Central Michigan dominant in Homecoming victory over Akron
Flores, CMU offense roll for 481 yards and six touchdowns
Central Michigan University junior defensive back Matthew McKenzie celebrates with teammates in Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. CMU defeated Akron 41-17. (CM-Life | Trevor Sparks)
Angel Flores was steady in the shotgun formation, eyes set on the Akron defensive front which had prevented him from finding any offensive success in the first quarter. Without hesitancy, he burst through the line of scrimmage, nearly untouched on his way to a 55-yard rushing touchdown.
Flores’ score would be the first of six total touchdowns for Central Michigan, paving the way for a 41-17 victory Saturday for the school’s 100th Homecoming game.
“I cannot tell you how happy I am for the players to execute well and win,” head coach Matt Drinkall said. “Credit to Akron and Coach Moorhead [Joe Moorhead], that is a very, very talented football team, and they obviously showed early on that was exactly what we thought that was going to look like.”
Keeping up the energy was a key theme for CMU, who made sure to use the crowd of 20,102 fans to their advantage to advance to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in Mid-American Conference play.
“I loved the screaming and the fans yelling ‘Fire Up Chips’ and ‘move those chains’ and everything, the cannon going off, I just loved it,” defensive lineman J.J. Douglas said. “They come to the game and they’re like our family, they’re like our home. I really appreciate all that they do for us.”
It wasn’t an easy road for Central Michigan to reach Saturday’s result. Akron sent the Chippewas home in a frustrating 28-22 defeat Oct. 4, 2025, one year ago to the day. Drinkall said the memory of the loss took a daily toll on his mind.
“I don’t get very emotional. I was very emotional before this game, at the beginning of the week, because our guys do everything right and they deserve to have success,” Drinkall said. “If I do one percentage of something that doesn’t give them the best chance, it’s unacceptable.”
Central Michigan only averaged 2.3 yards per play in its first four possessions. However, the team remained committed to supporting its coach, going on to score touchdowns on five consecutive drives beginning in the second quarter and finishing the game with 7.8 average yards per play.
“These guys had my back and answered the bell and did an unreal job today,” Drinkall said. “I am forever indebted to them for that.”
CMU set season highs with its passing game, finding 149 yards in the air as wide receivers Shawn Foster II and Langston Lewis recorded the team’s first two passing touchdowns of the season.
Flores finished the day 7 of 14 for 78 yards and a touchdown, while Jadyn Glasser connected with Lewis on a screen play for a 71-yard score.
“Air raid, you don’t even know what to do with all these passing touchdowns,” Drinkall said with a wry smile.
Meanwhile, the defense set the tone with three sacks, causing Akron quarterback Brayden Roggow to complete less than 50% of his passes and throw three interceptions, one of which was negated by penalty, along with just one touchdown.
Foster, a senior transfer from Michigan State, was excited for the offense to contribute in a big way.
“Our defense has been showing up every week, we feel like we’ve been leaning on them,” Foster said. “To finally show up today, it means a lot and gives us a lot of confidence. We know we’re in conference play now, so everything matters from here on out.”
It continued to be a week of firsts for more members of the offense, with running backs Jayden Clerveaux and Nick Woodford finding the end zone for the first time in maroon and gold uniforms.
“I was so ecstatic just knowing my family, my dad, my little brother and his girlfriend were at the game,” Clerveaux said. “They’re seeing that first touchdown, being at home, it being Homecoming as well. It was an incredibly proud moment for me.”
“This is what we work for, to win, to score, to do all the little things to get in that win column.”
Clerveaux found 82 yards on the ground with 12 carries, second only to Flores’ 157 rushing yards and a touchdown. The team would finish the day with 337 total rushing yards.
“Brett Bielema told me when I was a kid getting into coaching … ‘If you can run for 300 yards, your team will probably win the game,’” Drinkall said. “If you throw for 300 yards, it’s 50/50. But if you run for 300 yards, your team’s probably going to win the game.”
Drinkall was pleased with his team’s performance, yet he is aware of the importance of the stretch of games which await.
“We needed to get this one, the next three are tough,” Drinkall said. “Getting this one started off on the right foot is huge. It’s crazy, just winning games is hard anywhere, let alone this league [the MAC], and that was a good way to start.”
Central Michigan begins with a road trip to Athens, Ohio Oct. 10 at 3:30 p.m. to face the Ohio Bobcats. The following week, CMU hosts Western Michigan in the next showdown for the Victory Cannon trophy.
