Maine Notebook: Danna Stands Out On Stout Defensive Front

9/22/2018 11:31:00 PM | Football

Chippewa junior records 4 sacks in win over Maine

By: Andy Sneddon

Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – There has never been any doubt that Mike Danna could play.

The redshirt junior from Detroit has been a steady contributor on the Central Michigan football team's defensive line since the day he set foot on campus in 2015, and those in and around the program have long recognized that he was a budding star.

Call his performance in the Chippewas' 17-5 win over Maine on Saturday at Kelly/Shorts Stadium a coming-out party.

Danna made four sacks and registered seven tackles, all of them solos, spearheading a stout effort by a Chippewa defense as CMU won its first game of the season. He posted five total tackles-for-loss, matching the number of stiches in the brow above his right eye.

"I just dialed in to what the coaches were saying this week," Danna said. "I played whistle-to-whistle, I tried to give it my all. I knew this week, we went in 0-3, I had to step up my game, everybody had to step up their game. If that's what it takes for us to get a W, I'll do it every single week.

"I watched a lot of film this week, I watched (Maine's) tackles, and I just kind of knew that from the jump I kind of had a speed and power advantage over these guys. I just tried to play my heart out and give it my all and that's all God's work."

Danna, who prepped at powerhouse DeLaSalle in suburban Detroit's Warren, joined some elite company in registering four sacks. The last Chippewa to make four in a game was Joe Ostman, who accomplished the feat in a 2017 game against Ball State. Ostman is now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad.

History aside, Danna stands among a pretty good group of contemporaries along the defensive front including the likes of Nate Brisson-Fast, Mitch Stanitzek, D'Andre Dill and Sean Adesanya.

It's a collective effort, CMU coach John Bonamego said.

"When one guy gets the matchup, it's because everyone's doing their job," he said. "It all works hand-in-hand. It's a team game. Individuals get statistics, but no one can do it by themselves. It takes 11 players on the field, everyone executing at a high level."

DEFENSE THE CATALYST
Danna along with middle linebacker Malik Fountain were standouts on a defense that limited an opponent to the fewest points scored on a Chippewa team since CMU beat Presbyterian, 49-3, in the 2016 season opener, a stretch of 29 games.

The Chippewas made six sacks on the day (Adesanya and Brisson-Fast had one each) among 15 tackles-for-loss which totaled 79 yards and forced two fumbles.

Three turning points in the game were provided by the Chippewa defense, the first a goal-line stand in the second quarter, the second an interception, and the third, a Maine three-and-out that preserved field position and just enough time at the end of the first half that put CMU in position to kick an important field goal.

• CMU stopped Maine on fourth-and-goal from inside the Chippewa 1-yard line early in the second quarter, keeping the game scoreless and giving CMU a shot of momentum.

• Minutes later, CMU's Da'Quaun Jamison intercepted Maine quarterback Isaiah Robinson and returned it to the Maine 46-yard line. A 15-yard personal-foul penalty put the Chippewas at the Maine 31, and, four plays later, the Chippewas were in the end zone and had a 7-0 lead. It was Jamison's first career interception.

• With Maine at its own 11, Danna sacked Robinson at the 1 with 1:04 left in the half. After a running play netted just 2 yards, the Black Bears punted and Jamil Sabbagh returned the punt to Maine's 23. Ryan Tice's 41-yard field goal upped the CMU lead to 10-0.

"We've got a lot of confidence, we've got a lot of competitors on defense, we've got a lot of ball hawks," Danna said. "We wrap up and we tackle. Everything you want in a defense we have. We all play together, we all chase the ball, we are hungry.

"That's all it was. We came into this game, we were hungry. We needed a win so we amped it up a hundred times. This week we had a chip on our shoulder."

FOUNTAIN, AGAIN
Fountain, a senior, finished with 10 total stops. He shared the team lead with Danna with seven solos tackles and he made his first career interception.

That pick came with 30 seconds remaining and iced the game, though with the way the Chippewa defense was playing, there was very little hope for Maine at that point. It marked the third consecutive game in which Fountain has registered double digits in tackles.

Last week at Northern Illinois, he made a career-high 18 tackles, a performance that earned him the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week Award. He entered Saturday's game tied for ninth in the nation with 11.7 tackles per game.

FIRST START
Junior Tommy Lazzaro made his first career start at quarterback for the Chippewas. He completed seven of his 16 pass attempts for 82 yards and a touchdown. He threw one interception.

His 37-yard strike to Julian Hicks marked CMU's longest offensive play of the season.

"I thought Tommy was good," Bonamego said. "I thought he made some smart decisions, he was good with the football. The interception he threw he'd like to have that back … maybe forced that one a little bit. But I thought overall Tommy played a pretty good game."

A week ago, Lazzaro came off the bench to lead two second-half scoring drives and give the Chippewas a fighting chance at Northern Illinois. CMU eventually lost that game, 24-16.

Going from backup to starter brings added pressure, Bonamego said.

"You're going to be tasked with carrying the load (as the starter) the entire game versus coming in and being the relief pitcher," he said. "But that's not just for him, that's anybody in that position.

"When you come in off the bench you're playing with house money a little bit. When you're the guy you know that every series, every play goes through the quarterback and his decision making and his communication, all those things. … The more he plays and the more things that he sees it'll slow down for him a little bit."

Lazzaro connected with former starting quarterback Tony Poljan for a 23-yard gain – on third-and-17 -- on an 80-yard scoring drive. That play put the Chippewas at the Maine 5-yard line. On the next play, Lazzaro tossed to JaCorey Sullivan for a touchdown. It was the first career TD for Sullivan, a sophomore.

"I felt I could have done a lot of things better," Lazzaro said. "On offense we struggled a little bit. I think I need to prepare better next week."

NEXT
The Chippewas go to 24^th-ranked Michigan State on Saturday, Sept. 29 (noon). The Spartans are 2-1 after winning their Big Ten opener, 35-21, at Indiana on Saturday night.

"We're going to have to play a lot better than we played today," Bonamego said. "We're going to have to play a very good game, very clean game. Michigan State's obviously very talented."