Home Opener: Something Special

Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The home opener is always something special.

For Central Michigan football coach John Bonamego, a former Chippewa player, it's even more meaningful, both from a practical side and from a sentimental one.

"There is an energy at Kelly Shorts Stadium," Bonamego said ahead of the Chippewas' nonconference game against Kansas on Saturday (3 p.m.) at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. "I felt it the very first time I walked in (to the stadium) as a high school junior and for me it was love at first sight.

"It's something I knew I wanted to be a part of. I wanted to be a part of a football program that mattered, one that had tradition, one that had a passionate fan base, iconic head coach (Herb Deromedi). It checked all the boxes. … It checks all the boxes today."

The game will give fans their first look at a lineup that includes several unfamiliar names and faces, particularly on offense.

Most notable among those new faces is quarterback Tony Poljan, a redshirt sophomore who made his first career start last weekend in a 35-20 loss at Kentucky. Poljan was among a slew of underclassmen who played extensively, most for the first time in their respective careers.

And they did it on a big-time stage at Kentucky, a member of the Southeastern Conference, playing in front of nearly 50,000 fans in a hostile environment.

"I felt like we held up really well," Bonamego said. "It doesn't get much bigger in terms of arena and level of competition and it wasn't too big for (CMU's younger players).

"We made some mistakes; the good news is they're all things that are within our power to correct and we'll work hard to get those things corrected."

Bonamego, who is in his fourth season as the Chippewas' coach, said he hopes for – fully expects – an electric atmosphere for the game. The crowd is a critical piece, he said.

"Our student section, we don't take second to anybody," he said. "When our students are there, they're a force. They're a catalyst. Can't not mention the Marching Chips, they're a steady component, always in the stands no matter what. I really appreciate them. Then we have the community and fans that fill out the rest of the stadium."

PLENTY OF WORK AHEAD
As Bonamego quickly pointed out during media sessions throughout the week, the Chippewas made plenty of mistakes at Kentucky.

But like most coaches, it's the mistakes that draw Bonamego's attention.

"I think I'm very, very difficult to satisfy," he said. "I'm never satisfied. I'm always looking for us to do some things better. I think it's fair to say that our defense is a little bit ahead of our offense right now as they should be. We've got so many veterans returning on that side of the ball and offensively we're mixing and matching a lot of pieces at this point in time. And a lot of those pieces are young. As they get more game reps and more game experience they'll understand the speed and pace and they'll improve as well."

The Chippewa defense forced four turnovers against Kentucky. Two of those were interceptions, one of which came from redshirt sophomore safety Gage Kreski. Another was a fumble return for a touchdown by redshirt freshman safety Devonni Reed. Reed was playing in his first collegiate football game, and the Kentucky game marked the first time that Kreski has received extended playing time.

SCOUTING THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas opened with a 26-23 overtime loss at home last week to Nicholls State, a Football Championship Subdivision team.

Quarterback Peyton Bender threw for 187 yards and two scores for the Jayhawks in the loss. Kansas finished with 255 yards in total offense, the same number CMU put up last week against Kentucky.

Backup quarterback Miles Kendrick also saw action in Kansas' opener. Khalil Herbert led Kansas in rushing a year ago with 663 yards (a 5.5 average). He had 61 yards against Nicholls State.

The Jayhawks have won just three of their last 33 games and have dropped 46 consecutive road games. Their last road victory came in 2009, over UTEP.

LAST MEETING
The Chippewas won, 45-27, last season in Lawrence, Kan. It was their first win in three meetings with the Jayhawks. CMU quarterback Shane Morris threw for 467 yards and five touchdowns to spark the win.

NEXT
The Chippewas go to DeKalb, Ill. to face Northern Illinois in their Mid-American Conference opener on Saturday, Sept. 15 (3:30 p.m.). The Huskies dropped their opener, 33-7, at Iowa last week. They play host to Utah on Saturday night.

After the Huskies meet CMU, they play at Florida State, giving NIU – like CMU – a nonconference slate featuring three teams from Power-5 conferences: Big 10 (Iowa), Utah (Pac-12), and the Seminoles (ACC). CMU has played one SEC team (Kentucky) and now gets a Big 12 team in Kansas. The Chippewas play at Michigan State on Sept. 29. The Spartans are ranked 15^th by the Associated Press.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Gage Kreski

Shane Morris

Tony Poljan

Devonni Reed

Central Michigan University Athletics