CMU wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton (43) gets a block from teammate JaCorey Sullivan (11) in the Chippewas' 48-10 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday. Pimpleton wore No. 43 in honor of injured teammate Andrew Ward against the Huskies, one week after Sullivan wore the number against Buffalo.
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
Chippewa Notebook: Top-To-Bottom Dominance
11/2/2019 7:49:00 PM | Football
CMU squarely in the hunt for MAC West title
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The offense delivered, in spades.
But the defense set the tone.
Central Michigan's 48-10 thumping of Northern Illinois on Saturday did a number of things for the Chippewas, including keeping them in the thick of the race for the Mid-American Conference West Division championship.
It also made them 5-0 at home for the first time in a decade and it gave the program some punch-back credibility after a 43-20 loss a week ago at Buffalo.
Certainly, the offense deserves its props. It produced 615 yards and 48 points, both season highs.
The Chippewa defense was the perfect complement.
CMU's defense stopped the Huskies to three-downs-and-out on NIU's first two possessions. The first, on the first drive of the game, ended with the Huskies punting from their own end zone and CMU taking over at the NIU 39-yard line.
Result? A CMU touchdown.
"We made a decision early in the week (that) we were going to start on defense," CMU coach Jim McElwain said. "To get that field position the way we did was huge and then our offense went down against a team that hadn't given up a first-drive touchdown, I think, all year. We went down and made a statement early."
Second NIU drive? Another three-and-out and a punt. That led to another Chippewa touchdown that made it 14-0.
"We just really had to come out and show them what Chippewa football is," senior middle linebacker Michael Oliver said of the Chippewas' defensive performance.
CMU's defense held NIU to 251 yards, all but 22 of them through the air. The 22 rushing yards was a season low for a CMU opponent. Granted, NIU, which never got closer than 14 points after CMU's initial flurry, was forced to throw frequently because of the deficit.
The Chippewas had three interceptions among their four forced turnovers, all of which came in the second half. They also posted two sacks among eight tackles-for-loss and were credited with seven pass breakups.
In short, CMU's defense was every bit as dominant as its offense was explosive.
Leaders
Oliver led the defense with five stops and made an interception, the first of his career.
Redshirt freshman defensive lineman LaQuan Johnson posted two sacks among three tackles-for-loss – he totaled an amazing 44 yards on those three stops – and forced two fumbles.
The Chippewas also got interceptions from junior Gage Kreski, his second of the season and the third of his career, and Montrae Braswell, the first of his career. Kreski was also credited with a forced fumble.
League Race
The win lifted the Chippewas to 4-2 in the MAC. They are one of three teams in the MAC West with two losses. Ball State leads the division with a 3-1 league record. The Cardinals were idle on Saturday and play at Western Michigan on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Western Michigan is one of those two-loss teams (Toledo is the other). CMU is idle next weekend and then plays at Ball State on Saturday, Nov. 16. The best-case scenario, from a CMU perspective, is for Ball State to beat Western Michigan on Tuesday, and then for the Chippewas to win at Ball State.
That would put CMU in first place – or at the very worst, a tie for first, in the division – heading into the regular-season finale at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Nov. 29 against Toledo.
"When you're playing in November, and games kind of have something (important) to them, it kind of means you've had a pretty decent season so far," CMU coach Jim McElwain said. "That's huge."
Big Numbers
CMU's one-two backfield punch of Jonathan Ward and Kobe Lewis returned to form after subpar numbers a week ago at Buffalo.
Lewis finished with 143 yards on 17 carries, while Ward had 138 yards on 20 attempts. They each scored a touchdown.
It was the sixth 100-yard game of the season for Ward, and his fifth in the last six games since returning from injury that cost him the better part of three games. He has 863 yards on the season and is averaging a MAC-best 6.8 yards per carry.
It was the fourth 100-yard game for Lewis, who has 788 yards on the year and is averaging 5.7 per carry.
The duo has combined to score 19 touchdowns.
The Quarterback
CMU quarterback Quinten Dormady was solid, completing 18 of his 24 pass attempts for 288 yards and three TDs, which tied his season high.
All three of his TD passes came in the first half, when the Chippewas built a 38-10 lead which made the second half nearly academic.
It was a solid bounce-back performance for the graduate transfer, who threw two interceptions and fumbled once last week in the loss to Buffalo.
Credit Where It's Due
The Chippewa offensive line did not allow a sack and Dormady was hurried just once. The Chippewa offensive line – tackles Clay Walderzak and Luke Goedeke, guards Derek Smith and Oge Udeogu, and center Steve Eipper – has started all 10 games this season.
"They never get the credit, but they're the people that set the tone for the offense and for the team -- the dudes up front, O line, D line," Dormady said. "I think overall the O line's played great.
"This was a judgement game for us, come out and show what we are really all about, and I think that (the offensive line) did that, set the tone. They protected me, kept me upright for the most part and (Lewis and Ward) got another 100 (yards) each. I think overall they've been playing great."
The Receivers
JaCorey Sullivan and Kalil Pimpleton made five catches apiece to lead CMU's receiving corps. Sullivan finished with 88 yards, while Pimpleton had 50 and a TD. Tight end Tony Poljan made two catches for 79 yards and a TD, while Tyrone Scott also had two receptions, for 53 yards, with one score.
Poljan, a junior, missed the Buffalo game with an injury. His presence on the field clearly makes a difference in the Chippewa passing game, and the fact that he played quarterback during his first two years at CMU is a major plus, Dormady said.
Both of Poljan's receptions were of the catch-and-run variety, where Dormady found him about 20 yards downfield on the sideline, with no defender within 10 yards.
"He makes a huge difference," Dormady said. "We have really good tight ends. Tony's very versatile. He played quarterback so he sees things a little bit differently than most people would -- receivers, running backs. He just sees it differently. There's a different type of communication that happens with him and with him coming back out this week, I think he made a huge statement. Obviously, he's a huge asset to this team."
No. 43
Pimpleton wore jersey No. 43 in Saturday's game in honor of teammate Andrew Ward, a linebacker who suffered a career-ending injury in the week leading up to the Buffalo game.
At Buffalo, Sullivan wore No. 43 in honor of Ward. Pimpleton, Sullivan and Ward were teammates at Muskegon High School.
Major Improvement
McElwain was named the Chippewas' coach on Dec. 2, 2018, a little over a week after the Chippewas completed a 1-11 season.
That the program is in its current state – bowl eligible and in position to finish atop the MAC West – is remarkable given its recent past.
"Any competitor, you have goals," McElwain said. "The biggest (factor) is knowing what it takes to put yourself in that position and I think we're learning to do that as a team. With each win there's a little milestone and I think that's pretty awesome for our guys, I really do.
"Everybody works, don't get me wrong, every team works … but when you put in the actual focus and the detail of what it takes to be successful and then you go out and do it, I hope our guys learn from that."
Becoming bowl eligible was certainly a goal, Oliver said, but not the only one. The Chippewas have potentially bigger fish to fry, such as a MAC West title and a berth in the MAC Championship Game at Ford Field in Detroit.
"It's a major improvement, for one, from last year to this year," he said. "Two, we're still trying to figure out how we can get down to Detroit first before we can think about the bowl game. We're just trying to home in and finish; that's our main focus."
But the defense set the tone.
Central Michigan's 48-10 thumping of Northern Illinois on Saturday did a number of things for the Chippewas, including keeping them in the thick of the race for the Mid-American Conference West Division championship.
It also made them 5-0 at home for the first time in a decade and it gave the program some punch-back credibility after a 43-20 loss a week ago at Buffalo.
Certainly, the offense deserves its props. It produced 615 yards and 48 points, both season highs.
The Chippewa defense was the perfect complement.
CMU's defense stopped the Huskies to three-downs-and-out on NIU's first two possessions. The first, on the first drive of the game, ended with the Huskies punting from their own end zone and CMU taking over at the NIU 39-yard line.
Result? A CMU touchdown.
"We made a decision early in the week (that) we were going to start on defense," CMU coach Jim McElwain said. "To get that field position the way we did was huge and then our offense went down against a team that hadn't given up a first-drive touchdown, I think, all year. We went down and made a statement early."
Second NIU drive? Another three-and-out and a punt. That led to another Chippewa touchdown that made it 14-0.
"We just really had to come out and show them what Chippewa football is," senior middle linebacker Michael Oliver said of the Chippewas' defensive performance.
CMU's defense held NIU to 251 yards, all but 22 of them through the air. The 22 rushing yards was a season low for a CMU opponent. Granted, NIU, which never got closer than 14 points after CMU's initial flurry, was forced to throw frequently because of the deficit.
The Chippewas had three interceptions among their four forced turnovers, all of which came in the second half. They also posted two sacks among eight tackles-for-loss and were credited with seven pass breakups.
In short, CMU's defense was every bit as dominant as its offense was explosive.
Leaders
Oliver led the defense with five stops and made an interception, the first of his career.
Redshirt freshman defensive lineman LaQuan Johnson posted two sacks among three tackles-for-loss – he totaled an amazing 44 yards on those three stops – and forced two fumbles.
The Chippewas also got interceptions from junior Gage Kreski, his second of the season and the third of his career, and Montrae Braswell, the first of his career. Kreski was also credited with a forced fumble.
League Race
The win lifted the Chippewas to 4-2 in the MAC. They are one of three teams in the MAC West with two losses. Ball State leads the division with a 3-1 league record. The Cardinals were idle on Saturday and play at Western Michigan on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Western Michigan is one of those two-loss teams (Toledo is the other). CMU is idle next weekend and then plays at Ball State on Saturday, Nov. 16. The best-case scenario, from a CMU perspective, is for Ball State to beat Western Michigan on Tuesday, and then for the Chippewas to win at Ball State.
That would put CMU in first place – or at the very worst, a tie for first, in the division – heading into the regular-season finale at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Nov. 29 against Toledo.
"When you're playing in November, and games kind of have something (important) to them, it kind of means you've had a pretty decent season so far," CMU coach Jim McElwain said. "That's huge."
Big Numbers
CMU's one-two backfield punch of Jonathan Ward and Kobe Lewis returned to form after subpar numbers a week ago at Buffalo.
Lewis finished with 143 yards on 17 carries, while Ward had 138 yards on 20 attempts. They each scored a touchdown.
It was the sixth 100-yard game of the season for Ward, and his fifth in the last six games since returning from injury that cost him the better part of three games. He has 863 yards on the season and is averaging a MAC-best 6.8 yards per carry.
It was the fourth 100-yard game for Lewis, who has 788 yards on the year and is averaging 5.7 per carry.
The duo has combined to score 19 touchdowns.
The Quarterback
CMU quarterback Quinten Dormady was solid, completing 18 of his 24 pass attempts for 288 yards and three TDs, which tied his season high.
All three of his TD passes came in the first half, when the Chippewas built a 38-10 lead which made the second half nearly academic.
It was a solid bounce-back performance for the graduate transfer, who threw two interceptions and fumbled once last week in the loss to Buffalo.
Credit Where It's Due
The Chippewa offensive line did not allow a sack and Dormady was hurried just once. The Chippewa offensive line – tackles Clay Walderzak and Luke Goedeke, guards Derek Smith and Oge Udeogu, and center Steve Eipper – has started all 10 games this season.
"They never get the credit, but they're the people that set the tone for the offense and for the team -- the dudes up front, O line, D line," Dormady said. "I think overall the O line's played great.
"This was a judgement game for us, come out and show what we are really all about, and I think that (the offensive line) did that, set the tone. They protected me, kept me upright for the most part and (Lewis and Ward) got another 100 (yards) each. I think overall they've been playing great."
The Receivers
JaCorey Sullivan and Kalil Pimpleton made five catches apiece to lead CMU's receiving corps. Sullivan finished with 88 yards, while Pimpleton had 50 and a TD. Tight end Tony Poljan made two catches for 79 yards and a TD, while Tyrone Scott also had two receptions, for 53 yards, with one score.
Poljan, a junior, missed the Buffalo game with an injury. His presence on the field clearly makes a difference in the Chippewa passing game, and the fact that he played quarterback during his first two years at CMU is a major plus, Dormady said.
Both of Poljan's receptions were of the catch-and-run variety, where Dormady found him about 20 yards downfield on the sideline, with no defender within 10 yards.
"He makes a huge difference," Dormady said. "We have really good tight ends. Tony's very versatile. He played quarterback so he sees things a little bit differently than most people would -- receivers, running backs. He just sees it differently. There's a different type of communication that happens with him and with him coming back out this week, I think he made a huge statement. Obviously, he's a huge asset to this team."
No. 43
Pimpleton wore jersey No. 43 in Saturday's game in honor of teammate Andrew Ward, a linebacker who suffered a career-ending injury in the week leading up to the Buffalo game.
At Buffalo, Sullivan wore No. 43 in honor of Ward. Pimpleton, Sullivan and Ward were teammates at Muskegon High School.
Major Improvement
McElwain was named the Chippewas' coach on Dec. 2, 2018, a little over a week after the Chippewas completed a 1-11 season.
That the program is in its current state – bowl eligible and in position to finish atop the MAC West – is remarkable given its recent past.
"Any competitor, you have goals," McElwain said. "The biggest (factor) is knowing what it takes to put yourself in that position and I think we're learning to do that as a team. With each win there's a little milestone and I think that's pretty awesome for our guys, I really do.
"Everybody works, don't get me wrong, every team works … but when you put in the actual focus and the detail of what it takes to be successful and then you go out and do it, I hope our guys learn from that."
Becoming bowl eligible was certainly a goal, Oliver said, but not the only one. The Chippewas have potentially bigger fish to fry, such as a MAC West title and a berth in the MAC Championship Game at Ford Field in Detroit.
"It's a major improvement, for one, from last year to this year," he said. "Two, we're still trying to figure out how we can get down to Detroit first before we can think about the bowl game. We're just trying to home in and finish; that's our main focus."
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