MSU Notebook: Chippewas Look To Draw On The Pluses

9/29/2018 8:38:00 PM | Football

Fountain turns in another high-octane performance at middle linebacker

By: Andy Sneddon

Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State proved to be every bit as tough against the run as advertised.

Central Michigan showed some toughness too, and some resiliency.

True, the Chippewas fell to the 21^st-ranked Spartans, 31-20, on Saturday before 73,752 at Spartan Stadium. Yes, they had a difficult time finding their offensive footing, particularly on the ground against an opponent that came in as the most-difficult team in the country on which to run.

The Chippewas finished with 63 yards rushing against MSU, which had held its first three opponents to an average of 32.7 yards per game on the ground.

But there were enough offensive bright spots, courtesy of a fourth quarter when CMU put up 17 points, to give CMU something on which to focus going forward.

"Everything is still on the table for us," said CMU defensive lineman Nate Brisson-Fast. "The (Mid-American Conference) championship is the end goal, so just keep motivating the guys. We talk every day about finishing games, we just have to start a little faster. … We have to put a whole game together, and that's our ultimate goal."

The Chippewas (1-4) have gone through the wringer through their first four games, three of which were losses to teams from Power-5 conferences: Michigan State (Big Ten), Kansas (Big 12) and Kentucky (Southeastern Conference). The Wildcats were unbeaten (4-0) and ranked 17^th entering a Saturday-night game against South Carolina.

From here on out, it's strictly the MAC for CMU, beginning with its homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 6 (noon) against Buffalo (4-1), which dropped its first game of the season on Saturday, 42-13, to Army.

The Chippewas are 0-1 in league play, having dropped a 24-16 decision two weeks ago at Northern Illinois. The Bulls won their league opener, 35-28, over Eastern Michigan.

CURVEBALLS
The Chippewas opened up the playbook against the Spartans, running a flea-flicker on the first play of the game and a halfback-option pass to score a fourth-quarter touchdown. They also covered a fourth-quarter onside kick that led to a field goal.

"We thought it was important to get some plays and really roll the dice a bit," CMU coach John Bonamego said. "We did a good job on all of those, we were three-for-three. … When you play a defense like Michigan State's it will be tough. They're ranked No. 1 (against the run) in the country for a reason. They're very good."

• On the first play of the game, CMU quarterback Tommy Lazzaro handed off to running back Jonathan Ward. Ward stopped short of the line and lateralled back to Lazzaro, who completed a 35-yard pass to Brandon Childress for a first down at the MSU 30-yard line. That led to a 40-yard Ryan Tice field goal and a 3-0 CMU lead.

• Redshirt freshman George Douglas covered a CMU onside kick in the fourth quarter, giving the Chippewas the ball in MSU territory, trailing 31-10. The possession netted Tice's second 40-yard field goal of the game and drew the Chippewas to 31-13.

• Trailing 31-13 in the fourth quarter, Lazzaro lateralled to Ward running right. Ward pulled up and found a wide-open Tony Poljan in the end zone for a 29-yard TD, cutting CMU's deficit to 31-20 with 6:44 left.

DEFENSE
Senior linebacker Malik Fountain led the CMU defense with 15 tackles including six solo stops. He shared the team lead in solos with safety Devonni Reed and defensive tackle Nate Brisson-Fast.

It marked the fourth consecutive game that Fountain has reached double digits in tackles. He entered the game leading the MAC and ranked ninth nationally with 11.8 tackles per game.

Brisson-Fast and sophomore Robi Stuart each recorded a sack. It was the second of the season for Brisson-Fast, and the first of his career for Stuart.

The Chippewas recorded eight tackles-for-loss for 26 yards and junior cornerback Sean Bunting made a first-quarter interception, his first of the season and the eighth of his career.

PASSING GAME
Lazzaro, a junior making his second start at quarterback, completed 19 of 34 pass attempts for 153 yards and a touchdown, a 10-yarder to Julian Hicks. He was intercepted twice and sacked three times. He also rushed for 32 net yards.

"We knew we had to come out and throw it," Lazzaro said. "First drive, I'm good, but after that I was getting a little antsy back there and I needed to settle down. I need to play a lot better for the rest of the season.

"But I'm definitely excited about the fight the guys showed. A lot of guys would've given up in that situation and our guys pressed on, kept grinding it out, made some really incredible plays in the second half."

Hicks led the Chippewas with five catches for 41 yards, while Childress had three receptions for 46 yards. Ten Chippewas caught at least one pass in the game, including Poljan, who scored his first career TD on the 29-yard halfback-option pass from Ward.

TICE PERFECT
Tice, a junior transfer from Michigan, is a perfect four-for-four on field goal attempts this season. Among his makes are the two 40-yarders against the Spartans and a 41-yarder a week earlier in a 17-5 win over Maine.