Central Michigan University Athletics
Saturday, December 12
Toledo, Ohio
3 p.m.
Central Michigan University
at
Toledo
Junior Ty Brock will start for the second-straight week at quarterback on Saturday when the Chippewas play at Toledo.
Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf
Chippewas Close Regular Season At Toledo
12/11/2020 3:11:00 PM | Football
CMU and Rockets will battle for third place in MAC West
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Final game? Maybe. Maybe not.
Last hurrah for the seniors? Maybe. Maybe not.
There is the possibility of a bowl bid; there is the option for even those who have put five years into the program to come back for one more season, hopefully without COVID-19 hanging over it as it is in every aspect of life today.
The Central Michigan football team heads to Toledo on Saturday (3 p.m./ESPN3) for its final regular-season game of 2020. Both teams are 3-2 overall and in Mid-American Conference play. The losses for both came from the same opponents, Western Michigan and Ball State.
Saturday's winner will finish in third place in the MAC West and then will await a potential bowl invitation.
No matter what happens on Saturday at the Rockets' Glass Bowl, second-year CMU coach Jim McElwain and his team are looking forward to more football and, hopefully, better days.
"With the NCAA granting eligibility (to seniors) it's almost like I'm not sure that this is the end," McElwain said. "It may be for some guys who have graduated and (feel like) it's time to move on or whatever.
"These guys are going to have an opportunity to come back in the spring and get better and hopefully we have some type of normal season the following year. There are no guarantees."
Either way, the Chippewas – like every other team in the country – have grown from the experience that has been the bulk of 2020. It started with a shutdown in March just when spring practice was cranking up and carried over first to a complete cancellation of the season and then to a reinstatement of the schedule, one featuring half as many games as it would in a typical year.
"I think it would be a great time during the holidays to actually sit back and catch your breath a little bit and say, 'Wow, wasn't that something we just went through,'" McElwain said. "Challenging is a great term and yet I think I found out a lot about the guys who love the game of football and about the guys who are really invested in being Chippewas. This is a special group that I'll always remember."
Kumehnnu Gwilly is of 13 seniors on the Chippewa roster. All 13, in theory, have the option of returning next season. Gwilly, a running back turned defensive lineman/linebacker, last week earned his Bachelor of Science degree and said he plans to return next season.
"I can't speak for anybody else – this is a game that we love and we'll want to play for as long as we possibly can – I'm sure a lot of us will be really happy to come back and play for the Chips," he said. "I'm going to be here until they kick me out."
Brock to Start
Junior Ty Brock will make his second-consecutive start at quarterback for the Chippewas.
Last week in the Chippewas' 45-20 loss to Ball State, Brock completed 20 of 30 pass attempts for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted twice in his first start in a CMU uniform after transferring from Sam Houston State.
"He did some really good things," McElwain said. "Obviously he would like some throws back, but that can be said for all of us who have ever played the game."
Brock has stepped in for redshirt freshman Daniel Richardson, who started the Chippewas' first four games and was injured in a 31-23 victory at Eastern Michigan on Nov. 27.
McElwain would not rule out Richardson getting some snaps against the Rockets. He said the Chippewas will approach the game with the same line of succession at the position that they had last week against Ball State: wideout Kalil Pimpleton is the backup with running back Darius Bracy and tight end Joel Wilson available just in case.
Pimpleton, Bracy and Wilson each played quarterback in high school.
One-Two Punch
CMU ranks third in the MAC in rushing offense at 222.2 yards per game and its one-two running back punch of Kobe Lewis and Lew Nichols III are among the best in a league that is loaded with talent at the position.
Lewis ranks fourth and Lewis is fifth in the conference with 410 and 407 yards, respectively, rushing on the season.
MAC Leaders
CMU defensive ends Mohamed Diallo and Troy Hairston II combined to form one of the MAC's best defensive line pairs.
Diallo leads the MAC in tackles-for-loss with 9.5 and is sixth nationally in that category with 1.9 per game. Hairston had nine tackles-for-loss among 3.5 sacks. Hairston ranks third in the MAC and 51st nationally in sacks.
Scouting
The Rockets are a break here or there from being unbeaten and atop the MAC West. They lost to Western Michigan, 41-38; and to Ball State, 27-24. The Broncos scored the game-winning points on the now-famed fake spike touchdown with 17 seconds left.
Statistically, Toledo is about as good as there is in the MAC. Of the 14 main team statistical measures, Toledo leads the league in five: rush defense, passing offense, total defense, third-down conversions and time of possession. The Rockets rank second in total offense and in first downs, and are third in scoring defense.
Senior Eli Peters and sophomore Carter Bradley have split time at quarterback this season. Bradley threw for 432 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-24 victory last week at Northern Illinois. The Rockets finished with a season-high 614 yards in total offense in winning at NIU for the first time since 2006.
Junior Bryant Koback averages 4.0 yards per attempt and is the Rockets' top rusher with 399 yards on the season.
The Series
CMU is 19-26-3 against Toledo and last season dominated the Rockets, 49-7, breaking a nine-game losing streak in the series. The Chippewas' last win at Toledo came in 2008, 24-23.
Last hurrah for the seniors? Maybe. Maybe not.
There is the possibility of a bowl bid; there is the option for even those who have put five years into the program to come back for one more season, hopefully without COVID-19 hanging over it as it is in every aspect of life today.
The Central Michigan football team heads to Toledo on Saturday (3 p.m./ESPN3) for its final regular-season game of 2020. Both teams are 3-2 overall and in Mid-American Conference play. The losses for both came from the same opponents, Western Michigan and Ball State.
Saturday's winner will finish in third place in the MAC West and then will await a potential bowl invitation.
No matter what happens on Saturday at the Rockets' Glass Bowl, second-year CMU coach Jim McElwain and his team are looking forward to more football and, hopefully, better days.
"With the NCAA granting eligibility (to seniors) it's almost like I'm not sure that this is the end," McElwain said. "It may be for some guys who have graduated and (feel like) it's time to move on or whatever.
"These guys are going to have an opportunity to come back in the spring and get better and hopefully we have some type of normal season the following year. There are no guarantees."
Either way, the Chippewas – like every other team in the country – have grown from the experience that has been the bulk of 2020. It started with a shutdown in March just when spring practice was cranking up and carried over first to a complete cancellation of the season and then to a reinstatement of the schedule, one featuring half as many games as it would in a typical year.
"I think it would be a great time during the holidays to actually sit back and catch your breath a little bit and say, 'Wow, wasn't that something we just went through,'" McElwain said. "Challenging is a great term and yet I think I found out a lot about the guys who love the game of football and about the guys who are really invested in being Chippewas. This is a special group that I'll always remember."
Kumehnnu Gwilly is of 13 seniors on the Chippewa roster. All 13, in theory, have the option of returning next season. Gwilly, a running back turned defensive lineman/linebacker, last week earned his Bachelor of Science degree and said he plans to return next season.
"I can't speak for anybody else – this is a game that we love and we'll want to play for as long as we possibly can – I'm sure a lot of us will be really happy to come back and play for the Chips," he said. "I'm going to be here until they kick me out."
Brock to Start
Junior Ty Brock will make his second-consecutive start at quarterback for the Chippewas.
Last week in the Chippewas' 45-20 loss to Ball State, Brock completed 20 of 30 pass attempts for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted twice in his first start in a CMU uniform after transferring from Sam Houston State.
"He did some really good things," McElwain said. "Obviously he would like some throws back, but that can be said for all of us who have ever played the game."
Brock has stepped in for redshirt freshman Daniel Richardson, who started the Chippewas' first four games and was injured in a 31-23 victory at Eastern Michigan on Nov. 27.
McElwain would not rule out Richardson getting some snaps against the Rockets. He said the Chippewas will approach the game with the same line of succession at the position that they had last week against Ball State: wideout Kalil Pimpleton is the backup with running back Darius Bracy and tight end Joel Wilson available just in case.
Pimpleton, Bracy and Wilson each played quarterback in high school.
One-Two Punch
CMU ranks third in the MAC in rushing offense at 222.2 yards per game and its one-two running back punch of Kobe Lewis and Lew Nichols III are among the best in a league that is loaded with talent at the position.
Lewis ranks fourth and Lewis is fifth in the conference with 410 and 407 yards, respectively, rushing on the season.
MAC Leaders
CMU defensive ends Mohamed Diallo and Troy Hairston II combined to form one of the MAC's best defensive line pairs.
Diallo leads the MAC in tackles-for-loss with 9.5 and is sixth nationally in that category with 1.9 per game. Hairston had nine tackles-for-loss among 3.5 sacks. Hairston ranks third in the MAC and 51st nationally in sacks.
Scouting
The Rockets are a break here or there from being unbeaten and atop the MAC West. They lost to Western Michigan, 41-38; and to Ball State, 27-24. The Broncos scored the game-winning points on the now-famed fake spike touchdown with 17 seconds left.
Statistically, Toledo is about as good as there is in the MAC. Of the 14 main team statistical measures, Toledo leads the league in five: rush defense, passing offense, total defense, third-down conversions and time of possession. The Rockets rank second in total offense and in first downs, and are third in scoring defense.
Senior Eli Peters and sophomore Carter Bradley have split time at quarterback this season. Bradley threw for 432 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-24 victory last week at Northern Illinois. The Rockets finished with a season-high 614 yards in total offense in winning at NIU for the first time since 2006.
Junior Bryant Koback averages 4.0 yards per attempt and is the Rockets' top rusher with 399 yards on the season.
The Series
CMU is 19-26-3 against Toledo and last season dominated the Rockets, 49-7, breaking a nine-game losing streak in the series. The Chippewas' last win at Toledo came in 2008, 24-23.
Players Mentioned
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