Chippewas Look to Snap Skid at Miami
11/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (5-4, 2-3 MAC) vs. MIAMI (OHIO) (3-6, 3-2 MAC)
Friday, November 4 • 6 p.m. • Yager Stadium • Oxford, Ohio
Game Notes: Central Michigan | Miami (Ohio)
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Twitter: @CMU_Football
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - John Bonamego stood up and took responsibility for his team's disappointing performance in a 27-24 loss last week to Kent State.
He repeated that refrain, with an addendum, on Tuesday as he addressed the media in looking ahead to Friday's Mid-American Conference game at Miami (Ohio).
"I still stand by what I said after the game," Bonamego said. "Ultimately the responsibility's mine and I shoulder that and I accept it.
"I think we recognize what was lacking on Saturday. It comes down to focus and concentration. When you're in position to make plays and you don't make them for whatever reason that's really what it boils down to.
"It's our responsibility as coaches, but it's also their responsibility as players to make sure that they're prepared and that they're ready."
The Chippewas (5-4 overall, 2-3 MAC) kick off at 6 p.m. with the RedHawks (3-6, 3-2) at Miami's Yager Stadium.
CMU has lost two straight games, while the RedHawks have won three consecutive - their longest win streak since 2010 -- after a 0-6 start.
Three weeks ago, the Chippewas won a triple-overtime game at Northern Illinois to improve to 5-2. With just one MAC loss, they were still very much alive in the hunt for the West Division title.
But back-to-back losses to Toledo and the Golden Flashes have left the Chippewas trying to regain their equilibrium with an eye toward a sixth win, which would make them bowl eligible.
They will have to do it against the MAC's No. 1 defense, which has allowed just 18 points per game in its last three starts.
"They're very sound in everything they do and they play with a lot of effort," Bonamego said. "They run to the ball, they finish plays."
Miami, which sports a proud football tradition, has not had a winning season since it last won a MAC title, in 2010. Chuck Martin took over the as the RedHawks' coach before the 2014 season. Martin went 74-9 in six seasons at Division II Grand Valley State, leading the Lakers to national championships in 2005 and 2006.
Certainly, a factor in Miami's recent success is the fact that Martin's system appears to be taking hold. Personnel has played a role too, beginning with sophomore quarterback Gus Ragland who had never started before the three-game win streak.
Ragland has completed 59.5 percent of his passes with 571 yards and six touchdowns - against no interceptions - over that span. The RedHawks' win streak started with an 18-14 victory over Kent State.
"He's really efficient, doesn't make a lot of mistakes," Bonamego said of Ragland. "I think that was one of the things that was kind of plaguing them early in the year, maybe even last year. They had a lot of turnovers, that sort of thing. I've been impressed with him just going in and taking charge and executing their offense."
The Chippewas have a pretty fair passer in their own right in senior Cooper Rush, who has thrown for 2,533 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.
Wideout Corey Willis has emerged as the Chippewas' most consistent pass-catching threat with 48 receptions for 717 yards and nine TDs this season. Willis, a junior, has made at least six receptions in each of CMU's last seven games and earlier this week was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.
The Chippewa ground game, which has been inconsistent throughout the season, finished with just 105 yards last week against Kent State. CMU will be without leading rusher Devon Spalding because of injury against the RedHawks.
That means the bulk of the carries is likely to fall to senior Jahray Hayes, who is averaging 3.7 yards per attempt.
But no matter who's carrying it, who's throwing it, or who's catching it, the message is the same from Bonamego: The effort and the execution must be there, and the Chippewas must be better, particularly in light of the fact that they held a two-touchdown lead well into the third quarter of last week's loss to Kent State.
"It's not about just screaming and yelling, it's about getting them to understand how important it is to go into every single game against every opponent - it's a razor's edge," Bonamego said. "It's a high-wire act. You can fall off, you can lose that edge at any time. We just didn't have that (against Kent State)."
