Bonamego: 'We haven't accomplished anything yet'
Now that it has clinched bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive season, the Central Michigan football team has more more item to check off its "to do" list as it closes out the regular season.
The Chippewas host Mid-American Conference West counterpart Eastern Michigan at 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The Eagles are 1-10 overall and have not won a league game since October of last year.
CMU, meanwhile, aims to solidify itself as a worthy selection for a bowl game next month.
Bonamego is cancer-free
Over the weekend, Head Coach John Bonamego announced via his Twitter account he had been informed by doctors that he is now cancer-free. Bonamego was diagnosed with tonsil cancer in May and made his diagnosis public almost immediately.
"About 7 p.m. on Friday night I got the call," Bonamego said. "I was a little numb at first. In my mind I expected this outcome. It was a highly treatable form and I knew I was getting the best treatment available."
He missed little time during the offseason and following chemotherapy and radiation treatment, was on the sidelines for every game this year.
During his battle with the disease, Bonamego often mentioned the passing of former Chippewa defensive back Derrick Nash, who died from leukemia less than two months after Bonamego's diagnosis.
Injury Update
The Chippewas have been hampered by several key reductions at major skill positions this season. Less than five games into the season, starting running back Devon Spalding was sidelines for the year with a broken collarbone.
Senior captain and linebacker Tim Hamilton tore his pectoral muscle Oct. 10, ending his season. Junior defensive end Joe Ostman has played less than 40 percent of the year with a nagging ankle injury.
During last week's win over Kent State, two premier defensive playmakers left the game with injury during the second half.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Malik Fountain has not missed any practice time this week with an undisclosed injury and senior defensive end Blake Serpa "should be ready by game time," according to Bonamego.
Bowl game buzz
The last time CMU football was on the national stage, the Chippewas mounted a massive comeback during the inaugural Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. The loss included an improbable last-second Hail Mary pass that earned the program a nomination for Best Play at the 2015 ESPY Awards.
After former head coach Dan Enos and senior offensive weapons Titus Davis and Thomas Rawls left the program, many fans would have considered a .500 record at the end of the regular season a success.
CMU has a chance to finish 7-5 with a win over EMU and would virtually guarantee a trip to a bowl game, most likely one of six bowls that are guaranteed to feature a MAC team this year.
"We haven't accomplished anything yet," Bonamego said. "We are bowl eligible but we don't have a bowl berth yet. There are a lot of reasons to play this week. Being bowl eligible is something we don't take lightly, but we aren't popping the champagne just yet."
Eavey named MAC POW
For the third time this season, kicker Brian Eavey was named the MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week. Eavey made field goals from 23 and 35 yards away and drilled all three of the extra points he attempted during the Chippewas win at Kent State.
