Football ready for test against talented Kentucky in season opener
Looking through the 2018 schedule to find a path to six wins and a bowl bid, many will stumble at Central Michigan's nonconference schedule.
The list highlights Kentucky, Kansas and Michigan State, starting with the Wildcats in Week 1 at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 1 at Kroger Field.
Acquiring six wins will be no uncomplicated task for CMU, but business finally takes off with a trip to play Kentucky in Lexington.
“(Kentucky is) a talented football team," said Central Michigan coach John Bonamego. "They’ve got a lot of guys returning. They have a running back who is as good as anybody we’ve faced. It’ll be a good way to test and measure ourselves."
Junior running back Jonathan Ward is at the helm of CMU's offense. Going for 1,494 yards and 13 touchdowns from scrimmage, the 6-foot speedster has thoroughly developed from a backup to a starter heading into 2018.
A year ago, Ward was in the mix for second-string time with now-redshirt sophomore Kumehnnu Gwilly and redshirt junior Romello Ross. Once the starter, current fifth-year wide receiver Devon Spalding, went down with an injury on Sept. 30, 2017, Ward emerged.
"I didn’t even know if I’d play a lot last season," Ward said. "I ended up playing a lot, and I learned the offense better and just have more confidence going into the season than I did last year.”
The next assignment for Ward is to establish a presence against Kentucky's defensive line, which features senior Adrian Middleton, sophomore Quinton Bohanna, junior T.J. Carter and senior Josh Allen.
All four players are returning starters, but Ward doesn't notice anything too extraordinary.
“They are a pretty aggressive defense and all fly to the ball," Ward said. "I’m not seeing anything really special. We just have to come out and play to the best of our abilities."
The other running back, Kentucky junior Benny Snell Jr., is going to need his offensive line to win the push against CMU in order to do serious damage.
Kentucky's defensive line comprises of redshirt freshman Naasir Watkins, junior Logan Stenberg, sophomore Drake Jackson, senior Bunchy Stallings and senior George Asafo-Adjei.
Watkins is the only player on the offensive line who is new to the starting lineup, so the camaraderie has already been built. However, CMU defensive coordinator Greg Colby likes his guys - senior Mitch Stanitzek, junior D'Andre Dill, senior Nathan Brisson-Fast and junior Mike Danna.
“I think up front with their run game, I like our chances with our defensive line against their offensive line," Colby said. "They all played last year but I’m interested to see how we match up to them."
Snell is a dangerous back, as noted by Colby, who usually picks up most his yards after contact. He has logged 2,424 yards and 32 touchdowns on 448 carries in two seasons. As a sophomore in 2017, he ran the ball 262 times for 1,333 yards and 19 scores.
Colby said the game plan is simple - remain sound up front, play aggressive and tackle No. 26.
On the other hand, Ward doesn't believe anyone on CMU's defense will have a tough time managing Snell on Saturday.
"I don’t think there’s anything too special," Ward said.
Going hand-in-hand with two star running backs in Ward and Snell, both teams feature a brand new starting quarterback.
For Kentucky, it's sophomore Terry Wilson. For Central Michigan, it's redshirt sophomore Tony Poljan.
Poljan, at 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, was a great worker, committed to his position and extremely coachable throughout spring and fall camp, which led to him earning the starting job over senior Tommy Lazzaro and redshirt freshman Austin Hergott.
Last season, Poljan appeared in all 13 games. He completed 10-of-17 passes for 61 yards, caught five passes for 97 yards and ran 23 times for 110 yards and a touchdown.
"He’s a kid who is always looking to do the extra," Bonamego said. "He just puts an awful lot of time into everything he does. He epitomizes what you want your program to be about in terms of commitment and work ethic."
Wilson was named the starter for Kentucky on Aug. 27 and set himself apart with his dual-threat abilities. At Garden City Community College, Wilson's most recent stop, he completed 194-of-337 passes for 2,113 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder added 518 yards and five scores on the ground.
"He has a very strong arm and is adept to the RPO game," Bonamego said. "He’s highly proficient at those things, but when he tucks it, he’s not looking to throw it. To contain him and have someone on him at all times to keep him in the pocket is very important.
"There’s a lot of different ways we do it. We can spy someone on him and try to come with inside pressure. We never want to be too predictable, so we have three ways to do it. If you can do three things well, you’ll be good to keep people guessing."
In 2017, Kentucky finished 7-6 in the regular season and 4-4 in the SEC East. Central Michigan was 8-5, plus a 6-2 Mid-American Conference record.
Despite the tough opponent at hand, Ward is focused on finally returning to the field.
“It’s time to get to business," he said. "All the work we put in during the offseason shows on Saturday. We are ready to show how we have improved since last year."
