Central Michigan University Athletics
Game Notes: Central Michigan vs. Akron
10/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Football
LIVE COVERAGE
TV: None
Radio: Central Michigan IMG Sports Network - Don Chiodo (play by play), Brock Gutierrez (analyst) and Justin Hoff (reporter)
Live Audio: CMU Sports Zone (free)
Live Video Webcast: CMU Sports Zone (premium)
Live Stats: Click Here
SETTING THE SCENE
• Central Michigan will continue a four-game home stand on Saturday when it hosts MAC East Division foe Akron in Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
• Kickoff on Band Day and Hall of Fame Day is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
THE CENTRAL MICHIGAN-AKRON SERIES
• Central Michigan holds a 14-9-1 record in its all-time series with Akron, including an 8-4 mark at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
• The Chippewas have won six straight and nine of the last 10 games.
• In the team’s last meeting in Mount Pleasant, on September 26, 2009, CMU came away with a 48-21 victory.
CMU CELEBRATES HALL OF FAME DAY
• Six former standout Central Michigan student-athletes will be inducted into the CMU Marcy Weston Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 26, in a ceremony at McGuirk Arena.
• The event is free and open to the public beginning at 7 p.m.
• The induction class will be recognized at halftime of the CMU-Akron game.
• Those being honored as part of the CMU Marcy Weston Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2012 are:
- Allison Campbell (soccer, 2000-01)
- Craig Fuller (cross country/track and field, 1982-2008)
- Carleton Kinkade (wrestling, 1984-88)
- Hope Robertshaw (softball, 1998-2001),
- David Webber (men’s basketball, 1999-2002)
- Kevin Young (baseball, 1992-94).
KRESS TO SERVE AS HONORARY CAPTAIN
• Doug Kress was a four-year letterwinning member of the Chippewas football team from 2003-06.
• A two-year starter at linebacker, Kress earned Honorable Mention All-MAC recognition as a senior, registering 111 tackles, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.
• In 2006, he helped CMU to the team’s first 10-win season since 1979, a MAC Championship, and a Motor City Bowl victory.
• In the Chippewas’ first bowl win since 1964 and their first at the Division 1A level, Kress recorded one of the game’s most memorable plays, returning an interception 56 yards for a touchdown to stretch the CMU lead to 28-7 early in the third quarter.
• Kress finished his standout career with 209 total tackles, including 89 solos and five for a loss, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
BANDIT INDUSTRIES NASCAR CAR TO LEAD CHIPPEWAS INTO STADIUM
• A NASCAR Nationwide Series car, sponsored by Mid-Michigan wood chipper manufacturer and CMU Athletics sponsor Bandit Industries, will lead the Chippewas into Kelly/Shorts Stadium for each of their remaining home games.
• Bandit Industries, founded in 1983 in Mount Pleasant, is a global manufacturer of wood processing equipment for professionals in the logging, tree care, land clearing, wood waste recycling and biomass industries.
FOOTBALL ADDS OHIO STATE TO 2016 SCHEDULE
• Central Michigan recently announced the addition of Ohio State to the 2016 non-conference schedule, setting up the first ever meeting between the Chippewas and the Buckeyes.
• The game will take place on Saturday, September 24, 2016 at historic Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
• Central Michigan’s 2016 non-conference schedule also features a home match-up with UNLV and a road game versus Oklahoma State.
• Ohio State is the fourth Big Ten opponent on future CMU schedules, joining Michigan, Purdue, and Michigan State.
• The Chippewas will open the 2013 season versus the Wolverines, travel to meet Purdue in West Lafayette in 2014, and will face Michigan State in East Lansing in 2015 and 2018.
• Earlier this season, Central Michigan earned its fifth win in program history over a Big Ten school, knocking off Iowa, 32-31, in Iowa City.
SCOUTING AKRON
• Akron is 1-7 in head coach Terry Bowden’s first season, including last week’s 37-7 home loss to MAC West Division leader Northern Illinois.
• Quarterback Dalton Williams triggers the MAC’s top ranked passing offense, which averages 311.5 yards per game.
• The senior signal caller, who is a transfer from Stephen F. Austin, has thrown for a conference-best 2,362 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
• Junior wide receiver Marquelo Suel, with 48 receptions for 535 yards and four touchdowns, is Williams’ top target in the passing attack but seven other Zips have also reached double digits in catches.
• Sophomore running back Jawon Chisholm, who has rushed for 688 yards, highlights the UA ground game.
• Senior linebacker Kurt Mangum leads Akron with 68 tackles (32 solos) while senior defensive end J.D. Griggs ranks first on the team in tackles for loss (9.0) and sacks (4.5).
CMU Head Coach Dan Enos
Enos Enters Third Season as CMU Head Coach
• Dan Enos is the 26th head coach in CMU history and the ninth since the start of the 1950 season.
• The Chippewas’ 33-0 win over Hampton in the 2009 season opener made Enos the first Chippewa head coach since Herb Deromedi to win his debut. Deromedi, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, defeated Kent State, 41-0, in his debut in 1978.
• Enos guided the Chippewas to a 48-41 home win over eventual MAC champion Northern Illinois in 2012. Central Michigan is the last team to defeat NIU, which owns the nation’s longest winning streak at nine games.
• Enos returns all but one member from his 2011 coaching staff. Former Chippewa player and coach Mose Rison returns to Mount Pleasant to lead the wide receivers corps.
CMU IN THE MAC RANKINGS
• Central Michigan ranks No. 1 in the MAC in red zone offense, converting on 19-of-21 trips inside the 20-yard line (90.5%).
• The Chippewas have scored 13 touchdowns and are 6-for-6 on field goal attempts inside the red zone.
• CMU is also ranked No. 1 in the conference in penalties, totaling just 24 and averaging 28.1 yards per game through six games.
• Individually, senior receiver Cody Wilson tops the MAC (tie) in 100-yard games, recording four through seven games.
• Redshirt sophomore linebacker Justin Cherocci leads the conference in assisted tackles with 53.
• Redshirt junior linebacker Shamari Benton ranks tied for second in the MAC with two fumble recoveries.
WILSON RECORDS/STREAK WATCH
• Senior receiver Cody Wilson added another chapter to his standout season versus Ball State, catching seven passes for 111 yards and a career-high two touchdowns.
• The 100-yard receiving game was his fourth of the season, tied for first in the MAC.
• Wilson leads CMU with 43 receptions and 540 yards and ranks sixth in the conference in receptions per game (6.1) and receiving yards per game (77.1).
• With 199 receptions and 2,429 yards receiving for his career, he ranks third and fifth, respectively, in the CMU record book.
• Wilson has caught at least one pass in 36 consecutive games, which is tied for the third longest active streak in the nation.
• Consecutive games with at least one reception list:
| 1. | Conner Vernon, Duke | 43 |
| 2. | Lanear Sampson, Baylor | 38 |
| 3. | Cody Wilson, Central Michigan | 36 |
| Tavon Austin, West Virginia | 36 |
DAVIS FINDING THE END ZONE
• Sophomore wide receiver Titus Davis has showed the knack for finding the end zone early on in his career.
• In just 19 career games, Davis has totaled 13 receiving touchdowns, tying him for ninth in the CMU record book with D.J. Reid (1990-93), Bryan Schorman (1995-98), and Ontario Sneed (2005-08).
• Against Northern Illinois, Davis set caught a slant pass from Ryan Radcliff and raced 92 yards for a touchdown, a career long.
• Versus Navy, Davis scored a touchdown in his fourth straight game, hauling in a 29-yard scoring pass late in the second quarter.
• This season, Davis has caught 26 passes for a 511 yards (19.7 avg.) and a team-high five touchdowns.
FLAGS FEW AND FAR BETWEEN
• After eight weeks of FCS play, Central Michigan ranks No. 1 (tied) in the nation in fewest penalties per game, averaging just 3.43.
• The Chippewas weren’t called for a penalty in their 38-27 season opening win over Southeast Missouri State, achieving that feat for the first time since September 17, 2011 versus Western Michigan, and then followed it up by recording zero penalties in the loss to Michigan State.
• Although the NCAA does not keep specific records for fewest penalties in consecutive games, the
CMU mark is believed to be one of the few instances in recent years when an FBS team was not penalized in back-to-back contests.
• CMU’s streak of 10 consecutive quarters without a penalty to start the season came to an end versus Iowa when it was flagged for illegal procedure early in the third quarter.
• Through six games, CMU has totaled just 24 penalties for 197 yards.
CHEROCCI AND BENTON STEPS TO THE DEFENSIVE FOREFRONT
• Redshirt sophomore linebacker Justin Cherocci and redshirt junior linebacker Shamari Benton have made their presence felt on the defense in 2012.
• Cherocci led CMU in tackles through the first three games and has notched a team-high four double-digit tackle games thus far this season.
• Cherocci leads CMU with 69 total tackles and is ranked first in the MAC and tied for No. 1 in the nation in assisted tackles (53).
• Benton has come on of late, establishing himself as CMU’s leading tackler in each of the last four games.
• Benton is second on the team with 66 total tackles and ranks tied for second in the MAC with two fumble recoveries.
• Cherocci and Benton rank No. 9 and No. 10 in the MAC, respectively, in total tackles.
CMU’S ROSTER IS HOME GROWN
• CMU’s roster contains more players who hail from the state of Michigan than any other Division I program in the state, featuring 68.
• Michigan State ranks second with 50 followed by Michigan (38), Eastern Michigan (35), and Western Michigan (28).
HARMAN’S HEROICS LIFTS CMU TO WIN OVER IOWA
• Senior kicker David Harman booted a career-long 47-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to lift Central Michigan to a thrilling, come-from-behind 32-31 win over Iowa at Kinnick Stadium last weekend.
• The kick completed an epic rally that saw the Chippewas score nine points in the game’s final 45 seconds.
• The win was CMU’s first over a Big Ten opponent since September 12, 2009 when the Chippewas similarly used a last second field goal to knock off instate rival Michigan State 29-27 in East Lansing.
• Sophomore wide receiver Titus Davis (5-74) scored two touchdowns in a game for the fourth time in his young career while wide receiver Cody Wilson had a game-high eight catches for 105 yards.
• Quarterback Ryan Radcliff completed 74% of the his passes, throwing for a season-high 283 yards.
• Harman was perfect on the day, going 4-for-4 on field goals and 2-for-2 on PATs.
RADCLIFF, HARMAN HONORED BY THE MAC
• Senior quarterback Ryan Radcliff and senior kicker David Harman were recognized with MAC West Player of the Week honors for their standout efforts in the Chippewas’ thrilling, come-from-behind 32-31 road win over Iowa.
• Radcliff was named MAC West Co-Offensive Player of the Week while Harman earned Special Teams Player of the Week accolades.
• Radcliff completed 26-of-35 (74%) of his passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions versus the Hawkeyes.
• He started the game red hot, completing his first eight passes, and finished with a flurry, engineering a late fourth quarter scoring drive that covered 64 yards in just 1:33.
• Radcliff found receiver Titus Davis with a 13-yard touchdown strike with 45 seconds remaining to pull CMU within two points and then, after the Chippewas recovered an onside kick, guided the offense into position for Harman to boot the winning field goal.
• Harman was 4-for-4 on field goals, including nailing a career-long 47-yarder with three seconds left to complete a last minute CMU rally.
• In blustery Kinnick Stadium conditions, which featured winds in the 20 mph range, he also converted on attempts of 33, 25, and 20 yards and was 2-for-2 on PATs.
• Harman set the stage for his last second heroics, executing a perfect onside kick that was recovered by CMU with under a minute left to play and the Chippewas down by two points.
• Harman was also nationally recognized for his performance, receiving College Football Performance Awards’ Specialist Performer of the Week and Lou Groza Award “Star of the Week” honors.
CLASH AT KELLY/SHORTS SETS HOME ATTENDANCE RECORD
• The September 8th Clash at Kelly/Shorts between CMU and in-state rival Michigan State set a new stadium attendance record.
• An enthusiastic crowd numbering 35,127 turned out for the historic meeting, which featured the Spartans’ first-ever visit to Mount Pleasant.
• The seating capacity at Kelly/Shorts Stadium was increased prior to the 2012 season with the addition of bleachers to the student section (2,450) and the installation of suites (180) on the east concourse, both of which will remain in place throughout the 2012 season.
• Previously, the largest crowd inside Kelly/Shorts Stadium was 30,302, set on October 18, 2008, a 38-28 win over Western Michigan.
• The top 10 Kelly/Shorts Stadium crowds:
| 1. | 35,127 | Sept. 8, 2012 | MSU 41, CMU 7 |
| 2. | 30,302 | Oct. 18, 2008 | CMU 38, WMU 28 |
| 3. | 30,027 | Nov. 10 2006 | CMU 31, WMU 7 |
| 4. | 29,822 | Oct. 24, 1998 | CMU 26, WMU 24 |
| 5. | 29,732 | Sept. 18, 1982 | BGSU 34, CMU 30 |
| 6. | 29,321 | Oct. 30, 1982 | CMU 42, Ohio 18 |
| 7. | 28,547 | Oct. 17, 1982 | CMU 18, WMU 18 |
| 8. | 28,463 | Sept. 22, 1984 | CMU 38, WMU 19 |
| 9. | 27,895 | Oct. 8, 1994 | CMU 35, WMU 28 |
| 10. | 27,813 | Oct. 11, 1986 | CMU 18, WMU 10 |
WILSON’S FIRST CAREER INTERCEPTION GOES FOR SIX
• Sophomore cornerback Jason Wilson had a memorable first career interception, picking off Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook and taking it back 55-yards for a touchdown.
• The fourth quarter interception for a score was the longest by a CMU player since Avery Cunningham returned a pick 63 yards for a touchdown versus Bowling Green on October 30, 2010.
• Wilson recorded his first collegiate interception and touchdown in just his second game at the cornerback position.
• Wilson player wide receiver as a freshman, catching nine passes for 106 yards.
RUSHING ATTACK FUELS WIN
• In the 38-27 season opening win over Southeast Missouri State, Central Michigan rushed for 324 yards, its highest total since 2009 when it compiled 326 versus Akron.
• The Chippewas’ rushing attack was led by junior Zurlon Tipton, who ran for a career-high 180 yards on 17 carries.
• Sophomore Anthony Garland added 102 yards on the ground, giving CMU two 100-yard rushers in a game for the first time since 1999.
HARMAN HITS 2012 SEASON’S OPENING KICK
• According to the Lou Groza Award committee, Central Michigan’s David Harman was the first FBS kicker to make a field goal in the 2012 season.
• The senior’s 24-yard field goal at the 8:53 mark of the first quarter provided the Chippewas with a 3-0 lead over Southeast Missouri State.
• After that kick, Harman made five consecutive field goals, including a career-long 47-yard game winner in CMU’s 32-31 road upset of Iowa on Sept. 22 before missing a 42-yarder in the loss to Northern Illinois.
• Through six games, Harman has connected on 8-of-9 field goals and is perfect on PATs, connecting on 17-of-17 attempts.
FUTURE NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS ANNOUNCED
• Striving to not only challenge the team but provide Chippewas fans with exciting games to attend and view, CMU has secured series with top-quality non-conference opponents from the ACC, Big 12, and Mountain West Conference.
• Coming to Mount Pleasant in the coming years will be North Carolina State (2014), Oklahoma State (2015), UNLV (2016), and Kansas (2018).
• The Chippewas will also take on North Carolina State (2013), UNLV (2013), Kansas (2014, 2017), and Oklahoma State (2016, 2018) on the road.
NINE GAMES TO BE BROADCAST NATIONALLY IN 2012
• Nine Central Michigan football games will be broadcast nationally in 2012.
• Contests versus Southeast Missouri State (Aug. 30), at Northern Illinois (Sept. 29), at Toledo (Oct. 6), and against Ball State (Oct. 20) and Western Michigan (Nov. 30) will be streamed online on ESPN3.
• The Clash at Kelly/Shorts with Michigan State on September 8 was aired on ESPNU while CMU’s game versus Navy on October 12 will be shown on ESPN2.
• The regular season finale at MAC newcomer UMass on November 23 will either be streamed on ESPN3.com or broadcast on ESPNU.
• Since the start of the 2007 season, CMU is 21-18 in 39 appearances on the ESPN family of networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Plus, ESPN Regional, ESPN3).
• The Chippewas made their fourth all-time appearance on the Big Ten Network on September 22 when it faced Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.
• CMU is 2-2 on the BTN, topping Indiana, 37-34, in 2008 and Iowa, 32-31, in 2012 while falling to Purdue (32-25) in 2008 and to Northwestern in (30-25) in 2010.
NEW UNIFORMS UNVEILED
• Eight uniform combinations, including all-black and all-gold uniforms, for the 2012 Central Michigan football season were recently unveiled.
• Designed by adidas, the new uniform line features four outfits with the same color jersey and pants - black, gold, maroon and white - and four additional combinations created from mixing and matching the gold, maroon and white items.
• Also revealed along with the black uniform is a new black helmet with a matte finish and a tapering maroon and gold stripe down the middle.
• The maroon helmet will continue to be worn with the other seven combinations.
• A different jersey combination will we worn for each home game; no one outside the locker room will know what it is until warm-ups.
WILSON NAMED TO GOOD WORKS TEAM
• Senior wide receiver Cody Wilson has been named one of 117 student-athletes nominated for the 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®.
• The award is one of football’s most prestigious off-the-field honors and recognizes a select group of college football players committed to making a difference in their communities.
• Award recipients represent the sport’s finest in terms of character and leadership in the community.
• Along with collaborating with his teammates on several community service initiatives, Wilson has spent two spring breaks volunteering at various locations through mission trips organized by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
• He was part of a group that volunteered at inner-city shelters and churches in Atlanta in 2010, and, in 2011, traveled to Lakeland, Fla. as part of the FCA contingent.
• Through seven games, Wilson leads CMU in receptions (43) and receiving yards (540) and receiving yards per game (77.1).
• He is currently ranked third on the CMU career receptions list (199) and in fifth place on the CMU receiving yards list (2,429).
SCHEDULE NOTES
• For just the third time in the modern era, Central Michigan will play seven homes games during the 2012 season.
• CMU opens the season with back-to-back home games for the first time since 2002 when the Chippewas hosted Sam Houston State and Wyoming in weeks one and two.
• CMU has two Big Ten opponents on the schedule for the first time since the 2008 season when the Chippewas went on the road to face Purdue and Indiana.
• The 2012 season marks the 15th consecutive year the Chippewas have played at least one Big Tenopponent.
• CMU hosts a Big Ten opponent this year (Michigan State) in Kelly/Shorts Stadium for the first time since Indiana visited Mount Pleasant in 2005.
• CMU will play UMass for the first time in program history in 2012. This season is the Minutemen’s first at the FBS level and first as a member of the Mid-American Conference.
• CMU plays three straight road games (at Iowa, Northern Illinois, and Toledo) followed by four consecutive home contests (Navy, Ball State, Akron, and Western Michigan).
ADDAE NAMED TO THORPE AWARD WATCH LIST
• Senior Jahleel Addae has been named to the Preseason Watch List for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented to the nation’s best defensive back in college football.
• Addae currently ranks third on the team in solo tackles (21) and fourth in total tackles (42) and has recorded 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and four pass break-ups.
• Addae tied for the Mid-American Conference lead with four interceptions in 2011, ranked eighth in tackles per game (8.9) and ninth in total tackles (107).
• He recorded 10-plus tackles in five games, including a career-high 18 versus Northern Illinois – a game in which he also had two interceptions and forced a fumble in a victory over the eventual MAC champion Huskies.
• Addae was named a First Team All-MAC selection while also being selected to Phil Steele’s All-MAC first team in 2011.
RADCLIFF IN THE CMU RECORD BOOK
• With five games remaining left to play in his senior season, Ryan Radcliff is already ranked second in school history in passing yards (8,523), completions (707), passing attempts (1,176), touchdown passes (55), total offense (8,362), and 300-yard passing games (13).
• In 2012, Radcliff has thrown for 1,435 yards with 10 touchdowns.
• In 2011, he ranked in the top 20 nationally in passing yards for the second straight season, and in eight MAC games last season, he threw for a league-high 2,491 yards (311.4 ypg) and tied for the MAC lead with 19 touchdown passes.
EXPERIENCE UP FRONT
• CMU’s starting five offensive linemen include three seniors who have combined for 80 career starts: Darren Keyton (30), Eric Fisher (28), and Mike Repovz (22).
• Senior right tackle Jake Olson, who missed the Iowa, Northern Illinois, Toledo, and Navy games with an injury, has 26 careers starts to his credit.
• Sophomore Andy Phillips, who is listed atop the depth chart at left guard, started five games in his freshman season of 2011 and the first seven games of 2012.
• Redshirt freshman center Nick Beamish, who has also been in the starting line-up for the first seven games of 2012, will be a mainstay in the middle of the CMU line for the next three-plus years.
2012 TEAM CAPTAINS
• As voted on by the players, senior defensive back Jahleel Addae, senior defensive lineman Joe Kinville, and senior wide receiver Cody Wilson will serve as Central Michigan’s captains for the 2012 season.
RISON RETURNS TO CMU COACHING STAFF
• Mose Rison, a 1978 graduate of CMU and member of the Chippewas’ 1974 national championship team, returns to Mount Pleasant to coach the receivers in 2012.
• Rison previously spent eight seasons (1981-88) as a member of the Chippewas’ coaching staff.
CHIPPEWAS IN THE NFL
• Seven former Chippewas have earned roster spots on NFL teams: linebacker Nick Bellore (New York Jets), wide receiver Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers), defensive back Josh Gordy (Indianapolis Colts), defensive end Cullen Jenkins (Philadelphia Eagles), and offensive lineman Joe Staley (San Francisco 49ers).
• Green Bay Packers linebacker Frank Zombo is on the Physically Unable to Perform List while defensive back Vince Agnew is a member of the Dallas Cowboys practice squad.
NEXT UP FOR THE CHIPPEWAS
• Central Michigan will conclude its historic four-game home stand on Saturday, November 3 when it hosts MAC rival Western Michigan (3-5, 1-3 MAC) on Rocket Football Day.
• Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
• CMU is 37-44-2 all-time versus the Broncos and has won five of the last six meetings.
• Western Michigan, which is coming off a 41-24 loss to Kent State, hosts Northern Illinois before visiting Mount Pleasant.
