Saturday, October 21
Muncie, Ind./Scheumann Stadium
3:30 p.m.
Central Michigan University
at
Ball State
With an injury to starting linebacker Kyle Moretti, Dakota Cochran (11) stepped up last week with a career-high 10 tackles in CMU's 17-10 victory over Akron.
Photo by: Sydney Kline '26 - @sydney.kline.photography
Football Preview: Ball State a 'Prove It' Game as Chippewas Seek to Remain in MAC West Hunt
10/20/2023 12:12:00 PM | Football
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Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET in Muncie, Ind.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The most important one? The next one.
And if the Central Michigan football team doesn't take care of this one, there won't be a next important one.
The Chippewas head to Muncie, Ind. on Saturday for a Mid-American Conference game with Ball State at Scheumann Stadium.
CMU is 4-3 and very much in the thick of the MAC West race at 2-1 in league play. The Cardinals are 1-6, 0-3 and has lost their last four. Their lone win came on Sept. 16, 45-7, over Indiana State.
CMU trails first-place Toledo by one game in the West – tied for second place with Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois – and is coming off a gritty 17-10 win over Akron.
All four of CMU's wins have come by one score. The first three came with the Chippewas scoring – or stopping a score – in the final minute. Against Akron, the Chippewas built a 17-3 lead and then held off the Zips down the stretch.
"I look at this as a real ownership game," said fifth-year CMU coach Jim McElwain, whose Chippewas lost their lone MAC road game this season, 37-13, at Buffalo. "Each one of us in the program, we've got to own what we do this week to make sure we go down and play well.
"For us, it's figuring out how we go on the road in a MAC game and get a win. We've got a good football team; we've got to go out and prove it."
The Chippewa defense stood tall in securing last week's victory as it held the Zips to 193 total yards – 70 on the ground, 123 through the air. All three numbers were season lows for a CMU opponent.
CMU forced two turnovers and limited the Zips to three third-down conversions in 13 attempts.
"We don't make it easy, but the end result is what it's all about," said McElwain, who called it the most complete performance by a defense in his five years in charge of the program. "This team's figuring out a way to win. When it's all said and done, it's about getting that victory and we were able to do that."
The Chippewa offense wasn't dominant, but it was efficient, particularly in the second half when CMU built its lead. It held the ball for nearly 16 minutes longer than did Akron, and ran 82 offensive plays to Akron's 53.
That's an enormous advantage in both possession time and total plays. The Chippewas converted 10 of their 22 third- and fourth-down opportunities.
"I think that really helped (the defense) play with a lot more emotion and a lot more energy," McElwain said.
The Chippewas lost linebacker Kyle Moretti, their leading tackler and the defense's emotional leader, to an injury in the third quarter. He is out for Saturday's game at Ball State.
The Cardinals rank 11th in the MAC in scoring offense and are ninth in scoring defense. They are ninth in total offense and seventh in total defense.
Last week, they lost, 13-6, at home to West-leading Toledo (6-1) as the Rockets scored a touchdown with 1:31 remaining to go ahead for good.
And if the Central Michigan football team doesn't take care of this one, there won't be a next important one.
The Chippewas head to Muncie, Ind. on Saturday for a Mid-American Conference game with Ball State at Scheumann Stadium.
CMU is 4-3 and very much in the thick of the MAC West race at 2-1 in league play. The Cardinals are 1-6, 0-3 and has lost their last four. Their lone win came on Sept. 16, 45-7, over Indiana State.
CMU trails first-place Toledo by one game in the West – tied for second place with Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois – and is coming off a gritty 17-10 win over Akron.
All four of CMU's wins have come by one score. The first three came with the Chippewas scoring – or stopping a score – in the final minute. Against Akron, the Chippewas built a 17-3 lead and then held off the Zips down the stretch.
"I look at this as a real ownership game," said fifth-year CMU coach Jim McElwain, whose Chippewas lost their lone MAC road game this season, 37-13, at Buffalo. "Each one of us in the program, we've got to own what we do this week to make sure we go down and play well.
"For us, it's figuring out how we go on the road in a MAC game and get a win. We've got a good football team; we've got to go out and prove it."
The Chippewa defense stood tall in securing last week's victory as it held the Zips to 193 total yards – 70 on the ground, 123 through the air. All three numbers were season lows for a CMU opponent.
CMU forced two turnovers and limited the Zips to three third-down conversions in 13 attempts.
"We don't make it easy, but the end result is what it's all about," said McElwain, who called it the most complete performance by a defense in his five years in charge of the program. "This team's figuring out a way to win. When it's all said and done, it's about getting that victory and we were able to do that."
The Chippewa offense wasn't dominant, but it was efficient, particularly in the second half when CMU built its lead. It held the ball for nearly 16 minutes longer than did Akron, and ran 82 offensive plays to Akron's 53.
That's an enormous advantage in both possession time and total plays. The Chippewas converted 10 of their 22 third- and fourth-down opportunities.
"I think that really helped (the defense) play with a lot more emotion and a lot more energy," McElwain said.
The Chippewas lost linebacker Kyle Moretti, their leading tackler and the defense's emotional leader, to an injury in the third quarter. He is out for Saturday's game at Ball State.
The Cardinals rank 11th in the MAC in scoring offense and are ninth in scoring defense. They are ninth in total offense and seventh in total defense.
Last week, they lost, 13-6, at home to West-leading Toledo (6-1) as the Rockets scored a touchdown with 1:31 remaining to go ahead for good.
Players Mentioned
LB
/ FootballFootball Insider - 9.25.25
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