Western Week: 'Nuff Said

Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Nothing like a rivalry game to re-energize a football team that could use a boost.

Central Michigan can forget about frustrations and near misses and starts and stops. It's Western week, and that's all that really matters.

"Our record is behind us," senior tackle Clay Walderzak said. "We have to look at the glass (as) half empty or half full. This is one of the biggest games of the year. Regardless of our record we're going to go out there and give them our all."

The Chippewas are 1-6, 0-3 in the Mid-American Conference, while the Broncos are 5-2, 3-0 and have won five consecutive games. They play Saturday (3 p.m.) at Kelly/Shorts Stadium for the Victory Cannon and a leg up in the race for the Michigan MAC Trophy, which goes to the team that wins the head-to-head battles between CMU, Western and Eastern Michigan.

The Chippewas hold both trophies after last year's 35-28 come-from-behind win in Kalamazoo, the latest chapter in the annual battle between the archrivals.

Saturday's game marks the 90^th meeting in the series. Western leads, 48-39, and there have been two ties. CMU ended a three-game losing streak to the Broncos a year ago, and have won seven of the last 12 meetings.

"It's the history behind it," Bonamego said. "It's the geography of it; the two schools are so close to each other. We share the same state, our graduates live in-state and rubb elbows with each other where they work and that sort of thing.

"No other game on our schedule, that is more important than this one. It's one that is talked about all year long. There is hardware exchanged, (we're) playing for a tangible prize. It's the No. 1 goal for our football team every year."

BOUNCING BACK
CMU is coming off a 24-23 loss at home to Ball State. The Chippewas led, 20-7, entering the fourth quarter. It was the latest in a line of frustrating losses.

"We improved as a football team, but it's not good enough yet," Bonamego said. "We're beating ourselves; penalties, there are a lot of things you can point to. … We do not have time to feel sorry for ourselves, we have to push forward and understand how close we are, but yet, we cannot continue to make the same mistakes and expect the outcome to be different."

The Chippewas committed 11 penalties against Ball State, eight of them in the second half and several came at critical times in the fourth quarter.

LOOKING BACK
Bonamego played at CMU from 1983-86 and during that span the Chippewas were a perfect 4-0 against the Broncos.

In his first three seasons as the Chippewas' coach, Bonamego's teams lost all three meetings with Western. That changed last year when quarterback Shane Morris rallied CMU to three fourth-quarter touchdowns in the wind, cold and rain at Western's Waldo Stadium as the Chippewas posted a 35-28 victory.

For Bonamego, that ranks among his favorite memories.

"As a coach that was the first time we beat them, so that was really special," he said. "The manner in which the game unfolded; being down at halftime really challenged the team (and) just how they responded in the second half. We got some breaks we took advantage of.

"It was a really exciting game, and I will never forget. You never forget your first; I will never forget that one."

IMPROVEMENTS
The Chippewas clearly have made strides offensively. Running back Romello Ross and quarterback Tommy Lazzaro rushed for 111 and 110 yards, respectively, last week as the Chippewas produced 261 yards on the ground, nearly 100 more than their previous season high.

TICE IS NICE
Ryan Tice has made his first season as a Chippewa a sparkling one.

The junior place-kicker's 53-yard field goal against Ball State is the third-longest in program history behind Rade Savich's 57-yarder in 1975 and Kevin Nicholl's 54-yarder in 1989.

Tice's boot is the longest by a MAC kicker and is tied for the 12^th longest in the nation this season. It was also the first field goal of 50-plus yards by a Chippewa since David Harmon hit a 50-yarder in the 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl against Kentucky.

Tice also had a 47-yarder against Ball State and he is 8-for-9 on field goal attempts this season. Six of his eight successful kicks have come from 40 yards or longer and he is a perfect 10-for-10 on extra points.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Malik Fountain, CMU's middle linebacker, made 10 total tackles in the Chippewas' loss to Ball State on Saturday. He matched his season high with eight solo stops. It was the sixth consecutive game in which Fountain has reached double digits in total tackles.

Fountain is averaging 11.9 tackles per game, which ranks eighth nationally and second in the MAC behind Buffalo's Khalil Hodge.

TALE OF THE TAPE
The Chippewa defense ranks first in the MAC and seventh nationally in passing yards allowed per game (153.4) and is fourth in the league in total defense (351.9 per).

Western Michigan ranks first in the conference in rushing offense, averaging 208.1 yards per game on the ground, and total offense (483.0).

Players Mentioned

Malik Fountain

Tommy Lazzaro

Shane Morris

Romello Ross

Ryan Tice

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