Football vs. Chattanooga Notebook
8/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 29, 2014 By Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - This is what Central Michigan officials had hoped for when they made the decision to move the Chippewas to the east sideline of Kelly/Shorts Stadium and move the student section to the stands behind them.
An announced crowd of 15,793 watched CMU defeat Chattanooga, 20-16, Thursday in the season opener for both schools.
Officials put estimates of the number of students in the stadium somewhere between 7,000-8,000, most all of them in the sections directly behind the Chippewa bench, an area that includes the Marching Chips.
"I thought it was a great atmosphere, maybe the best atmosphere at a game since I've been the head coach here," said fifth-year CMU coach Dan Enos. "It was awesome."
So awesome, in fact, that Enos wanted to put on a better show, particularly in the first half when his Chippewas found themselves in a 16-0 hole.
"I was so disappointed (that) we laid an egg in the first half because we had all this energy and we had this great crowd," he said. "It was a beautiful night and I wish we could have capitalized on that in the first half.
"But I really give (students) credit - they stuck in there with us. They were very encouraging throughout the game, talking to our players and our team. We appreciated the support. "
Sophomore Tony Annese, who made two interceptions including the game-clincher with just over a minute remaining, took note of the crowd support as well.
"That was fun - it was a thrill," he said. "It was a lot different. We had the fans behind our back going the crazy the whole game. They stayed the whole game and had a major impact on this game."
Smashing debut
Central Michigan running back Thomas Rawls thought for a minute about the question: When was the last time you carried the ball 25 times in a game?
"Last time was in high school," said Rawls, a fifth-year senior who spent the last four years at the University of Michigan, where, after a good sophomore season, saw his playing time decrease.
In fact, the last time he had carried the football in a game was against the Chippewas, as a Wolverine, in the 2013 season opener at Michigan Stadium.
On Thursday, Rawls made his CMU debut a memorable one, rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.
"It felt like when I was a senior back in high school," said the Flint native. "I was just out there having fun, and playing hard. And that was the mindset that I had.
"The offensive line was blocking real, real good and they finished the game really hard. That's all it was. Those guys up front, this line, they block their tails off. We worked for every yard."
Mr. Pick
Annese has started four games in his CMU career, and he has four interceptions.
Annese made his first start as a Chippewa against rival Western Michigan last season and the sophomore who played at Rochester Adams High School returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown, helping the Chippewas to a 27-22 win.
A week later, Annese repeated the feat, taking a pick back 34 yards in a 37-0 win against UMass. He started CMU's 2013 season finale, a 42-10 win over Eastern Michigan, and was in the starting lineup on Thursday against Chattanooga. He had two interceptions against the Mocs.
Thursday works
The game marked the fourth time in the last five years that CMU has opened the season at home on a Thursday night against a Football Championship Subdivision team.
The Chippewas are 4-0 in such games, and 4-1 in openers in coach Dan Enos' five years at the helm.
The Enos-led Chippewas opened the 2010 season with a 33-0 win over Hampton; in 2011, they beat South Carolina State, 21-6; and in 2012 they downed Southeast Missouri State, 38-27.
The Chippewas are 10-2 all time on Thursday night home games, and are 23-3 against FCS (formerly Division I-AA) opponents.
Last season, CMU fell to Michigan, 59-9, in its opener, then rebounded to top FCS team New Hampshire, 24-21, the following week.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - This is what Central Michigan officials had hoped for when they made the decision to move the Chippewas to the east sideline of Kelly/Shorts Stadium and move the student section to the stands behind them.
An announced crowd of 15,793 watched CMU defeat Chattanooga, 20-16, Thursday in the season opener for both schools.
Officials put estimates of the number of students in the stadium somewhere between 7,000-8,000, most all of them in the sections directly behind the Chippewa bench, an area that includes the Marching Chips.
"I thought it was a great atmosphere, maybe the best atmosphere at a game since I've been the head coach here," said fifth-year CMU coach Dan Enos. "It was awesome."
So awesome, in fact, that Enos wanted to put on a better show, particularly in the first half when his Chippewas found themselves in a 16-0 hole.
"I was so disappointed (that) we laid an egg in the first half because we had all this energy and we had this great crowd," he said. "It was a beautiful night and I wish we could have capitalized on that in the first half.
"But I really give (students) credit - they stuck in there with us. They were very encouraging throughout the game, talking to our players and our team. We appreciated the support. "
Sophomore Tony Annese, who made two interceptions including the game-clincher with just over a minute remaining, took note of the crowd support as well.
"That was fun - it was a thrill," he said. "It was a lot different. We had the fans behind our back going the crazy the whole game. They stayed the whole game and had a major impact on this game."
Smashing debut
Central Michigan running back Thomas Rawls thought for a minute about the question: When was the last time you carried the ball 25 times in a game?
"Last time was in high school," said Rawls, a fifth-year senior who spent the last four years at the University of Michigan, where, after a good sophomore season, saw his playing time decrease.
In fact, the last time he had carried the football in a game was against the Chippewas, as a Wolverine, in the 2013 season opener at Michigan Stadium.
On Thursday, Rawls made his CMU debut a memorable one, rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.
"It felt like when I was a senior back in high school," said the Flint native. "I was just out there having fun, and playing hard. And that was the mindset that I had.
"The offensive line was blocking real, real good and they finished the game really hard. That's all it was. Those guys up front, this line, they block their tails off. We worked for every yard."
Mr. Pick
Annese has started four games in his CMU career, and he has four interceptions.
Annese made his first start as a Chippewa against rival Western Michigan last season and the sophomore who played at Rochester Adams High School returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown, helping the Chippewas to a 27-22 win.
A week later, Annese repeated the feat, taking a pick back 34 yards in a 37-0 win against UMass. He started CMU's 2013 season finale, a 42-10 win over Eastern Michigan, and was in the starting lineup on Thursday against Chattanooga. He had two interceptions against the Mocs.
Thursday works
The game marked the fourth time in the last five years that CMU has opened the season at home on a Thursday night against a Football Championship Subdivision team.
The Chippewas are 4-0 in such games, and 4-1 in openers in coach Dan Enos' five years at the helm.
The Enos-led Chippewas opened the 2010 season with a 33-0 win over Hampton; in 2011, they beat South Carolina State, 21-6; and in 2012 they downed Southeast Missouri State, 38-27.
The Chippewas are 10-2 all time on Thursday night home games, and are 23-3 against FCS (formerly Division I-AA) opponents.
Last season, CMU fell to Michigan, 59-9, in its opener, then rebounded to top FCS team New Hampshire, 24-21, the following week.
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