Knowing that redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Richardson was going to be making his first career start, Kobe Lewis was determined to help him succeed. He wanted the ball early and often.

He got what he wanted.

Lewis, a junior running back, carried the ball a career-high 28 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns, helping CMU earn a 30-27 win to open its season Wednesday night at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

Coach Jim McElwain used him in a variety of ways, catching passes, getting handoffs and even taking snaps.

He was the definition of a work-horse back.

"Kobe's a real leader on this football team," McElwain said. "He has put in the work. He's gonna see some things (on film) where he was trying to hit home runs, sometimes you just go ahead and hit it."

Coming into the game, CMU was uncertain how successful the running game would be. Sure, Lewis ran for over 1,000 yards last season, but now he is setting up behind an inexperienced offensive line.

However, the unit of junior tackle Bernhard Raimann, sohphomore guard Deiyantei Powell-Woods, junior center Jamezz Kimbrough, sophomore guard Danny Motowski and senior tackle Derek Smith got the job done.

"They hung in there for most of the game," McElwain said of the offensive line. "They did a heck of a job keeping guys off (Richardson) and giving us a little bit of running room."

Lewis began making his mark on the game from the opening drive. He converted a third-and-12 with a catch in the flat, then carried the ball three straight plays before Richardson punched it in with a 1-yard sneak.

Later in the first half, Lewis once again became the only option as the Chippewas marched inside the 10. He took two straight snaps, including one on a fourth down from the 2-yard line that he was able to take in for his first score of the season.

Not long after that, the teams headed to the locker room for an early intermission after the lights above the stadium suddenly went out. Nearly 20 minutes later, the game resumed and, two plays later, Ohio tied the game with a rushing touchdown by senior De'Montre Tuggle.

Momentum began to shift in favor of the Bobcats when Tuggle took the second half opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, however a fumble gave the ball to the Chippewas at the Ohio 22.

After Richardson connected with redshirt freshman Lew Nichols for 14 yards, Lewis bounced off tacklers and scored from 8-yards out to tie the game at 27 heading into the fourth quarter.

CMU got the ball back on its own 28-yard line with 14:51 remaining. Needing to drive and take the lead, McElwain put the ball in the hands of Lewis eight times, seven being carries and one reception. The end result was freshman Marshall Meeder's 22-yard field goal.

After forcing the Bobcats to punt with just over three minutes remaining, the Chippewas turned to Lewis to try and finish the job. He carried the ball on all four plays of the drive, coming up short on a wildcat draw play that resulted in a turnover on downs.

Despite the fourth-and-1 failure, the decision itself showed the confidence that the coaching staff has in Lewis

The confidence was well earned. But despite the success, Lewis believes there is room to grow.

"I'm not satisfied," Lewis said. "I know we can be a lot better than what we showed today. But we did come out on top and with us getting this win, it's a big confidence booster."

In first game as feature back, Kobe Lewis shines behind new offensive line

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