Phillips, Volny lead rushing game against Alcorn State

• Tweet
• 

At the 9:12 mark in the second quarter, CMU was already ahead 31-0.
Senior quarterback Dan LeFevour, 10-for-12 passing for 92 yards, and most of the offense were pulled to give other players time on the field.

By the time the clock ran out in the first half, each side of the ball for Central Michigan was made up of second- and third-stringers.

CMU scored 17 more points and preserved the team’s first shutout since 1996 against Akron, playing primarily against first-string Alcorn State players.

“I can’t say enough of the job they did,” said coach Butch Jones. “Some individuals got their first real game action today. Getting them into the game tempo and the game experience was really big for us.”

Freshman running back Tim Phillips was one of the first sparks off the bench.

Phillips caught a swing pass from LeFevour early in the second quarter and took it 27 yards to Alcorn State’s 21-yard line.

On the next play, he powered through the middle, carrying the pile for nine more yards.

His 4-yard run on the next play set up LeFevour’s 1-yard touchdown run to put the Chippewas up by 31 points.

“Tim Phillips was a little something extra from the backfield,” Jones said. “And I though he provided a spark for us, as well, offensively.”

Phillips left shortly after with an ankle injury after carrying the ball six times for 40 yards and a touchdown, the first of his career.

Stepping in

With Phillips injured, junior Carl Volny, who saw limited action over his career, took the field.

He finished with 18 carries, 102 yards and his first two collegiate touchdowns, both in the second half.

“I have to give it up to the O-line — that’s were it comes from,” Volny said. “But I was prepared (to come off the bench), because you never know when your name’s going to be called.”

Jones said Volny is a between-the-tackles kind of runner.

“Carl Volny has been an individual who just comes to work every day, kind of a silent-type leader,” Jones said. “He just took the ball and he ran downhill, and that’s the way he needs to run. I thought he ran great between the tackles.”

Sophomore running back Bryan Schroeder was out with injury and sophomore Paris Cotton was pulled along with all other offensive starters.

On their first drive in the second half, Volny led the Chippewas first by breaking an 11-yard run before capping with a five-yard touchdown run.

Later, he broke runs of 14 and 20 yards and added another touchdown.

“Coaches told me before the game that I was going to get some snaps,” Volny said. “But you just have to be confident when you go out on the field.”

Jones said what Volny showed on the field Saturday earned him more opportunities in the coming weeks.

“He’s going to play a big role in us winning- it’s a long season and this is only game number three,” he said. “When it’s all said and done, he’ll play a big role for us.”