Preview: CMU football takes on New Hampshire in home opener
Central Michigan football is returning to Kelly/Shorts Stadium for its home opener, looking to rebound from the week one loss in East Lansing.
The Chippewas will face off against FCS school, New Hampshire, on Saturday, with kickoff at 1:30 p.m.
Last season, CMU wasn’t able to get the results it wanted at home, going 2-4. Coming into this weekend's game, head coach Jim McElwain stressed the importance of protecting the home field.
“This is a great place to play a game,” McElwain said. “It's an unbelievable stadium. ... For our team, understanding the importance of protecting your home, (is) something we lost a year ago that we'd been really good at (previously), and we need to get back to that.”
The Chippewas have found success against FCS schools, winning their last 14 matchups against opponents. CMU has faced off against the Wildcats twice since 2006 and have won both times.
Meet the opponent
New Hampshire is coming into Mount Pleasant with confidence, following a 51-17 win against Stonehill to open its season.
The biggest threat in the Wildcats’ offense is junior quarterback Max Brosmer. In the week one win, Brosmer threw a career high five touchdowns, completing 19 of his 25 passes for 284 yards.
Brosmer is coming off of a 2022 campaign where he threw for 3,154 yards and completed 27 touchdowns.
New Hampshire also has a consistent backfield with senior running back Dylan Laube. Last season, Laube broke the 1,000-yard mark, with 1,205 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 100.4 yards per game.
With the help from Brosmer and Laube, New Hampshire found success in the previous season, going 9-4 to qualify for the NCAA Division I FCS Championship. The Wildcats made it to the second round of the championships where they lost to Holy Cross.
Keys to victory
As the Chippewas gear up for the matchup, one key factor will be to contain Brosmer after his explosive week-one performance.
McElwain said creating pressure will be a big factor in limiting Brosmer’s impact.
“He knows where to go with the ball. He doesn't hold it,” McElwain said. “They do a great job of protection up front, so we've got to do some things even in the pressure game, you know, to just make him uncomfortable. And not necessarily just allow him to get his feet set and put the ball where it needs to go.”
In week one, the Chippewa defense held strong against the Big 10 opponent for two quarters, holding the Spartans’ offense to 10 points in the first half. However, MSU’s offense started to find its stride, leading to CMU allowing 406 yards of total offense.
The Chippewas ended the game with seven tackles for loss and two sacks.
CMU will be led by its veteran members on the defense who had a good showing in week one, including linebacker Kyle Moretti, who led with 14 tackles, and defensive lineman Jacques Bristol, who had two tackles for a loss.
The Chippewa defense showed it can contain offenses, and if they can keep the performance steady for four quarters, the defense can be a leading factor in CMU’s success.
Along with defense, another key to victory will be if the Chippewas can establish the game through the air to complement its run game.
After the week-one loss, McElwain said they will most likely stick with quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. as the Chippewas head into the home opener.
In week one, Emanuel Jr. showed his mobility on the ground and his ability to get away from pressure, ending the game as the leading rusher, with 41 yards.
However, the Chippewas weren’t able to establish a consistent passing game, with their longest play going for 17 yards. Emanuel Jr. ended the game with 87 yards of passing.
McElwain said it is important to continue to grow in the areas where they have found success.
“I'd like to throw it 100 times a game if I could, but that's not really what it is,” McElwain said. “At this point, we've got to make sure that we continue to build on the things we have. I do feel like we've got some playmakers on the outside; now we got to give them a chance and an opportunity to go make that happen.”
As it heads into the weekend, a big factor for the CMU offense is finding how it can incorporate the passing game with its run game.
Central Michigan (0-1) versus New Hampshire (1-0)
All-time series: Central Michigan 2-0
Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
Date: Saturday, Sept. 9
Stadium: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Location: Mount Pleasant
TV: ESPN+
Hunter Gudyka contributed to this report
