Chippewas open divisional play with trip to NIU
Junior center Jamezz Kimbrough kneels in the end zone before CMU's season opener against Ohio on Nov. 4 in Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The Chippewas won 30-27.
After a successful open to its 2020 campaign, a 30-27 win over Ohio, CMU hits the road to begin Mid-American Conference West Division play Nov. 11.
Its first opponent will be Northern Illinois, who comes into the game after losing its season opener to Buffalo, 49-30.
Both teams feature coaches in their second season with their respective programs. Jim McElwain is looking to repeat a 2019 season that saw his Chippewas win the MAC West, while NIU's Thomas Hammock hopes to have more success in year two after finishing 5-7 last year.
Both teams experienced a plethora of high's and low's in their respective season openers. Led by redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Richardson, the Chippewa offense marched down the field and scored on each of its first two possessions, yet put up just 10 second-half points. The CMU secondary also struggled, giving up 235 passing yards.
"We've got to eliminate the big, explosive plays for us to be successful," McElwain said. "This will be a great challenge for those guys."
Huskie senior quarterback Ross Bowers was able to move the ball around for 202 yards through the air, headlined by nine connections with Tyrice Richie, who finished the season opener with 106 yards. NIU stayed close with Buffalo, trailing 21-16 at halftime, however the Huskies committed four second-half turnovers to fall out of the running.
"The turnover bug hurt (NIU) a little bit in that first ball game," McElwain said. "And yet, when you take that out of it, (it) went toe-to-toe, and actually in some ways, outplayed Buffalo."
The Chippewas had plenty of success in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Though all five starting linemen were playing in new positions, they were able to pave lanes for junior running back Kobe Lewis, who finished with 112 yards. Meanwhile, senior defensive end Troy Hairston notched three of the team's five sacks and was named MAC Defensive Player of the Week.
There was also the efforts of Flint junior linebacker Troy Brown and Detroit sophomore safety Willie Reid. Brown broke up a pass to clinch the Chippewa win, while Reid forced and subsequently recovered a fumble that helped turn the momentum of the game in favor of his team.
The Huskies were led defensively by linebacker Lance Deveaux, who had a sack to go along with five tackles. Deveaux missed all of 2019 with an injury, however played well in his return last week against Buffalo.
Special teams was a major factor in the Chippewas win over Ohio, as a pair of freshmen contributed sparkling debuts to help their team to victory. Grand Rapids punter Luke Elzinga put three of his five punts inside the 20, including a 76-yard blast on his first career try, and was named conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
Meanwhile, Eaton Rapids kicker Marshall Meeder converted his first career field goal from 22 yards out, which would prove to be the game-winner.
There was an equally impressive performance for NIU in week one. Junior punter Matt Ference was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list, is the program's all-time leader in punting average, and began his season with a 53-yard boot against the Bulls. Kicker John Richardson hit his only field goal attempt, a 43-yard make to improve to 15-of-19 on his career.
To win, the Chippewas must improve in the secondary. The Huskies have the weapons to exploit any struggles that resemble what happened against Ohio. However, CMU can fight that by performing how they did in week one on the front line. Getting to the quarterback will negate any sort of pressure the secondary might have.
The one problem on the front line will be the loss of Flint sophomore defensive end LaQuan Johnson, who is done for the season after suffering an apparent knee injury last week. His injury will allow Detroit junior Amir Siddiq and Floosmoor, Illinois redshirt freshman Justin Whiteside to see more playing time.
Last year, McElwain was able to draw up as strong a game plan as any against the Huskies. The Chippewa offense scored touchdowns on each of its first three drives and coasted to a 48-10 win. In that game, Muskegon now-junior receiver Kalil Pimpleton caught five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. Lewis, who was splitting carries with Jonathan Ward, carried the ball 17 times for 143 yards and a touchdown.
To win Wednesday night, the Chippewas will need to have more of the same success. It'll start with the man behind center -- Richardson. In his first career start, the Miami native went 23-of-41 for 243 yards. He showed poise and allowed the Chippewas to call their typical game, a luxury that most young quarterbacks may not offer their team.
"I thought the way (Richardson) approached this past game, and now that he's got that under his belt, I think he's got a better understanding of what he's got to do to prepare week in and week out when you're in conference play," McElwain said.
Offensive coordinator Charlie Frye also debuted the Chippewas' new "wildcat" package. Three separate players, Lewis, Pimpleton and Mobile, Alabama junior Darius Bracy, took snaps in the package. Each play from the package was a run, something that Northern Illinois will likely be prepared for.
Going on the road won't have the same affect on the Chippewas that it has in past years given the limited attendance policy. NIU is allowing guests of players and coaches inside the stadium, however that will be a far cry from the amount of people CMU had to deal with when it went 2-4 on the road last year.
In a change from years past, the Chippewas will make the trip to and from DeKalb on the day of the game, electing to not stay in a hotel. The decision comes from observing other college teams have trouble with contracting the virus during road games.
"That's kind of our plan from here on out, as far as road games go," McElwain said. "Just to help keep us safe as we're doing it."
Matchup to watch: NIU's OL vs CMU's DL
The Chippewas sacked the quarterback five times last week and were able to bail out multiple lapses in the secondary in week one. Now, they may have to replicate that performance. Bowers is a mobile quarterback with a good arm, and can make the Chippewas pay if given too much time.
NIU's offensive line is full of underclassmen and will have to work to create said time for Bowers. If they're unable to do so, players like Hairston and Siddiq will have a field day in the backfield. In a game where the Huskies don't have the amount of weapons that the Chippewas do, they cannot afford to give up sacks and play from behind the sticks.
Central Michigan (1-0) at Northern Illinois (0-1)
All-time series: Central Michigan leads, 30-24-1
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Date: Nov. 11, 2020
Stadium: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium
Location: DeKalb, Illinois
Odds: CMU -7
Over/Under: 60.5
TV: ESPN2 (Jason Benetti, Rocky Boiman)
Radio: 98.5 WUPS (Adam Jaksa and Brock Gutierrez)
