Chippewa Notebook: Plenty To Be Proud Of

CMU quarterback Tommy Lazzaro scores a TD in the second quarter on Saturday in the MAC Championship Game at Ford Field.

Photo by: Allissa Rusco

12/7/2019 9:00:00 PM | Football

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

DETROIT – Yes, there will be a bowl game for the Central Michigan football team, and the Chippewas will learn their destination on Sunday.

That will help soothe the sting of Saturday's 26-21 loss to Miami (Ohio) in the Mid-American Conference Championship Game at Ford Field.

Still, by any measure, what the Chippewas accomplished in 2019 is remarkable. After winning just one game in 2018, they now stand 8-5, with their first outright MAC West Division title in a decade in their back pocket after being picked to finish last in the preseason poll.

"Especially from going 1-11 to winning the MAC West," CMU sophomore wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton said after Saturday's game. "Couldn't be more proud of the work that we put in, (and the) coaching staff getting us to where we're at. We're very proud of the accomplishments we made thus far.

"It's tough that we couldn't get the big prize, but we'll be back."

CMU middle linebacker Michael Oliver, a senior and a native Detroiter, echoed Pimpleton's sentiments.

"I'm extremely proud of my guys in the locker room," Oliver said. "No matter the result, I love them to death. And we fought. We've been fighting like this every game all season, so I'm proud. I'm a proud of how we played and for how my guys came out and competed."

Moving the Ball
The Chippewas struggled to sustain consistent offensive production against the RedHawks. CMU finished with 99 yards rushing, their lowest total since they had 73 in a loss at Buffalo on Oct. 26.

Tommy Lazzaro, CMU's running quarterback, had the most success, rushing for 48 yards on six carries and scoring two touchdowns.

The Chippewas' normally potent one-two punch of Jonathan Ward and Kobe Lewis finished with 26 and 24 yards, respectively.

CMU quarterback Quinten Dormady completed 26 of 41 pass attempts for 232 yards and one TD, an 11-yarder to Tyrone Scott.

JaCorey Sullivan led the Chippewa receiving corps with seven catches for 64 yards, while Pimpleton had six catches for 52. Ward found more success in the passing game with five receptions for 38 yards.

Excellent turnout
The crowd of 22,427 was decidedly pro CMU, which is not surprising considering that the game was played some 2 ½ hours from Mount Pleasant and so many players on the Chippewa roster hail from Detroit and its environs.

It was not a CMU home game, but it was about as close as one could get to it.

"To see that crowd out there and to see the Central Michigan faithful turn out like they did for us, as a lot of people have all year, it just really cements in all of our minds," CMU coach Jim McElwain said. "There's Chippewas everywhere that really care and it was great to see them out and making noise today."

Painful Penalties
The Chippewas were penalized 11 times for 75 yards, and several of the penalties came at critical points, including a holding penalty that wiped out a first down on what was unfolding a promising second-half drive, and a fourth-quarter targeting penalty on linebacker Troy Brown that resulted in the sophomore's ejection.

Brown's ejection came when he sacked Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert at the RedHawk 21-yard line early in the fourth quarter with CMU trailing, 20-14. The RedHawks eventually kicked a field goal to cap the drive, extending their lead to 23-14 with just over four minutes to play.

"It's part of football," McElwain said of the play and the call. "Let me tell you something, Troy Brown's one heck of a football player. I'm glad he's going to be with us for a couple more years. You know, that stuff happens. It's part of the game. They reviewed it and made the call."

After CMU scored with 1:24 to play to pull to 23-21, they attempted an onside kick that Chippewa Rolliann Sturkey scooped up, but he was called for offsides on the play. Kaden Keon's re-kick did not travel the required 10 yards and Miami took over at the Chippewa 30-yard line.

After a Miami field goal extended it to 26-21, the Chippewas had one last possession. Dormady's hail mary pass from the CMU 45-yard line fell incomplete at the goal line.

Defense
Oliver led the Chippewa defense with nine tackles, while Brown finished with eight including two tackles-for-loss.

The Chippewas registered three sacks, one each by LaQuan Johnson, Troy Hairston and George Douglas. It was Johnson's team-leading sixth sack of the season.

The Chippewas held Miami to 76 yards rushing and 272 yards in total offense. CMU finished with 355 yards in total offense and held a 20-15 edge in first downs.

Buell Shines
CMU punter Brady Buell punted seven times for an average of 43.6 yards with a long of 57, just two yards shy of his season-long punt.

Remembering Chiodo
The Chippewas wore a helmet decal in honor of Don Chiodo, CMU's beloved radio play-by-play announcer who died three days before the game in a car accident.

Chiodo, a CMU graduate, served as the football and men's basketball Voice of the Chippewas for 10 years.

"I know Don had a huge impact on not just the football team, but all of Central Michigan," Pimpleton said. "Although we didn't get the (win), we were out there playing for him. Regardless of the win or the loss, I know he was proud of us."