Notebook: Bonamego talks first win and upcoming matchup
After opening its season with a 49-3 victory over Presbyterian last week, Central Michigan football will play Top 25 opponent Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Following practice on Tuesday, head coach John Bonamego spoke about last week's win, the impending matchup with the Cowboys and what his team needs to do to come out of Stillwater with a win.
The Chippewas have not won a road game against a ranked opponent since 1991 when they beat Michigan State 20-3.
How to pull off upset
Bonamego said this week's matchup will be a test for his team, noting that the Cowboys have improved from last year's 10-3 season and have returned most of their starters.
"We're going to have to play well in all three phases," he said. "We can't have a bunch of penalties, we have to take care of the football and defensively we have to be very sound."
Oklahoma State frequently draws crowds much larger than a typical Mid-American Conference game, so CMU has made an effort to replicate crowd noise with music at practice.
"It's more about the 22 players on the field than it is the 60,000 in the stands," Bonamego said. "College stadiums can get loud, but we work with that all the time."
The keys to coming away with the upset according to Bonamego are staying away from turnovers, limiting big plays from the Cowboys' offense and creating turnovers.
Game one takeaways
After finishing last in the conference in rushing last year, the Chippewas rode their running game to victory in their first game.
CMU accumulated more rushing yards than passing yards and scored five touchdowns rushing in its season opener.
"I think that all three of the backs ran very well and I think our offensive line executed at a high level," Bonamego said. "We got stronger as the game went on. It's definitely a sign we're moving in the right direction."
Penalties were one of the few issues CMU struggled with during its week one win, committing three penalties that turned into Presbyterian first downs.
"Coaching penalties is about how to avoid them, teaching good fundamentals and putting yourself in the right situation," Bonamego said.
Moving ahead to the rematch against Oklahoma State, Bonamego said the team will look to control what they can control, which includes taking care of the ball and limiting the mental mistakes.
