COLUMN: Poor play calling impairs football’s bowl game chances
Bad play calling has hindered the Central Michigan football team and its chances at a bowl game this season.
The Chippewas currently hold the third-worst record in the MAC West Division and have lost four of their last five games, which is not a formula to be bowl-eligible by the end of the season.
After the homecoming game was spoiled by Toledo, head coach John Bonamego put the loss on his own shoulders, blaming his game plan.
“As a head football coach, this responsibility falls on me,” Bonamego said. “When I saw what the weather was going to be like, I should have insisted we make a stronger commitment to keeping the ball on the ground. We threw it way too many times in the first half. All of those calls go through me before they get put out on the field, so I respect full responsibility.
“I should have demanded we run the ball more, which is what exactly took place at halftime.”
CMU did not switch up his game plan at halftime.
In the first half, the Chippewas tossed the football 17 times and ran it just eight times in the pouring rain. In the second half, Central Michigan passed the ball 21 times, compared to running it 13 times.
There was no change in play calling from the CMU bench at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Saturday.
Central Michigan logged just 21 carries for 62 yards.
The Rockets (5-1, 2-0) set a great example of efficiently running the football, as Terry Swanson ran 23 times for 177 yards and two touchdowns. He ran the ball more than all of CMU’s running backs. Toledo is a bowl-caliber team and proved it on Saturday.
CMU cannot abandon the run game like Bonamego said it did last season, when the Chippewas relied on Cooper Rush after realizing they could not run the ball.
Bonamego could incorporate the jet sweep into the offense, as receivers Corey Willis and Mark Chapman have plenty of speed.
The jet sweep allows offensive lineman and fullbacks to get in front of the ball carrier to block defenders. If the play is ran effectively, the ball carrier can spread the defense and receivers in motion can draw linebackers out of position.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh found a lot of favor with the jet sweep last season, as he utilized the speed of Eddie McDoom, a true freshman at the time.
Only time will tell if CMU uses more creativity in the offense. If not, CMU will be on the outside looking in by the time bowl games are released.
"There's no time to feel sorry for ourselves," Bonamego said. "We have to get back to work."
