Central Michigan University Athletics
Friday, December 31
El Paso, Texas
Noon ET/10 a.m. MT
Central Michigan University
vs
Washington State
Sun Bowl Preview: CMU Adapts As It Prepares For Washington State
12/30/2021 1:08:00 PM | Football
EL PASO, Texas – Tucson or El Paso? Boise State or Washington State?
Jim McElwain and his Central Michigan football team are just happy to have one final game to play. The locale and the opponent? Secondary concerns at this point.
The Chippewas (8-4) are set to take on Washington State (7-5) on Friday (noon ET/CBS) in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl after their Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl opponent, Boise State, pulled out of the game because of COVID concerns. The Cougars were left without a Sun Bowl opponent when Miami (Fla.), pulled out, also because of COVID.
"I think what gets lost sometimes is the players, the guys in the program," McElwain said. "For them is why we do what we do and we're very fortunate to be able to play the game. It's about the kids being able to play the game."
The Chippewas were informed of Boise State's decision on Monday after they had practiced in Tucson. That forced a major shift in focus to a new opponent, plus the logistics of moving the traveling party – some 250 strong of players, coaches, family members, administrators and support staff – on buses 300-plus miles to the east.
"You've got to be able to improvise, adjust, overcome," McElwain said. "I'm really fortunate to have an unbelievable staff. We're on the same page; the kids know the routine. The guys didn't even blink. We said, 'Let's go figure it out.'
"Logistics is kind of crazy and you know what? You don't (gripe) about it; you just go do it and you figure out what's best for your players and move forward (and) make it the best experience for your players as you can and don't worry about anybody else."
After practicing in Tucson on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the Chippewas arrived in El Paso on Thursday. The 5 1/2-hour drive, McElwain quipped, was "a normal MAC road game for us. So I guess we're used to it."
The first Sun Bowl was played in 1935, making it the fourth-longest running bowl game. It will also be carried live, over the air, by CBS, which brings a level of publicity and prestige, McElwain said.
"To have our kids play in a place with great history like the Sun Bowl, one of the oldest bowl games there is, and just finishing the season out so these guys can play one more game, it's just great," he said. "The people at Washington State, the people at the Sun Bowl, have done a great job of trying to kind of put this thing together and our kids are excited as heck to get the opportunity.
"We get a chance for three hours to put Central Michigan University on national television. You can't put a price tag on that … They're going to see Central Michigan, they're going to see Chippewas, they're going to see the action C, all of those types of things. it gives us an opportunity, and I'm not talking about the football program but about the university, for exposure. It helps promote our whole university."
The Chippewas
CMU has not played in five weeks so, a little refresher. When last the Chippewas last took the field, they were playing perhaps as well as any team in the Mid-American Conference, winning their final four regular season games – all four in dominant fashion -- and six of their last seven.
They averaged 41 points in those last four games and rolled up 396 points on the season, just outside the top five in program history for points in a season. The 2006 team is fifth on that list with 416.
The Chippewas were 2-3 through five games, with those three losses coming at Missouri, at LSU, and at Miami (Ohio). The lone loss thereafter was a 31-30 defeat to eventual MAC champion Northern Illinois.
"It took us a little while to gel," McElwain said. "We were finding ourselves in the first part of the season. I felt like midway and toward the end of the season we were playing our best football.
"Disappointment in a couple of games but what you do is you put that as a life lesson. You only get one opportunity to do something, and you've got to go take advantage of it. We started to do that at the end of the year and played pretty darned good football."
• CMU running back Lew Nichols III, the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, finished the regular season with a best-in-the-nation 1,710 rushing yards and has scored 15 rushing touchdowns, which is 10th in the country. His 142.5 rushing yards per game also topped the nation during the regular season and he is No. 1 with 2,010 all-purpose yards.
• Chippewa quarterback Daniel Richardson has been steady and efficient all season, throwing for 2,424 yards while completing 61.4 percent of his passes for 23 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He has appeared in all 12 of CMU's games and moved into the starting lineup in the fifth game.
• Richardson's top targets have been Kalil Pimpleton, JaCorey Sullivan and Dallas Dixon. They have combined to make 144 catches for 2,229 yards and 22 TDs. The dazzling Pimpleton is averaging 20.2 yards on 12 punt returns and returned two for TDs.
"You're not going to put a bunch of unique stuff in (for the bowl game) because it's hard to know exactly what you're going to see," McElwain said. "You've got to rely on your base principals both offensively and defensively and go out and play. That's really what it's all about. You're not able to reinvent the wheel in this short period of time."
Scouting
Washington State finished 6-3 in the Pac-12 and leads the nation with 27 takeaways. Quarterback Jayden de Laura earned the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman Player of the Year Award after leading the league with 23 TD passes and 250.1 passing yards per game.
His top targets are Travell Harris and Calvin Jackson Jr. Jackson was second in the Pac-12 with 955 receiving yards and Harris was second in the league with nine TD receptions.
CMU ranks 117th in the nation in passing yards allowed per game at 266.3
"Let's call it the way it is, that's our Achilles heel," McElwain said. "I'm sure they're licking their chops looking at us right now and saying, 'We might be able to set an NCAA record against these guys.'
"For us it's going to be about trying to keep the ball in front of us and hopefully make them earn the yards they get. They're going to get yards. It's the nature of it. The key is not allowing explosives to just disrupt the whole game."
After a 1-3 start, the Cougars have won six of their last eight games. They closed the regular season with a 40-13 victory at rival Washington and finished second in the Pac-12 North, one game behind Oregon.
Underdogs
Though McElwain didn't use the term underdog during his Wednesday press conference, he clearly implied that the Chippewas are.
"You're talking about a Power 5 program out of the Pac-12 against a bunch of guys from Central Michigan," said McElwain, whose coaching resumé includes stops at Alabama, Florida and Michigan. "There's a huge difference. Look, I've on both ends, I know. This is a huge challenge for us and yet, what a great opportunity.
"We aren't the most-talented (team), but we've got a bunch of guys who care about each other and an organization that cares about each other. To get an opportunity to go play a final game with this group – it's going to hold a special place in my heart for the rest of my life.
"We're playing a really good team. We're kind of the land of misfit toys, and we're going to have a blast doing it."
It is the first meeting between CMU and Washington State. The Cougars are 2-0 in the Sun Bowl, having defeated Purdue, 33-27, in 2001 and Miami (Fla.), 20-14, in 2015. The Cougars' lone meeting with a MAC school resulted in a 16-14 win over Ball State in 1984.
Bowl History
CMU is the first non-Power 5 school to play in the Sun Bowl since 2007, when 23rd-ranked South Florida lost to Oregon, 56-21.
CMU has played in 12 bowl games since moving up to Division I (now Football Bowl Subdivision) in 1975. Its last victory came in the 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit, 24-21, over Western Kentucky.
McElwain has led teams to victories in two of the four bowl games in which he has served as a head coach. His 2013 Colorado State team defeated Washington State, 48-45, in the New Mexico Bowl; his 2017 Florida team won the Outback Bowl, 30-3, over Iowa; his 2016 Gators lost, 41-7, to Michigan in the Citrus Bowl; and his 2019 CMU squad lost to San Diego State, 48-11, in the New Mexico Bowl.
Chasing No. 9
The Chippewas' four-game win streak is their longest since they won five straight in 2017, when they finished 8-5.
A victory in the Sun Bowl would give CMU nine victories, its most since the 2009 Chippewas finished 12-2. CMU has had two eight-win seasons since, 2017 (8-5) and 2019 (8-6).
Jim McElwain and his Central Michigan football team are just happy to have one final game to play. The locale and the opponent? Secondary concerns at this point.
The Chippewas (8-4) are set to take on Washington State (7-5) on Friday (noon ET/CBS) in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl after their Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl opponent, Boise State, pulled out of the game because of COVID concerns. The Cougars were left without a Sun Bowl opponent when Miami (Fla.), pulled out, also because of COVID.
"I think what gets lost sometimes is the players, the guys in the program," McElwain said. "For them is why we do what we do and we're very fortunate to be able to play the game. It's about the kids being able to play the game."
The Chippewas were informed of Boise State's decision on Monday after they had practiced in Tucson. That forced a major shift in focus to a new opponent, plus the logistics of moving the traveling party – some 250 strong of players, coaches, family members, administrators and support staff – on buses 300-plus miles to the east.
"You've got to be able to improvise, adjust, overcome," McElwain said. "I'm really fortunate to have an unbelievable staff. We're on the same page; the kids know the routine. The guys didn't even blink. We said, 'Let's go figure it out.'
"Logistics is kind of crazy and you know what? You don't (gripe) about it; you just go do it and you figure out what's best for your players and move forward (and) make it the best experience for your players as you can and don't worry about anybody else."
After practicing in Tucson on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the Chippewas arrived in El Paso on Thursday. The 5 1/2-hour drive, McElwain quipped, was "a normal MAC road game for us. So I guess we're used to it."
The first Sun Bowl was played in 1935, making it the fourth-longest running bowl game. It will also be carried live, over the air, by CBS, which brings a level of publicity and prestige, McElwain said.
"To have our kids play in a place with great history like the Sun Bowl, one of the oldest bowl games there is, and just finishing the season out so these guys can play one more game, it's just great," he said. "The people at Washington State, the people at the Sun Bowl, have done a great job of trying to kind of put this thing together and our kids are excited as heck to get the opportunity.
"We get a chance for three hours to put Central Michigan University on national television. You can't put a price tag on that … They're going to see Central Michigan, they're going to see Chippewas, they're going to see the action C, all of those types of things. it gives us an opportunity, and I'm not talking about the football program but about the university, for exposure. It helps promote our whole university."
The Chippewas
CMU has not played in five weeks so, a little refresher. When last the Chippewas last took the field, they were playing perhaps as well as any team in the Mid-American Conference, winning their final four regular season games – all four in dominant fashion -- and six of their last seven.
They averaged 41 points in those last four games and rolled up 396 points on the season, just outside the top five in program history for points in a season. The 2006 team is fifth on that list with 416.
The Chippewas were 2-3 through five games, with those three losses coming at Missouri, at LSU, and at Miami (Ohio). The lone loss thereafter was a 31-30 defeat to eventual MAC champion Northern Illinois.
"It took us a little while to gel," McElwain said. "We were finding ourselves in the first part of the season. I felt like midway and toward the end of the season we were playing our best football.
"Disappointment in a couple of games but what you do is you put that as a life lesson. You only get one opportunity to do something, and you've got to go take advantage of it. We started to do that at the end of the year and played pretty darned good football."
• CMU running back Lew Nichols III, the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, finished the regular season with a best-in-the-nation 1,710 rushing yards and has scored 15 rushing touchdowns, which is 10th in the country. His 142.5 rushing yards per game also topped the nation during the regular season and he is No. 1 with 2,010 all-purpose yards.
• Chippewa quarterback Daniel Richardson has been steady and efficient all season, throwing for 2,424 yards while completing 61.4 percent of his passes for 23 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He has appeared in all 12 of CMU's games and moved into the starting lineup in the fifth game.
• Richardson's top targets have been Kalil Pimpleton, JaCorey Sullivan and Dallas Dixon. They have combined to make 144 catches for 2,229 yards and 22 TDs. The dazzling Pimpleton is averaging 20.2 yards on 12 punt returns and returned two for TDs.
"You're not going to put a bunch of unique stuff in (for the bowl game) because it's hard to know exactly what you're going to see," McElwain said. "You've got to rely on your base principals both offensively and defensively and go out and play. That's really what it's all about. You're not able to reinvent the wheel in this short period of time."
Scouting
Washington State finished 6-3 in the Pac-12 and leads the nation with 27 takeaways. Quarterback Jayden de Laura earned the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman Player of the Year Award after leading the league with 23 TD passes and 250.1 passing yards per game.
His top targets are Travell Harris and Calvin Jackson Jr. Jackson was second in the Pac-12 with 955 receiving yards and Harris was second in the league with nine TD receptions.
CMU ranks 117th in the nation in passing yards allowed per game at 266.3
"Let's call it the way it is, that's our Achilles heel," McElwain said. "I'm sure they're licking their chops looking at us right now and saying, 'We might be able to set an NCAA record against these guys.'
"For us it's going to be about trying to keep the ball in front of us and hopefully make them earn the yards they get. They're going to get yards. It's the nature of it. The key is not allowing explosives to just disrupt the whole game."
After a 1-3 start, the Cougars have won six of their last eight games. They closed the regular season with a 40-13 victory at rival Washington and finished second in the Pac-12 North, one game behind Oregon.
Underdogs
Though McElwain didn't use the term underdog during his Wednesday press conference, he clearly implied that the Chippewas are.
"You're talking about a Power 5 program out of the Pac-12 against a bunch of guys from Central Michigan," said McElwain, whose coaching resumé includes stops at Alabama, Florida and Michigan. "There's a huge difference. Look, I've on both ends, I know. This is a huge challenge for us and yet, what a great opportunity.
"We aren't the most-talented (team), but we've got a bunch of guys who care about each other and an organization that cares about each other. To get an opportunity to go play a final game with this group – it's going to hold a special place in my heart for the rest of my life.
"We're playing a really good team. We're kind of the land of misfit toys, and we're going to have a blast doing it."
It is the first meeting between CMU and Washington State. The Cougars are 2-0 in the Sun Bowl, having defeated Purdue, 33-27, in 2001 and Miami (Fla.), 20-14, in 2015. The Cougars' lone meeting with a MAC school resulted in a 16-14 win over Ball State in 1984.
Bowl History
CMU is the first non-Power 5 school to play in the Sun Bowl since 2007, when 23rd-ranked South Florida lost to Oregon, 56-21.
CMU has played in 12 bowl games since moving up to Division I (now Football Bowl Subdivision) in 1975. Its last victory came in the 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit, 24-21, over Western Kentucky.
McElwain has led teams to victories in two of the four bowl games in which he has served as a head coach. His 2013 Colorado State team defeated Washington State, 48-45, in the New Mexico Bowl; his 2017 Florida team won the Outback Bowl, 30-3, over Iowa; his 2016 Gators lost, 41-7, to Michigan in the Citrus Bowl; and his 2019 CMU squad lost to San Diego State, 48-11, in the New Mexico Bowl.
Chasing No. 9
The Chippewas' four-game win streak is their longest since they won five straight in 2017, when they finished 8-5.
A victory in the Sun Bowl would give CMU nine victories, its most since the 2009 Chippewas finished 12-2. CMU has had two eight-win seasons since, 2017 (8-5) and 2019 (8-6).
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