Central Michigan University Athletics
Toledo Notebook: Plenty To Play For
11/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Tuesday's 28-23 loss to Toledo eliminated any hope Central Michigan had of winning the Mid-American Conference championship.
That was certainly a disappointment, first-year coach John Bonamego said, but there is still plenty for the Chippewas to play for as they face their final two regular-season games.
The Chippewas are 5-5 overall, 4-2 MAC. They need to win one of their final two games to become bowl eligible.
"We're no longer relevant in terms of a MAC championship but I think we're still a very good football team," Bonamego said. "We have pride … we have bowl eligibility to play for and we have a winning season to play for.
"So hopefully (we) get into a good bowl and win that so I think right now you're trying to get to six wins then when you get to six you're going to try and get to seven and finish with a winning season."
The Chippewas play at Kent State (3-7, 2-4) next Wednesday and close the regular season at home against Eastern Michigan (1-9, 0-6) on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
"Tons of things," quarterback Cooper Rush said when asked what was left for he and his teammates to play for. "Those seniors, a bowl game, we have a chance to get to eight wins, so I mean there is tons to play for."
Big numbers
Rush completed 33 of 52 pass attempts for 349 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once.
It was the sixth consecutive game that Rush has thrown multiple TD passes, and his 349-yard total was the third-highest of his career. The 52 attempts were a career-high.
On the season, Rush has completed 264 of his 387 attempts (68.2 percent) with 22 TDs against nine interceptions. His TD pass total ties him for seventh in a single season in CMU history; his 264 completions rank fourth all-time; and he is sixth on the pass attempts chart.
His two TD passes on Tuesday gave him 64 for his career, moving him into second place on CMU's career list behind Dan LeFevour, who threw 102 from 2006-09. Rush passed Ryan Radcliffe, who threw 63 from 2009-12.
The receivers
Senior Jesse Kroll led the Chippewa receiving corps with seven catches for 130 yards on Tuesday, while Mark Chapman had six for 43, and Anthony Rice had five for 36.
Rice and Corey Willis (four catches, 51 yards) each caught a TD pass.
Rare feat
CMU sophomore offensive tackle Derek Edwards accomplished a rare feat in Tuesday's game when he recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.
Running back Jay Roberson carried to the Toledo 1-yard line and fumbled. The ball bounded just across the goal line where Edwards pounced on it for CMU's first TD of the night, cutting Toledo's lead to 21-10.
Struggling run game
The Chippewas again struggled in the run game, finishing with just 59 net yards on 20 attempts (a 3.0-yard average).
Rush was CMU's leading rusher with 23 yards on seven carries. Rush actually gained 46 yards - 33 of which came on a third-quarter run to the Toledo 2-yard line - but he was sacked twice for a total of 23 yards.
CMU is averaging a MAC-worst 93.3 yards per game on the ground.
"It's something we are working on every week, and we will just keep improving on it," Rush said. "Yeah we have to run the ball better, but those guys up front have been doing a great job, they have been working very hard and (offensive line) coach (Derek) Frazier is a great coach and it will be alright."
Good crowd
The Kelly/Shorts Stadium attendance was 13,490, a good number for a Tuesday night game played on a brisk, but dry and virtually windless, evening.
"I thought it was outstanding," Bonamego said of the crowd. "The student section in particular was outstanding. I really appreciate it. I want to thank them and I'm just sorry we came up a little short this time around."
The defense
The Rockets, who entered the game ranked third in the MAC in total offense, exploded to a 21-0 lead primarily behind quarterback Phillip Ely, who finished 23-of-39 passing for 322 yards and two touchdowns.
But after falling behind by three scores less than two minutes into the second quarter, the Central Michigan defense clamped down against Toledo's no-huddle, fast-paced offense.
Playing against such an offense makes it difficult on a defense, not only from a physical standpoint, but also to shuffle personnel on and off the field.
"It is definitely tough trying to run on and off the field," said CMU senior safety Kavon Frazier. "We like to switch a lot of personnel from base (defense) to nickel to dime.
"When they are going that fast and (at) that pace we are not able to sub as much. I think they caught us on one of them, we were trying to get somebody off the field, we had 12 on the field and had to burn a timeout, so it is definitely exhausting and a pain to try to get everyone on and off the field."
The Chippewas have faced a number of no-huddle offenses throughout the season. The Rockets were among the best they have seen, Frazier said.
"Oh yeah, it is definitely one of the top no-huddles," he said. "Oklahoma State was fast too. Based on the speed and no-huddle those two were probably neck and neck."
Frazier led the Chippewas with 12 tackles, while fellow safety Tony Annese made eight, and cornerback Amari Coleman added six.
Game-changer
The Chippewas were penalized five times for 63 yards. One of those penalties proved to be a back-breaker.
Trailing 21-17 in the third quarter, CMU had a first down at the Toledo 2-yard line. Rush dropped to pass but couldn't find an open receiver and threw the ball high and out of the end zone for an incompletion.
CMU tight end Ben McCord was flagged for offensive pass interference on the play, which resulted in a 15-yard penalty, moving the ball back to the 17-yard line.
A sack and two incompletions brought up fourth-and-goal from the 33-yard line, and Brian Eavey's 51-yard field goal attempt fell just short with 41 seconds left in the third quarter.
Hanging in
Though the Chippewas found themselves in a 21-0 hole early, they didn't panic, Rush said, and they managed to climb back in it and give themselves a chance to take the lead in the second half.
"It doesn't change," Rush said of the Chippewas' mindset in facing the daunting task of digging out of a three-TD hole. "One play at a time, do your job, (that) type of mentality. We are going to make enough plays, we know we are, we just have to stay patient. We started making some plays and got back into it."
Special teams
Eavey booted a 48-yard field goal early in the second quarter that gave the Chippewas their first points of the game and made a dent in Toledo's 21-0 lead.
The 48-yarder was a career-long for Eavey, a junior who earned a scholarship this season after making the team as a walk-on as a freshman.
His previous long, 47 yards, came two weeks ago at Ball State. Eavey is 14-for-19 on field goal tries this season, including 5-of-8 from 40-49 yards.
CMU's Ron Coluzzi punted five times for an average of 39.6 yards with one being downed inside the Rocket 20-yard line.
Coluzzi, a junior, kicked off four times for an average of 54.2 yards. After the Chippewas scored late to cut their deficit to 28-23, his onside kick did not travel the required 10 yards.
Strange call
The CMU band and cheer squad became part of the action in the third quarter when Toledo drove inside the Chippewa 5-yard line.
Referee Anthony Cannella made an announcement that the band and cheerleaders could not make noise to interrupt the Rockets' snap count.
That served to bring the crowd even more to life, and the Rockets threw an incomplete pass on third down. They missed a 21-yard field goal attempt on fourth down, and the ball went back to CMU, which trailed 21-17 at the time.
The series
The victory was Toledo's sixth straight over the Chippewas, and the Rockets lead the all-time series, 23-18. There have been three ties.
