Central Michigan University Athletics
Ohio Notebook: CMU Defense Stands Tall
11/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Just over two weeks ago, the Central Michigan defense allowed Kent State to drive 86 yards for the game-winning field goal with under two minutes to play.
Faced with a similar scenario Tuesday night against Ohio, the Chippewas weren't about to let history repeat itself.
Central Michigan's defense stood tall in the final minute, turning away the Bobcats to preserve a 27-20 CMU victory on Senior Night at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
The Bobcats had a first down at the CMU 12-yard line with about two minutes remaining.
CMU cornerback Amari Coleman broke up a pass in the end zone on first down, Joe Ostman sacked the quarterback on third down, and Sean Bunting made the game-clinching interception in the end zone on fourth down.
It was a gratifying turn for a CMU defense that has had its ups and downs and, perhaps, felt it had something to prove as Ohio came into the game ranked first in the Mid-American Conference in rushing defense and sporting a league-best 36 sacks.
"Definitely," Ostman said when asked if he felt CMU's defense felt a little extra motivation against the Bobcats. "Especially since we have not played up to our standard as a defense the last couple of weeks. We felt that we have left some plays out there.
"We haven't played as well as we should have and left the offense out to dry a little bit. We knew we had to come out ready to go if we wanted to have a chance to win. I am very proud of the way our defense played today."
Ostman and Coleman led the Chippewas with eight tackles apiece. Ostman finished with two sacks among three tackles-for-loss. He also forced a fumble and recovered one. Coleman had four pass breakups.
The Chippewas recorded three sacks and two quarterback hurries.
Ostman credited the secondary with a standout performance.
"We have a great secondary," he said. "Winslow Chapman, Josh Cox, Tony Annese, Amari Coleman. They are all great players and it is a credit to them for giving the quarterback nowhere to throw so we were able to get pressure on him. It's a credit to them and our defense as a whole for putting (Ohio) in those situations."
• Bunting's interception was his second of the season and of his career, and it was the Chippewas' 12th of the year.
• The Chippewas forced a season-high four turnovers. Ostman, Tyree Waller and Malik Fountain recovered one fumble each.
• CMU quarterback Cooper Rush threw two touchdown passes, bringing his career total to 90 which is fifth on the all-time MAC list. He passed Byron Leftwich, who threw 89 at Marshall from 1999-2002.
• Corey Willis led the Chippewas with a career-high eight catches for 109 yards. His 39-yard reception to the Ohio 1-yard line set up CMU's first TD of the game.
• Mark Chapman added six catches for 46 yards for CMU, while running back Jahray Hayes and freshman wideout Brandon Childress had three catches each. Hayes finished with 51 yards in receptions, Childress had 35.
• The Chippewas finished with a season-low 18 net yards rushing. Their previous season low was 50, which they posted a week and a half ago at Miami (Ohio) and in the second game of the season at Oklahoma State.
• Jahray Hayes led the Chippewas with 47 yards rushing on 24 carries, a 2-yard average. Ohio entered the game ranked No. 1 in the MAC and 15th nationally against the run.
• CMU placekicker Brian Eavey made both of his field goal attempts, a 40-yarder in the first quarter and a 33-yarder in the third. Eavey has made three consecutive field goal attempts and is 7-for-15 on the season. He made all three of his extra point tries on Tuesday, remaining perfect (38-for-38) on the season.
• Chippewa punters Jack Sheldon and Cooper Mojsiejenko punted six times for an average of 45.8 yards, CMU's third-best punting game, yardage wise, of the season. Sheldon punted five times for a 46-yard average with a long of 63 yards, which qualifies as his career long and the season long for a CMU punter. Three of Sheldon's five punts were downed inside Ohio's 20-yard line.
• It was CMU's third-consecutive victory over Ohio, and its sixth in the last seven meetings. The Chippewas lead the all-time series, 24-5-2.
• The Chippewas go to Eastern Michigan next Tuesday (7 p.m.) for their regular-season finale. The Eagles have made remarkable strides under third-year coach Chris Creighton and, at 6-4, are bowl eligible for the first time since 1995. EMU, which plays host to Northern Illinois on Wednesday night, won seven games combined in the past four seasons and has not finished with a winning record since '95.
