Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewa Football Heads to Northern Illinois
10/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 12, 2004
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MOUNT PLEASANT -- It certainly doesn't get any easier for the Central Michigan University football team.
After losing its first Mid-American Conference game of the season on Saturday, a 38-14 home loss to Bowling Green, the Chippewas hit the road to play two of the dominant teams in the MAC West.
First up is a Saturday, Oct. 16, matchup with Northern Illinois University. The Huskies are 3-0 in MAC play and 4-2 for the season.
Kickoff in DeKalb, Ill., is set for 3 p.m. (CDT) or 4 p.m. (EDT).
Following that difficult assignment, the Chippewas will play at the University of Toledo (3-0 in the MAC) on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.
CMU enters the NIU tilt with a 1-1 record in the MAC and a 2-3 overall standard.
Chippewa coach Brian Kelly is impressed with the physical play of Northern Illinois.
"When you play Northern Illinois, you'd better get ready for a physical game," Kelly said. "(NIU coach) Joe Novak is an old-school coach and his teams will pound you on offense and defense.
"We're playing a great football team for the second straight week. This is a football team that physically beat up Bowling Green earlier in the year. However, we need to win a football game and we're going there to battle them. We're going there to win."
CMU's next home game is an Oct. 30 showdown with rival Western Michigan University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
The Coaches
Central Michigan -- Brian Kelly (Assumption, 1983). Career record: 119-38-2 (13th year). CMU record: 2-3, first year.
Northern Illinois -- Joe Novak (Miami, 1967). Career record: 42-54. NIU record: same.
The Series
Central Michigan holds a 21-17-1 lead in the series that began in 1936 with a 7-6 Chippewa win.
Northern Illinois has won the last six meetings. CMU's last win came at home in 1997 by a 44-10 margin.
CMU's last win in DeKalb, Ill., came in 1977. The Chippewas have lost the last six at NIU
Scouting Northern Illinois
The Huskies have lost two football games this season, a 23-20 decision at No. 22-ranked Maryland and 48-41 setback at Iowa State.
Winners of three straight, NIU is fourth in total offense in the MAC with 419 yards per game and fourth in total defense at 347.7
The Huskies are tops in rushing (197.2), third in scoring (32.8) and fourth in rushing defense (124.2) and scoring defense (26.2).
Sophomore Garrett Wolfe is second in the league in rushing (92.7) and junior A.J. Harris is fifth (83.4).
Wolfe leads the MAC in all-purpose yards (147.8) and scoring (10.0).
Injured early in the season, starting senior QB Josh Haldi is back in the lineup. He has completed 31-of-53 passes for 393 yards and four touchdowns in three games.
Haldi completed 17-of-30 passes for 202 yards and a TD against three interceptions in a 30-28 win at UCF last Saturday. The Huskies won that game on a 39-yard field goal with no time left on the clock by Chris Nendrick who is 9-of-11 in field goals this season.
Chippewa Training Room •Eric Tunney (defensive tackle), is out for the season with a leg injury.
•William Brookshire (defensive end), missed two games with a shoulder injury but will start at NIU.
•Jeff Jenerou (offensive guard), missed two games with an ankle injury but will start against NIU.
`Bam Bam' Rolls On
After gaining one yard in two carries against Southeast Missouri because of an injury, Jerry "Bam Bam" Seymour has broken the 100-yard barrier in the last two outings including 155 yards in 28 carries against Bowling Green.
The 5-6, 190-pounder now has 11 100-yard games in 14 career games. He finished the 2003 season with five straight 100-yard games and four of five games this season.
Seymour, with career highs in yards (207) and rushes (36) in a win over Eastern Michigan in 2003, was named first team Freshman All-America by The Sporting News. He was a second team All-MAC pick.
Below are his 100-yard outings:
2003
•New Hampshire 166 in 27
•E. Kentucky 116 in 25
•UCF 114 in 17
•EMU 207 in 36
•Akron 105 in 19
•WMU 162 in 27
•Navy 154 in 33
2004
•Indiana 111 in 21
•Michigan State 164 in 26
•Kent State 131 in 28
•Bowling Green 155 in 28
Seymour Shows Versatility
Jerry Seymour is not only CMU's leading rusher but he's also its second receiver with 17 grabs for 170 yards.
Seymour had five catches for 50 yards against Bowling Green.
He had 13 catches for 103 yards in 2003.
Jasmin Tallies First TD
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Jemmy Jasmin scored his first TD for the Chippewas but it wasn't on a pass reception.
The 5-7, 157-pounder scored on a 25-yard reverse against BG. He also caught a career-high four passes for 39 yards and returned two kickoffs for 53 yards.
Kent Finds the End Zone
Junior quarterback Kent Smith has shown a nose for the end zone since taking over as the starting quarterback.
The 6-5, 210-pounder has rushed for five touchdowns in the past three games and passed for three more in those games.
Smith's stats in his four starts:
•Michigan State, 10-of-30 for 93 yards and nine rushes for 52 yards
•SEMO, 17-of-30 for 303 (two TDs) and seven for 29 (two)
•Kent State, 15-of-28 for 143 (one) and 10 for 38 (two)
•Bowling Green, 17-of-30 for 181 and eight for 23 (one)
After lettering in 2002, Smith did not play last fall. He completed 10-of-32 passes that season for 96 yards and a TD and ran for 106 more and another score.
Smith's start at Michigan State was his first since the final game of the 2002 season when CMU lost a 35-10 home decision to WMU.
King Eyes Record
Senior linebacker James King continues to move up the charts in career tackles for CMU.
The converted safety had 143 stops in 2003, tied for 10th in the country with 11.92 per game.
He has been credited with 27 stops in the first four games. Here's who is ahead of King:
1. Brian Leigeb (1997-00), 486
2. Ray Bentley (1979-82), 443
3. Rich Curtiss (1987-90), 402
4. Bryan Gross (1976-78), 396
5. James King (2001-), 356
It's Becoming Contagious
James King collected the 11th blocked kick of his career in the win over SEMO -- an extra point in the second period.
He is the current national leader in Division I football for blocked kicks, eight of them coming as a redshirt freshman in 2001.
Daniel Bazuin blocked two field goal attempts against Kent State and junior linebacker Jason Smith added a blocked punt against the Golden Flashes.
The Chippewas have four blocked kicks this season.
Spoon Calls It a Career
Senior wide receiver Jovan Witherspoon quit the CMU football team last week.
The 6-3, 210-pounder from Ft. Wayne, Ind., had six catches for 35 yards this season. He had one grab for two yards in 2003 after transferring from Harper College.
Linson Leads Chippewas
Sophomore Damien Linson has become CMU's go-to receiver this fall after catching seven passes for 61 yards as a true freshman.
Linson has 23 grabs for 304 yards this fall, two of them going for TDs.
He's a 6-0, 165-pounder from Plymouth, N.C., where he set state records for career TDs (60) and receiving yards (4,451), and single-season receiving yards (1,723).
Veteran O-Line
CMU finished third in the MAC in rushing with 195.8 yards per game in 2003 and stands fourth this year at 185.0. Four of the five starters return, and the five regulars combine for 109 career starts.
Here's the breakdown:
•Adam Kieft, tackle, 37
•Eric Ghiaciuc, center, 29
•Jeff Jenerou, guard, 17
•Drew Mormino, guard, 17
•Joe Staley, tackle, nine
Budd Assumes CMU PK Role
True freshman place-kicker Ronald Budd will be the Chippewa's place-kicker against Northern Illinois.
CMU junior Mike Gruzwalski is just three-of-seven in three-pointers this fall.
Budd kicked the second extra point against BGSU for the first action of his career.
Gruzwalski, who will retain his kickoff duties, had his string of 52 consecutive extra points snapped when his fifth conversion attempt of the game in CMU's 44-27 win over SEMO was blocked.
He is 11-of-12 this season in extra points.
Youth Movement
Freshman place-kicker Ronald Budd became the sixth true frosh to see action this season for the Chippewas against BGSU.
CMU has played as many as 30 underclassmen in a game this season, the 44-27 home win over SEMO.
True freshmen seeing action in all five games are defensive tackle Steven Friend, cornerbacks Raeshon Ball and Ronnie Jackson, and wide receiver Asante White. Frosh defensive tackle Eugene Rauls played in the first three games but did not play in the last two.
Young Defensive Whiz
Redshirt freshman linebacker Thomas Keith (6-1, 226 pounds) leads CMU in tackles with 46 including 10 at MSU. He also has three and one-half tackles for losses of six yards, two pass breakups and forced a fumble at Indiana.
News Positions
A number of Chippewas moved to new positions during spring drills and three are listed as starters: •Isaac Brown from tailback to free safety
•James King from safety to drop linebacker
•Joe Staley from tight end to offensive tackle
Others moving included:
•Jacob Brown from wide receiver to drop linebacker (will be redshirted in 2004)
•De'Onte Burnam from linebacker to defensive end
•Lance Gailliard moved from cornerback to tailback
•Doug Kress from safety to drop linebacker
•Jonathon Lapsley from wide receiver to safety
•Michael Ogle from linebacker to defensive end
•Eugene Rauls from offensive line to defensive tackle
•Anthony Rogers from defensive end to defensive tackle
•Jason Smith from safety to drop linebacker
MAC Honors Three
Three current Chippewas garnered second team All-MAC laurels in 2003.
They were: senior offensive tackle Adam Kieft; senior linebacker James King; and sophomore tailback Jerry Seymour.
MAC Stats
The Chippewas are fifth in total offense (386.0) and seventh in total defense (387.4).
CMU is first in punt returns (18.4), second in kickoff returns (21.8), third in rushing (178.7) and sixth in run defense (154.2).
TB Jerry Seymour is first in rushing with 112.4 yards and second in all-purpose yards at 146.4.
QB Kent Smith is eighth in total offense (203.6), 10th in passing yards (173.6), tied for 10th in scoring (6.0) and 11th in pass efficiency (109.6).
WR Damien Linson is tied for 12th in receptions per game (4.6) and 15th in receiving yards (60.8).
LB James King is seventh in tackles for loss with five while LB Thomas Keith is tied for 10th in tackles at 9.2 and SS Mike Thomas is tied for 25th at 7.6.
Running to Success
CMU has had backs gain 100 yards in 239 games since 1970, posting a record of 169-66-7.
CMU has had 20 seasons with 1,000-yard rushers since becoming Division I in 1975.
CMU is 2-3 this season.
Freshman All-Americans
CMU has had five current players honored as Freshman All-Americans by The Sporting News.
Junior place-kicker Mike Gruzwalski was a first team choice in 2002 while senior tight end Tory Humphrey and senior strong safety James King were second and fourth teams selections in 2001.
In 2003, sophomore Jerry Seymour was first team and Daniel Bazuin second team.
How About Those Chippewas!
CMU enters the 2004 season as the 23rd winningest Division IA football program in history. In 29 seasons of 1A football, the Chippewas have a winning percentage of .611 to rank ahead of Texas A & M (.603), Syracuse (.601),Army (.600), UCLA (.600), Bowling Green (.597), Arkansas (.596) and So. Mississippi (.596).
The Chippewas have won four Mid-American Conference championships since joining the conference in 1975 with titles coming in 1979, '80, '90 and '94.
Gone Bowling
After winning the Division II national title in 1974, CMU has gone to two bowls in Division I -- the 1990 California Raisin Bowl (a 48-24 loss to San Jose State) and the 1994 Las Vegas Bowl (a 52-24 loss to UNLV).
MAC Honorees
Since joining the MAC in 1975 CMU has had more first team all-conference selections than any other school with 101.
