CMU seeks respect Saturday against Bowling Green

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To get respect you have to earn respect.

And the Central Michigan football team looks to earn a little respect back when it takes on Bowling Green at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

After a 2-6 start to the season, head coach Dan Enos said the team has not let up one bit.

“(We) just keep pressing on. The mentality is to try and get a win, we have had two real spirited practices and we are just trying to get better every week,” Enos said. “We have guys here that have a lot of pride. It’s just adversity, it’s going to happen in your life. Not every year is a championship year.”

BGSU (1-7, 0-4 Mid-American Conference) is currently on a five-game losing streak on its own, losing to Kent State at home last Saturday. The Chippewas also look to snap their five-game losing streak on Saturday.

CMU will be play in front of a home crowd that hopes to see a win for the first since time its home opener against Hampton on Sept. 2. Since then, the team has gone 0-2 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

Senior linebacker Matt Berning took Wednesday as an opportunity to thank the fans and, despite their struggles, hopes the community continues to support the team.

“I am very thankful for the time that I have had here and that the community has given me appreciation and support,” Berning said. “They (the fans) deserve a lot because they have given us a lot. I felt sometimes if I had a bad game I would have to apologize if I see somebody on the street.”

Berning has hardly been the problem, as he leads the team with 72 tackles, three sacks and 10 tackles for a loss. Senior linebacker Nick Bellore is second on the team with 63 tackles and five tackles for loss.

After being benched in the fourth quarter of last week’s 33-7 loss at Northern Illinois, Enos said sophomore quarterback Ryan Radcliff will be the starter on Saturday.

“We are going to stay with him, sometimes it’s good for a guy to stand back and take things in for a minute or two,” Enos said. “We didn’t like what was going on and he had made some mistakes he hadn’t made in the past and at a certain point sometimes it’s just better to step back and look. We still think Ryan has a chance to be a very good player.”

Radcliff has thrown 14 interceptions this season compared to just 11 touchdowns.

Injuries

CMU looks to get junior running back Paris Cotton back in the lineup this weekend after he missed last week’s game because of injury.

Junior defensive end Kashawn Fraser has been limited this week and Enos said that he is questionable to play on Saturday. With sophomore defensive end Joe Kinville suspended for a cheap shot last weekend, redshirt freshman Darryll Stinson and sophomore Caeser Rodriguez will be counted on to step up and play a significant role.

While injuries and suspensions continue to plague the team, CMU has a prime opportunity to get a win in front of the home crowd on Saturday. Both teams have struggled this season and the game will be a chance to regain some respect for itself for the remainder of the season.

“If (anybody) is thinking about quitting, they are not welcome,” Berning said. “If you have anything on your mind besides winning football games right now you should not be on the team.”