Chippewas Look For Second Win

Sept. 8, 2003

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MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan University will face its second straight Division IAA football foe this Saturday, Sept. 13, when Eastern Kentucky University makes a return visit to Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

CMU, which opened the 2001 campaign with a 42-28 home win over Eastern Kentucky, opened the home season this past Saturday with a hard-fought 40-33 win over IAA New Hampshire.

The Chippewas are now 1-1 for the season while Eastern Kentucky also enters the contest with a 1-1 record on the heels of an impressive 35-7 home win over No. 11 ranked IAA foe Appalachian State.

"I think too much is made of IAA," said CMU head coach Mike DeBord. "Schools that are IAA have Division I athletes. They just don't have as many on scholarship as Division IA schools.

"I'll tell you this. New Hampshire has a good football team and Eastern Kentucky has a better one, and that's not meant to take anything away from New Hampshire."

The visiting Wildcats threw a scare into the Chippewas by grabbing a 23-19 halftime lead, outgaining CMU by a 266-244 margin.

However, the Chippewas took control in the second half, rushing out to a 40-26 lead and then withstanding a late UNH rush for the win.

"We got great play in the second half on both sides of the football," said DeBord. "We dominated the stats but New Hampshire found a way to make it close at the end and you have to give it credit."

CMU went up by a 40-26 margin with 7:31 to play only to have the Wildcats score at 1:27 on a 48-yard pass play to make it 40-33. UNH then recovered the onside kick and moved to the Chippewa 24 when time ran out.

EKU showed momumental improvement from game one to game two. After losing a 63-13 decision at powerful Bowling Green, the Colonels dominated Appalachian State. They had 425 yards in total offense to 237 for the visitors.

The Colonels grabbed a 35-0 lead at the half and lost the shutout with 2:53 remaining in the game.

CMU opens MAC play on Sept. 20 at Ball State at 2 p.m. (EDT).

The Coaches

    Central Michigan -- Mike DeBord (Manchester, 1978).Career record: 10-26 (fourth year).CMU record: same.    Eastern Kentucky -- Danny Hope (Eastern Kentucky, 1981)Career record: 1-1 (first year)

The Series

CMU holds a 6-1 lead in the series that began in 1939 with an 18-14 Chippewa road win.

EKU then gained revenge in 1940 with a 25-0 victory in Mount Pleasant.

CMU also posted wins in:

1945  14-7 (H)1946  20-7 (A)1972  21-14 (H)1973  21-7 (A)2001  42-28 (A)

Last Time

The Chippewas trailed by a 21-19 margin at the half in 2001but outscored Eastern Kentucky by a 23-7 margin in the final half for the win.

The Colonels ended with 353 yards in total offense to 319 for CMU. Three turnovers hurt EKU's upset bid.

The Chippewas outgained their visitors by a 246-114 margin in the second half.

QB Derrick Vickers connected on 16-of-29 passes for 195 yards and one TD while Robbie Mixon rushed 26 times for 76 yards and a TD. Kenan Lawhorne also scored three times.

Last Week: CMU

The Chippewas rallied from a 23-19 halftime deficit for a 40-33 win over New Hampshire.

CMU dominated the second half statisically, netting 280 yards to 95 for the Wildcats.

The Chippewas rushed for 352 yards and finished with 524 yards in total offense.

Freshman halfback Jerry Seymour (Miami, Fla./Pace), nicknamed "Bam Bam," and senior wide receiver Willie Hill (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Stranahan) were the offensive standouts for CMU.

The 5-6, 190-pound Seymour rushed 27 times for 166 yards and three TDs while Hill caught eight passes for 65 yards and rushed twice for 59 more.

QB Jeff Perry (Apple Valley, Cal./Silverado) completed 19-of-28 passes for 172 yards and one TD, a 13-yarder to tight end Tory Humphrey (Saginaw).

Junior Anthony Tyus Jr. (Lansing/Sexton) had 15 tackles, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.

Last Week: EKU

Tremayne Perkins returned the opening kickoff 97 yards to set the tempo of the game for the Colonels.

It was 14-0 after one period and 35-0 at the half in the 35-7 win over Appalachian State.

EKU finished with 435 yards in total offense, holding the losers to 237 -- just 32 on the ground.

QB Matt Guice was 16-of-22 for 225 yards and two scores.

The Colonels also scored on a 68-yard punt return by Allen Evans.

DeBord on New Hampshire:

"I was pleased with our team's commitment at halftime. There was no panic. There was a resolve among everyone in the locker room to go out and win the game.

"I'm not sure we would have won this game in the past because we haven't been able to finish. I've learned that when you get a victory, you'd better be happy. They're no such thing as an easy win, and we were darn happy to sing that fight song as loud as we could."

Chippewa Training Room

The Chippewas will be without the services of linebacker Omari Colen (Lathrup Village/Lathrup) after he sustained a leg injury against New Hampshire. Halfback Kenan Lawhorne (Miami, Fla./Coral Park) also suffered a leg injury and is questionable for this week.

CMU lost two players with leg injuries at Michigan. Sophomore starting tackle Jeff Jenerou (Manistique) is doubtful while reserve redshirt freshman linebacker Mike Ogle (Caledonia) is out.

The Chippewas played the first two games without reserve offensive lineman Tom Langton (Westfield, N.J.) and Brandon Pitzer (Brighton). They will remain out with leg and back injuries, respectively, as will reserve halfback Mike Pryce (Punta Gorda, Fla./Charlotte) with a leg injury.

'Bam Bam' is Here

Freshman halfback Jerry "Bam Bam" Seymour has only played two collegiate game for CMU but already he's made a huge impression despite being only 5-6 and weighing 190 pounds.

"What I like about Jerry is that he gives great effort at all times on the football field," said DeBord. "Plus, I love his demeanor. He doesn't get too up or too down which really allows him to be consistent."

Seymour rushed for 166 yards on 27 carries and scored three touchdowns in CMU's 40-33 win over New Hampshire. He also caught two passes for 16 yards.

He's averaging 115 yards per game after gaining 64 yards on 14 carries at Michigan.

'The Thrill' Makes Plays

After battling leg injuries throughout his career, senior wide receiver Willie Hill has become a "go-to" guy for the Chippewas this season.

He snared eight passes for 65 yards against UNH and also had the first two carries of his college career go for 59 yards.

"Willie is now healthy and he's one of our most improved football players," DeBord said. "He's running great routes, is catching the ball and has an attitude right now that I like."

Perry Steady at QB

According to DeBord, junior QB Jeff Perry has made one bad decision in two games -- the interception at Michigan on a ball he was trying to throw away.

"He throws a catchable ball and has been very accurate," DeBord said. "I'm pleased with his demeanor and the way he runs the offense."

Perry was 19-of-28 for 172 yards and one TD in the UNH win. The 13-yard scoring pass to Tory Humphrey was the first of his career.

Perry emerged from a four-way battle in the spring for the job and held on to the No. 1 slot through this fall drills.

Jeff threw for 2,337 yards in 1999 at Silverado High to set school and league marks. He lists wakeboarding and surfing as his hobbies.

Checking the Stats

CMU is the fifth-leading rushing team in the nation, averaging 285 yards per game on the ground.

The Chippewas are the lopsided leaders in the Mid-American Conference. Buffalo is second with 229.5.

CMU is fifth in total offense (446.0) and 12th in total defense (488.0).

CMU is also No. 1 in sacks allowed with zero and second in time of possession with 32:54 per game.

Individually, freshman Jerry Seymour is tops in rushing (115) and Terrence Jackson (91.5) is second.

Seymour is also tied for third in scoring with 9.0 per game and fifth in all-purpose yards at 133.5.

James King (Oak Park/Western) is first in tackles with 14.5 a game.

Willie Hill (6.5) is tied for eighth in receptions per game.

Jackson's Back

After struggling much of the 2002 with an ankle injury that caused him to miss the first five games, senior halfback Terrence Jackson (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) has run with his old reckless abanadon in the first two games.

He rambled for 104 yards in 21 carries, the longest being a 19-yard scamper, at Michigan and then carried 26 times for 79 yards against UNH.

Jackson broke the 100-yard barrier only once in 2002 after accomplishing the feat in seven straight games in 2001. He now has nine career 100-yard outings.

Help at Halfback

The Chippewas have had plenty of solid backup play to Jackson in the first two games.

Senior Kenan Lawhorne (Miami, Fla./Coral Park) has only carried eight times but has gained 87 yards and scored the lone Chippewa TD at Michigan on a 27-yard run. He carried just once against UNH and went 45 yards before being sidelined with a leg injury.

Seymour has moved into the backup role behind Jackson for this week's game. He's also listed in the two-deep in punt and kickoff return.

At 5-10, 225 pounds, sophomore Spencer Lewis (Lathrup Village/Lathrup) is a big back who has played in both games thus far but hasn't gained a yard.

Changes Up Front

With the injury to Jeff Jenerou at right tackle, 6-5, 315-pound senior Derek McLaughlin (Berrien Springs) will start his second straight game this week at right tackle.

Sophomore sophomore Dean Zarafonetis (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Northern), a 6-4, 310-pounder, is now at left guard. Zarafonetis played most of the final three quarters at UM in his career debut after missing 2002 with back woes.

McLaughlin, who's father Duane played at Michigan State, has 29 career starts under his belt while 6-7, 320-pound junior left tackle Adam Kieft (Rockford) has started 22 times in his three seasons.

Changes at Linebacker

With Omari Colen being sidelined with a leg injury, juniors Jonathon Nelson (Coral Springs, Ill/Lake Zurich) and Anthony Tyus Jr. will start at the inside backer posts.

Senior Eddie Hillery (Rochester Hills/Rochester) will handle the Will linebacker slot.

Sophomore Jimmy Reese (Brighton) will backup inside while sophomore Jason Smith (Detroit/Detroit/Bishop Borgess) will see action behind Hillery.

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 after nailing 14-of-19 field goals and 27-of-31 extra points.

Junior tight end Tory Humphrey (Saginaw) and junior strong safety James King (Oak Park/Western) were second and fourth teams selections in 2001.

King's Sparkles

James King, playing his third position in as many years, has been outstanding this season with 29 tackles to lead the MAC with 14.5 stops per outing.

The 6-1, 215-pounder was a linebacker two years ago, played free safety last fall and has moved to strong safety this season.

He had 19 tackles at Michigan and 10 against UNH.

King has a knack for finding the football. Not only has he made 186 tackles in two seasons, but he has five interceptions and has blocked 10 kicks --eight of them punts.

In 2001, James had eight blocked kicks, seven of them punts (four at Michigan State).

Multiple Threat

Sophomore wide receiver Justin Harper (Abilene, Tex./Cooper) has shown his versatility in the first two games.

He's second on the team in receptions with nine for 60 yards and has returned nine kickoffs for 151 yards. Justin has also toted two punt returns for 21 yards.

No Sacks Here

After finishing second in the MAC to rush-oriented Ohio in QB sacks allowed in 2002, the Chippewas have not allowed a sack in the first two games this season.

CMU gave up 14 a year ago.

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.

Three Newcomers Saw Action

CMU has used four members of its 2003 recruiting class.

In addition to Jerry Seymour, frosh tight end Joe Staley (Rockford) has caught two passes for 30 yards and walk-on freshman Matt Foster (Lowell) has handled the kickoff chores. Junior WR Jovan Witherpsoon (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Harper College) played against UNH.

Running to Success

CMU has had running backs gain 100 yards in 230 games since 1970.

The Chippewas are 167-56-7 in those games. CMU is 1-1 with a 100-yard rusher this season.

In games with two 100-yard rushers, CMU is 32-3-1 (.903) and 21-0 when a back gains 200 yards.

Banner Season

An incredible season on the playing field for CMU teams was capped off this past summer when the Chippewas won the Mid-american Conference Institutional Academic Achievement Award for the sixth time in seven years.

The award goes to the school with the highest cumlative grade-point-average by its student-athletes in MAC-sponsored sports.

A total of 383 Chippewa athletes compiled an average GPA of 3.10 during the 2002-03 year.

During that same span, CMU captured championships in field hockey, men's cross country, wrestling, men's basketball, gymnastics and men's outdoor track.

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.