CMU Football Defeats NIU, 34-17

Saturday, October 11

DeKalb, Ill.

5:00 PM

Central Michigan University

4-3 , 2-1

Northern Illinois

4-2 , 1-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Central Michigan

Northern Illinois

Cooper Rush threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns.

10/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery

DeKALB, Ill. - Another day at the office for Thomas Rawls.

Not just another win for the Central Michigan football team.

Rawls rushed for 270 yards on 40 carries and scored two touchdowns Saturday leading the Chippewas to a 34-17 upset of Mid-American Conference heavyweight Northern Illinois at Huskie Stadium.

The win, CMU's second straight, lifted the Chippewas to 4-3, 2-1 in the MAC. It snapped the Huskies' 28-game home win streak, and their 24-game regular-season MAC win streak. Northern Illinois (4-2, 1-1) has won four consecutive MAC West titles and captured the league championship twice in that span.

"They are the class of this league," fifth-year CMU coach Dan Enos said. "They've been the best team in the league since I've been in it. It's a very difficult place to play. They're very, very well coached. They have outstanding players.

"If we want to accomplish the goals that we want to accomplish as a program, and we want to be on the map in the MAC West, you've got to beat Norhtern Illinois. I've told our team that for the last few years. If we want to be taken seriously in this league and get ourselves back in the top tier, we've got to beat Northern."

Rawls surpassed his career-high 229 yards rushing he set last week in a 28-10 win over Ohio. His 40 carries matched his career-high, also set against Ohio. His two-week total: 80 carries, 499 yards, four TDs.

"We had a great week of preparation," said Rawls. "The offensive line was telling me, `We're grinding. We're just going to keep grinding it out, grinding it out.' I trust them, I trust this whole unit."

As has been Rawls' pattern all season, he got stronger as the game progressed. He ran for 194 yards on 24 carries in the second half as the Chippewas salted the game away. CMU held a near 2-to-1 advantage in time of possession and rolled up 30 first downs while holding NIU to 19.

"The only thing I try to do is show up, have a tremendous week of practice and have a huge impact in the game," Rawls said. "That's my role. I'm tough and our offensive line is tough and our receivers are tough. We're just out there playing football -- CMU football."

The Chippewas found themselves in a 7-0 hole before the game was two minutes old as NIU marched 71 yards in just five plays on the opening drive, scoring on a 20-yard pass from Drew Hare to Juwan Brescacin.

CMU responded immediately. Rawls capped the Chippewas' first possession - an 86-yard, 10-play drive - with a 5-yard TD run which tied it 7-7.

"I think it was very important for our momentum," Enos said. "You come out and you get punched in the mouth like that, it's how you respond. It was good that we scored on that drive to give our defense a chance to take a deep breath and settle down."

After forcing a punt, the Chippewas took over at their own 8-yard line and promptly marched 92 yards in eight plays to take a 14-7 lead on Rawls' 13-yard TD run. CMU's first two scoring drives were its longest of the season.

The Chippewas extended their lead to 21-7 when quarterback Cooper Rush tossed a 6-yard TD pass to Jesse Kroll midway through the second quarter.

Brian Eavey kicked two second-half field goals - a 25-yarder and a 23-yarder - and Rush connected with tight end Ben McCord for a 13-yard scoring play in the third quarter.

Rush completed 20-of-31 pass attempts for 269 yards. Kroll made six catches for 97 yards.

The Chippewas finished with a season-high 552 yards in total offense against the MAC's top-ranked defense. NIU entered the game allowing an average of 354.8 yards per game.

CMU's defense limited the Huskies to 341 yards, including 110 on the ground. The Huskies were averaging a MAC-best 256 rushing yards per game.

Linebacker Justin Cherocci led CMU's defense with 10 tackles, while defensive backs Brandon Greer and Kavon Frazier had eight apiece. Safety Tony Annese made his third interception of the season, and CMU's secondary was credited with seven pass breakups.

"As a defense we just try to get everybody playing physical, playing hard, and we did that the whole game," said Annese, who now has five career interceptions.

"We knew we were going to have to be physical," Enos said. "We knew we were going to have to try to run the ball. We knew that slowing down their offense was going to be a task. I'm just really happy for our players and our coaches today."

The Chippewas, Enos said, will take a second to savor the victory. The work begins almost immediately for next week, when they play host to Ball State.

"It's like I told my wife before the game today," he said. "It doesn't matter if we win or lose, on the bus ride home I'm going to take my IPad out and start watching Ball State film. You have no time to feel sorry for yourself (after a loss) or to be happy with yourself (after a win) because you've got to get prepared for the next game.

"Seems like the wins you can never enjoy them enough, and the losses just kind of hang with you. It's a great win for our football team, happy for our coaches and players, but we've got to get ready for next week."