History on the brink: CMU inches closer to Top 25

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — The football team’s 24-10 win Saturday at Bowling Green left it on the verge of making history.

The win was enough to move CMU to 26th in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll and 27th in the Associated Press poll. The team has never reached the top 25 in either poll.

CMU held the Mid-American Conference’s best passing offense to 10 points — tied for its lowest point total of the season with Sept. 19’s 17-10 loss to Marshall. The weather conditions at Doyt Perry Stadium made it easier to stifle BGSU’s passing game, and it also swayed CMU’s game strategy, said coach Butch Jones.

“I thought the elements were a major factor in the game,” he said. “We knew we had to establish the run game.”

CMU did that with 259 rushing yards. The only game in which CMU rushed for more yards was Sept. 26 against Akron, when the team totaled 326.

Senior quarterback Dan LeFevour led the team with 128 rushing yards on 22 carries, but the Chippewas received production on the ground from an unexpected source. Junior Carl Volny, who started the season behind sophomores Paris Cotton, Bryan Schroeder and freshman Tim Phillips, received extra playing time because of a depleted depth chart.

With Cotton and Phillips ruled out prior to the game because of lower-body injuries, Volny was second on the depth chart to start the game. Schroeder earned 17 yards on four carries early but, once Volny was in, he established himself with 25 yards on his first carry. He finished with 74 yards on 11 carries.

“I can’t say enough about Carl Volny,” Jones said. “He’s been waiting his turn and he got it today and he made the most of it.”

LeFevour was limited in the passing game, completing 16-of-22 passes for 147 yards at two touchdowns.

“It was challenging,” he said. “I think you saw a few times when I tried to take shots deep, especially going (against the wind) when the ball just died.”

Getting pressure

Jones said the defense failed to get enough pressure on BGSU quarterback Tyler Sheehan in the first half. But in the second half, more pressure was applied, and the Chippewas also came away with two defensive red zone turnovers.

“The field shrinks when you get down there,” Jones said. “We were able again to generate some pressure on Tyler.”

A lot of the pressure was applied by senior defensive end Larry Knight, who had two sacks and three tackles for loss in the game. Knight started over senior Sam Williams, who was held out of the game along with sophomore defensive end Kashawn Fraser.

“We challenged Larry … I thought Larry really stepped up and he took a hold of the line of scrimmage like a senior should,” Jones said.

Knight said the defense did what it had to do to hold the Falcons to one field goal in five trips to the red zone.

“Everybody has to buckle down and do their job,” he said. “Execution is the key. We executed at good times.”

Senior cornerback Josh Gordy intercepted Sheehan at CMU’s 1-yard line when the Chippewas led 14-7 in the second quarter. In the third quarter, freshman linebacker Alex Smith recovered a fumble forced by Nick Bellore at CMU’s 7-yard line.

What awaits

LeFevour said the motto during the week leading up to the Bowling Green game was to ‘find a way.’

Next week, as the team plays out-of-conference for the first time since playing Alcorn State on Sept. 19, it will have new motivation to find a way.

With a trip to Boston College looming this week, CMU needs a win to make the Top 25 polls for the first time in school history.