Chippewas go on road looking for second win

The Chippewas are rested and for the most part healthy following their bye week.
Central (1-5 overall, 0-1 Mid-American Conference West and 1-2 in overall MAC action) now turns its attention to Ohio (4-3 overall, 2-2-1 in the MAC East and 2-2 overall in the MAC).
Last week, the Bobcats came away with an impressive 44-7 win over Kent State. Kent State was the last team the Chippewas faced two weeks ago and saw Central lose 24-21 in double overtime.
“We took three days off during the first week and had two practices,” Head Coach Mike DeBord said. “It was a very productive week and we got a lot of our players healthy.”
One player who will not be healthy enough to play against Ohio will be quarterback Pete Shepherd. Shepherd went down in the Kent State game with an ankle injury late in the first quarter.
Shepherd will be replaced by redshirt freshman Derrick Vickers.
“We’re going to take some time and let Pete heal before he plays again,” DeBord said. “He could play but, we want to make sure he can go at full speed.”
Vickers had the game of his young career in relief of Shepherd against the Golden Flashes. He completed 19-of-32 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
True freshman Kenan Lawhorne responded well in his first career start against Kent and should see action in Ohio. Lawhorne will be joined by Tyrone Dalton and Vince Webber in the backfield.
Webber is recovering from an injury that kept him out of the homecoming game but should be at full strength by Saturday.
The bye week also gave Central a chance to recover mentally after a 1-5 start, DeBord said.
“The bye week came at a great time for us,” DeBord said. “Not only were we beat physically, we were beat up mentally. Nobody likes where we’re at. But, we can handle this two ways. We can give up, or we can fight and our kids come to fight.”
To get back on the right track the Chippewas have a tall order ahead of them with the Bobcats.
Ohio brings a running game that features Chad Brinker and Jamel Patterson.
The Bobcats also bring momentum with them winning their last two games against Buffalo and Kent State. They also hold a win over Minnesota who beat Ohio State (previously ranked number 5 in the country) last week.
“They’re a very good team, Jim Grobe has done a great job over there,” DeBord said. “They create a lot of problems for opposing teams with their run game.”
The Chippewas will be led by senior free safety Brian Leigeb stands just 27 tackles away from breaking former NFL standout Ray Bentley’s (1979-82) record of 443. Leigeb leads the team with 74 tackles this year while leading the MAC with 12.3 per game.
After Ohio Central returns home for a 1 p.m. Saturday game with Ball State.