CMU football wins season-opening thriller against San José State
The Matt Drinkall era at CMU gets started with a win on the road
Central Michigan University sophomore running back Mekhi Jenkins and freshman wide receiver Isaiah Atchison celebrate with sophomore tight end Nathan VanTimmeren after scoring a touchdown in Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Saturday, April 12, 2025. The field goal was in for the touchdown scoring seven points. (CM Life | Jasmine Brookins)
With one second left on the clock, down two points to Central Michigan, San José State lined up for a 56-yard field goal in a final attempt to win the game.
As time expired, the Spartans’ kick sailed wide right, sealing the upset victory for the Chippewas and giving Matt Drinkall his first win as the head coach of the Chippewas.
The win in California marks the first game Central Michigan has won on the road since Sept. 23, 2023, over 700 days ago.
After losing the coin toss and receiving the ball to start the game, CMU’s first drive of the season ended in a field goal attempt missed by kicker Cade Graham.
San José State didn’t waste any time driving down field, highlighting its opening drive with a 46-yard completion from quarterback Walker Eget to wide receiver Danny Scudero.
Scudero was a big part of the offense for the Spartans throughout the night, finishing the game with 189 yards.
Despite the strong start to the drive, the Spartans made a costly mistake on third-and-goal in the red zone. After attempting to run the ball on first and second down, Eget threw an interception to CMU defensive back Brenden Deasfernandes in the end zone.
CMU capitalized on the turnover and punctuated its second drive with a 29-yard touchdown run from running back Trey Cornist, who broke multiple tackles on his way to pay dirt.
The Chippewas, whose game relied heavily on the run, finished the game with 236 total rushing yards. Running back Nahree Biggins finished the game with 102 yards and Cornist ran for 99.
Things continued to go from bad to worse for the Spartans. On the next drive, CMU defensive lineman Michael Heldman crashed the Spartans’ pocket and forced a fumble, which was picked up by the Chippewas.
Despite the good field position, a false start on third down forced a field goal from the Chippewas, who took a 10-0 lead to end the first quarter.
Central Michigan’s defense continued to shine in the second. This time, defensive back Elijah Rikard made a play, a diving interception for CMU’s third takeaway of the game.
For reference, last season, the Chippewas only managed to force five turnovers throughout the course of the entire season, tied for the worst in the nation.
A penalty wiped a touchdown off the board on the following drive for the Chippewas, forcing Central Michigan to settle for another field goal, increasing the lead to 13-0 with 8:26 left in the first half.
San José State finally found its offensive footing on its next possession, moving down the field and scoring its first points of the game on a wide-open passing touchdown late in the second quarter.
As the first half expired, it was Central Michigan holding a slim 13-7 lead over the Spartans.
After halftime, the Spartans found the spark it needed, executing a quick drive that ended in a 45-yard touchdown pass caught by Scudero.
Central Michigan’s offense found itself cold for much of the third quarter. Late in the period, CMU quarterback Angel Flores found wide receiver Tommy McIntosh for a 47-yard gain, setting Central Michigan up in the red zone with a chance to take the lead once again.
Notably, Central Michigan spent much of the game rotating its quarterbacks, cycling mainly between Flores and Joe Labas while Jadyn Glasser also received some snaps. Because the game featured more of the run game, the group threw for a combined total of only 115 yards.
Despite gaining the field position on the deep pass, the Chippewas failed to convert on a fourth-and-goal on the SJSU one-yard line, turning the ball back over to the Spartans to begin the fourth quarter.
With less than five minutes left in the game, Central Michigan hit yet another field goal to take a slight 16-14 lead.
San José State got the ball back and proceeded to march down the field, eventually setting up for a 33-yard field goal attempt. With 1:13 left on the clock, San José State’s kick missed the uprights wide right, leaving the Chippewas with a two-point lead and very little time left.
Despite getting the ball back, Central Michigan was unable to ice the game and were forced to punt once more, giving San José State one final chance.
With 53 seconds left, and no timeouts, San José State started the final drive and made it down to the CMU 38-yard line before spiking the ball to set up one last, 56-yard field goal attempt.
With the game on the line, the Spartans’ kick once again missed, sealing the win for the Chippewas.
Central Michigan will continue its season-opening road trip next week as it travels to the University of Pittsburgh, Sep. 6 at noon.
