Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU Football Game Notes
9/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Matchup
CMU visits Kentucky for the fifth time in program history and first time since 1992. The Chippewas enter the game having won two straight and sit atop the MAC West Division standings at 2-0. Kentucky is 2-2 overall after dropping a 26-7 decision to No. 5 Florida last weekend.
The CMU-Kentucky Series
Kentucky has won each of the previous four matchups between the two programs, all of which have taken place in Lexington. In 1990, Kentucky posted a 20-17 win in the season opener; from there, CMU was 7-0-1 over its next eight games en route to a MAC championship and berth in the California Raisin Bowl. In 1992, the Chippewas scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, but turned the ball over on downs in Kentucky territory late in the fourth quarter of a 21-14 loss.
CMU vs. the SEC
CMU has played just five games against members of the Southeastern Conference. This weekend’s contest is the Chippewas’ first against an SEC opponent since a 1997 trip to then-No. 1 and defending national champ Florida. CMU’s four previous meetings with Kentucky account for the program’s remaining SEC matchups.
The Coaches
Brian Kelly is in his third season as the head coach at Central Michigan University. He guided the Chippewas to a 6-5 record in 2005, the program’s first winning season since 1998. CMU’s overall win total has improved in both of Kelly’s two seasons at the helm. Kelly arrived in Mount Pleasant after a successful 13-year run at Grand Valley State University which saw him lead the Lakers to back-to-back NCAA Division II national championships in 2002 and 2003.
Rich Brooks is in his fourth season at UK. He is 11-27 at Kentucky and 102-136 in 22 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Brooks was the head coach for 18 seasons at Oregon, leading the Ducks to the Rose Bowl in 1994. He then spent the 1995 and 1996 seasons as the head coach of the St. Louis Rams, posting a 13-19 mark as an NFL head coach.
Three in a Row
A win on Saturday would be CMU’s third in a row. Last season, the Chippewas won four straight midway through the season. CMU last posted winning streaks of at least three games in consecutive seasons in 1993 and 1994.
Brunner’s Breakout Performance
Sophomore Brian Brunner was injured on the second snap from scrimmage in the season opener on Aug. 31. He returned to action for the first time on Saturday at EMU, coming off the bench to complete 20-of-29 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown and running for a team-high 72 yards and two scores. His 3-yard run with 1:44 left capped a 94-yard drive and put CMU in front 17-10; he hit Bryan Anderson with the game-winning score on third-and-goal from the 10 in overtime.
Brunner completed 11-of-12 passes at one point midway through the game and six of his final seven attempts. His 72 rushing yards matches the highest single-game total for a CMU player this season (Dan LeFevour, 72 yards vs. Boston College).
For his efforts, Brunner was selected MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Anderson Catching On
Redshirt freshman Bryan Anderson has caught 15 passes for 220 yards in the Chippewas’ last two games. He set career highs with seven receptions for 95 yards in the win over Akron on Sept. 16, then topped that with eight catches for 125 yards against Eastern Michigan on Saturday. His 10-yard touchdown grab in overtime was the first scoring reception of his career.
Big Plays by the Back Line
The Chippewa secondary has come up with a handful of big plays the past two weeks. CMU picked off Akron quarterback Luke Getsy three times on Sept. 16, with cornerback Josh Gordy returning his interception 100 yards for a touchdown. Last weekend, Pacino Horne made 11 tackles and Calvin Hissong stopped EMU quarterback Dontayo Gage on fourth down in overtime to end the game. The secondary also held EMU receiver Eric Deslauriers to five catches for 40 yards; he had compiled 25 catches for 381 yards and four touchdowns in three previous meetings.
QBs Can Run, Too
Despite having a returning 1,000-yard rusher in Ontario Sneed, a quarterback has led CMU in rushing in three of its first four contests. Dan LeFevour came off the bench to run for a game-high 72 yards in the opener against Boston College and led CMU with 67 yards rushing against Akron. Last weekend, Brian Brunner ran for a team-high 72 yards off the bench.
We Knew Him When ...
Former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer was the head coach at CMU for 11 seasons (1967-77), posting an 83-32-2 record and guiding the Chippewas to a Division II national championship in 1974. He guided CMU through its transition to the Mid-American Conference and Division I, posting a 25-7-1 overall record (15-5-1 MAC) during the Chippewas’ first three seasons in the MAC (1975-77).
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Last season’s 14-10 win at Army marked the first time since a 42-21 win at Boise State in 1996 that CMU won a game to which it had flown.
Mikulec for MVP
Arguably the most dominant player in the Chippewas’ first four games has been punter Tony Mikulec. The junior is averaging 42.1 yards on 23 punts and has placed eight inside the 20-yard line. Remarkably, opponents have only been able to return five of his punts for a total of 14 yards (2.8 ypr). He has forced opposing returners into seven fair catches.
CMU’s last two opponents have combined to return two punts for a total of minus-2 yards; last weekend, Eastern Michigan did not return any of Mikulec’s four punts (two fair catches, two downed). This week, the Chippewas will be facing a Kentucky team that ranks third in the nation in punt return yardage (20.9 ypr). Rafael Little, who missed last week’s game with an injury, ranks second in Division I-A, averaging 23.1 yards on seven punt returns.
Gardner Grabs It
Justin Gardner entered the season with seven career catches for 71 yards. The past three weeks, he has hauled in 10 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He had a career-high 54 receiving yards, including a 38-yard touchdown catch, at Michigan on Sept. 9, caught a 2-yard touchdown pass against Akron on Sept. 16 and made a career-high six receptions at Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
Cradle of Quarterbacks
Five former Mid-American Conference quarterbacks are slated to start for NFL teams on Sunday. Only the Pac-10, with seven projected starters, will have more former signal-callers in NFL starting lineups on Sunday. The five former MAC quarterbacks slated to start this weekend: Charlie Frye (Akron, Cleveland Browns), Bruce Gradkowski (Toledo, Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Byron Leftwich (Marshall, Jacksonville Jaguars), Chad Pennington (Marshall, New York Jets), Ben Roethlisberger (Miami, Pittsburgh Steelers).
Complete game notes packet available in .pdf format below.
