Central Michigan University Athletics
Game preview: CMU vs. Buffalo
10/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
CMU Game Notes | Buffalo Game Notes
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - It stung for awhile.
That while is over now.
The Central Michigan football team will look to bounce back Saturday when it plays host to Buffalo in a Mid-American Conference game at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Chippewas (2-4 overall, 1-1 MAC) are seeking to rebound from their 41-39 loss to archrival Western Michigan. The Bulls (2-3, 0-1) had a bye last week. They fell the previous week, 28-22, to Bowling Green in their MAC opener.
"There's a lot of energy, a lot of communication, a good back and forth," CMU coach John Bonamego said of his team's mood after Tuesday's practice at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. "It's never perfect. You're striving for perfection.
"There'll be a lot of things to correct just like there is every day. I thought their energy and enthusiasm and the way they were running around was very good today."
In the final analysis of the Western game, there are ample high points, but just as many lows to balance the scales.
• The 39 points was the most the Chippewas have scored this season. The 41 scored by Western was the most CMU has allowed.
• The Chippewas rolled up 482 yards in offense, but surrendered 477. Both numbers were season-highs, both in total yardage gained and allowed.
• CMU finished with a season-high 161 yards rushing and went over 100 on the ground for the first time all season. But the Chippewas allowed Western to run for 215, the most the CMU defense has allowed this season.
Junior Jahray Hayes drew his first start at running back for CMU, finishing with a team-high 52 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. But he fumbled once, in the first quarter, and it was recovered by the Broncos and ended a CMU drive at the Western 28-yard line.
Hayes was benched for a long stretch after the fumble, but eventually returned.
"It's a concern any time the ball is on the ground," Bonamego said. "Was it preventable? Yeah, they all are. The ones that are tough on backs and receivers are the ones coming from a player that you don't see. They come from the peripheral or (from) behind and if you don't have the ball properly secured it's going to come out. Is it overly concerning? No. Is it acceptable? No."
The aggravating penalty bug also returned as CMU was flagged eight times for 75 yards. The week before, in a 29-19 win over Northern Illinois, the Chippewas took just one penalty.
It's an effort that takes continual maintenance, Bonamego said.
"We're always, since day one, trying to make a concentrated effort to be a penalty-free team and be a disciplined team," Bonamego said. "You correct it like you do with every other aspect of the game.
"Some of it has to be a mindset. You can't play scared. You always have to play right on the edge, not being out of control, but right up to the edge of your abilities. Sometimes you lapse over and do careless things."
The 75 yards in penalties bumped CMU's per-game average to 49.8, which is the second-lowest number in the MAC. Buffalo has averaged 82.6 yards per game in penalties, which is 10th in the MAC and 118th in FBS.
On the injury front, the Chippewas won't know whether or not middle linebacker Tim Hamilton will be available on Saturday because of a shoulder/pectoral injury he sustained against Western. He was to undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
Sophomore Jeff Perry and freshman Alex Briones filled in for Hamilton, who left Saturday's game before halftime.
"I thought those guys held up pretty well," Bonamego said, adding that if Hamilton can't play against Buffalo, Perry and Briones will "rotate this week and whoever is playing better will play in the game."
Junior defensive end Joe Ostman returned to the field for the Chippewas against Western after missing four games due to an ankle injury.
"He's getting better all the time," Bonamego said. "He played through a lot of pain this past week. It's one of those things that as long as you don't reinjure it, which he didn't do, you expect it to get progressively better and better."
Overall, the Chippewas have been relatively fortunate when it comes to injuries, Bonamego said.
"For playing six games I think we're in good shape," he said. "This is the time of the year where you're going to have bumps and bruises. That's what the game is. It's playing through a lot of that stuff."
Buffalo running back Anthone Taylor is third in the MAC at 94.8 yards per game rushing, while quarterback Joe Licata is averaging 248.4 yards per game passing, which ranks fifth in the conference.
The Bulls won at Florida Atlantic, 33-15, but have lost their last two starts, the first of which was 24-21 at Nevada. Buffalo, in keeping with the trend this season, played a Power-5 opponent tough before succumbing. In this case, it was Penn State, which topped the Bulls, 27-14, a month ago.
"Good team, improved from a year ago," Bonamego said of the Bulls."They've played five very competitive games. I thought it was an impressive showing that they put in against Penn State. I think going down and beating FAU was a quality win for them."
