MOUNT PLEASANT – In 28 seasons as a member of the Mid-American Conference, Central Michigan University has opened conference play with three consecutive wins only seven times.
This weekend, the 2006 Chippewas (2-3 overall, 2-0 MAC) travel to Toledo (2-3, 0-1) seeking to become just the eighth CMU team, and first since 1990, to open MAC play 3-0. Standing in their way, however, is a Toledo program that has won 36 of its last 38 home games dating back to 1999.
“They just don’t lose at home,” said CMU head coach Brian Kelly of the Rockets. “We knew the MAC race was going to go through Toledo and Northern Illinois. We’re going back on the road, and we could put ourselves in a great position at 3-0, but we know that they cannot afford a second loss and are going to be playing for their lives.”
CMU snapped a 10-game losing streak to Toledo with a 21-17 win at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in 2005. The Chippewas last defeated Toledo in consecutive seasons in 1993 and 1994; the 38-7 win in 1993 is CMU’s last victory at the Glass Bowl.
Toledo enters the contest off a 45-3 loss at Pittsburgh on Saturday and with an unsettled situation at quarterback. Starting signal-caller Clint Cochran has missed the last two contests due to injury. Brandon Summers started at Pitt, but gave way to true freshman Aaron Opelt. Opelt played the bulk of the contest, finishing 15-of-30 for 92 yards and rushing for a team-high 56 yards.
CMU, meanwhile, nearly rallied from an early 21-0 hole in a 45-36 loss at Kentucky on Saturday night. Dan LeFevour came off the bench to throw for 360 yards and four touchdowns.
“He has a great sense of where the ball needs to be,” Kelly said. “His ball placement is outstanding. He makes some great throws, and all-in-all, I think he and Bryan Anderson are as good of a freshman combination as any in the country.”
Anderson made eight catches for a career-high 137 yards and a touchdown against Kentucky. Over the past three weeks, he has piled up 23 receptions for 357 yards and two touchdowns.
LeFevour hit Anderson for a 23-yard score with 6:58 remaining that pulled the Chippewas within two points, 38-36. The play capped CMU’s sixth consecutive scoring drive and underscored the never-give-up attitude that has thus far defined the 2006 Chippewas.
“No matter where we’ve gone, we’ve taken a football team that has competed,” Kelly said. “What we want is to have a chance in the fourth quarter to win the game. We’re not happy that we didn’t win the game, but we are taking the strides necessary to make our program recognized as being competitive on a national level.” <>
Against a Southeastern Conference opponent on Saturday night, the Chippewas rolled up 558 yards of offense behind a freshman quarterback that came off the bench, a freshman receiver who led the team in catches and receiving yards and a true freshman running back making his first career start.
“These are the types of kids we have recruited the past couple of years, and now we’re starting to see that in the complexion of our team,” Kelly said. “Two weeks ago, Marcel Archer was on the scout team. At Kentucky, he was out there competing on just guts and determination. It’s not surprising that our team has competed and battled the way they have this season.”
Saturday’s showdown with Toledo rounds out a three-game road swing for CMU. The Chippewas return home on Oct. 14, hosting Ball State on Homecoming at 1 p.m., then welcome Bowling Green to Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. The Bowling Green contest will be televised nationwide on ESPNU.
