Enos says CMU 'real close' to turning the corner on season
A shellshocked Dan Enos and players appeared following Saturday's loss to Toledo, dropping Central Michigan to 1-3 on the season, insisting that they don't plan to quit.
On Monday Enos went positive, saying on the Mid-American Conference coaches' teleconference that his team is "real close" to turning the corner on the season.
"At times, we played well. Obviously not well enough to win," Enos said of the Chippewas' 38-17 loss. "Not very many times are you going to beat a very good team minus-three in the turnover margin. You've got to build on the things we did well. We ran the ball very well, very effectively -- I thought our offensive lines did a tremendous job handling the front-seven. And we've just got to continue to build on that."
However, there is still the issue of redshirt freshman Cooper Rush, who has shown his inexperience the last two weeks after surprising many in his debut Sept. 7 against New Hampshire. Rush has six turnovers in the last six quarters, including four against Toledo on Saturday.
"At the end of the day, I think that was the difference in the game," Enos said of Rush's turnovers. "I think we're real close. We had 23 first downs on Saturday, ran the ball, handled their front seven. At times, on defense, we played well. Our kicking game was solid. The turnovers kill you, and we've just got to eliminate some."
QB Kater still 'a few weeks away'
Enos said Monday junior quarterback Cody Kater is still "a few weeks away" from returning from injury.
Kater suffered a collarbone injury in the first quarter of CMU's Aug. 31 season opener at Michigan. Feared broken, forcing him to miss significant time this season, doctors later discovered it was only a deep separation and his timetable for return would be 4 to 6 weeks.
It's been about three weeks now, signaling a potential return for Kater by the Chippewas Oct. 12 game at Ohio.
Wildcat offense? No comment
A reporter on Monday asked Enos about the Wildcat offense Toledo featured on Saturday with quarterback Terrance Owens.
The Rockets haven't used the Wildcat much this season but utilized it to beat CMU's 4-2-5 scheme. And it paid off, with Owens making plays almost as soon as he entered the game in the second quarter.
Asked if CMU was prepared for the Wildcat, Enos responded plainly, "Yes."
How do you think your team handled it? "Not very well."
And what went wrong? "We got blocked."
Well said, coach.
Contact Aaron McMann: aaron.mcmann@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @AaronMcMann.
