Central Michigan University Athletics
Football Closes Season At NIU
11/13/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 13, 2000
THE GAME: Central Michigan University closes the 2000 football season with a Mid-American Conference (MAC) game at Northern Illinois University on Saturday, Nov. 18.
KICKOFF: 1 p.m. (CST).
STADIUM: Huskie Stadium (31,000).
THE RECORDS: Central Michigan (Mid-American Conference) is 2-8 overall, 1-3 in MAC West action and 2-5 in overall MAC play. CMU ended its seven-game losing streak with a 21-17 upset of Western Michigan this past Saturday. The Chippewas opened the season with a 48-0 loss at No. 15-ranked Purdue before Central stopping Akron (17-7). Central then lost seven in a row to Wyoming (31-10), Boise State (47-10), Toledo (41-0), Kent (24-21/2 OT), Ohio (52-3), Ball State (38-34) and Eastern Michigan (31-15).
Northern Illinois (Mid-American Conference) is 5-5 overall, 1-3 in MAC West action and 3-3 in all MAC outings. The Huskies have lost two in a row to Toledo (38-24) and Eastern Michigan (39-32) after rolling to a 73-10 win over Buffalo.
THE COACHES: Mike DeBord (Manchester, 1978), Central Michigan, first season, 2-8. Joe Novak (Miami, 1967), Northern Illinois, fifth season, 13-41.
THE SERIES: Central holds a 21-13-1 lead in the series that began in 1936 with a 7-6. In MAC games, CMU is 9-5. Northern is 2-1 since rejoining the conference 1997, winning the past two contests. Novak is 2-1 against Central.
LAST MEETING: Trailing 20-17 entering the final period, Northern Illinois scored on a seven-yard pass from Chris Finlen to Justin McCareins with 3:24 remaining to capture a 31-27 win at Central. Eric Flowers carried 34 times for 129 yards and two scores for CMU. David Hannah caught a 63-yard pass from Ira Gooch for another Chippewa TD. Central held a 373-369 edge in total offense. Both teams had three passes intercepted.
LAST WEEK: Central Michigan closed its home season with an incredible 21-17 upset of arch-rival Western Michigan, a team that was ranked 27th in the country and sported an 8-1 record. The Chippewas scored two TDs on a 77-yard pass from Derrick Vickers to Ira Gooch and on a 15-yard pass from Vickers to David Hannah. WMU then scored the next 17 points to take a 17-14 lead with 10:30 remaining in the game. Central marched 71 yards in 14 plays to score on a one-yard run by Vince Webber and then held on as the Broncos moved to a first down at the CMU 20 but couldn't score. Vickers completed 16-of-28 passes for 228 yards while Hannah caught six for 72 yards and Ira Gooch two for 108. CMU had three interceptions that helped slow WMU.
Northern Illinois saw a 32-12 lead disappear in the fourth period en route to a 39-32 loss at Eastern Michigan. Michael Turner had a great day rushing for the Huskies, carrying 21 times for 230 yards and two scores while Chris Finlen hit on 11-of-19 passses for 123 yards. Versatile Justin McCareins caught three passes for 46 yards, returned five punts for 106 yards and two kickoffs for 39 yards. Steve Azar booted four field goals.
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 1:30 p.m. (EST). A total of 13 radio stations throughout Michigan will carry the game with the broadcast team of Ed Phelps and Herb Deromedi doing the game. The network includes: WFYC-AM (1280) - Alma, WJKN-AM (1510) - Jackson, WKJF-AM (1370) - Cadillac, WVFN-AM (730) - Lansing, WCBY-AM (1240) --Cheboygan, WLSP-AM (1530) - Lapeer, WYUR-AM (1310) - Detroit, WUPS-FM (98.5) --Mt. Pleasant, WTKG-AM (1230) -- Grand Rapids, WOAP-AM (1080) - Owosso, WPLB-AM (1380) - Greenville, WCCW-AM (1310) -- Traverse City, WHGR-AM (1290 - Houghton Lake.
Chippewa broadcasts can also be heard anywhere in the world via the Internet through CMU's athletics home page at www.cmuchippewas.com.
REJUVENATED CHIPPEWAS CLOSE AT NIU
MOUNT PLEASANT - Buoyed by a 21-17 upset win over arch-rival Western Michigan University, the Central Michigan University football team closes the 2000 campaign at Northern Illinois University on Saturday, Nov. 18, in a Mid-American Conference (MAC) clash.
Kickoff in Huskie Stadium is set for 1 p.m. (CST).
The Chippewas, 2-8 for the season, 2-5 in MAC action and 1-3 in division play, ended a seven-game losing streak before a frenzied home crowd of 26,249 with the improbable win over Western Michigan. The Broncos had won eight straight, were ranked 27th in both national polls and were 34.5-point favorites.
Central, however, kept its home mastery of WMU alive by driving for the winning TD late in the game and then withstanding a Bronco assault at the end. Western has not won in Kelly/Shorts Stadium since 1973.
"We really didn't play up the big point-spread difference," DeBord said. "Playing Western Michigan was all the motivation we needed. People who make up those things don't know what this rivalry is about and don't know what's inside this team.
"Our kids have hung in there all season. They've never quit and there have been times they could have. I'm so happy for our seniors. It's a moment they can cherish. We make our own moments in life and this is one to be proud of."
A win at Northern Illinois would help keep the momentum rolling toward the 2001 season when the Chippewas are slated to open at home against Murray State on Thursday, Aug. 30.
"It would be huge for this football team to win the last two games," DeBord said. "It would mean a lot to the program and give us a head start for next season."
CMU has not won in DeKalb since a 25-21 win in 1977, going 0-4 since then.
DeBORD ON WMU WIN - "In this game, we made plays at the end to win. We haven't done that this season. We've been in the position to win and haven't gotten the job done. My heart almost stopped with that pass into the end zone late in the game that Rodrico Epps knocked away. But, he's a warrior ... one of those guys who fights from the first play to the last."
DeBORD ON NORTHERN ILLINOIS - "Northern Illinois has an outstanding football team and an offense that leads the MAC. It's huge up front and likes to pound the ball against you. But, our football team has been able to bounce back all season long and put the previous game behind it. It will be an awfully tough game because Northern has a winning season on the line."
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES - NIU features a one-two rushing punch in Thomas Hammock (1,083 yards) and Michael Turner (702) along with the throwing of Chris Finlen (1,683 yards for nine touchdowns). Hammock has rushed for 16 TDs and Turner six. Justin McCareins has 60 receptions for 1,062 yards and nine more scores. McCareins also averages 17.1 yards on punt returns and 23.4 on kickoff returns. NIU averages 423.3 in total offense while holding its opponents to 380.0.
MAC STATS - CMU is first in pass defense (147.3), 11th in total offense (281.7) and 11th in total defense (411.8). CB Tedaro France is tied for second in interceptions (0.50 per game) while WR Ira Gooch is fourth in kickoff returns (22.5), fifth in punt returns (10.0) and ninth in all-purpose yards (104.8), and punter Brian Brandt is eighth (39.8).
CHIPPEWA NOTES - Senior safety Brian Leigeb (Midland/Dow) had the eighth double-figure game in tackles this season with 13 and increased his career tackle record to 464. The old mark of 443 was held by NFL standout Ray Bentley.
Redshirt freshman QB Derrick Vickers (Miami, Fla./Pace) threw two touchdown passes against WMU, completing 16-of-28 passes for 228 yards and two scores. He also scampered 17 yards on fourth-and-one in CMU's game-winning drive in the fourth period. He has thrown for seven touchdowns against five interceptions this season. Vickers has started the last four games for Central.
Senior Ira Gooch (Davenport, Ia./Ellsworth CC) caught only two passes against WMU but they went for 108 yards. One was a 77-yard pass play.
Senior David Hannah (Clinton Township/Clintondale) snared six passes for 72 yards and a 15-yard score against WMU.
The Chippewa secondary held WMU's high-powered passing attack to just 99 yards. The Broncos were averaging 243.3 yards per game. CMU leads the MAC by holding foes to 147.3 per game through the air. Seniors Brian Leigeb (Midland/Dow) and Scott Naz (Port Huron/Walled Lake Western) and junior Wayne Dudley (Baltimore, Md./Fork Union) had interceptions to raise Central's total to 10 this season.
Sophomore linebacker Darvin Lewis (Detroit/Renaissance) ranks second in tackles for CMU and third in the MAC with 106. He's tops in tackles for loss with 11 for 28 yards and has been in twin figures six times.
Redshirt freshman punter Brian Brandt (Wausau, Wis./West) is three away from setting a school record for number of punts in a season. He has 78 punts thus far. The record of 80 was set by Jake Kemp in 1998.
Brandt, however, needs a big game against NIU to become the first punter to average 40-yard per boot since the Chippewas moved to Kelly/Shorts in 1972. After seven punts for 34.3 yards against WMU, Brandt's average has fallen to 39.8. In 40 punts on the road, he's averaging 42.6. In 38 at home, his average is 36.8.
Senior Eric Salani (Hancock), who had caught only two passes in his career, has caught 11 passes this fall with four of them going for touchdowns.
Junior Vince Webber (Elgin, Ill.), after missing two games with a hamstring injury, has reclaimed the team lead in rushing with 345. He carried 29 times for 86 tough yards against Western and scored the winning TD in the fourth period from one yard out.
Senior Pete Shepherd (Mount Pleasant), who did not play against WMU, is second to career-leader Jeff Bender (1988-91) in four career categories - yards passing (5,729/Bender has 6,528), passes attempted (872/960), passes completed (453/502) and
total offense (5,720/6,518). He's tied for sixth in TD passes with 19.
Injuries have forced CMU to use five different tailbacks this season. True freshman Kenan Lawhorne (Miami, Fla./Coral Park) and sophomore Tyrone Dalton (Pottstown, Pa./Valley Forge Military) each started a game this season while sophomore Robbie Mixon (Detroit/Denby) started four and Webber four.
Linebacker Derrick Wallace (Naples, Fla./Lely), place-kicker Paul Savich and Mixon will not play at Northern. Wallace and Mixon have shoulder woes and Savich a broken foot.
| MAC Standings |
| East Division | |||
| Team | MAC Division | MAC Overall | Overall |
| 1. Marshall | 5-0 | 5-2 | 6-4 |
| 2. Akron | 4-1 | 4-3 | 5-5 |
| 3. Ohio | 3-2 | 4-3 | 6-4 |
| 4. Miami | 3-2 | 4-3 | 5-5 |
| 5. Buffalo | 2-3 | 2-5 | 2-8 |
| 6. Bowling Green | 1-5 | 2-5 | 2-8 |
| 7. Kent State | 0-5 | 1-6 | 1-9 |
| West Division | |||
| 1. Toledo | 4-1 | 6-1 | 9-1 |
| 2. Western Michigan | 3-1 | 6-1 | 8-2 |
| 3. Eastern Michigan | 2-2 | 2-4 | 3-7 |
| 4. Ball State | 2-3 | 4-3 | 4-6 |
| 5. Northern Illinois | 1-3 | 3-3 | 5-5 |
| 6. Central Michigan | 1-3 | 2-5 | 2-8 |
