Seniors Rush, Annese look to lead Chippewas to MAC title in 2016
Head coach John Bonamego (Photo by Monica Bradburn | Staff Photogrpaher)
Coming off its first Mid-American Conference West Division title since 2009, the Central Michigan football team is coming into this season with championship goals in mind.
After losing five starters to graduation, CMU returns more than 12 starters from last year's team. The Chippewas still have important holes to fill after losing leading tackler Kavon Frazier and center Nick Beamish to the NFL.
For the third season, the Chippewas' offense will be managed by senior quarterback Cooper Rush, who compiled a CMU record of 3,896 yards passing to go along with 25 touchdowns last season.
The Lansing Catholic High School graduate was one of 30 players named to the Manning Watch List during the preseason, an award given to the top quarterback in the nation. He was also one of 80 players named to the Maxwell Award Watch List, which goes to the country's player of the year.
CMU opens its season Sept. 1 against Presbyterian at Kelly/Shorts Stadium before heading to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State on Sept. 10.
Other key games on the schedule include a home game against Western Michigan on Oct. 1, before hitting the road on back-to-back weeks against Northern Illinois on Oct. 15 and Toledo on Oct. 22
All three teams were selected to finish above CMU in the MAC West in the preseason MAC media poll. CMU was picked to finish fourth in the division.
CMU will also be without sophomore running back Romello Ross the entire season. After breaking onto the scene late last season, Ross tore his ACL in a non-contact drill on Aug. 18.
Leading the Team
Head coach John Bonamego will return for his second campaign with the Chippewas. He was able to lead CMU to a winning record during his first season as head coach despite dealing with health issues leading into last season.
Bonamego was the fourth coach in CMU history to accomplish this feat.
Top Returning Starters
Rush will lead the CMU offense, looking to build on a successful collegiate career that has him within striking range of many CMU passing records. Senior receiver Jesse Kroll will return to the field following an injury that costed him the 2015 season.
On defense, the Chippewas return three of its five leading tacklers from 2015. The defensive backfield will be led by Annese and junior Josh Cox. Also returning is junior linebacker Malik Fountain, who was found not guilty of assault charges on June 23. The 6-foot-2, 235 pound Chicago native started all 13 games last season and accumulated 67 tackles — third best on the team.
