Central Michigan University Athletics
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Football Notebook: A First For Tight End Joel Wilson
9/19/2021 1:20:00 AM | Football
BATON ROUGE, La. – A loss stings, no matter the opponent, the site or the final score.
That was evident in Central Michigan football coach Jim McElwain's tone and comments after his Chippewas fell, 49-21, on Saturday night at LSU.
That said, there were silver linings and things on which to build for the Chippewas. They entertain Florida International on Saturday, Sept. 25 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in their final nonconference game.
Then they open the Mid-American Conference slate at Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 2.
"We've got to move forward," McElwain said. "We've got a lot of good players, the rest of the league has a lot of good players. We're going to see a bunch of speed and good players next week. We've just got to pick ourselves up, play together, and go play great in front of the home crowd."
While LSU, which plays in the Southeastern Conference and won the national championship in 2019, was clearly the better team on Saturday, the Chippewas showed plenty that should fuel optimism going into next week and beyond.
--Quarterback Jacob Sirmon completed 17 of his 24 pass attempts for 156 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown covered 78 yards to JaCorey Sullivan, who made five receptions for 114 yards. The 78-yard TD reception was the longest of the senior's career.
--Junior safety Devonni Reed returned an interception 20 yards for a TD, the second of his career.
--Tight end Joel Wilson, a sophomore, scored his first career TD when he gathered in an 18-yard pass from Daniel Richardson in the fourth quarter.
--Defensive end Troy Hairston, the reigning co-MAC Defensive Player of the Year, recorded his first sack of the season.
--Safety Gage Kreski matched his career high with a team-best six tackles.
"Physically up front, I thought we did a pretty darned good job," McElwain said. "We got beat obviously out on the perimeter a little bit by their speed and some explosive plays, but overall, I thought we did OK up front. We'll see on the film, but that bodes well for the future."
Wilson's First
Wilson made four catches for 31 yards. He had not caught a pass this season before Saturday's game, and the four receptions are a career best.
"I was hoping to be a big part of the game plan," he said. "I had a good week of practice, I was mentally prepared, I was all-in ready to come play this game. It just happened the way it happened. I'm glad I was a big part of the game; wish I could have helped more.
"Always feels good to get your first touchdown. That wasn't my main focus; I was more focused on just getting some points on the board. … But it felt great to get my first touchdown; it's a surreal feeling, especially getting it at Death Valley."
Reed's Return
Reed's TD, the second of his career, has a couple of things in common with his first. That one came on a 20-yard fumble return while the Chippewas were playing on the road against another Southeastern Conference opponent, Kentucky, on Sept. 1, 2018.
His interception return Saturday night marked CMU's first defensive TD since McElwain took over the program prior to the 2019 season. The Chippewas' last defensive TD came on Nov. 23, 2018, when Mike Danna returned a fumble 53 yards for a score at Toledo. It was CMU's first interception return for a TD since Amari Coleman's pick-6 on Nov. 8, 2017, against Eastern Michigan.
Good Numbers
CMU's Luke Elzinga punted six times for an average of 49.0 yards and a long of 60. Four of his punts were downed inside the LSU 20-yard line. Three of his punts were 50 yards or longer.
Elizinga raised his average to 44.54 yards per punt, a number that should put him in the top 30 in the nation when statistics are tabulated after all Saturday games are completed.
Big Number
The announced attendance at Saturday's game was 92,547. That number ranks as the sixth-largest crowd to ever witness a CMU football game.
That was evident in Central Michigan football coach Jim McElwain's tone and comments after his Chippewas fell, 49-21, on Saturday night at LSU.
That said, there were silver linings and things on which to build for the Chippewas. They entertain Florida International on Saturday, Sept. 25 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in their final nonconference game.
Then they open the Mid-American Conference slate at Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 2.
"We've got to move forward," McElwain said. "We've got a lot of good players, the rest of the league has a lot of good players. We're going to see a bunch of speed and good players next week. We've just got to pick ourselves up, play together, and go play great in front of the home crowd."
While LSU, which plays in the Southeastern Conference and won the national championship in 2019, was clearly the better team on Saturday, the Chippewas showed plenty that should fuel optimism going into next week and beyond.
--Quarterback Jacob Sirmon completed 17 of his 24 pass attempts for 156 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown covered 78 yards to JaCorey Sullivan, who made five receptions for 114 yards. The 78-yard TD reception was the longest of the senior's career.
--Junior safety Devonni Reed returned an interception 20 yards for a TD, the second of his career.
--Tight end Joel Wilson, a sophomore, scored his first career TD when he gathered in an 18-yard pass from Daniel Richardson in the fourth quarter.
--Defensive end Troy Hairston, the reigning co-MAC Defensive Player of the Year, recorded his first sack of the season.
--Safety Gage Kreski matched his career high with a team-best six tackles.
"Physically up front, I thought we did a pretty darned good job," McElwain said. "We got beat obviously out on the perimeter a little bit by their speed and some explosive plays, but overall, I thought we did OK up front. We'll see on the film, but that bodes well for the future."
Wilson's First
Wilson made four catches for 31 yards. He had not caught a pass this season before Saturday's game, and the four receptions are a career best.
"I was hoping to be a big part of the game plan," he said. "I had a good week of practice, I was mentally prepared, I was all-in ready to come play this game. It just happened the way it happened. I'm glad I was a big part of the game; wish I could have helped more.
"Always feels good to get your first touchdown. That wasn't my main focus; I was more focused on just getting some points on the board. … But it felt great to get my first touchdown; it's a surreal feeling, especially getting it at Death Valley."
Reed's Return
Reed's TD, the second of his career, has a couple of things in common with his first. That one came on a 20-yard fumble return while the Chippewas were playing on the road against another Southeastern Conference opponent, Kentucky, on Sept. 1, 2018.
His interception return Saturday night marked CMU's first defensive TD since McElwain took over the program prior to the 2019 season. The Chippewas' last defensive TD came on Nov. 23, 2018, when Mike Danna returned a fumble 53 yards for a score at Toledo. It was CMU's first interception return for a TD since Amari Coleman's pick-6 on Nov. 8, 2017, against Eastern Michigan.
Good Numbers
CMU's Luke Elzinga punted six times for an average of 49.0 yards and a long of 60. Four of his punts were downed inside the LSU 20-yard line. Three of his punts were 50 yards or longer.
Elizinga raised his average to 44.54 yards per punt, a number that should put him in the top 30 in the nation when statistics are tabulated after all Saturday games are completed.
Big Number
The announced attendance at Saturday's game was 92,547. That number ranks as the sixth-largest crowd to ever witness a CMU football game.
Players Mentioned
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