Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas, Rockets Set for Key MAC West Division Clash
10/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 24, 2005
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MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan University hosts the University of Toledo this weekend in one of the most pivotal football games at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in recent memory.
The two teams enter Saturday's showdown separated by one game in the Mid-American Conference West Division standings. Toledo (6-1 overall, 4-0 MAC) is the lone unbeaten remaining in conference play, while CMU (4-3, 3-1) has strung together three consecutive wins for the first time since 2002.
With a defense that has allowed just two touchdowns in the past 10 quarters and an offense that posted 37 points against Ohio in its last outing, the Chippewas enter their most important game of the season to date playing their best football.
"The kids know that this is a meaningful game for the conference championship," said second-year head coach Brian Kelly. "The game is going a long way toward putting someone in position for a championship. It's not a make-or-break game, but we can put ourselves in a great position with a win."
The spread offensive attacks of both Toledo and CMU have garnered most of the attention in recent history, but both clubs will bring underrated defensive units into Saturday's showdown. The Rockets (18.6 ppg.) and Chippewas (22.4 ppg.) rank first and second, respectively, in the MAC in scoring defense.
"Toledo has a new defensive coordinator in Tim Rose, who is a very accomplished coordinator," Kelly said. "They're going to give us a multitude of different looks, so we've used the bye week to try to become more familiar with their schemes."
CMU will counter Toledo's stout defense with an offensive attack that has taken care of the ball as well as anyone in the country. The Chippewas have turned the ball over just four times in seven games, tied for the fewest turnovers in the country, with just two of those turnovers coming on interceptions. The two interceptions are also tied for the fewest in Division I-A.
"I think it's a product of the quarterback more so than the system," Kelly said. "Kent Smith has been very careful with the football, maybe almost to a fault because he only has six touchdown passes. We're very detailed in the progressions and how the ball comes out. I think the system also plays a role because he's not in situations to make a lot of risky throws."
On the defensive side, junior end Daniel Bazuin enters Saturday's contest with eight sacks, just one off CMU's single-season record of nine. A member of the preseason watch lists for the Nagurski Trophy and Lombardi Award, Bazuin is also tied for fourth all-time at CMU with 17 career sacks. He collected a career-high three sacks against Ohio on Oct. 15.
"He's just consistent, play-in and play-out," Kelly said. "And it's not just on defense--he's our best special teams player. He works harder than anyone else and is truly the best player on our football team. His work habits are the same as how he approaches the game, which is relentless and consistent."
CMU closes out its three-game homestand on Nov. 5, hosting Northern Illinois at 1 p.m. The Chippewas close the regular season on the road, traveling to Western Michigan (Nov. 12) and Ball State (Nov. 19), with the finale at Ball State set to be televised on Comcast Sports Net Detroit.
Toledo Game Selected MAC TV Game of the Week
Saturday's game against Toledo at Kelly/Shorts Stadium has been selected as the MAC Television Game of the Week. The contest will be televised on FSN Ohio, Comcast Local, Comcast Sports Net Chicago, and Adelphia 13 (Buffalo). Michael Reghi (play-by-play) and Bob Chimel (color commentary) will call the game from the booth, while Brooke Weisbrod will report from the sidelines. With the addition of the Toledo game to the television schedule, the Chippewas will play in front of six live TV audiences in 2005.
Wake Up the Echoes
CMU has dropped the last 10 meetings with Toledo, with the last win coming in 1994, a 45-27 decision in Kelly/Shorts Stadium. That victory set up a winner-take-all game the next weekend in Bowling Green, which the Chippewas won 36-33 to claim the MAC championship and a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl. In the Toledo contest, Brian Pruitt ran for 356 yards and five touchdowns. It was the defining game in a season that saw Pruitt become the first Chippewa to earn Division I All-America first team honors. Pruitt will be in Mount Pleasant this weekend, as he is being inducted into the CMU Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday night and will be recognized at halftime of Saturday's game.
Smith and Linson Tabbed Players of the Week (10/17)
Kent Smith and Damien Linson were named MAC Offensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for their performances in the win over Ohio. Smith, who earns the honor for the second time this season, was 15-of-24 passing for 228 yards and two touchdowns in the win. He also ran 10 times for 44 yards and a score. It was the ninth time in his career that he has rushed and passed for a touchdown in the same game and the eighth time he has thrown at least two touchdown passes in a contest.
Linson collects the special teams honor after returning a punt 78 yards for a touchdown just 1:03 before halftime. The 78-yard return is the longest punt return in Kelly/Shorts Stadium history and the second that Linson has returned for a score in his career. Linson also caught four passes for 42 yards in the win.
Three in a Row
The Chippewas extended their winning streak to three games with their victory against Ohio. It is the longest winning streak since the 2002 team opened the season 3-0. CMU last won four straight games during the 1994 MAC championship season. The Chippewas are 3-1 in conference play for the first time since the 1998 team started 4-1 in the MAC.
The Week After
Except for the 1999 campaign, CMU has had at least one bye week built into the schedule every season since 1998. The Chippewas are 2-5 in games following the bye week during that span; last season, CMU knocked off Kent State, 24-21, in the game following its bye week.
Lockdown Defense
The CMU defense has allowed just two touchdowns in the past 10 quarters (154:10 of game action) and has not allowed a touchdown in the second half of the past four games.
The Chippewas have surrendered a combined 20 points the past two outings (10 at Army, 10 vs. Ohio), the lowest consecutive-game total for CMU since Kent State (0) and Miami (16) combined to score 16 points in back-to-back weeks against CMU in 1992.
CMU held Akron scoreless in the second half on Oct. 1. It marked the first time the Chippewas held a team scoreless for a half since a 38-10 win over Eastern Michigan in 2003. EMU did not score after halftime in that contest.
Out of the Gate
CMU scored on its first possession of the game against Ohio, marking the first time the Chippewas had scored on their initial possession in 2005. CMU last scored on its first possession against Eastern Michigan in 2004.
Happy Returns
Damien Linson's 78-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter against Ohio was the second of his career. He also returned a punt 66 yards for a score against Southeast Missouri State last season. His 78-yarder against the Bobcats was the longest in Kelly/Shorts Stadium history. Linson owns CMU's only two punt return touchdowns since 1983.
Sneed Leads the Way
Freshman running back Ontario Sneed has rushed for at least 100 yards three times this season. He ranks first among his teammates in rushing (726 yards; 5.5 ypc.) and scoring (nine touchdowns) and is tied for first in receptions (28). Sneed is 19th in the nation, and third in the MAC, in rushing, averaging 103.7 ypg. His yards per game average is also second among all freshmen in Division I-A. Sneed has not fumbled in 161 touches this season.
Sneed Game-by-Game Rushing Receiving Att. Yds. TD Avg. Rec. Yds. TDIU 14 148 1 10.6 4 9 0MU 19 85 1 4.5 2 6 0PSU 12 32 0 2.7 3 28 0EMU 29 122 1 4.2 5 56 0Akron 21 183 1 8.7 6 77 2Army 21 82 1 3.9 5 27 0Ohio 17 74 1 4.4 3 39 1Total 133 726 6 5.5 28 242 3Keeping an Eye on Bazuin
Junior defensive end Daniel Bazuin, an All-MAC first team selection in 2004, is a member of the preseason watch lists for both the Bronco Nagurski Trophy and the Lombardi Award. He is one of 50 players named to the watch list for the Nagurski Trophy, presented to the top defensive player in college football. The Lombardi Award, which names 54 players on its preseason list, is given to the top defensive lineman in the nation ... LAST WEEK ... Bazuin made six tackles, including three sacks for a loss of 22 yards, forced a fumble, and broke up a pass. He moved into a tie for fourth on CMU's career sacks list and into a tie for fifth on the single-season list.
Bazuin Game-by-Game U-A-T TFL/Yds. Sks./Yds. Int. PBU FF FRIU 9-1-10 2/23 2/23 0 0 2 0MU 5-2-7 1/10 1/10 0 0 0 0PSU 4-1-5 2/16 2/16 0 2 1 0EMU 1-2-3 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 0Akron 2-2-4 2.5/11 0/0 0 0 0 1Army 3-2-5 1.5/3 0/0 0 0 0 0Ohio 4-2-6 3/22 3/22 0 1 1 0Total 28-12-40 12.0/85 8/71 0 3 4 1Quick-Strike Attack
Seventeen of the Chippewas' 26 offensive scoring drives this season have lasted less than two minutes, and all but four have lasted less than three minutes. On Oct. 15 against Ohio, each of CMU's five scoring drives lasted 1:15 or less. At Akron on Oct. 1, CMU had three scoring drives that lasted less than 60 seconds. The Chippewas' average scoring drive this season has lasted 1:53.
Chippewas in the National Rankings
The Chippewas' four turnovers this season are tied for the fewest in Division I-A. Individually, junior defensive end Daniel Bazuin has spent as much time in opponents' backfields as anyone in the country. Statistical categories in which CMU is represented in the top 50 in Division I-A:
IndividualSacks Daniel Bazuin (T-3rd; 1.14 pg.; 8 sacks tied for third-most in Div. I-A)Forced Fumbles Daniel Bazuin (T-5th; 0.57 pg.; 4 FF tied for fourth-most in Div. I-A)Tackles For Loss Daniel Bazuin (T-12th; 1.71 pg.; 12TFL tied for seventh-most in Div. I-A)Rushing Ontario Sneed (19th; 103.7 ypg.)All-Purpose Yards Ontario Sneed (27th; 138.3 ypg.)Solo Tackles Thomas Keith (33rd; 5.7 tpg.)Total Tackles Thomas Keith (34th; 9.6 tpg.)Completions Kent Smith (37th; 19.0 cpg.)Passes Defended Jesse Dailey (T-39th; 1.14 pg.)Total Offense Kent Smith (40th; 243.3 ypg.)Field Goals Rick Albreski (T-50th; 1.14 pg.)Climbing the Career Charts
TeamTurnovers Lost T-1st (4 lost; tied with UCLA)Passes Had Intercepted T-1st (2 intercepted; tied with Alabama and Northwestern)Fumbles Lost T-6th (2 lost; tied for third-fewest fumbles lost in Div. I-A)Turnover Margin T-11th; (1.14 margin; 12 turnovers gained, 4 lost)Third Down Defense 15th (34-of-114 conversions allowed; 29.8 percent)Punt Returns 24th (12.9 ypr.)Scoring Defense 39th (22.4 ppg. allowed)Punt Return Yardage Defense 39th (7.2 ypr. allowed)Tackles For Loss T-39th (6.9 tpg.)Rushing Offense 40th (165.0 ypg.)Kickoff Returns 46th (21.9 ypr.)
Four current Chippewas are either in or near the school's all-time top 10 in a number of statistical categories. Senior quarterback Kent Smith is now sixth in total offense and tied for sixth in touchdown passes, while junior end Daniel Bazuin's three sacks against Ohio pulled him into a tie for fourth on the career sacks list. Bazuin's eight sacks in 2005 are tied for the second-most in a single season at CMU.
Long Stay at Kelly/Shorts
The Chippewas' current three-game homestand is the longest for CMU since a three-gamer in 1996. That season, CMU defeated Akron (42-0) and Eastern Michigan (41-36) before falling to Ball State (24-17).
Home Away From Home
CMU's win over Ohio on Oct. 15 was the Chippewas' first victory at home in 2005. Meanwhile, the Chippewas sport a 3-1 record on the road this season. The 1994 MAC champion Chippewas are the last CMU team to finish at least .500 away from home; that squad was 4-3 away from Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Steal the Ball
Thomas Keith's interception on the final play of the first half against Ohio was CMU's sixth interception of the season. The Chippewas picked off only five passes in all of 2005. Five different players have intercepted passes for CMU this season, with Keith's two interceptions leading the team.
First Down Brown
Senior tight end Jacob Brown has caught 20 passes this season, 15 of which have resulted in first downs for CMU. He caught a career-high seven passes at Miami on Sept. 10, five of which resulted in first downs, including four catches on third down. At Penn State on Sept. 17, Brown's two catches came on fourth and second down, respectively, and both gave CMU first downs. At Army on Oct. 8, Brown hauled in a five-yard catch on third-and-four to extend the Chippewas' game-winning touchdown drive. For the season, Brown has collected six catches on third down and one on fourth down that have resulted in CMU first downs.
CMU vs. the MAC
The Chippewas are 212-175-17 (.546) all-time against the other 11 current members of the Mid-American Conference. CMU is 142-107-10 (.568) in MAC contests since joining the conference in 1975. CMU vs. the MAC:
Akron 10-9-1 Ball State 18-18-1 Bowling Green 16-21Buffalo 2-1 Eastern Michigan 52-25-6 Kent State 21-9Miami 9-11-1 Northern Illinois 21-18-1 Ohio 18-4-2Toledo 13-17-3 Western Michigan 32-42-2All-Time Record
CMU has played 902 games over the course of 105 seasons and is 530-336-36 in those contests. The Chippewas' all-time winning percentage is .608.
