Saturday, November 2
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
12 p.m.
Central Michigan University
vs
Northern Illinois
Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf
Chippewas Eye Bounce-Back Against Northern Illinois
11/1/2019 7:48:00 PM | Football
CMU needs a win to keep pace in MAC West
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – It's not about getting knocked down. It's about getting back up.
Such is the circumstance for the Central Michigan football team as it enters a Mid-American Conference football game on Saturday (noon) at Kelly/Shorts Stadium with Northern Illinois.
If the Chippewas, who committed five turnovers in losing at Buffalo, 43-20, last week, get back up and respond, they'll remain in the hunt for the MAC West title.
"Obviously licking our wounds a little bit," CMU coach Jim McElwain said on Wednesday. "I thought our guys fought hard to the end (at Buffalo). They know that there's a lot still to play for. We've had a couple spirited practices. We'll see how we come out Saturday."
The Chippewas, 5-4, 3-2 MAC, are one of four teams in the six-team West with two losses. They, and everybody else, are chasing Ball State, which is 3-1 in league play. NIU is 3-5, 2-2.
CMU, which is off next week, goes to Ball State on Nov. 16.
Bouncing Back
Turnovers played a major role in the Chippewas' loss at Buffalo. Two first-half fumbles led directly to UB touchdowns, turning a 7-3 CMU lead into a 17-7 deficit that would grow to 24-7 with under four minutes to play in the first half.
"The unforced errors are the things that championship football teams don't have and that's a mentality we've got to continue to build on," McElwain said.
Consistency
The loss at Buffalo snapped a three-game win streak. Certainly, the turnovers were a factor, but so too was CMU's inability to run the ball against a stingy Buffalo defense that entered the game ranked No. 1 against the run in the MAC.
Getting back to successfully running the ball, and controlling the clock, are critical for the Chippewas against NIU, which ranks third in the MAC against the run and is second in total defense.
As always, the impetus is on the offensive line.
"My biggest concern is our ability up front," McElwain said. "We've come a long way, especially on the offensive line. But we go through lapses, and for us to play consistently at that spot to where the opponent's front doesn't become disruptive, that's something we've got to get better at."
Quarterback Play
CMU graduate transfer Quinten Dormady threw for 272 yards on 25-of-37 passing against the Bulls. He was intercepted twice, and he fumbled once.
Dormady was injured in the Chippewas' second game of the season, at Wisconsin, and sat out the next four games. In his three games since his return, he has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 701 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
"At times really good," McElwain said in assessing Dormady's performance since his return. "At other times I think he needs to understand that if there is a play that doesn't go well, we've got to pick it right back up and drop that one. Let's learn from it and (don't) carry it along with you.
"He's done some really good things too, don't get me wrong. We've just got to play better around him. We need to get everybody around him to play at the same level."
Bowl Eligibility
With their next victory, the Chippewas will be bowl eligible for the 11th time in the last 14 seasons.
Big Plays
The Chippewas' bread and butter during their three-game win streak was the big play, be it on the ground or through the air. They had few against the Bulls, and it clearly cost them.
And while it's the man with the ball, be it a running back, the quarterback, a receiver, or a return man that gets the glory on such plays, it takes all 11 players on the field to produce one.
"The biggest key is you've got to get your playmakers to make some plays, but your guys around them need to play at a high level and that's what we've got to continue to try to do," McElwain said.
Getting Healthy
McElwain said he expects safety Da'Quaun Jamison, cornerback Kyron McKinnie-Harper, and fullback Hunter Buczkowski to play against NIU. None of those three played against Buffalo.
Tight end Tony Poljan also sat out the Buffalo game and is probable for Saturday, McElwain said.
Numbers
CMU running back Jonathan Ward ranks fourth in the conference in rushing yards with 725, a remarkable accomplishment considering that he was injured against Wisconsin and carried just one time in that game and then missed CMU's next two games.
Ward ranks first in the conference in yards per carry (6.8) among backs who have carried at least 50 times on the season.
Ward's backfield mate, Kobe Lewis, ranks seventh in the league with 645 yards and is 10th in the conference with 5.3 yards per carry.
CMU wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton leads the MAC in receptions (57), receiving yardage (603), and yards per catch (6.3). He is tied for second in the league with five TD receptions.
"His daily attitude and energy, I've said from the start, is infectious," McElwain said of Pimpleton, a sophomore from Muskegon who is in his first season at CMU after transferring from Virginia Tech. "He doesn't take a play off. It elevates all the guys' play around him. You wish you had 110 of those (players). I'm just really glad he's here and a part of our team."
Scouting
The Huskies have won two of their last three games since starting the season 1-4. They drilled Akron, 49-0, last week and won at Ohio, 39-36, three weeks ago. Those wins were sandwiched around a 27-24 loss at Miami (Ohio).
The Huskies played a rugged nonconference slate that included losses at Utah, at Nebraska, and at Vanderbilt. Their other MAC loss came at home to Ball State, 27-20.
NIU quarterback Marcus Childers threw just nine passes, completing seven of them for three touchdowns in the Huskies' win last week over Akron. Childers replaced starter Ross Bowers when Bowers was injured the week previous in the Huskies' loss at Miami.
Running back Tre Harbison ran for 158 yards against the Zips. Harbison ranks fifth in the MAC in rushing with 724 yards.
"They know what they want to do, they know who they are, they do a great job of it," McElwain said. "From just a pure talent standpoint, they've got some really good players on both sides of the ball that can really run and can play physical."
Such is the circumstance for the Central Michigan football team as it enters a Mid-American Conference football game on Saturday (noon) at Kelly/Shorts Stadium with Northern Illinois.
If the Chippewas, who committed five turnovers in losing at Buffalo, 43-20, last week, get back up and respond, they'll remain in the hunt for the MAC West title.
"Obviously licking our wounds a little bit," CMU coach Jim McElwain said on Wednesday. "I thought our guys fought hard to the end (at Buffalo). They know that there's a lot still to play for. We've had a couple spirited practices. We'll see how we come out Saturday."
The Chippewas, 5-4, 3-2 MAC, are one of four teams in the six-team West with two losses. They, and everybody else, are chasing Ball State, which is 3-1 in league play. NIU is 3-5, 2-2.
CMU, which is off next week, goes to Ball State on Nov. 16.
Bouncing Back
Turnovers played a major role in the Chippewas' loss at Buffalo. Two first-half fumbles led directly to UB touchdowns, turning a 7-3 CMU lead into a 17-7 deficit that would grow to 24-7 with under four minutes to play in the first half.
"The unforced errors are the things that championship football teams don't have and that's a mentality we've got to continue to build on," McElwain said.
Consistency
The loss at Buffalo snapped a three-game win streak. Certainly, the turnovers were a factor, but so too was CMU's inability to run the ball against a stingy Buffalo defense that entered the game ranked No. 1 against the run in the MAC.
Getting back to successfully running the ball, and controlling the clock, are critical for the Chippewas against NIU, which ranks third in the MAC against the run and is second in total defense.
As always, the impetus is on the offensive line.
"My biggest concern is our ability up front," McElwain said. "We've come a long way, especially on the offensive line. But we go through lapses, and for us to play consistently at that spot to where the opponent's front doesn't become disruptive, that's something we've got to get better at."
Quarterback Play
CMU graduate transfer Quinten Dormady threw for 272 yards on 25-of-37 passing against the Bulls. He was intercepted twice, and he fumbled once.
Dormady was injured in the Chippewas' second game of the season, at Wisconsin, and sat out the next four games. In his three games since his return, he has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 701 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
"At times really good," McElwain said in assessing Dormady's performance since his return. "At other times I think he needs to understand that if there is a play that doesn't go well, we've got to pick it right back up and drop that one. Let's learn from it and (don't) carry it along with you.
"He's done some really good things too, don't get me wrong. We've just got to play better around him. We need to get everybody around him to play at the same level."
Bowl Eligibility
With their next victory, the Chippewas will be bowl eligible for the 11th time in the last 14 seasons.
Big Plays
The Chippewas' bread and butter during their three-game win streak was the big play, be it on the ground or through the air. They had few against the Bulls, and it clearly cost them.
And while it's the man with the ball, be it a running back, the quarterback, a receiver, or a return man that gets the glory on such plays, it takes all 11 players on the field to produce one.
"The biggest key is you've got to get your playmakers to make some plays, but your guys around them need to play at a high level and that's what we've got to continue to try to do," McElwain said.
Getting Healthy
McElwain said he expects safety Da'Quaun Jamison, cornerback Kyron McKinnie-Harper, and fullback Hunter Buczkowski to play against NIU. None of those three played against Buffalo.
Tight end Tony Poljan also sat out the Buffalo game and is probable for Saturday, McElwain said.
Numbers
CMU running back Jonathan Ward ranks fourth in the conference in rushing yards with 725, a remarkable accomplishment considering that he was injured against Wisconsin and carried just one time in that game and then missed CMU's next two games.
Ward ranks first in the conference in yards per carry (6.8) among backs who have carried at least 50 times on the season.
Ward's backfield mate, Kobe Lewis, ranks seventh in the league with 645 yards and is 10th in the conference with 5.3 yards per carry.
CMU wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton leads the MAC in receptions (57), receiving yardage (603), and yards per catch (6.3). He is tied for second in the league with five TD receptions.
"His daily attitude and energy, I've said from the start, is infectious," McElwain said of Pimpleton, a sophomore from Muskegon who is in his first season at CMU after transferring from Virginia Tech. "He doesn't take a play off. It elevates all the guys' play around him. You wish you had 110 of those (players). I'm just really glad he's here and a part of our team."
Scouting
The Huskies have won two of their last three games since starting the season 1-4. They drilled Akron, 49-0, last week and won at Ohio, 39-36, three weeks ago. Those wins were sandwiched around a 27-24 loss at Miami (Ohio).
The Huskies played a rugged nonconference slate that included losses at Utah, at Nebraska, and at Vanderbilt. Their other MAC loss came at home to Ball State, 27-20.
NIU quarterback Marcus Childers threw just nine passes, completing seven of them for three touchdowns in the Huskies' win last week over Akron. Childers replaced starter Ross Bowers when Bowers was injured the week previous in the Huskies' loss at Miami.
Running back Tre Harbison ran for 158 yards against the Zips. Harbison ranks fifth in the MAC in rushing with 724 yards.
"They know what they want to do, they know who they are, they do a great job of it," McElwain said. "From just a pure talent standpoint, they've got some really good players on both sides of the ball that can really run and can play physical."
Players Mentioned
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RB
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