Central Michigan University Athletics
Football Takes On Toledo
9/25/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 25, 2000
THE GAME: Central Michigan University goes on the road to begin West Division play in the Mid-American Conference with a game at the University of Toledo on Saturday Sept. 30.
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. (EDT).
STADIUM: Glass Bowl (26,248).
THE RECORDS: Central Michigan (Mid-American Conference) is 1-3 following a 47-10 home loss to once-beaten Boise State. 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 by a 31-10 count.
Toledo (Mid-American Conference) is 3-1 after suffering its first loss of the season at Western Michigan on Saturday night, 21-14. The Rockets stunned the football world by drilling Penn State (24-6) in the opener and then rolled to home wins over Weber State (51-0) and Eastern Illinois (31-26).
THE COACHES: Mike DeBord (Manchester, 1978), Central Michigan, first season, 1-3, Gary Pinkel (Kent, 1975), Toledo, 10th season, 66-37-3.
THE SERIES: Central holds a slim 13-12-3 lead in the series that began in 1928 with a 13-0 Chippewa triumph, since joining the MAC in 1975, CMU is deadlocked in the series with the Rockets at 11-11-3, Toledo has won the last five since Central posted a 45-27 home win in its MAC title season of 1994. Incidentally, that was the game All-American Brian Pruitt set the NCAA record for all-purpose yards of 435 (356 rushing and 79 kickoff return) that still stands today.
LAST MEETING: Toledo broke open a tight game at the half (the Rockets led 18-13) with a pair of unanswered scores in the second en route to a 32-13 win in Mount Pleasant in 1999, Eric Flowers gave CMU a temporary 7-6 lead with a six-yard TD run in the first period and Ira Gooch closed the scoring in the second quarter on an 82-yard kickoff return, Flowers rushed 31 times for 120 yards and Jammarl O'Neal caught six passes for 106 yards, UT held a 564-339 edge in total offense.
LAST WEEK: Boise State (3-1) rolled to an impressive 47-10 win over Central Michigan in Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The Broncos were up 34-3 at the half and finished with 515 yards in total offense to CMU's 268. The Chippewas scored on a 35-yard field goal by Paul Savich in the second and then tallied the lone TD in the fourth when Derrick Vickers teamed with Eric Salani on a 31-yard scoring play. Pete Shepherd was 15-of-22 in passing for 137 yards while David Hannah caught six balls for 60 yards.
Toledo fell behind 21-0 entering the final period but rallied for two quick TDs to cut the final margin to 21-14 at Western Michigan. WMU held a 363-312 edge in total offense. UT's Chester Taylor rushed for 132 yards and a 17-yard score while Tavares Bolden completed 23-of-50 passes for 188 yards. The Rockets' other TD came on a blocked punt return.
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 6:30 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, WYUR-AM (1310) - Detroit, 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.CHIPPEWAS AT TOLEDO
MOUNT PLEASANT -It may not be the best time for Central Michigan University's football team to play at the University of Toledo but that's what the schedule calls for this Saturday, Sept. 30.
The Chippewas and the Rockets will square off in a Mid-American Conference (MAC) battle in the Glass Bowl at 7 p.m.
Toledo, a winner over Penn State (24-6) in the season opener, lost at Western Michigan this past Saturday, 21-14. The Rockets are now 3-1 for the season.
Central Michigan is 1-3 after a 47-10 home loss to Boise State.
"We told our players before the start of the season that our first five games would be extremely difficult," Chippewa head coach Mike DeBord said. "All had winning records last season and were picked to have excellent seasons again this year.
"Toledo may have had the biggest win of the whole group at Penn State. It's an awfully good football team that moves the ball on offense and plays great defense. It will be a tremendous challenge for our football team."
Despite the last two losses, DeBord is not down on the Chippewas.
"We showed what kind of football team we can be with the win over Akron (17-7)," he said. "We were focused in that game and beat a good football team. We have to regain that focus and maintain it the rest of the season.
"Are we as bad as we looked against Boise. No! I still like the makeup of this football team. We've got good kids who work hard. We just have to keep plugging away."
The Chippewas return home on Saturday, Oct. 7, for a Homecoming clash with Kent State University before having a week off.
DeBORD ON THE BOISE STATE LOSS - "I said before the game that Boise State was the best team from top to bottom we'd play all year and it was. From offense, to defense to special teams, Boise has it all. We were right in it at 13-3 when Boise busted a long one and the momentum changed just like that.
"We cannot run the football for 80 yards and hope to win a game. We have to run the ball better. Give Boise a lot of credit, though, it executed everything well."
MAC STATS - CMU is 10th in total offense (277.5 yards per game) and ninth in total defense (404.0). The Chippewas are third in pass defense (174.0). TB Robbie Mixon is seventh in rushing (68.3) and ninth in all-purpose yardage (113.5). QB Pete Shepherd is first in passing efficiency (131.4) and eighth in total offense (155.3 yards) while punter Brian Brandt is sixth (40.2).
CHIPPEWA NOTES - Senior quarterback Pete Shepherd (Mount Pleasant) passed for 137 yards on 15-of-22 against Boise State. He's second to Jeff Bender (1988-91) in four career categories -- yards passing (5,480/Bender has 6,528), passes attempted (822/960), passes completed (425/502) and total offense (5,537/6,518). He's tied for eighth in TD passes with 18.
Shepherd, who has 28 career starts to rank seventh among active Division IA quarterbacks, has started 26 straight contests.
Senior free safety Brian Leigeb (Midland/Dow) led CMU with 12 stops against Boise State and needs 55 more to become the career leader. Ray Bentley (1979-82) is tops with 443 and Leigeb is fourth at 389. Rich Curtiss (1987-90) is second with 402 and Bryan Gross (1976-78) is third with 396.
Despite seeing limited action against Boise State, sophomore tailback Robbie Mixon (Detroit/Denby) leads CMU in rushing (273 yards) and receiving (16 catches for 181 yards). In his second start against Akron, Robbie became the first CMU player to rush for more than 100 yards (164) and catch passes for more than 100 yards (101).
The Chippewas have been getting solid production out of four true freshmen this fall. Fullback Terrence Jackson (Somerset, N.J./Franklin), who raced 73 yards with a pass reception at Wyoming, caught one pass for 22 yards against Boise while wide receiver Steve Messam (South Bay, Fla./Glades Central) grabbed three passes for 26 yards. Linebacker Ed Hillery (Rochester Hills/Rochester) had a solo tackle and defensive tackle Matt Wohlgemuth (Lake Orion) an assisted stop.
Junior roverback Rodrico Epps (Oak Park/Orchard Lake St. Mary's) had a career-high 11 tackles in the Boise game, seven of them solos.
When redshirt freshman quarterback Derrick Vickers (Miami, Fla./Pace) and senior tight end Eric Salani (Hancock) combined on a 31-yard scoring pass against Boise, it was a career first TD for both. Vickers was three-for-eight in passing for 58 yards.
CMU is having trouble keeping linebackers healthy. Redshirt freshman Derrick Wallace (Naples, Fla.) is doubtful with a shoulder injury while Casey Laughlin (DeWitt/Sr.) is slowed by an ankle problem but could play. Joining Lewis as a starter at Toledo should be junior James Westrich (Niagara, Wis.). Wide receiver Ira Gooch (Davenport, Ia./Sr.), roverback Abdullah Muhammad (East Lansing/Jr.), fullback Joe Fuller (Mount Pleasant) and offensive lineman Nick Ferguson (Harrison) remained sidelined with shoulder injuries.
| MAC Standings |
| East Division | |||
| Team | MAC Division | MAC Overall | Overall |
| 1. Miami | 1-0 | 2-0 | 3-1 |
| 2. Buffalo | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1-3 |
| 3. Akron | 1-0 | 1-1 | 2-2 |
| 4. Marshall | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| 5. Ohio | 0-1 | 0-1 | 2-2 |
| 6. Bowling Green | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-4 |
| 7. Kent | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-4 |
| West Division | |||
| 1. Western Michigan | 1-0 | 1-0 | 3-1 |
| 2. Central Michigan | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1-3 |
| 3. Northern Illinois | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| 4. Ball State | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-3 |
| 5. Eastern Michigan | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1-3 |
| 6. Toledo | 0-1 | 0-1 | 3-1 |
