Central Michigan University Athletics
Football Hosts Kent State
10/2/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 2, 2000
THE GAME: Central Michigan University will play Mid-American Conference (MAC) cross-divisional foe Kent State University in a Homecoming clash on Saturday, Oct. 7.
KICKOFF: 1 p.m. (EDT).
STADIUM: Kelly/Shorts (30,199).
THE RECORDS: Central Michigan (Mid-American Conference) is 1-4 overall and 0-1 in MAC West action following a 41-0 loss at Toledo on Saturday night. The Chippewas opened the season with a 48-0 loss at No. 15-ranked Purdue and then came home to record a 17-7 win over Akron before losing at Wyoming (31-10) and at home to Boise State (47-10).
Kent (Mid-American Conference) is 0-5 for the season and 0-2 in MAC East action after an 18-11 home loss to Bowling Green. The Golden Flashes have losses at Pittsburgh (30-7), at Purdue (45-10), at home to Youngstown State (26-20) and at Miami (45-14).
THE COACHES: Mike DeBord (Manchester, 1978), Central Michigan, first season, 1-4, Dean Pees (Bowling Green, 1971), Kent, third season, 2-25 current.
THE SERIES: Central holds a 20-8 lead in the series with Kent that began in 1948 with a 28-0 Golden Flash win. Since joining the MAC in 1975, the Chippewas hold a commanding 20-4 mark. The teams have split the last two, Kent winning at home in 1997 (60-37) and Central winning in 1998 (46-7).
LAST MEETING: CMU took a 22-0 lead after one period and was on top at the half, 36-0, en route to a 46-7 home win over Kent. Eric Flowers rushed 21 times for 163 yards and three touchdowns while Vince Webber went 80 yards for a TD on the sixth carry of his career. Webber finished with 116 yards in 12 tries. The Chippewas rushed for 317 yards and passed for another 113 to finish with 430 yards in total offense to Kent's 269. Kent was slowed by three turnovers.
LAST WEEK: Toledo (4-1) captured a 41-0 home win over Central Michigan on Saturday night in the Glass Bowl before a crowd of 20,913. The Rockets dominated every phase of the game, finishing with 457 yards in total offense to 168 for the Chippewas, UT raced out to a 31-0 lead at the half and coasted the rest of the way, freshman wide receiver Steve Messam was one of the few bright spots for CMU, catching a career-high five passes for 57 yards, sophomore linebacker Darvin Lewis had a career-high 16 tackles, two for losses of five yards, while senior safety Brian Leigeb added 14 stops and sophomore tackle Marvin Smith 11.
Kent outgained Bowling Green, 323-235, but still dropped the MAC clash, 18-11, BG led 18-3 in the fourth period when Nashville Dyer scampered 21 yards with a fumble for a Golden Flash TD, QB Zach Williams was 24-of-46 for 247 yards with two interceptions, Jurron Kelly caught 11 passes for 138 yards.
TV SHOW: The CMU Football Review is aired weekly with head coach Mike DeBord and host Ed Phelps. The one-half hour show is on CMU Public TV on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Fox 33 in Cadillac will also show it on Tuesday nights at 11 p.m.
RADIO SHOW: Central Michigan University will have a weekly coaches radio show on WUPS-FM (98.5) on Thursday nights from 7-8 p.m. Stan Shingles will be the host from Buffalo Wild Wings in Mt. Pleasant.
RADIO INFO: The game will be broadcast live on the CMU Football Network beginning at 12:30 p.m. (EDT). A total of 12 radio stations throughout Michigan will carry the game with the broadcast team of Ed Phelps and Herb Deromedi doing the game. The stations the on the network include:
WFYC-AM (1280) - Alma, WJKN-AM (1510) - Jackson, WKJF-AM (1370) - Cadillac, WVFN-AM (730) - Lansing, WCBY-AM (1240) - Cheboygan, WLSP-AM (1530) - Lapeer, WTKG-AM (1230) -- Grand Rapids, WUPS-FM (98.5) -- Mt. Pleasant, WPLB-AM (1380) - Greenville, WOAP-AM (1080) - Owosso, WHGR-AM (1290 - Houghton Lake WCCW-AM (1310) -- Traverse City.
Chippewa broadcasts can also be heard anywhere in the world via the Internet through CMU's athletics home page at www.cmuchippewas.com.
IT'S CMU VS. KENT IN HOMECOMING BATTLE
M OUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan University's football team, on the heels of a three-game losing skid, hopes the aura of Homecoming might be the charm to end that skid when Kent State University comes calling on Saturday, Oct. 7.Kickoff in Kelly/Shorts Stadium is set for 1 p.m.
Two hungry football teams will square off - Central Michigan is 1-4 for the season on a three-game losing streak and Kent is 0-5.
"It's an important game for our football team," said first-year head coach Mike DeBord. "We've been struggling but we're playing at home and it's Homecoming. There's a lot riding on this game.
"We are disappointed with the way we've played lately. We've practiced well but haven't taken it to the field. We haven't been aggressive enough. We just have to keep working and get better."
The Chippewas will have the week off after the Kent encounter before playing at Ohio University on Saturday, Oct. 21. CMU's next home game will be on Oct. 28 against Ball State University.
DeBORD ON THE TOLEDO LOSS - "You have to give Gary Pinkel and his Toledo staff all the credit in the world for coming back the way they did after a tough loss at Western Michigan. Toledo was ready and outplayed us.
"We didn't run it and we didn't throw it. We're not a good offensive football team right now. We're not much of a threat. But, it's a long season and it's something we'll have to keep working on."
DeBORD ON KENT STATE - "Kent gets after you on defense. It runs to the ball well and plays with great spirit and desire. Kent threw the ball well against Bowling Green. I know Coach (Dean) Pees will have his team ready when it comes here Saturday."
MAC STATS - CMU is 11th in total offense (255.6 yards per game), 10th in total defense (414.6) and 13th in scoring (7.4). The Chippewas are second in pass defense (168.4). QB Pete Shepherd is third in passing efficiency (127.0) and ninth in passing yards (144.4). Cornerbacker Tedaro France is fourth in interceptions (0.6 per game) while punter Brian Brandt is eighth (39.6).
CHIPPEWA NOTES - Senior safety Brian Leigeb (Midland/Dow) has moved into second place in career tackles with 403, moving past Rich Curtiss (1987-90) at 402 and Bryan Gross (1976-78) at 396. Former NFL standout Ray Bentley (1979-82) is tops with 443. Leigeb had 14 tackles at Toledo on Saturday and leads the Chippewas with 60 this season.
Senior quarterback Pete Shepherd (Mount Pleasant) completed nine-of-16 passes for 90 yards at Toledo and continues to inch closer in career stats to Jeff Bender (1988-91). Shepherd is second in four career categories -- yards passing (5,570/Bender has 6,528), passes attempted (838/960), passes completed (434/502) and total offense (5,610/6,518). He's tied for eighth in TD passes with 18.
Sophomore inside linebacker Darvin Lewis (Detroit/Renaissance) had his career-high in tackles at Toledo with 16. He's second on the team with 57 and is first with seven tackles for losses of 15 yards.
Shepherd, who has 29 career starts to rank seventh among active Division IA quarterbacks, has started 27 straight contests.
Sophomore tailback Tyrone Dalton (Pottstown, Pa./Valley Forge Military) saw his most extended playing time of the season at Toledo, finishing with 33 yards rushing in 12 tries. Two other Chippewa tailbacks are nursing injuries - Robbie Mixon (Detroit/Denby) a shoulder and Vince Webber (Elgin, Ill./Larkin) a hamstring.
CMU played its fifth true freshman at Toledo when 6-4, 265-pound defensive tackle Jay Davidson (Frankfort) played in the second half. He was credited with two assisted tackles. Other yearlings to have played are linebacker Ed Hillery (Rochester Hills/Rochester), fullback Terrence Jackson (Somerset, N.J./Franklin), wide receiver Steve Messam (South Bay, Fla./Glades Central) and defensive tackle Matt Wohlgemuth (Lake Orion).
Messam had the best game of his career at Toledo with five catches for 57 yards, one for 20 yards. He also returned two kickoffs 31 yards.
INJURY REPORT - Tight end Adam Supianoski (Manistee) will play after missing two games with a concussion while wide receiver Ira Gooch (Davenport, Iowa) is questionable with a shoulder CMU is having trouble keeping linebackers healthy. Redshirt freshmen Derrick Wallace (Naples, Fla.) at linebacker and Charles Harris (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview) at defensive end are doubtful with shoulder injuries.
Senior Casey Laughlin (DeWitt/Sr.) and junior James Westrich (Niagara, Wis.) will share Wallace's starting linebacker slot. Roverback Abdullah Muhammad (East Lansing/Jr.), fullback Joe Fuller (Mount Pleasant) and offensive lineman Nick Ferguson (Harrison) remain sidelined with shoulder injuries.
| MAC Standings |
| East Division | |||
| Team | MAC Division | MAC Overall | Overall |
| 1. Akron | 2-0 | 2-1 | 3-2 |
| 2. Marshall | 1-0 | 1-0 | 2-2 |
| 3. Miami | 1-1 | 2-1 | 3-2 |
| 4. Bowling Green | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-4 |
| 5. Buffalo | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-4 |
| 6. Ohio | 0-1 | 0-2 | 2-3 |
| 7. Kent State | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-5 |
| West Division | |||
| 1. Western Michigan | 2-0 | 2-0 | 4-1 |
| 2. Northern Illinois | 1-0 | 1-0 | 2-2 |
| 3. Toledo | 1-1 | 1-1 | 4-1 |
| 4. Eastern Michigan | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1-4 |
| 5. Central Michigan | 0-1 | 1-1 | 1-4 |
| 6. Ball State | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-4 |
