Central Michigan University Athletics
Stout Syracuse Next for Chippewas
9/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
CMU Game Notes | Syracuse Game Notes
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - It's back to Power 5 opponents for the Central Michigan football team.
The Chippwas (1-1) will hit the road for the first time this season when they play at Syracuse (2-0) of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. Next week, CMU plays at No. 4 Michigan State.
The Orange opened with a 47-0 win over Rhode Island and last week beat Wake Forest, 30-17, in an ACC game.
"I think it should be a very good matchup," said John Bonamego, who last week earned his first victory as CMU's coach, 31-10, over Football Championship Subdivision Monmouth. "Should be a good test to see where we're at exactly."
The Orange is ranked second in the nation in run defense (25 yards per game), and the Chippewas have struggled to generate offense on the ground.
CMU is averaging just 76 yards per game rushing, which ranks 122nd among the 127 Football Bowl Subdivision schools. CMU averaged 155-plus yards per game a year ago.
"I'm still not pleased with (the run game)," Bonamego said after practice on Tuesday. "We're still not consistent enough. … Overall we're not executing to the level of our consistency that's our standard."
What the Chippewas have lacked on the ground, they have made up for in the air. Junior quarterback Cooper Rush has completed 68.8 percent of his pass attempts for 553 yards and three touchdowns. Rush's 328 yards last week against Monmouth were a career-best for a regular-season game.
The Orange, which is in its third year under coach Scott Shafer, is ranked 11th in the nation in total defense, allowing an average of 241.5 yards per game. Syracuse is surrendering an average of 216.5 yards per game through the air, which ranks 75th.
"Defensively they give you a lot that you have to prepare for," Bonamego said. "They're a big pressure team and they run to the ball exceptionally well. They play very hard, which is a trademark of a Scott Shafer-coached defense. He's been known for that everywhere he's been. They're excellent defensively.
Syracuse has rushed for an average of 230.5 yards per game and its quarterback, freshman Eric Dungey, was 8-for-13 passing for 221 yards and two touchdowns against Wake Forest.
"Offensively, I've been impressed with what they've been able to do with the young quarterback and the packages they've been able to run with him and his ability to come in and execute in their offense," Bonamego said. "I think they've done a great job preparing him and doing things that he does well. He's a good runner. He's a good passer if he has time and we're going to have to be on our P's and Q's defensively to keep them contained."
Dungey replaced injured Terrel Hunt in the Orange's opener against Rhode Island. Hunt accounted for 267 yards and four touchdowns last season when Syracuse handed the Chippewas a 40-3 loss at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
"Any time anyone puts an embarrassing amount of points like that up on us it's definitely a motivator to try and come out and get back on that," said senior defensive end Blake Serpa, who is expected to play, if not start, after sitting out the season-opener against Oklahoma State and playing about a third of CMU's defensive snaps against Monmouth.
Bonamego said junior defensive end Joe Ostman is doubtful for the Syracuse game because of a lower-leg injury. Ostman did not play in the second half against Monmouth and was in street clothes and on crutches on the CMU sideline.
Ostman's injury accelerated the timetable for Serpa's return, Bonamego said.
"When Joey got hurt it just upped (Serpa's) reps in the rotation, so that's pretty close to a full work load for him," Bonamego said. "I think that was just the natural thing to do. He's the next best guy so it's just what happened. He's on track to being 100 percent."
