Football Notebook: Taking pride in rivalry win while setting sights on Eastern Michigan
Football head coach John Bonamego talks to the media on Nov. 3 in the Indoor Athletic Center.
In his first three years with the Central Michigan football program, senior defensive back Josh Cox had never beat Western Michigan.
On Wednesday, CMU topped the Broncos 35-28, scoring 21 unanswered points while allowing just seven the entire second half.
Cox didn't hesitate to say how much it meant to the team.
“It’s huge, for me and this group of seniors. It was a win we needed,” Cox said. “Games get bigger in November and I feel like to beat a team like Western (Michigan), it should catapult us in the right direction.”
After bringing the Victory Cannon trophy back to Mount Pleasant for the first time since 2013, the Chippewas (5-4, 3-2 Mid-American Conference) will try to earn the Michigan-MAC Trophy and bowl eligibility against Eastern Michigan (3-6, 1-4) on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Ahead of the 8 p.m. kickoff, here are a few story lines out of practice this week.
Injury update
A rather unexpected injury occurred against WMU as senior defensive end Joe Ostman didn't take the field for a final chance to play in the rivalry game.
Head coach John Bonamego said that he “simply wasn't ready to go” but is making good strides and fully expects him to play against the Eagles.
“(Ostman) will be back, we put him through some paces on Tuesday but he just wasn't ready,” Bonamego said. “He should be good to go barring any setbacks.”
Bonamego does believe that his defensive line played well in the absence of Ostman, as his replacement junior defensive end Nate Brisson-Fast recorded 2.5 sacks.
Basking in the glory
When the team got back to Mount Pleasant early Thursday morning, Bonamego went to bed, but he didn't do it without the company of the trophy.
The Victory Cannon Trophy sits outside of football head coach John Bonamego's office on Nov. 3 in the Indoor Athletic Center.
His wife, Paulette Bonamego, took a picture of him asleep next to the trophy. Bonamego, gave all the credit to her.
“That was Paulette being a jokester,” Bonamego said. “I’m getting old. That was a long afternoon and I’m pretty much passed out in the bed when I woke up to her laughter and the camera going off.
“That was all her, I’m not that creative.”
Running Game Emerges
After a slow start to the game, sophomore tailback Jonathan Ward exploded in the second half for a 2-play, 43-yard spurt, capped off by a 29-yard touchdown to make the game 28-21.
With CMU holding a seven-point lead and looking to burn time off the clock, Ward was able to ice the game with two first downs, breaking through multiple tackles on the runs.
Sophomore running back Jonathan Ward signals during the game vs Western Michigan on Nov. 1 at Waldo Stadium.
“I kind of felt like I was a leader towards the end of the game,” Ward said. “I think I motivated not only the offense and the defense to do better, but I’m still learning how to become a better leader from the seniors.”
Ward finished the game with 132 yards on 17 carries, while also adding 81 yards through the air on four receptions.
Moving forward with the running attack, Bonamego said they will continue to feed the “hot-hand."
Focusing on the next game
Ward believed that the win against WMU was an emotional one that the team won’t forget, but right now the Chippewas are focused on the game at hand.
“We can’t dwell on it, we need to put it past us,” Ward said. “Any win over Western (Michigan) is a good win, but we need to focus on Eastern (Michigan) now.”
Cox said to get over the win and move on, all him and his fellow defensive backs have to do is look to last year for motivation.
“We feel that last year we kind of let them off the hook,” Cox said. “Felt like they passed the ball to well on us in the fourth quarter so we have a chip on our shoulder. We have something to prove as a defensive backfield against (EMU).”
Bonamego said it will say a lot about where this team truly stands as a program with how they can handle playing after a big win.
“We need to quickly, as in this morning, turn the page and start setting our sights on the next one,” Bonamego said on Thursday. “The maturity of your team is what’s going to be tested. If you have an immature team that can’t handle success you won’t be prepared."
