Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Gun For Two In a Row
11/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 3, 2003
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MOUNT PLEASANT -- After putting an end to a five-game losing skid with the convincing 38-10 win over Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan University will look for its second straight win on Saturday, Nov. 8, when it hosts Akron.
Kickoff for the Mid-American Conference game in Kelly/Shorts Stadium is set for 1 p.m. It will be CMU's final home clash of the season.
The Chippewas are now 3-6 overall and 1-5 in MAC West play while Akron, a 42-24 loser at Marshall on Saturday, stands 5-5 for the season and 3-3 in MAC East action.
The win over EMU kept alive CMU's hopes for a .500 season although the Chippewas would need to finish with a home win over Akron and road triumphs at Western Michigan and Navy.
Nonetheless, there was a different attitude in practice on Sunday following the EMU game, a contest in which CMU fell behind 10-0 and then scored the final 38 points.
"Everybody was more at ease," said CMU head coach Mike DeBord. "There was a little more bounce in everyone's step but that's what happens when you win."
While the young Chippewas practiced on Sunday afternoon, veterans took much of it off.
"We're trying to keep the veterans as fresh as possible," DeBord said. "They're banged up and tired so we'll take it easy early in the week like we did last week."
Monday is CMU's day off each week.
Winning the EMU game was huge for the Chippewas but the way they did it was even bigger to DeBord.
"We did not panic when we fell behind 10-0," DeBord said. "When you'd lost five straight, it would have been easy to hang your head and say here we go again.
"But, our players never lost their resolve. They still thought they were going to win and got the job done. I'm very proud of that attitude."
DeBord is hopeful that the win gives CMU some confidence.
"There's still a lot to play for and the confidence that comes from winning a game can be a major factor in the remaining games," he said.
The CoachesCentral Michigan -- Mike DeBord (Manchester, 1978).Career record: 12-31 (fourth year).CMU record: same. Akron -- Lee Owen (Bluffton, 1977).Career record: 38-61 (ninth year).UA record: same
The Series
CMU holds a 9-8-1 lead in the all-time series that began in 1969 with a 9-6 Zip victory.
The Chippewas have won three straight including a 24-17 road win in 2002. Akron's last victory came at home in 1997 by a 53-14 margin.
CMU's Mike DeBord is 3-0 against Akron and Akron's Lee Owens is 2-4 against the Chippewas.
Last Meeting ,P. CMU spotted the Zips a 17-3 lead at the half before charging back with 21 straight second-half points and a 24-17 win in the Rubber Bowl for its third straight win to open the 2002 season.
Robbie Mixon scored the tying TD on a five-yard run in the third period while Kenan Lawhorne tallied two more six-pointers on runs of two and one yards.
CMU finished with 469 yards of total offense compared to Akron's 374, only 147 of which came in the second half.
Derrick Vickers completed 21-of-33 passes for 227 yards. Lawhorne finished with a career-high 133 yards in 30 carries.
Last Game: CMU
CMU scored 38 unanswered points in claiming a 38-10 home win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
Freshman halfback Jerry Seymour (Miami, Fla./Pace) rushed for a career-high 207 yards on 36 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead the Chippewas while QB Derrick Vickers (Miami, Fla./Pace) completed 18-of-24 passes for 185 yards and two TDs.
Vickers tossed TD passes of 29 yards to Joe Staley (Rockford) and 12 to Troy Peyerk (Kimball/Port Huron). Steve Messam (South Bay, Fla./Glades Central) led CMU with five catches for 66 yards and Seymour snared four more for 38 yards.
CMU finished with 227 yards in rushing and 185 more in passing for 412 yards to 253 for the Eagles.
Anthony Tyus Jr. (Lansing/Sexton) led CMU with 10 tackles while James King (Oak Park/Western) had eight including two QB sacks for minus 13 yards.
Last Game: Akron
The Zips gave Marshall all it wanted before falling on the road by a 42-24 tally on Saturday.
Akron finished with 391 yards in total offense, 250 through the air thanks to Charlie Frye's 16-of-32 for 210 yards and one TD. Frye also rushed five times for 29 yards.
Nick Sparks, Miguel Irvin and Matt Cherry all had four catches for the Zips, Sparks taking one 41 yards for a score.
Marshall rushed for 374 yards and totaled 573 yards in offense.
DeBord on Akron:
"Akron has a powerful offensive unit that ranks among the best in the MAC. (Charlie) Frye is one of the top quarterbacks in the MAC, and this conference has an abundance of excellent quarterbacks.
"On defense, Akron brings a lot of pressure with a fire zone."
Chippewa Training Room
Lost for the season: *starting junior linebacker Omari Colen (Lathrup Village/Lathrup), leg. *reserve senior offensive lineman Tom Langton (Westfield, N.J.), leg. *starting junior quarterback Jeff Perry (Apple Valley, Calif./Silverado), leg. *starting senior wide receiver Willie Hill (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Stranahan),leg. Week-to-week: *reserve tight end Joe Staley, leg. *reserve offensive lineman Brandon Pitzer (Brighton), back. *reserve linebacker Jason Smith (Detroit/Bishop-Borgess), shoulder.
Checking the Stats
The Chippewas are eighth in total offense in the MAC with 357.0 yards per game and 14th in total defense (475.6). CMU is second in penalties per game (45.3 yards), tied for third in QB sacks allowed (14), fourth in rushing offense (188.1) and sixth in sacks (19).
Individually, here's how the Chippewas rank:
James King *1st in tackles (12.1) *7th in QB sacks (5.0) *T-7th in tackles for loss (11)Mike Gruzwalski *T-1st extra points (24-of-24)Terrence Jackson *7th rushing (76.4)Eddie Hillery *T-2nd fumbles caused (three)Justin Harper *8th in all-purpose yards (111.6) *11th kickoff returns (19.7) *12th punt returns (6.6)Brian Brandt *6th in punting (42.2)Anthony Tyus Jr. *4th in tackles (11.3)Derrick Vickers *11th in passing efficiency (103.6) *12th in yards passing (95.9) *15th in total offense (99.5)Richard Kiel *T-11th in interceptions (2)
Seeing More of Jerry
Chippewa head coach Mike DeBord promised he'd feature Jerry "Bam Bam" Seymour more in the offense, and the 5-6, 190-pounder responded with a scintillating outing in the win over EMU.
Not only did he set career highs in yards (207) and rushes (36) but he also grabbed four passes for 38 more yards.
The 207 yards were the most ever by a true freshman Chippewa back and the most by a freshman back since redshirt freshman Silas Massey rambled for 231 yards against Youngstown State in 1995.
It marked the fourth time this season that Seymour has been over the 100-yard mark. Below is a listing of his 100-yard outings:
*New Hampshire (9/6) 166 in 27*E. Kentucky (9/13) 116 in 25*UCF (10/25) 114 in 17*EMU (11/1) 207 in 36
CMU is 3-1 in games that Seymour has cracked the 100-yard barrier, losing only the UCF outing.
Sackin' James
Junior strong safety James King has led the MAC in tackles much of the season but now he's moved among the conference leaders in QB sacks with five.
He picked up two in the win over EMU, a game that DeBord said may have been King's finest of the year.
King leads the MAC in tackles with 109 in nine games for an average of 12.1. He also has 11 tackles for losses of 58 yards.
King had a career-high 21 at Michigan.
Vickers Continues Moving Up
Quarterback Derrick Vickers started the 28th game of his career against EMU. Here's where he stands in career stats:
Yards Passing1. Jeff Bender (1988-91) 6,5282. Pete Shepherd (1997-00) 5,5743. Joe Youngblood (1990-93) 4,7184. Derrick Vickers (2000-) 4,570Passing Attempts1. Jeff Bender (1988-91) 9602. Pete Shepherd (1997-00) 8793. Derrick Vickers (2000-) 820Passes Completed1. Jeff Bender (1988-91) 5022. Pete Shepherd (1997-00) 4553. Derrick Vickers (2000-) 437Total Offense1. Jeff Bender (1988-91) 6,5182. Pete Shepherd (1997-00) 5,7473. Derrick Vickers (2000-) 5,153TD Passes1. Jeff Bender (1988-91) 382. Joe Youngblood (1990-93) 353. Chad Darnell (1994-96) 334. Andy MacDonald (1950-51) 27 Derrick Vickers (2000-) 27
Vickers has started the last five games in place of junior Jeff Perry who is out for the season with an injury.
Vickers started the first 11 games of the 2002 season and registered the top two completion games in school annals with 28 against Wyoming and 27 versus Bowling Green.
He finished the season with 175 completions (second most in school history) in 320 passes (tied for fourth) for 1,828 yards (eighth).
Spreading It Around
CMU quarterbacks have completed passes to 17 different receivers this season and eight different players have scored TDs.
The two on the receiving end of scoring aerials on Saturday were TE Joe Staley (29 yards) and FB Troy Peyerk (12). They were career first TD receptions.
Defense Sets Marks
CMU's defensive unit came up with its top effort of the season against Eastern Michigan.
The 124 yards rushing by the Eagles, the 129 yards passing and the 253 yards in total offense are season lows by Chippewa foes.
The closest low in total offense was 361 by New Hampshire.
Movin' With Messam
Steve Messam entered the EMU game with just four catches for 40 yards this season. However, he grabbed five for 66 yards against the Eagles, one of them a 31-yarder.
Daniel Keeps Buzzin'
Redshirt freshman defensive end Daniel Bazuin (McBain) is becoming a regular "visitor" in the opponents' backfield.
The 6-3, 250-pounder had seven tackles against EMU, three of them behind the line for losses of 17 yards.
He's now third on the team with nine tackles for losses of 35 yards and has collected four QB sacks for minus 27 yards.
Seventh 'Newcomer' in Action
Seven members of the 2003 recruiting class have played this fall.
They are: freshman halfback Isaac Brown (Saginaw/Bridgeport); walk-on freshman place-kicker Matt Foster (Lowell); wide receiver Damien Linson (Plymouth, N.C./Same); freshman halfback Jerry Seymour; freshman tight end Joe Staley; freshman linebacker Leython Williams (Detroit/University Liggett) and junior wide receiver Jovan Witherpsoon (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Harper College).
Veteran O-Line
CMU ranks fourth in the MAC in rushing with 188.1 yards per game thanks in a large part to its line.
Anchoring the line is 6-5, 315-pound left guard Derek McLaughlin (Berrien Springs) -- the lone senior on the line.
McLaughlin, whose father (Duane) played at Michigan State, has started 36 straight games.
Junior tackle Adam Kieft (Rockford), a 6-7, 320-pounder, is a three-year starter at left tackle with 28 starts to his credit.
The other veteran starter is 6-3, 295-pound junior center Eric Ghiaciuc (Oxford) in his second season. Sophomore starting tackle Jeff Jenerou (Manistique), a 6-7, 297-pounder, started five games in 2002. The lone newcomer is 6-4, 275-pound Drew Mormino (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) at right guard.
No Sacks Here
After finishing second in the MAC to rush-oriented Ohio in QB sacks allowed in 2002, the Chippewas have allowed 14 sacks this season and are fourth.
CMU gave up 14 a year ago.
Freshman All-Americans
CMU has had three current players honored as Freshman All-Americans by The Sporting News.
The most recent was sophomore place-kicker Mike Gruzwalski (Shelby Township/Eisenhower) who was a first team choice in 2002.
Junior tight end Tory Humphrey (Saginaw) and junior strong safety James King (Oak Park/Western) were second and fourth teams selections in 2001.
Chippewa Captains
In a vote of their peers, senior offensive tackle Derek McLaughlin and senior defensive tackle Matt Wohlgemuth (Lake Orion) will serve as captains for 2003.
Running to Success
CMU has had backs gain 100 yards in 233 games since 1970. The Chippewas are 168-58-7 in those games.
CMU is 3-3 with a 100-yard rusher this season.
How About Those Chippewas!
CMU enters the 2003 season as the 23rd winningest Division IA football program in history.
In 28 seasons of 1A football, the Chippewas have a winning percentage of .616. CMU is ahead of Texas A & M (.606), UCLA (.602) and Michigan State (.602).
MAC Honorees
Since joining the MAC in 1975 CMU has had more first team all-conference selections than any other school with 101.
