CMU football falls in its second-straight road game
The Chippewas go 1-1 on the season against the Blue and Gold
The Central Michigan University football team plays in a spring game that they host for the first time since 2018 in Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Saturday, April 12, 2025. The team is divided into team Deromedi and team Kramer for the game. (CM Life | Jasmine Brookins)
With 3:01 remaining in the third quarter, Central Michigan football trailed Pittsburgh by seven with its defense in a position to get the ball back for a potentially game-tying drive.
That is when Panther's quarterback Eli Holstein launched a 48-yard deep shot to Raphael Williams Jr. to take a two-possession lead in a second half that led to a 45-17 defeat for the Chippewas.
The loss sets CMU back to 1-1 on the season.
PITT wasted no time on offense, marching down the field on the back of a seven play, 73-yard drive that ended with a Williams Jr. receiving touchdown.
Central Michigan responded quickly, converting on a pair of third-and-long situations but a penalty killed the drive at Pittsburgh's 23-yard line and forced CMU to kick a field goal to make the score 7-3.
The Panther's refused to let the Chippewas stick around in the second quarter, scoring 17 unanswered as the maroon and gold offense began to struggle with three-and-outs.
With 1:30 remaining in the first half it seemed like PITT was prepared to try to go down the field and score one more time before halftime, but Jordan Kwiatkowski had other plans as he intercepted Holstein's pass, setting CMU up at the Panther's 13-yard line.
The squad from Mount Pleasant found the end zone with nine seconds remaining in the half on a one-yard scramble from freshman quarterback Jadyn Glasser, making the score 24-10 at halftime.
Central Michigan came out of halftime and dominated the time of possession in the third quarter going on an 11 play 63-yard drive capped off by an 8-yard Decorion Temple receiving touchdown to make the score 24-17.
However, the seven-point deficit was as close as it got for the Chippewas as Williams Jr. found himself wide open allowing Holstein to heave a 48-yard touchdown to reclaim a two possession 31-17 lead.
Things continued to get worse for CMU as the offense struggled late, turning the ball over on downs on back-to-back possessions.
Two big penalties on separate drives in the fourth quarter allowed Pittsburgh to expand its lead late in the fourth, punching in the game’s final points with 48 seconds remaining to make the final score 45-17.
Central Michigan struggled with penalties giving up 75 yards on 9 flags, bogging down the offense which otherwise was able to move the ball through the air, racking up 177 passing yards while 20-27 when throwing the ball.
While the passing game was consistent throughout the game, the rushing attack struggled as CMU totaled 40 yards on 41 attempts on the day.
The Chippewas will travel to Ann Arbor to play the Michigan Wolverines on Sept. 13 at noon.
