Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Close Week with Intrasquad Scrimmage
8/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan capped the second week of preseason football camp with a situational intrasquad scrimmage Saturday morning.
The Chippewas scrimmaged for an hour at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, drilling a variety of down-and-distance and clock situations. Several of the Chippewas' veterans were held out of the scrimmage for precautionary reasons.
And while there were bright spots offensively, defensively and on special teams, first-year head coach Dan Enos knows his team still has strides to make prior to the season opener in three weeks.
"I thought we gave good effort today," Enos said. "But, we missed too many tackles on the defensive side of the ball, and on offense we dropped too many balls and had several holding penalties. We still have a long way to go."
The first 45 minutes of Saturday's practice included individual and group drills. Highlighting the 7-on-7 portion of practice was a 70-yard touchdown throw from Derek Rifenbury to Cedric Fraser, who created separation from a defensive back and hauled in the deep throw down the east sideline.
Paris Cotton provided early fireworks during the scrimmage, turning an off-tackle run into a 60-yard touchdown on just the third snap of the session. Cotton broke through a tackle at the line of scrimmage before out-running the defense.
True freshman receiver Billy Myler found the end zone two possessions later. Running with the second group on offense, Myler caught a swing pass, shook a defender and gained 22 yards to the 8-yard line. On the next snap, Myler caught a short pass from Brandon Fricke and ran over a tackler at the goal line for the touchdown.
Jahleel Addae and Kashawn Fraser both made big plays for the defense in red zone situations. Addae intercepted a Ryan Radcliff pass intended for Kito Poblah in the end zone on third down for a touchback, while Fraser came through untouched to sack Radcliff on fourth down two possessions later. In between, Paul Mudgett converted a 40-yard field goal attempt.
Mudgett put an exclamation point on the scrimmage, nailing a 54-yard field goal on the morning's final snap.
Special Guests: Parents and family members of the Chippewas were invited to attend Saturday's practice and eat lunch with the team. Players were given a couple hours of free time after lunch to spend with their families.
"We always tell our players faith and family are our number one priorities," Enos said. "As much as we can, we want to get their families around them and around us."
SportsTime Ohio Visits Mount Pleasant Monday: SportsTime Ohio is producing a football season preview show that will air as part of the network's new partnership with the Mid-American Conference. STO will visit Mount Pleasant for Monday's morning practice; the network will gather footage for the preview shot and head coach Dan Enos will be mic'd up. The preview show is set to air Aug. 30.
Meet the Media: CMU's annual preseason media day is Tuesday. Enos will address the media in a press conference that will be streamed live through the CMU Sports Zone beginning at 2 p.m.
Coming Up: Media day comes during a week that features three double sessions for the Chippewas. CMU will hold two-a-days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday next week, with another intrasquad scrimmage slated for next Saturday.
Counting Down: CMU opens the 2010 season against Hampton in just 19 days. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
The Chippewas scrimmaged for an hour at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, drilling a variety of down-and-distance and clock situations. Several of the Chippewas' veterans were held out of the scrimmage for precautionary reasons.
And while there were bright spots offensively, defensively and on special teams, first-year head coach Dan Enos knows his team still has strides to make prior to the season opener in three weeks.
"I thought we gave good effort today," Enos said. "But, we missed too many tackles on the defensive side of the ball, and on offense we dropped too many balls and had several holding penalties. We still have a long way to go."
The first 45 minutes of Saturday's practice included individual and group drills. Highlighting the 7-on-7 portion of practice was a 70-yard touchdown throw from Derek Rifenbury to Cedric Fraser, who created separation from a defensive back and hauled in the deep throw down the east sideline.
Paris Cotton provided early fireworks during the scrimmage, turning an off-tackle run into a 60-yard touchdown on just the third snap of the session. Cotton broke through a tackle at the line of scrimmage before out-running the defense.
True freshman receiver Billy Myler found the end zone two possessions later. Running with the second group on offense, Myler caught a swing pass, shook a defender and gained 22 yards to the 8-yard line. On the next snap, Myler caught a short pass from Brandon Fricke and ran over a tackler at the goal line for the touchdown.
Jahleel Addae and Kashawn Fraser both made big plays for the defense in red zone situations. Addae intercepted a Ryan Radcliff pass intended for Kito Poblah in the end zone on third down for a touchback, while Fraser came through untouched to sack Radcliff on fourth down two possessions later. In between, Paul Mudgett converted a 40-yard field goal attempt.
Mudgett put an exclamation point on the scrimmage, nailing a 54-yard field goal on the morning's final snap.
Special Guests: Parents and family members of the Chippewas were invited to attend Saturday's practice and eat lunch with the team. Players were given a couple hours of free time after lunch to spend with their families.
"We always tell our players faith and family are our number one priorities," Enos said. "As much as we can, we want to get their families around them and around us."
SportsTime Ohio Visits Mount Pleasant Monday: SportsTime Ohio is producing a football season preview show that will air as part of the network's new partnership with the Mid-American Conference. STO will visit Mount Pleasant for Monday's morning practice; the network will gather footage for the preview shot and head coach Dan Enos will be mic'd up. The preview show is set to air Aug. 30.
Meet the Media: CMU's annual preseason media day is Tuesday. Enos will address the media in a press conference that will be streamed live through the CMU Sports Zone beginning at 2 p.m.
Coming Up: Media day comes during a week that features three double sessions for the Chippewas. CMU will hold two-a-days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday next week, with another intrasquad scrimmage slated for next Saturday.
Counting Down: CMU opens the 2010 season against Hampton in just 19 days. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Elijah Reynolds - Fresh Faces Series
Friday, May 22
Forged Through Adversity | Darrell Bryant’s Journey from the Army to Central Michigan Football
Friday, May 22
Mental Health Awareness Month: Angel Flores Advocates for Mental Health | Central Michigan Football
Monday, May 18
Beyond the Game - Pickleball with Brock Townsend
Tuesday, May 12