archrival Western Michigan (3-0) on Oct. 1.
CMU overcame a pair of early big plays by UNLV (1-2) to seize control by halftime and win going away.
Rush connected with Mark Chapman on a 29-yard TD pass with under six minutes to play in the first half to tie the game, 21-21. Just over three minutes later, Rush hit Corey Willis for a 26-yard score to put CMU in front, 28-21.
Wilis finished with six catches for 108 yards, while Chapman had 80 on five. Both scored two touchdowns.
Rush and Willis hooked up on a 31-yard TD pass play midway through the third quarter and Rush hit Brandon Childress for a 42-yard TD less than a minute into the fourth quarter to put the Chippewas in complete control.
It was vintage Rush, spreading the ball to his bevy of receivers.
The Chippewa defense limited UNLV quarterback Johnny Stanton to 131 yards on 15-of-41 passing and intercepted him twice. They also recorded a safety when Nate Brisson-Fast blocked a punt out of the end zone in the fourth quarter.
The Rebels’ Lexington Thomas rushed for 113 yards, 85 of which came early in the second quarter on a TD run.
The Chippewas finished with 499 yards in total offense and had 23 first downs to UNLV’s 15. The Rebels finished with 313 total yards.
Tackles UA-A Total Sacks TFLFOUNTAIN, Malik 4-4 8 0.0 0.0CHAPMAN, W. 3-5 8 0.0 0.0
Tackles UA-A Total Sacks TFLBlanding, Q 7-5 12 0.0 0.0Rainey, K 7-2 9 0.0 1.0
Qtr Time Scoring Play V-H1st 09:42 VA - Zaccheaus, O 15 yd pass from Benkert, K (Furbank, A kick), 5-44 1:29 0 - 7
06:02 VA - Reid, A 4 yd run (Burney, R rush), 6-78 2:05 0 - 152nd 14:25 VA - Johnson, K 13 yd pass from Benkert, K (Furbank, A kick failed), 11-99 3:50 0 - 21
10:34 VA - Mizzell, T 4 yd run (Furbank, A kick), 5-43 2:15 0 - 2804:06 CMU - WARD, Jonathan 1 yd run (EAVEY, Brian kick), 13-66 6:28 7 - 2802:26 CMU - WILLIS, Corey 85 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 2-85 0:16 14 - 28
3rd 06:21 CMU - COLEMAN, Amari 47 yd interception return (EAVEY, Brian kick) 21 - 284th 14:54 CMU - WILLIS, Corey 14 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 11-89 5:15 28 - 28
09:36 VA - Zaccheaus, O 82 yd pass from Benkert, K (Furbank, A kick), 2-86 0:37 28 - 3505:00 VA - Reid, A 5 yd pass from Benkert, K (Furbank, A kick), 8-73 3:37 28 - 4204:05 VA - Mizzell, T 53 yd pass from Benkert, K (Furbank, A kick), 1-53 0:12 28 - 4900:48 CMU - HAYES, Jahray 5 yd run (EAVEY, Brian kick), 10-88 3:17 35 - 49
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Central Michigan got up off the canvas and got back in the battle.
Unfortunately, the Chippewas couldn’t answer a second time.
CMU clawed back from a four-touchdown deficit to tie the game before succumbing to Virginia, 49-35, in a non-conference game before 35, 211 at the Cavaliers’ Scott Stadium on Saturday.
It was the first loss for CMU (3-1) and the first win for Virginia (1-3). The Chippewas open Mid-American Conference play next Saturday (7 p.m.) at home against archrival Western Michigan (4-0). The Broncos topped previously unbeaten Georgia Southern, 49-31, on Saturday night.
Saturday’s game featured more than 1,000 yards in total offense, 47 first downs, and plenty of momentum-shifting big plays.
The game-changer came after CMU, down 28-0 early in the second quarter, forged a 28-28 tie on Cooper Rush’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Corey Willis on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Five minutes later, Virginia quarterback Kurt Benkert connected with Olamide Zaccheaus for an 82-yard touchdown pass play to put the Cavaliers in front for good, 35-28.
Zaccheaus got behind CMU cornerback Sean Bunting down the sideline, and Benkert hit him with a strike near midfield. Zaccheaus did the rest.
Benkert threw for 421 yards and five touchdowns, while CMU quarterback Cooper Rush completed 25 of 45 pass attempts for 402 yards and two scores.
Willis caught six passes for a career-high 145 yards and two scores, the first of which was an 85-yarder that pulled CMU to 28-14 with under five minutes to play in the half. Willis’ six catches and two TD receptions matched his career high.
CMU cornerback Amari Coleman returned an interception 47 yards midway through the third quarter to cut the Chippewas’ deficit to 28-21.
Jonathan Ward and Jahray Hayes added rushing TDs for the Chippewas, who finished with 97 yards on the ground.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – One of the most-hyped games in the long-running and bitter Central Michigan-Western Michigan rivalry turned into one of the most lopsided.
Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush was sacked eight times Saturday night as the Broncos ran past CMU, 49-10, before the second-largest crowd in Kelly/Shorts Stadium history.
That crowd, announced at 30,411, had little to cheer about after the Chippewas opened the game with an 80-yard drive that produced a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
It was all Western after that as the Broncos retained the Victory Cannon with their third consecutive win against the Chippewas.
Jarvion Franklin ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns as the Broncos improved to 5-0, 1-0 Mid-American Conference. The Chippewas lost their second straight to slip to 3-2, 0-1.
Western’s defense forced two turnovers - one of which was an interception returned 85 yards for a touchdown - and outgained the Chippewas, 424-227.
The Broncos limited Rush to 178 yards passing. He entered the game averaging just a shade below 340 per game.
Brian Eavey kicked a 45-yard field goal midway through the first quarter to put the Chippewas in front, 3-0. CMU’s lone touchdown came on a 37-yard pass play from Rush to Mark Chapman with just over four minutes to play in the third quarter.
In between CMU’s two scores, the Broncos scored seven touchdowns, two by Franklin, two on passes from quarterback Zach Terrell, and one on an interception return by Darius Phillips.
Phillips’ return snuffed out the Chippewas’ last hope of of staying in the game. It came on first down with CMU at the Western 23-yard line, trailing 28-3 with just over five minutes to play in the third quarter.
Ball State Central MichiganRushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgGILBERT, James 27 148 7 141 2 47 5.2NEAL, Riley 8 26 13 13 0 9 1.6WILLIAMSON, T. 4 12 0 12 0 5 3.0
Rushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgSPALDING, Devon 23 165 8 157 1 63 6.8HAYES, Jahray 3 5 1 4 0 3 1.3Team 2 0 4 -4 0 0 -2.0RUSH, Cooper 9 42 46 -4 0 26 -0.4
Tackles UA-A Total Sacks TFLFOUNTAIN, Malik 4-6 10 0.0 0.5KEARNEY, Otis 4-6 10 0.0 0.5OSTMAN, Joe 6-3 9 2.0 1.0COLEMAN, Amari 4-0 4 0.0 0.0
Qtr Time Scoring Play V-H1st 08:34 CMU - EAVEY, Brian 29 yd field goal, 8-68 3:45 0 - 3
03:21 BALL - GILBERT, James 13 yd run (HAGEE, Morgan kick), 14-77 5:13 7 - 32nd 07:08 CMU - SPALDING, Devon 1 yd run (EAVEY, Brian kick), 10-84 5:42 7 - 10
00:07 CMU - WILLIS, Corey 15 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 4-78 0:25 7 - 173rd 06:07 BALL - HAZELTON JR.,D. 9 yd pass from NEAL, Riley (HAGEE, Morgan kick), 8-40 3:19 14 - 174th 13:45 CMU - COX, Josh 33 yd interception return (EAVEY, Brian kick) 14 - 24
11:40 BALL - GILBERT, James 1 yd run (HAGEE, Morgan kick), 6-75 2:05 21 - 24
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - A bounce-back win, and one the Central Michigan football team needed.
Devon Spalding ran for 157 yards and a touchdown and the Chippewas delivered the big plays late on Saturday in downing Ball State, 24-21, before 20,044 on homecoming at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
The Chippewas rebounded from a stinging 49-10 home loss to rival Western Michigan last week in improving to 4-2 overall, 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference. Ball State is 3-3, 0-2.
Spalding’s 1-yard touchdown plunge midway through the second quarter put Central Michigan in front for good, 10-7. His 63-yard run set up another TD just before halftime that extended CMU’s lead to 17-7, and he bolted 52 yards to get the Chippewas out of their own end and ice the game with about a minute left.
The Chippewa cornerbacks delivered two critical plays in the fourth quarter. The first was a Josh Cox interception, which he returned 33 yards to extend CMU’s lead to 10 points, 24-14, early in the quarter; the second came when Amari Coleman intercepted a long Riley Neal pass in the end zone with 1:37 left to preserve a 24-21 lead.
Two plays later, Spalding raced 52 yards into Ball State territory to ice it.
CMU quarterback Cooper Rush completed 21 of 32 pass attempts for 269 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked five times by the Cardinals a week after Western Michigan registered eight sacks against the Chippewas.
Ball State quarterback Riley Neal threw for 174 yards on 18-of-30 passing with one touchdown. The Cardinals’ James Gilbert rushed for 141 yards and two TDs.
DeKALB, Ill. - Cooper Rush hit Tyler Conklin with a 25-yard touchdown pass in the third overtime Saturday as Central Michigan pulled out a thrilling 34-28 victory over Northern Illinois at Huskie Stadium.
The win, CMU’s second straight, lifted the Chippewas to 5-2 overall, 2-1 MAC. It was their third straight victory over NIU, the six-time defending MAC West champion. The Huskies are 1-6, 1-2.
The Chippewas overcame three turnovers and twice had chances to win it with field goals. Brian Eavey’s 33-yard attempt with 16 seconds left in regulation was partially blocked and short; his 35-yard try in the first overtime was wide left.
The teams traded touchdowns in the second overtime. Rush hit Corey Willis for a 25-yard touchdown, then NIU scored on a 13-yard Anthony Maddie-to-Joel Bouagnon pass to tie it at 28-28 and send it to the third OT.
NIU went on offense first in the third overtime. On fourth down, Christian Hagan’s 34-yard field goal attempt was blocked by defensive tackle Kelby Latta.
The Chippewas took over at the 25 and on first down, Rush found Conklin, a 6-foot-4 junior tight end, on a post route. Conklin leapt and secured the ball while falling into the end zone to give CMU its first OT victory in a MAC game since 2008.
Rush completed 19 of 35 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns against two interceptions.
The Chipppewas rushed for 230 yards, their second-highest total of the season. Devon Spalding ran for 124 yards and Jahray Hayes finished with 105. Both carried 22 times and each scored a touchdown.
Quickie Statistics (Final)Central Michigan vs NIU (Oct 15, 2016 at DeKalb, Ill.)
TOLEDO, Ohio - A tale of two halves. And either way, Central Michigan couldn’t match a strong Toledo team.
Logan Woodside threw four touchdown passes, all of them to Cody Thompson and all of them in the second half, as Toledo handed the Chippewas a 31-17 Mid-American Conference loss at the Glass Bowl on Saturday.
CMU, which had won two straight, slipped to 5-3, 2-2 MAC. It was the third straight win for Toledo, 6-1, 3-0.
The loss all but ended CMU’s legitimate hopes of claiming the MAC West title and reaching the league championship game. They trail both the Rockets and Western Michigan by two games in the loss column.
“Mathematically, representing the West, there’s a chance, but realistically it’s probably not going to materialize,” second-year CMU coach John Bonamego said.
The game pitted two of the MAC’s most-explosive teams. The Rockets came in with an offense ranked No. 1 in the MAC and third in the country. The Chippewas were fourth in the league.
The halftime score: 3-0 Toledo.
Things opened up significantly in the second half. Woodside found Thompson for TD passes covering 16, 16, 11 and 34 yards. The first two of which upped Toledo’s lead to 17-0 early in the third quarter.
The Chippewas hung in, and drew to 17-10 entering the fourth quarter when Rush scored on a 20-yard run and Brian Eavey made a 36-yard field goal.
But the Woodside-to-Thompson combination proved simply too much for the Chippewas to match.
“Our guys showed a lot of fight but in the end we made too many mistakes,” Bonamego said. “We hurt ourselves with penalties, with turnovers and we weren’t consistent enough stopping them in the second half, and we were consistent enough all day offensively and finishing off drives.
“They’re a good football team. I think we’re still a good football team. We’ve just got to pick up the pieces here and go back to work tomorrow.”
Rush completed 18 of 31 pass attempts for 229 yards and one TD, a 4-yarder to tight end Tyler Conklin. Devon Spalding led CMU’s ground game with 65 yards on 10 carries.
Saturday, October 29, 2016 Kelly/Shorts StadiumMount Pleasant, Mich.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Shane Hynes kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired on Saturday as Kent State handed Central Michigan a 27-24 Mid-American Conference loss at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
The loss was the second straight for CMU (5-4 overall, 2-3 MAC), which failed in its bid for a sixth victory which would have made it bowl eligible. The Chippewas play at Miami (Ohio) next Friday.
The Chippewas committed a season-high four turnovers and Kent State blocked two CMU field goal attempts.
“Obviously a very disappointing loss,” CMU coach John Bonamego said. “I did not think we played very well on either side of the ball and certainly not well enough to win. Penalties, turnovers, and big plays, such as missed tackles, killed us. As well as not being able to protect on field goal protection.”
CMU appeared in control of the game after Tony Annese returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown midway through the third quarter, giving the Chippewas a 24-10 lead.
But Kent State responded with a 1-yard Justin Rankin touchdown run and a 68-yard TD scamper by quarterback Nick Holley to tie it early in the fourth.
The Chippewas faced a fourth-and-1 at their own 47 with under 2 minutes to play. CMU coach John Bonamego elected to punt, and the Golden Flashes (3-6, 2-3) took over on their own 14 with 1 minute, 55 seconds remaining.
They drove to the CMU 18. Hynes’ kick split the uprights.
To punt it “was probably a lesser of two evils,” Bonamego said. “It was my expectation that we would either get the ball back one more time at midfield with two timeouts left and a chance to move down and score, or the clock would expire. I was not expecting them to drive down and kick a game winning field goal.”
CMU quarterback Cooper Rush completed 20 of 43 pass attempts for 244 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted three times, tying his career-high. Rush’s TD passes went to Corey Willis (3 yards) and Mark Chapman (40).
Holley finished with 144 yards on 24 rushing attempts.
Quickie Statistics (Final)Kent State vs Central Michigan (Oct 29, 2016 at Mount Pleasant, Mich)
KENT CMUScore 27 24FIRST DOWNS 14 19RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 42-228 30-105PASSING YDS (NET) 102 244Passes Att-Comp-Int 18-10-1 43-20-3TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 60-330 73-349Fumble Returns-Yards 1--1 0-0Punt Returns-Yards 2-5 1-8Kickoff Returns-Yards 3-26 5-84Interception Returns-Yards 3-67 1-28Punts (Number-Avg) 5-29.8 4-46.8Fumbles-Lost 2-1 2-1Penalties-Yards 5-44 4-45Possession Time 25:23 34:37Third-Down Conversions 4 of 12 6 of 16Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 0 1 of 1Red-Zone Scores-Chances 3-3 1-2
Kent State Central MichiganRushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgHOLLEY, Nick 24 170 26 144 1 68 6.0RANKIN, Justin 15 83 5 78 1 40 5.2PRICE, Kavious 1 4 0 4 0 4 4.0MATTHEWS, Will 1 4 0 4 0 4 4.0
Rushing No. Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgSPALDING, Devon 10 40 0 40 0 12 4.0RUSH, Cooper 8 56 22 34 0 18 4.2HAYES, Jahray 12 37 6 31 0 9 2.6
Passing C-A-I Yds TD Long SackHOLLEY, Nick 10-18-1 102 1 29 3
Passing C-A-I Yds TD Long SackRUSH, Cooper 20-43-3 244 2 40 3
OXFORD, Ohio - A season that looked so promising three weeks ago is getting rough for the Central Michigan football team.
Quarterback Gus Ragland threw for 218 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 60 yards on Friday as Miami (Ohio) handed the Chippewas their third consecutive loss, 37-17, at the RedHawks’ Yager Stadium.
Central Michigan slipped to 5-5, 2-4 in the Mid-American Conference. It was the fourth straight win for Miami (4-6, 4-2).
The Chippewas need a win in one of their final two games to become bowl eligible. CMU plays host to Ohio on Nov. 15 and closes the regular season at Eastern Michigan on Nov. 22.
Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush finished 21-for-32 passing for 242 yards. He was held without a touchdown pass for the first time in the 2016 season and for the first time in a regular-season game since the 2015 season-opener, against Oklahoma State.
Jahray Hayes, making his first start of the season because of injury to Devon Spalding, led the Chippewa ground game with 60 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
Both of Hayes’ TD runs came in the first half. The Chippewas trailed, 20-17, at the break. Brian Eavey tied his season-long with a 45-yard field goal with 2 seconds left in the half to pull the Chippewas within three.
Any momentum the Chippewas gained from Eavey’s field goal went up in smoke when Miami’s Kenny Young raced 72 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the third quarter. That made it 27-17 and the Chippewas never seriously challenged in the second half.
The RedHawks finished with a 436-292 advantage in total yardage, including 218-50 on the ground. Miami converted nine of 13 third-down opportunities and punted just once.
Tackles UA-A Total Sacks TFLWALLER, Tyree 4-5 9 0.0 0.0COLEMAN, Amari 8-0 8 0.0 0.0OSTMAN, Joe 4-4 8 2.0 3.0RICKETTS, N. 4-2 6 0.0 1.0
Qtr Time Scoring Play V-H1st 05:30 CMU - EAVEY, Brian 40 yd field goal, 4-4 1:26 0 - 32nd 05:57 CMU - HAYES, Jahray 1 yd run (EAVEY, Brian kick), 5-60 2:16 0 - 10
01:25 CMU - CONKLIN, Tyler 13 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 7-63 3:01 0 - 1700:02 OHIO - ZERVOS, Louie 34 yd field goal, 9-57 1:23 3 - 17
3rd 10:17 OHIO - WHITE, Papi 16 yd pass from MAXWELL, Quinto (ZERVOS, Louie kick), 10-75 4:43 10 - 1703:45 CMU - EAVEY, Brian 33 yd field goal, 12-67 6:32 10 - 2002:21 OHIO - ZERVOS, Louie 34 yd field goal, 5-63 1:24 13 - 20
4th 14:20 OHIO - BROWN, Dorian 1 yd run (ZERVOS, Louie kick), 2-54 0:40 20 - 2005:51 CMU - CONKLIN, Tyler 8 yd pass from RUSH, Cooper (EAVEY, Brian kick), 8-43 4:22 20 - 27
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Decked out in its ice-look uniforms courtesy of Adidas, the Central Michigan football team remained cool when things got hot.
The Chippewa defense stood tall when it absolutely had to, stopping an Ohio scoring threat with under a minute to play as CMU held off the Bobcats, 27-20, Tuesday on Senior Night in a Mid-American Conference football game at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
The Chippewas led 17-0 late in the first half, but Ohio came back to forge a 20-20 tie early in the fourth quarter.
CMU quarterback Cooper Rush tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Conklin, who made a spectacular falling one-handed grab in the end zone, with just under six minutes remaining to put CMU ahead for good.
The play came on third-and-goal, and it was CMU’s second third-down conversion in the eight-play, 43-yard drive.
CMU recovered a fumble on Ohio’s next possession, taking over near midfield with 3 minutes, 23 seconds remaining. The Chippewas gave it back to the Bobcats a minute later with a fumble of their own at midfield. It was CMU’s lone turnover of the game.
The Bobcats drove to the CMU 7-yard line where, on third-and-5, defensive end Joe Ostman sacked Ohio quarterback Quinton Maxwell.
On fourth down, Sean Bunting intercepted Maxwell in the end zone with 34 seconds left.
Rush completed 25 of 32 pass attempts for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked just once by the Bobcats, who entered the game with a MAC-best 36 sacks and sported the No. 1 rushing defense in the league.
The Chippewas built a 17-0 lead late in the first half on a 40-yard Brian Eavey field goal, a Jahray Hayes 1-yard TD run, and a Rush-to-Conklin 13-yard TD pass.
The Bobcats surged in the second half, getting a 13-yard Maxwell-to-Papi White TD pass, a 1-yard TD run by Dorian Brown, and another 34-yard Zervos field goal. Eavey booted a 33-yard field goal and the score was tied at 20 early in the fourth.
The Chippewas’ game-winning drive started at Ohio’s 43. Eight plays later, they had the lead - for good - and Conklin had a catch that will surely stand as one of the highlight-reel plays of the college football season.
Opponent Scoring Play Conversion Possession Plays / Yards / Time (Quarter, Time)Presbyterian Devon Spalding 69-yard run Eavey kick 2 / 75 / 0:38 (1st, 14:22)Presbyterian Jahray Hayes 2-yard run Eavey kick 7 / 33 / 3:32 (2nd, 7:02)Presbyterian Jahray Hayes 12-yard run Eavey kick 5 / 68 / 2:37 (3rd, 7:37)Presbyterian Corey Willis 46-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 6 / 71 / 3:02 (3rd, 3:26)Presbyterian Jahray Hayes 8-yard run Eavey kick 3 / 45 / 1:16 (4th, 10:46)Presbyterian Amari Coleman 27-yard interception return Eavey kick (4th, 10:03)Presbyterian Jonathan Ward 45-yard run Eavey kick 2 / 49 / 0:47 (4th 7:09)Oklahoma State Tyler Conklin 24-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 11 / 79 / 5:05 (2nd, 12:13)Oklahoma State Brian Eavey 30-yard field goal 10 / 53 / 5:52 (2nd, 4:08)Oklahoma State Tyler Conklin 5-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 12 / 89 / 6:44 (3rd, 5:16)Oklahoma State Devon Spalding 31-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 8 / 95 / 4:20 (4th, 9:40)Oklahoma State Corey Willis 9-yard pass from Rush 1 / 51 / 0:00 (4th, 0:00)UNLV Jesse Kroll 30-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 6 / 75 / 2:23 (1st, 4:38)UNLV Mark Chapman 13-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 5 / 48 / 1:37 (1st, 1:35)UNLV Mark Chapman 29-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 5 / 82 / 2:27 (2nd, 5:07)UNLV Corey Willis 26-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 7 / 80 / 2:37 (2nd, 1:51)UNLV Corey Willis 31-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 3 / 48 / 1:24 (3rd, 6:34)UNLV Winslow Chapman safety (3rd, 4:40)UNLV Brandon Childress 42-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 1 / 42 / 0:07 (4th, 14:14)Virginia Jonathan Ward 1-yard run Eavey kick 13 / 66 / 6:28 (2nd, 4:06)Virginia Corey Willis 85-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 2 / 85 / 0:16 (2nd, 2:26)Virginia Amari Coleman 47-yard interception return Eavey kick (3rd, 6:21)Virginia Corey Willis 14-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 11 / 89 / 5:15 (4th, 14:54)Western Michigan Brian Eavey 45-yard field goal 11 / 53 / 5:44 (1st, 9:16)Western Michigan Mark Chapman 37-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 9 / 80 / 4:46 (3rd, 4:02)Ball State Brian Eavey 29-yard field goal 8 / 68 / 3:45 (1st, 8:34)Ball State Devon Spalding 1-yard run Eavey kick 10 / 84 / 5:42 (2nd, 7:08)Ball State Corey Willis 15-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 4 / 78 / 0:25 (2nd, 0:07)Ball State Josh Cox 33-yard interception return Eavey kick (4th, 13:45)Northern Illinois Trevor Thomas 11-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 3 / 18 / 0:59 (2nd, 8:38)Northern Illinois Jahray Hayes 3-yard run Eavey kick 11 / 65 / 5:48 (2nd, 0:42)Northern Illinois Devon Spalding 58-yard run Eavey kick 4 / 80 / 5:06 (4th, 4:21)Northern Illinois Corey Willis 25-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 2 / 25 / 0:00 (2OT)Northern Illinois Tyler Conklin 25-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 1 / 25 / 0:00 (3OT)Toledo Cooper Rush 20-yard run Eavey kick 5 / 73 / 2:41 (3rd, 6:50)Toledo Brian Eavey 36-yard field goal 8 / 47 / 3:45 (3rd, 1:30)Toledo Tyler Conklin 4-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 8 / 76 / 3:14 (4th, 4:11)Kent State Winslow Chapman blocked punt, safety (2nd, 14:45)Kent State Corey Willis 3-yard pass from Rush Conklin pass from Rush 12 / 70 / 2:55 (2nd, 0:26)Kent State Mark Chapman 40-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 10 / 81/ 5:43 (3rd, 9:17)Kent State Tony Annese 28-yard interception return Eavey kick (3rd, 7:58)Miami Jahray Hayes 1-yard run Eavey kick 12 / 77 / 5:19 (1st, 9:41)Maimi Jahray Hayes 1-yard run Eavey kick 12 / 76 / 6:42 (2nd, 13:16)Miami Brian Eavey 45-yard field goal 9 / 59 / 1:16 (2nd, 0:02)Ohio Brian Eavey 40-yard field goal 4 / 4 / 1:26 (1st 5:30)Ohio Jahray Hayes 1-yard run Eavey kick 5 / 60 / 2:16 (2nd, 5:57)Ohio Tyler Conklin 13-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 7 / 63 / 3:01 (2nd, 1:25)Ohio Brian Eavey 33-yard field goal Eavey kick 12 / 67 / 6:32 (3rd, 3:45)Ohio Tyler Conklin 8-yard pass from Rush Eavey kick 8 / 43 / 4:22 (4th, 5:51)
SCORING DRIVE SUPERLATIVESLongestBy number of plays: 13 (Virginia, 66 yards, 6:28)By number of yards: 95 (Oklahoma State, 8 plays, 4:20)By time of possession: 6:44 (Oklahoma State, 12 plays, 89 yards)
central michigan scoring drives
ShortestBy number of plays: 1 (Oklahoma State, 51 yards, 0:00)By number of yards: 18 (Northern Illinois, 3 plays, 0:59)By time of possession: 0:00 (Oklahoma State, 1 play, 51 yards)
2016 Central Michigan FootballCentral Michigan Overall Team Statistics (as of Nov 18, 2016)
All games
Team Statistics CMU OPPSCORING 311 313 Points Per Game 28.3 28.5 Points Off Turnovers 45 52FIRST DOWNS 220 202 R u s h i n g 75 80 P a s s i n g 128 106 P e n a l t y 17 16RUSHING YARDAGE 1297 1753 Yards gained rushing 1620 2009 Yards lost rushing 323 256 Rushing Attempts 359 396 Average Per Rush 3.6 4.4 Average Per Game 117.9 159.4 TDs Rushing 14 13PASSING YARDAGE 3061 2223 C o m p - A t t - I n t 234-386-12 193-338-12 Average Per Pass 7.9 6.6 Average Per Catch 13.1 11.5 Average Per Game 278.3 202.1 TDs Passing 23 26TOTAL OFFENSE 4358 3976 Total Plays 745 734 Average Per Play 5.8 5.4 Average Per Game 396.2 361.5KICK RETURNS: #-Yards 44-818 41-683PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards 13-71 16-104INT RETURNS: #-Yards 12-161 12-199KICK RETURN AVERAGE 18.6 16.7PUNT RETURN AVERAGE 5.5 6.5INT RETURN AVERAGE 13.4 16.6FUMBLES-LOST 16-8 10-5PENALTIES-Yards 55-580 49-486 Average Per Game 52.7 44.2PUNTS-Yards 57-2292 62-2503 Average Per Punt 40.2 40.4 Net punt average 36.6 37.3KICKOFFS-Yards 55-3154 61-3638 Average Per Kick 57.3 59.6 Net kick average 39.5 41.3TIME OF POSSESSION/Game 3 4 : 1 6 2 8 : 2 83RD-DOWN Conversions 65/154 65/160 3rd-Down Pct 42% 41%4TH-DOWN Conversions 5/8 6/16 4th-Down Pct 62% 38%SACKS BY-Yards 18-117 33-220MISC YARDS 8 12TOUCHDOWNS SCORED 41 41FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS 7-15 9-12ON-SIDE KICKS 0-1 0-0RED-ZONE SCORES (25-34) 74% (35-45) 78%RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS (21-34) 62% (28-45) 62%PAT-ATTEMPTS (38-38) 100% (38-40) 95%ATTENDANCE 104447 128320 Games/Avg Per Game 6/17408 5/25664 Neutral Site Games 0/0
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