Central Michigan University Athletics
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Re-energized Chippewas Celebrate, Look to Rivalry Game
11/10/2022 9:05:00 AM | Football
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The buzz and the optimism are legit.
About the player and the team.
Bert Emanuel is just getting started, and the vibe around the Central Michigan football team is perhaps one of rejuvenation as it looks ahead to the final two regular-season games and bowl eligibility, something that might have been a pipe dream two weeks when the Chippewas sat at 2-6.
Emanuel, a freshman quarterback, ran for 293 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries in rallying the Chippewas from a 17-point halftime deficit for a 31-27 victory over Buffalo on Wednesday on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Emanuel's 293-yard rushing night ranks as the fourth best in program history and it, along with the win over a Buffalo team that entered the game with a share of the Mid-American Conference East Division lead, sends a message that these Chippewas are indeed on the upswing.
The victory, and Emanuel's performance, could not have come at a better time. The Chippewas entertain archrival Western Michigan on Wednesday, Nov. 16 (7 p.m.), and then go to Eastern Michigan for the regular-season finale on Friday, Nov. 25 (noon).
On the line against the Broncos (3-7, 2-4 MAC) is, of course, the Victory Cannon. And, because it's Western, so much more.
"We're playing the (Broncos) for the cannon and that's kind of where my focus is right now to be honest with you," CMU coach Jim McElwain said after Wednesday's win. "I just can't tell you how happy I am for our guys because this has been a disappointing season and to see them hang in and be down like they were, and to come back and win that ball game, that's a hell of a deal.
"I told them go enjoy it, feel good about it and then let's get back tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn't take much (motivation) because you're playing (Western). You know, that's kind of what it's all about. I don't think we'll have any problem getting up."
Certainly, the Chippewas showed in the second half against Buffalo exactly what they are capable of on both sides of the ball.
Down 24-7 at halftime, CMU scored 24 second-half points while holding the Bulls to a field goal over the final 30 minutes.
"It tells us a lot," CMU defensive end Thomas Incoom said of the Chippewas' second-half performance. "We're capable of doing anything we want if we just put our minds to it. We got in the locker room, put our minds to it, and that's what happened. If we're able to dial in in the first half, we cannot be stopped."
The speedy and elusive Emanuel was unstoppable in the second half as he turned in the breakout performance of breakout performances.
"Really, just be me," he said of the message he got from the Chippewa coaching staff in the leadup to the game. "Make sure I go out there and just be me, make sure I know my stuff. I was studying plays all week long, watching film, putting in extra work. They really just told me to go out there and a playmaker."
It was just the second time Emanuel, who hails from Houston, has stepped on the field as a Chippewa. Last week, he carried six times for 30 yards in a 35-22 victory at Northern Illinois while sharing time at quarterback with starter Daniel Richardson and Jase Bauer.
Bauer was injured at NIU and did not play against Buffalo. Richardson started but gave way to Emanuel in the second half.
Emanuel scored on a 75-yard run to open the third quarter and he, and the Chippewas, were off to the races in a game that epitomized the tale-of-two-halves adage.
"The energy definitely jumped" after that play, Emanuel said. "You could just feel the intensity of everybody. We started flowing, the chemistry was there, we were clicking on all cylinders. The offense was doing their thing, the defense was doing their thing, it was just a great feeling to be a part of.
"Being a younger guy, a freshman, a lot of the older guys took me under their wing and motivated me, talked me through things, broke it down and gave me the extra work when I needed it. That's what really went into it and helped me have the performance I had tonight."
The Defense
Buffalo, which entered the game as one of the MAC's top rushing offenses and the league leader in possession time, flexed its muscle to the tune of 310 first-half yards, 204 of which came on the ground.
In the second half, the Chippewas limited the Bulls to 121 total yards, just 36 of which came on the ground.
"The first half was about missed tackles," Incoom said. "The (defensive) play calls were good; we've just got to tackle."
Said McElwain: "I told our defense at halftime, 'We need some stops because (Buffalo) can possess the ball.' I told our offense we had to make the most of every possession.
"I think those guys really grabbed together at half and said, 'We're a lot better than this.'
Leaders
Safety Trey Jones led the Chippewa defense with a career-high 16 tackles, while Incoom had 13, and Kyle Moretti added 11.
Incoom had one sack among three tackles-for-loss. He is tied for third in the nation with 8 ½ sacks and is eighth with 13 ½ TFLs. CMU is tied for second in the nation with 76 TFLs.
"I'm really about winning," said Incoom, a senior who is in his second year at CMU after transferring from Valdosta State. "Whatever comes (individually), that's extra. My job is to lock in and do my job and do it fast and help the team win. That's what I'm worried about."
Final Stop
With all the second-half fireworks by Emanuel and the offense, it came down to the CMU defense to deliver at crunch time.
Down 31-27, Buffalo took over at its own 20-yard line with 3:30 left and drove to the CMU 24. On fourth-and-1, CMU defensive tackle Robi Stuart and safety Jayden Davis corralled running back Al-Jay Henderson, stopping him for no gain, effectively ending it with 1:03 left.
History
Emanuel's 293-yard rushing night is fourth in program history. He averaged a whopping 12.2 yards per carry.
Robbie Mixon's 377-yard game against Eastern Michigan in 2002 is No. 1, followed by Brian Pruitt's 356-yard game vs. Toledo in 1994, and Jesse Lakes' 343-yard effort against UW-Milwaukee in 1969, when CMU was a Division II program.
Western
The big win, particularly in the fashion that it came, is certainly satisfying to a Chippewa team that has tasted its share of disappointment in 2022.
Now the attention turns to archrival Western Michigan. The Broncos lost on Wednesday, 24-21, at home to Northern Illinois and is 3-7, 2-4.
"Everybody knows about Western, but we're going to enjoy this win first and come back to work tomorrow, dial in on the next team," Incoom said. "(The win has) given everybody juice that we can finish the season strong. That's what it's like right now."
About the player and the team.
Bert Emanuel is just getting started, and the vibe around the Central Michigan football team is perhaps one of rejuvenation as it looks ahead to the final two regular-season games and bowl eligibility, something that might have been a pipe dream two weeks when the Chippewas sat at 2-6.
Emanuel, a freshman quarterback, ran for 293 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries in rallying the Chippewas from a 17-point halftime deficit for a 31-27 victory over Buffalo on Wednesday on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Emanuel's 293-yard rushing night ranks as the fourth best in program history and it, along with the win over a Buffalo team that entered the game with a share of the Mid-American Conference East Division lead, sends a message that these Chippewas are indeed on the upswing.
The victory, and Emanuel's performance, could not have come at a better time. The Chippewas entertain archrival Western Michigan on Wednesday, Nov. 16 (7 p.m.), and then go to Eastern Michigan for the regular-season finale on Friday, Nov. 25 (noon).
On the line against the Broncos (3-7, 2-4 MAC) is, of course, the Victory Cannon. And, because it's Western, so much more.
"We're playing the (Broncos) for the cannon and that's kind of where my focus is right now to be honest with you," CMU coach Jim McElwain said after Wednesday's win. "I just can't tell you how happy I am for our guys because this has been a disappointing season and to see them hang in and be down like they were, and to come back and win that ball game, that's a hell of a deal.
"I told them go enjoy it, feel good about it and then let's get back tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn't take much (motivation) because you're playing (Western). You know, that's kind of what it's all about. I don't think we'll have any problem getting up."
Certainly, the Chippewas showed in the second half against Buffalo exactly what they are capable of on both sides of the ball.
Down 24-7 at halftime, CMU scored 24 second-half points while holding the Bulls to a field goal over the final 30 minutes.
"It tells us a lot," CMU defensive end Thomas Incoom said of the Chippewas' second-half performance. "We're capable of doing anything we want if we just put our minds to it. We got in the locker room, put our minds to it, and that's what happened. If we're able to dial in in the first half, we cannot be stopped."
The speedy and elusive Emanuel was unstoppable in the second half as he turned in the breakout performance of breakout performances.
"Really, just be me," he said of the message he got from the Chippewa coaching staff in the leadup to the game. "Make sure I go out there and just be me, make sure I know my stuff. I was studying plays all week long, watching film, putting in extra work. They really just told me to go out there and a playmaker."
It was just the second time Emanuel, who hails from Houston, has stepped on the field as a Chippewa. Last week, he carried six times for 30 yards in a 35-22 victory at Northern Illinois while sharing time at quarterback with starter Daniel Richardson and Jase Bauer.
Bauer was injured at NIU and did not play against Buffalo. Richardson started but gave way to Emanuel in the second half.
Emanuel scored on a 75-yard run to open the third quarter and he, and the Chippewas, were off to the races in a game that epitomized the tale-of-two-halves adage.
"The energy definitely jumped" after that play, Emanuel said. "You could just feel the intensity of everybody. We started flowing, the chemistry was there, we were clicking on all cylinders. The offense was doing their thing, the defense was doing their thing, it was just a great feeling to be a part of.
"Being a younger guy, a freshman, a lot of the older guys took me under their wing and motivated me, talked me through things, broke it down and gave me the extra work when I needed it. That's what really went into it and helped me have the performance I had tonight."
The Defense
Buffalo, which entered the game as one of the MAC's top rushing offenses and the league leader in possession time, flexed its muscle to the tune of 310 first-half yards, 204 of which came on the ground.
In the second half, the Chippewas limited the Bulls to 121 total yards, just 36 of which came on the ground.
"The first half was about missed tackles," Incoom said. "The (defensive) play calls were good; we've just got to tackle."
Said McElwain: "I told our defense at halftime, 'We need some stops because (Buffalo) can possess the ball.' I told our offense we had to make the most of every possession.
"I think those guys really grabbed together at half and said, 'We're a lot better than this.'
Leaders
Safety Trey Jones led the Chippewa defense with a career-high 16 tackles, while Incoom had 13, and Kyle Moretti added 11.
Incoom had one sack among three tackles-for-loss. He is tied for third in the nation with 8 ½ sacks and is eighth with 13 ½ TFLs. CMU is tied for second in the nation with 76 TFLs.
"I'm really about winning," said Incoom, a senior who is in his second year at CMU after transferring from Valdosta State. "Whatever comes (individually), that's extra. My job is to lock in and do my job and do it fast and help the team win. That's what I'm worried about."
Final Stop
With all the second-half fireworks by Emanuel and the offense, it came down to the CMU defense to deliver at crunch time.
Down 31-27, Buffalo took over at its own 20-yard line with 3:30 left and drove to the CMU 24. On fourth-and-1, CMU defensive tackle Robi Stuart and safety Jayden Davis corralled running back Al-Jay Henderson, stopping him for no gain, effectively ending it with 1:03 left.
History
Emanuel's 293-yard rushing night is fourth in program history. He averaged a whopping 12.2 yards per carry.
Robbie Mixon's 377-yard game against Eastern Michigan in 2002 is No. 1, followed by Brian Pruitt's 356-yard game vs. Toledo in 1994, and Jesse Lakes' 343-yard effort against UW-Milwaukee in 1969, when CMU was a Division II program.
Western
The big win, particularly in the fashion that it came, is certainly satisfying to a Chippewa team that has tasted its share of disappointment in 2022.
Now the attention turns to archrival Western Michigan. The Broncos lost on Wednesday, 24-21, at home to Northern Illinois and is 3-7, 2-4.
"Everybody knows about Western, but we're going to enjoy this win first and come back to work tomorrow, dial in on the next team," Incoom said. "(The win has) given everybody juice that we can finish the season strong. That's what it's like right now."
Players Mentioned
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