Chippewas In It To Win It At MSU

Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan football heads south an hour on Saturday to take on Michigan State with a lot of pride and momentum.

"We carry a lot of pride," junior defensive end Mike Danna said. "We try to compete every day. If it's the Big Ten or the SEC, we always want to compete. We come on that field to win. We don't care who we're playing or how much money they bring in. We come to compete."

The Chippewas are 1-3 after beating Football Championship Subdivision Maine, 17-5, last week at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. MSU, which is ranked 21^st by the Associated Press, is 2-1. The Spartans beat Indiana, 35-21, in their Big Ten opener last week. Their loss came at Arizona State, 16-13, two weeks ago.

HISTORY
The Chippewas have won three of the 10 meetings with MSU, claiming victories in 1991 (20-3), 1992 (24-20), and 2009 (29-27).

Those wins, and others, obviously hold a special place in Chippewa football lore. They are celebrated with commemorative plaques in the hallway leading to the team locker room at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

"I think you just need to remind them of those things, encourage them, and challenge them to take a look at some of the photos on the wall, take 30 seconds and read what's written on those plaques," Bonamego said. "The history is around them every day."

Yes, a win over Michigan State, or any team from a Power-5 conference, can be used for inspiration. But at the end of the day, it's about playing football on Saturday, Bonamego said.

"Those past victories can't help us any more than a past defeat can hurt us," he said. "It's about how we prepare, and how we take that preparation to game day and bring focus, energy, physicality, and relentless attitude."

CMU VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
The last time the Chippewas defeated a ranked opponent was their famed 30-27 upset at then-No. 22 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla. on Sept. 10, 2016. That game ended on a Hail Mary touchdown pass with no time remaining.

TRENDS
CMU's offense has struggled and is averaging just 15 points per game. Tommy Lazzaro, a junior, made his first start at quarterback last week in the victory over Maine, when the Chippewas finished with 177 yards.

CMU again relied heavily on its defense, which forced two turnovers and provided the offense with good field position.

The game turned on a Chippewa goal-line stand in the first half, when they stopped Maine on fourth down inside their own 1-yard line.

The Chippewa defense ranks first in the Mid-American Conference in both passing yards allowed (140.5 per game) and in total defense (334.3 yards per game). CMU is fifth nationally in passing yards allowed and 36^th nationally in total defense.

• Danna recorded four of CMU's six sacks last week in the win over Maine. That number ties Danna for the most in a single game by a Chippewa since 2005. Joe Ostman, who is now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad, was credited with four sacks in a 2017 victory over Ball State.

• Lazzaro was CMU's leading rusher against the Black Bears with 44 yards and a touchdown. He completed seven of his 16 pass attempts for 82 yards and one score. Lazzaro has complete

• Middle linebacker Malik Fountain continued his remarkable season with 10 tackles against the Black Bears. It marked the third-consecutive game that Fountain has registered double digits in tackles. His first career interception iced the game late in the fourth quarter.

Fountain is averaging 11.8 tackles per game, which tops the MAC and tied for ninth nationally.

• The Chippewa defense recorded 15 tackles-for-loss for a total of 79 yards against the Black Bears.

SCOUTING
Michigan State, which has won the last three meetings with CMU, ranks first in the nation in rush defense, allowing just 32.7 yards per game on the ground. Maine entered last week's game with CMU as the top rushing defense in FCS.

Michigan State was ranked 11^th in the AP Preseason Poll and then slipped to No. 24 after its loss to Arizona State.

MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke ranks second in the Big Ten in passing at 271.3 yards per game. He has completed 66 percent of his passes for 814 yards and five touchdowns against four interceptions.

LJ Scott, who missed MSU's victory over Indiana with an injury, is MSU's leading rusher with 103 yards on 30 carries. Wide receiver Jalen Nailor led the Spartan rushing attack with 79 yards against the Hoosiers. His total included a 75-yard touchdown run. He also caught a 16-yard TD pass from Lewerke in the game.

NEXT
After the MSU game, it's all MAC competition the rest of the way for the Chippewas.

CMU begins a three-game stretch at home on Saturday, Oct. 6 (noon), when it welcomes Buffalo for homecoming. The Bulls are 4-0, 1-0 MAC and play host to Army (2-2) on Saturday.

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Players Mentioned

Mike Danna

Malik Fountain

Tommy Lazzaro

Joe Ostman

Central Michigan University Athletics