Notebook: Bonamego talks moving on from upset victory, focusing on UNLV
Central Michigan football defeated its first ranked opponent since 1991 over the weekend, but head coach John Bonamego doesn't want to talk about it.
Following the win against then No. 22 Oklahoma State, CMU's athletics department's media department received more requests than were possible to fill.
Bonamego and the players involved in Saturday's Hail Mary touchdown pass to win the game spent the next two days talking with media outlets across the country.
Coming off likely the biggest win in his CMU coaching career, Bonamego is already focused on his team's next opponent, UNLV.
"It's business as usual," Bonamego said Tuesday. "We don't live in the past. We live in the present. We do everything we can to make sure we're as good as we can be on Saturday when it counts."
Correcting weaknesses
Even though the Chippewas returned to Mount Pleasant with a win, Bonamego said he saw plenty of issues his team needs to improve on to keep the momentum moving in the right direction.
Although he said there are always "a laundry list" of things coaches would like to improve on, he mentioned specific areas his team will work to improve upon before Saturday's game against UNLV.
"We started off too slow offensively," Bonamego said. "We'd like to come out of the gate a little bit better, but as long as you finish the right way, the start doesn't matter."
The Chippewas fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter against the Cowboys before rallying back to win 30-27 on the controversial final play.
Bonamego also said the kicking game isn't where he would like it to be, but said it is progressing nicely each week.
"Everything requires attention every week," he said. "You're never satisfied and you're always trying to get better."
Focusing on UNLV
As soon as the coaching staff finished going through the game OSU film and addressing concerns with players, the team moved on to preparing for UNLV, Bonamego said.
"(We're preparing for UNLV) the same way we do as any other opponent," he said. "We go through our game plan, install it, we walk through, we meet, practice, review and correct and then go through and do it again."
The Runnin' Rebels feature an offense averaging over 200 yards rushing per game. CMU's run defense has been stout so far this season, allowing 47 yards per game with no touchdowns.
"You have to stop (UNLV's running game)," Bonamego said. "They force you to be assignment-oriented and sound with the plays they run."
He also mentioned stopping UNLV's junior quarterback, Johnny Stanton, as a priority in the game plan.
"(Stanton) is a true dual threat," Bonamego said. "He can throw the ball down the field and when he decides to pull it down and run it, it's like he's a running back."
The Chippewas will look to improve their record to 3-0 for the first time since 2002 at 3 p.m. Saturday in Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
