Football Travels to Buffalo for Second MAC Game on Saturday

10/3/2023 2:40:00 PM | Football

Watch Game on ESPN+Listen Live (Chippewa Sports Network)Live Stats Central Michigan Game Notes (PDF)Buffalo Game Notes (PDF)

Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+; Chippewas are vying for third consecutive win.

By: Greg Hotchkiss

GAME SIX • CENTRAL MICHIGAN (3-2, 1-0 MAC) AT BUFFALO (1-4, 1-0 MAC))
Second MAC Game • Saturday, October 7, 2023 • 2 p.m. ET
UB Stadium (30,270) • Buffalo, N.Y.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON MATCHUP

Television: ESPN+ (Doug Sherman, play-by-play; Tyoka Jackson, color analyst; Dan Larsen, producer).

Chippewa Sports Radio Network: Adam Jaksa, Brock Gutierrez.

Live Stats: visit https://ubbulls.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

CMU Social Media: Twitter (@cmu_football); Facebook (@cmufootball); Instagram (cmufootball); Website: www.cmuchippewas.com.

Coaches: Central Michigan-Jim McElwain, 5th year at CMU (27-23), 11th year overall (71-50), 38th year in coaching. Buffalo- Maurice Linguist, 3^rd at UB (12-18), 3^rd year overall (12-18).

Series: Central Michigan and Buffalo meet for the 12^th time. The series began in 1999 with the Chippewas holding an 8-3 advantage. CMU is 5-2 in games played in Buffalo, including wins in three of the last four matchups. Buffalo claimed a 43-20 win in the last matchup played in Buffalo. CMU won last year's meeting, 31-27 in Mount Pleasant.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN GAME NOTES

THE ESSENTIALS

Central Michigan (3-2, 1-0 MAC) plays its second Mid-American Conference game in its 122nd season of college football when it travels to Buffalo, N.Y. to take on Buffalo (1-4, 1-0 MAC) on Saturday, Oct. 7. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET at UB Stadium.

WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME

The game will be live streamed on ESPN+ with Doug Sherman (play-by-play) and Tyoka Jackson (color analyst) calling action and Dan Larsen handling production.

WHERE TO LISTEN TO THE GAME

Fans can also listen to the Chippewa Sports Radio Network broadcast—presented by Fabiano Brothers. Adam Jaksa (play-by-play) and former Central Michigan/NFL player and CMU Athletic Hall of Famer Brock Gutierrez (color analyst) call action on the seven-station network (Mount Pleasant, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Petoskey, Traverse City) and nationally on the Varsity Network app. Coverage begins with a one-hour pre-game show.

TODAY'S TOP STORYLINES

• Riding a two-game win streak, CMU enters its second MAC game with a 1-0 record for the third time in the last four years under Head Coach Jim McElwain.

• CMU is in search of its third straight win. The last time CMU won three in a row was when the Chippewas completed the 2021 season with five straight victories.

• All three CMU wins have come on final scores and plays in the closing minutes.

• McElwain has guided the Chippewas to two bowl games (2019 New Mexico Bowl and 2021 Sun Bowl) and two w winning seasons in each of the past three full years.

ABOUT THE CHIPPEWAS

Central Michigan (3-2, 1-0 MAC) plays its second Mid-American Conference game on Saturday when it travels to Buffalo (1-4, 1-0 MAC) for a matchup at UB Stadium.

Central Michigan enters Saturday's game riding a two-game win streak. The Chippewas are coming off a dramatic 26-23 victory over in-state rival Eastern Michigan in its MAC opener on Saturday at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Before a crowd of 28,323, the largest crowd to attend a game at CMU since 2016, Central Michigan used a 24-yard touchdown run by Marion Lukes to take the lead with 7:55 to play and held off a last-minute EMU drive as the Eagles missed a 46 yard field goal with 51 seconds to play to secure the victory.

Central Michigan quarterback Jase Bauer completed 19 of 26 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for another, Myles Bailey rushed for 92 yards, Lukes led the Chippewas with 177 all-purpose yards, Chris Parker caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Bauer, Kyle Moretti notched two sacks and led the defense with 10 tackles, and Jayden Evans blocked an EMU PAT attempt which Dakota Cochran picked up and raced 89 yards for a two-point conversion.

It marked CMU's second straight win as on Sept. 23, Central Michigan notched a 34-30 victory in its final non conference game at South Alabama. The Chippewas rallied back from a 14-0 deficit to take the lead, then had to come from behind again in the closing seconds as quarterback Jase Bauer engineered a 75-yard, 11-play drive that spanned 2:29 and ended with a go-ahead four-yard touchdown run by Bauer with 13 seconds to play.

The MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts at South Alabama, Bauer finished the day with a career-high five touchdowns responsible for (four rushing, one passing), scored on touchdown runs of 15, 1, 1, and 4 yards, surpassed career-highs for completions (19), pass attempts (30), passing yards (224), and finished the day with 279 total yards (224 passing/55 rushing). He also threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jesse Prewitt III, who finished the day with a career-high 10 receptions for 142 yards.

The Chippewas controlled time of possession (33:44 to 26:16) and went on five long and time-consuming touchdown scoring drives of 56 yards or more, with four of those drives spanning 10 or more plays. CMU also converted a season-best nine of 16 third down conversions (56.3).

The victory gave Central Michigan its first non conference road win since a 45-27 victory over Kansas on Sept. 9, 2017.

The Chippewas are hoping to erase the memory of a 2022 season which saw it finish 4-8 overall and 3-5 in the Mid-American Conference. The Chippewas finished No. 129 in the nation out of 130 teams in turnover margin (-1.50), 128th nationally in turnovers lost (28) and 130th in fumbles lost (18). During the season, the 2022 Chippewas also lost the majority of their playmakers on offense due to injuries, including two of their top wide receivers, an NFL bound tight end (Joel Wilson) and their top three running backs. Still, Central Michigan had an opportunity to become bowl eligible late in the season and had several opportunities to get to six wins.

Last season's results were a drastic change from the course that Head Coach Jim McElwain has put the Chippewas on since his arrival in 2019. In his first year guiding the program in 2019, he took over a team that finished 1-11 and 0-8 in MAC play and led the Chippewas to one of the nation's top turnarounds, an 8-6 record, 6-2 in the MAC with a berth in the 2019 New Mexico Bowl. After a COVID-shortened 2020 season, he led CMU to a 9-4 overall, 6-2 MAC record and berth in the 2021 Sun Bowl, where the Chippewas closed the year on a five-game win streak, including a 24-21 Sun Bowl win over Washington State.

Central Michigan returned 14 players who started a significant number of games in 2022, including five on offense and nine on defense. Several transfers arrive who will play significant roles in the coming season, several players return from injury, and a variety of players have improved over the offseason and are ready to contribute.

LOOKING FOR THREE STRAIGHT WINS

A win on Saturday would give Central Michigan its third consecutive victory. Should the Chippewas defeat Buffalo, CMU would win three straight for the first time since they won five consecutive games to close out the 2021 season that ended in a 24-21 Sun Bowl victory over Washington State.

Under McElwain, the Chippewas have won three or more consecutive games on three different streaks: 5 straight from Nov. 3, 2021-Sept. 1, 2022; 3 straight from Oct. 5-19, 2019 in his first year and 3 straight from Nov. 2-Dec. 7, 2019.

A win would also give CMU a 2-0 record to start MAC play for the first time since the 2020 (Covid-shortened) season. Prior to 2020, CMU's previous 2-0 start in MAC play was in 2009.

CARDIAC KIDS

Central Michigan has thrived off close games with all three of its victories coming at the end of games with decisive plays. CMU's average margin of victory is 3.33 points per win. All three wins were decided in the final minute of each game. Consider the following:

• In its first win, a 45-42 win over New Hampshire on Sept. 9, placekicker Tristan Mattson converted a 47-yard field goal following a 13-play, 47-yard drive as time expired to give the Chippewas the win. Mattson was kicking his first career field goal. After CMU led the entire game, New Hampshire rallied to tie the game at 42-42 with 3:14 to play.

• Against South Alabama on Sept. 23, quarterback Jase Bauer rushed for a 4-yard score with 13 seconds left to play as the Chippewas won a 34-30 road victory in Mobile, Ala. Bauer, engineered an 11-play, 75 yard drive. The quarterback was responsible for five touchdowns (four rushing and one passing). South Alabama was coming off an impressive 33-7 win over Oklahoma State.

• Last week, CMU rallied from a 23-19 deficit with a 24-yard touchdown run by Marion Lukes with 7:55 to play to take a 26-23 lead. The Chippewas' defense then held off Eastern Michigan in the closing seconds as a 46-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right with 55 seconds. The offense ran out the clock and the Chippewas improved to 3-2.

COMEBACK KIDS

In each of its last two games, Central Michigan has rallied from behind to register victories.

At South Alabama, Central Michigan trailed 14-0 in the second quarter before taking a 20-14 lead with 20 unanswered points.

The host Jaquars again took a 30-27 advantage with 2:42 to play, but CMU drove down the field and scored when quarterback Jase Bauer found the end zone on a four-yard run with 13 seconds left.

In a back-and-forth game against Eastern Michigan, the Chippewas trailed 23-19 when the Eagles scored with 2:14 left in the third quarter. But CMU grabbed the lead 26-23 and held on to register the win.

TURNOVER TURNAROUND

Through five games, Central Michigan is ranked No. 18 nationally and ranks second in the MAC in fewest turnovers lost on offense. Even more impressive is that the Chippewas have registered just one turnover in the last 14 quarters played. In addition, the Chippewas went 12 straight quarters without a turnover (last two quarters vs. New Hampshire, four quarters at Notre Dame, four quarters at South Alabama, and two quarters vs. Eastern Michigan).

Those numbers are in stark contrast to the 2022 season when the Chippewas ranked No. 128 out of 133 teams in turnovers lost (28 total/18 fumbles lost/10 interceptions), No. 130 in fumbles lost (18) and No. 130 in turnover margin (-1.50).

The Chippewas have thrown just four interceptions and have not lost a fumble through their first five games.

BAUER ON FIRE

Bauer has emerged as a force to be reckoned with for Central Michigan. After a gritty performance at Notre Dame that kept the Chippewas in the game through three tough quarters, Bauer came off the bench and responded with a performance at South Alabama that saw him lead a CMU comeback twice, score the game-winner, make a block on a key run, and play in a role in scoring five touchdowns (four rushing/one passing). Combine that with his second start of the year against Eastern Michigan that saw him complete 73 percent of his passes (19-26) for 218 yards and a touchdown, Bauer has made an impact in the early-going.

Over the last three games where he saw significant action in the last 12 quarters, Bauer has combined to rush 32 times for 81 yards with six touchdowns, complete 63.2 percent (48-76) of his passes for 579 yards, with one interception and two touchdown passes (70-yard and 19-yard pass), and accumulate 660 total yards (220.0 per game).

The statistics don't tell the full story over the last three games as Bauer has engineered nine scoring drives of 52 yards or more with four of those coming on 10 or more plays. The Chippewas have turned the ball over only one time with Bauer at quarterback and have dominated time of possession.

MORETTI IS THE MAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Junior linebacker Kyle Moretti was named the MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday morning.

On Saturday, Moretti led the Chippewas' defense with 10 tackles and 2.0 sacks as CMU scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 24-yard run by Marion Lukes with 7:55 to play and held off Eastern Michigan in the closing minute to register a 26-23 win.

Moretti is CMU's third MAC weekly honoree of the season as Jase Bauer (Sept. 25) and Bert Emanuel Jr. (Sept. 11) previously both claimed Offensive Player of the Week honors earlier in the year.

Through five games, Moretti leads the Chippewas in both tackles (46) and tackles for loss (4.5 for 11 yards). He also has 2.0 sacks and two pass breakups. He has led the Chippewas in tackles in four of their five games and has three 10-plus tackle games on the year. A Third Team All-MAC linebacker in 2022, Moretti has registered 188 tackles (106 solo), with 16.0 tackles for loss for 67 yards, six sacks for 46 yards, five pass breakups, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in his three-year career.

SERIES VS. BUFFALO

• Central Michigan and Buffalo meet for the 12th time in a series dating back to Oct. 9, 1999.
• Central Michigan holds an 8-3-0 advantage in the series after a 31-27 victory over the Bulls last year in Mount Pleasant. Quarterback Bert Emanuel, Jr. rushed for 293 yards and three touchdowns on runs of 75, 87, and one yard. His performance set a school record for most rushing yards for a quarterback and ranked No. 4 on the school's all-time single-game rushing list.
• CMU is 5-2 in games played against the Bulls in Buffalo and has won three of its last four meetings with Buffalo in games played in New York.

CMU IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICS

After just five games, Central Michigan finds itself ranked among top-35 national leaders in several statistical categories. The Chippewas rank:

• No. 1 in fumbles lost (0) tied with 10 other teams in the nation.
• No. 8 in fourth down conversion percentage (83.3).
• No. 18 in kickoff returns (25.85).
• No. 18 in turnovers lost (4).

In addition, several individuals are ranked among the nation's top-35 in a variety of statistics:

• Marion Lukes, No. 1 in kickoff return touchdowns (1), tied with 16 players.
• Marion Lukes, No. 11 in combined kick returns (324).
• Jase Bauer, No. 14 in rushing touchdowns (6).
• Marion Lukes, No. 19 in kickoff returns (27.0).
• Maurice White, No. 22 in fumbles recovered (1).
• Jake Walrath, No. 24 in punting (44.3).
• Jase Bauer, No. 26 in total touchdowns (6).
• Marion Lukes, No. 30 in all-purpose yards (116.40).
• Kyle Moretti, No. 30 in total tackles (9.2).
• Chris Parker, No. 30 in yards per reception (19.73).