Coordinator: Experience 'Critical' In Shortened Season

Junior linebacker Troy Brown is among the top returnees to the Chippewa defense in 2020.

Photo by: Steve Jessmore

10/12/2020 11:14:00 AM | Football

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- They're beyond the feeling of relief and happiness that they will indeed get to play football in 2020.

Now, it's about getting down to business and preparing for the Nov. 4 season opener against Ohio in the abbreviated college football season.

The Central Michigan football team is two weeks in to practices as it looks ahead to the six-game Mid-American Conference season that will conclude, the Chippewas hope, with a trip to the league title game in the week before Christmas.

That the Chippewas return so many experienced players, particularly on defense, is of "critical importance" in 2020, according to defensive coordinator Robb Akey.

In a typical season, the Chippewas play two or three nonconference games before opening league play, and total as many as four nonleaguers throughout the course of the year. Not so in 2020, when they will play six regular-season games, including five against their MAC West brethren.

"The experience in a scenario like this is priceless in my opinion," Akey said. "You can't miss a play; there's no plays off. That applies to the weight room, to everything we're doing. Every snap matters. It's a seven-game playoff to win a championship and one play can be fatal."

Akey, who is in his 32^nd year of college coaching and second with the Chippewas, leads a defense that ranked second overall in the MAC a year ago as CMU won its first MAC West title in a decade.

Plenty of talent and experience return to Akey's defense, including junior linebacker Troy Brown, who enjoyed a breakout year in 2019, earning First Team All-MAC honors. Brown is on the watch list for both the Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik awards.

"He's a play-making son-of-a-gun," Akey said of Brown, who moved to linebacker from the secondary before last season. "He's got a great football awareness to him. He's gained comfort in knowing how to work within the package and how to make things happen. … he makes big things happen. He's getting stronger so he's helped himself physically but also mentally."

Brown is far from the lone standout who returns to a unit that tied for second in the MAC a year ago with 13 interceptions and was fourth in the league with 30 sacks.

Defensive lineman Robi Stuart, a senior, earned Third Team All-MAC honors in 2019 and is among the top talents in the trenches along with sophomores Jacques Bristol and LaQuan Johnson Jr. The linebacking corps as well as the secondary returns several players who have either started or seen a lot of the playing time over the past year or two. Among them are linebackers Troy Hairston and George Douglas, and safeties Alonzo McCoy and Devonni Reed.

Transfers Richard Bowens III (Iowa State) and Brian Edwards (Florida), both of whom are juniors, are expected to make an immediate impact at cornerback, a position that in recent years has been a strength for CMU.

The Chippewas allowed 117.6 rushing yards per game a year ago, ranking second in the MAC in that category.

"We've got to stop the run," Akey said. "That's where football starts and that's always going to be the case. We've got to have fewer yards per attempt than that and cut the big plays, the big runs, to a minimum."

Followup
The Chippewas are in their second year under head coach Jim McElwain. In McElwain's first year, CMU upped its win total by seven games, finishing 8-6 and winning the MAC West.

That finish helped instill confidence in the players and in McElwain's program, and on the verge of year two, there is a confidence and an optimism in and around the Chippewa Champions Center, the brand-new facility on the north end of the Chippewas' home, Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

McElwain was named to head the program in December, 2018, more than 22 months ago.

"Honestly I feel like we're better than we were last year because we've been in the program for almost two years," McCoy said. "I feel like we communicate better than what we did last year, we move around faster. We're more confident than what we were last year about going into the season."

Offensive lineman Derek Smith, like McCoy a veteran who has been in Mount Pleasant for more than five years, said the focus is squarely forward.

"Just because we made it to the MAC Championship (Game) last year doesn't mean we're satisfied with that," Smith said. "We can't be satisfied with what we put on film last year. We have to come in every day and just grind and work and listen to what the coaches are telling us and just trust the process."