Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU linebacker Justin Whiteside (right) corrals NIU running back Antario Brown on Tuesday at snowy Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Football Notebook: Another Trip on the Roller Coaster Ride for Chippewas
11/1/2023 11:55:00 AM | Football
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Just hold tight and enjoy the ride.
It's been that way for the Central Michigan football team in 2023.
The latest chapter came Tuesday in the Chippewas' 37-31 Halloween night victory over Northern Illinois on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
In a way, the game was symbolic of the type of season it's been for CMU: Up and down, some dazzling offensive highlights, some frustration, and a stay-tuned-until-the-end finish.
When the dust – make that the snow – settled, the Chippewas improved to 5-4, 3-2 MAC and trail first-place Toledo by two games in the MAC West.
The Chase
No, the Chippewas are not eliminated from MAC West title contention and a berth in the MAC Championship Game.
But they need some help. CMU plays at Western Michigan (more on that later, of course), at Ohio, and then closes the season at home against Toledo on Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving.
The Rockets, 5-0 MAC, are home with Eastern Michigan and go to their rival, Bowling Green, before closing the season at CMU.
In short, the Chippewas need to win all three of their games and the Rockets must lose two of their remaining three in order for CMU to claim the West crown (or a share of it) and earn a berth in the title game.
Ground Game
The Chippewas rushed for 331 yards, a season high, against the Huskies.
Junior Marion Lukes finished with a career-high 202 yards on 21 carries to lead CMU's ground attack, while quarterback Jase Bauer added 106 yards.
It marked the first time a Chippewa had run for more than 200 yards in a game since quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. put up 293 on Nov. 9, 2022 in his breakout game, a 31-27 win over Buffalo.
It looked like good ol' fashioned ground-and-pound football as a pregame snow shower covered the turf in white. Lukes had six runs of 10 yards or more, including a 46-yarder for a touchdown and then a 42-yarder.
"I'm from the Midwest so playing in the snow, I kind of enjoy it a little bit," said Bauer, who hails from Ankeny, Iowa. "Marion and the offensive line -- shoot I could just back and watch that; a thing of beauty.
"Marion did his thing. I love watching him make his cuts. There were some cuts that you just can't teach. He's a really special player and our offensive line was giving him great holes all throughout the game. Towards the end they started to load the box a little bit. There's some things we can fix, but definitely some things we can build on for sure."
Lukes has gotten the lion's share of the running back carries since the injury to Myles Bailey, who missed his second straight game.
"With Myles being out, I don't know when he'll ever be back," McElwain said. "Marion, he's a true team leader; he's really accepted the load and it's great to see."
Explosives
The Chippewa offense produced more big plays than it has in recent games, a factor that clearly led to the victory.
McElwain has long preached the need for such plays and was generally pleased with his team's output against NIU.
Lukes averaged nearly 10 yards per carry on his 21 tries, and his 46-yard TD run was particularly highlight worthy. The ability to generate consist gains on first and second down on the ground opened opportunities for big plays.
"Then you've got to take the shot," McElwain said. "That's the next step. We've got to be able to do that and we've got to get some guys making some plays downfield … I guarantee we're going to take some shots this week."
Next Week
Ah, yes. Next week for McElwain began shortly after he left the field on Tuesday night and turned his attention to Western Michigan.
The Chippewas and Broncos renew their bitter rivalry on Tuesday, Nov. 7 in Kalamazoo. The road has not been kind to the Chippewas in 2023. They are 4-0 on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, 1-4 away from it.
"The No. 1 goal before every season is win every home game," McElwain said. "Our fans deserve it, the university deserves it. It's good to see. Now we've got to go on the road.
"My mind's already flipped to a big game against the W's and we've got to get back to work in a hurry."
Said Lukes: "You know how this program's history is with Western. We have to win. It's not even something we're going to debate. We're going to come in with the same intensity that we came into (the NIU) game with. We have to win or we're going to be sitting at home watching somebody else play for the (MAC) championship and nobody on this team wants to do that."
It's been that way for the Central Michigan football team in 2023.
The latest chapter came Tuesday in the Chippewas' 37-31 Halloween night victory over Northern Illinois on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
In a way, the game was symbolic of the type of season it's been for CMU: Up and down, some dazzling offensive highlights, some frustration, and a stay-tuned-until-the-end finish.
When the dust – make that the snow – settled, the Chippewas improved to 5-4, 3-2 MAC and trail first-place Toledo by two games in the MAC West.
The Chase
No, the Chippewas are not eliminated from MAC West title contention and a berth in the MAC Championship Game.
But they need some help. CMU plays at Western Michigan (more on that later, of course), at Ohio, and then closes the season at home against Toledo on Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving.
The Rockets, 5-0 MAC, are home with Eastern Michigan and go to their rival, Bowling Green, before closing the season at CMU.
In short, the Chippewas need to win all three of their games and the Rockets must lose two of their remaining three in order for CMU to claim the West crown (or a share of it) and earn a berth in the title game.
Ground Game
The Chippewas rushed for 331 yards, a season high, against the Huskies.
Junior Marion Lukes finished with a career-high 202 yards on 21 carries to lead CMU's ground attack, while quarterback Jase Bauer added 106 yards.
It marked the first time a Chippewa had run for more than 200 yards in a game since quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. put up 293 on Nov. 9, 2022 in his breakout game, a 31-27 win over Buffalo.
It looked like good ol' fashioned ground-and-pound football as a pregame snow shower covered the turf in white. Lukes had six runs of 10 yards or more, including a 46-yarder for a touchdown and then a 42-yarder.
"I'm from the Midwest so playing in the snow, I kind of enjoy it a little bit," said Bauer, who hails from Ankeny, Iowa. "Marion and the offensive line -- shoot I could just back and watch that; a thing of beauty.
"Marion did his thing. I love watching him make his cuts. There were some cuts that you just can't teach. He's a really special player and our offensive line was giving him great holes all throughout the game. Towards the end they started to load the box a little bit. There's some things we can fix, but definitely some things we can build on for sure."
Lukes has gotten the lion's share of the running back carries since the injury to Myles Bailey, who missed his second straight game.
"With Myles being out, I don't know when he'll ever be back," McElwain said. "Marion, he's a true team leader; he's really accepted the load and it's great to see."
Explosives
The Chippewa offense produced more big plays than it has in recent games, a factor that clearly led to the victory.
McElwain has long preached the need for such plays and was generally pleased with his team's output against NIU.
Lukes averaged nearly 10 yards per carry on his 21 tries, and his 46-yard TD run was particularly highlight worthy. The ability to generate consist gains on first and second down on the ground opened opportunities for big plays.
"Then you've got to take the shot," McElwain said. "That's the next step. We've got to be able to do that and we've got to get some guys making some plays downfield … I guarantee we're going to take some shots this week."
Next Week
Ah, yes. Next week for McElwain began shortly after he left the field on Tuesday night and turned his attention to Western Michigan.
The Chippewas and Broncos renew their bitter rivalry on Tuesday, Nov. 7 in Kalamazoo. The road has not been kind to the Chippewas in 2023. They are 4-0 on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, 1-4 away from it.
"The No. 1 goal before every season is win every home game," McElwain said. "Our fans deserve it, the university deserves it. It's good to see. Now we've got to go on the road.
"My mind's already flipped to a big game against the W's and we've got to get back to work in a hurry."
Said Lukes: "You know how this program's history is with Western. We have to win. It's not even something we're going to debate. We're going to come in with the same intensity that we came into (the NIU) game with. We have to win or we're going to be sitting at home watching somebody else play for the (MAC) championship and nobody on this team wants to do that."
Players Mentioned
Chatting Chippewas - Michael Heldman
Thursday, March 26
2026 Central Michigan Football Schedule Release
Monday, March 23
Dakota Cochran Pro Day Interview
Thursday, March 19
Caleb Spann Pro Day Interview
Thursday, March 19