Central Michigan University Athletics
A Look Back: Victories Over the Big Ten Conference
9/8/2020 4:31:00 PM | Football
The long and storied history of Central Michigan University football includes championships, sensational players and legendary coaches.
Â
And, of course, oh-so memorable wins. Six of those victories, all on the road, have come over opponents from the Big Ten Conference as the Chippewas have shown, time and again, that the guys from Mount Pleasant can play a little football.
Â
The first of those victories came in 1991, when College Football Hall of Fame coach Herb Deromedi took his Chippewas into Spartan Stadium and stunned 18th-ranked Michigan State, 20-3. CMU dominated the Spartans, led by Billy Smith's 162 rushing yards and a defense that recorded four sacks, three by Lamar Sally.
Â
That win was called the greatest football victory in CMU history, and yet Deromedi's Chippewas outdid themselves with the sequel. Just 363 days later, the Chippewas repeated the feat with a 24-20 win over MSU at Spartan Stadium. Brian Pruitt's 7-yard touchdown run put the Chippewas up, 24-14, with under six minutes to play and capped a long, time-consuming drive that put the game out of reach.
Â
CMU's third win over a Big Ten opponent came in 2008, when the Chippewas knocked off Indiana, 37-34, in a thriller in Bloomington, Ind. Making just his fourth-career start, quarterback Brian Brunner threw for 485 yards – then a program record and still the second-highest single-game total in CMU history – and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run.
Â
One season later, the Chippewas would again go to East Lansing and vanquish Michigan State on the Spartans' home turf, 29-27, winning it on Andrew Aguila's 42-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining in a game that was nationally televised. The Chippewas scored with 32 seconds remaining to draw to 27-26 and Bryan Anderson covered a perfectly executed onside kick to set up Aguila's dramatic game-winning kick.
Â
The Chippewas' next win over a Big Ten foe came in 2012, and, like the 2009 victory at MSU, it came in heart-stopping fashion. This time, the victim was Iowa, and David Harman's 47-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining gave CMU a stunning 32-31 win over the Hawkeyes at sold-out Kinnick Stadium. Harman's field goal, his fourth of the game, came after quarterback Ryan Radcliffe connected with Titus Davis for a touchdown with 45 seconds left to draw CMU to 31-29. Jesse Kroll covered the onside kick to give the Chippewas possession, and Harman delivered.Â
Â
CMU's sixth win over a Big Ten program came in 2014, when the Chippewas controlled the game from the outset in downing Purdue, 38-17, in West Lafayette, Ind. CMU's defense set the tone with an interception return for a touchdown and an early lead, the efficient ball-control offense was plenty keep the Chippewas in the driver's seat all day long. Thomas Rawls rushed for 155 yards and quarterback Cooper Rush threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
Central Michigan Athletics will bring you a weekly retrospective look at the rich tradition of Chippewa football, beginning with today's look back at CMU victories over Big Ten opponents. Fans can look forward to a new focus each week, including the many CMU greats who hail from the Chicago area, CMU's history in the Mid-American Conference, the Marching Chips and the rivalry with Western Michigan.
Â
In addition, the series will look at students, homecoming, Kelly/Shorts Stadium, spirit groups and historic November victories.
We hope Chippewa fans enjoy this taste of nostalgia.Â
