Photo by: Sydney Kline '26 - @sydney.kline.photography
Football Travels to Western Michigan for Tuesday Night Victory Cannon Game
11/5/2023 12:00:00 PM | Football
Watch Game Live (ESPNU)Listen Live (Chippewa Sports Radio Network)Live StatsGameDay PageCentral Michigan Game Notes (PDF)Western Michigan Game Notes (PDF)
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET for a nationally televised game on ESPNU; Victory Cannon Trophy, Michigan MAC Trophy at stake; Chippewas need one more victory to become bowl-eligible.
GAME 10 • CENTRAL MICHIGAN (5-4, 3-2 MAC) AT WESTERN MICHIGAN (3-6, 2-3 MAC)
MACtion Game/Battle for the Victory Cannon Trophy • Tuesday, November 7, 2023 • 7 p.m. ET
Waldo Stadium (30,200) • Kalamazoo, Mich.
TUESDAY NIGHT MATCHUP/RIVALRY GAME
Television: ESPNU (Clay Matvick, play-by-play; Rene Ingoglia, color analyst; Stos Hall, producer).
Chippewa Sports Radio Network: Adam Jaksa, Brock Gutierrez, Steve Powers, Riley Edwards.
Live Stats: visit https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=wmu
CMU Social Media: Twitter (@cmu_football); Facebook (@cmufootball); Instagram (cmufootball); Website: www.cmuchippewas.com.
Coaches: Central Michigan-Jim McElwain, 5th year at CMU (29-25), 11th year overall (73-52), 38th year in coaching. Western Michigan- Lance Taylor, 1st year at WMU (3-6); 1st year overall (3-6), 16th year in coaching.
Series: Central Michigan and Western Michigan meet for the 95th time in series history as WMU holds a 40-52-2 advantage in the series dating back to 1905. CMU is 17-26-1 in games played in Kalamazoo, including a 42-30 victory over the Broncos on Nov. 3, 2021. WMU claimed a 12-10 win over CMU in the last matchup on Nov. 16, 2022 in Mount Pleasant.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN GAME NOTES
THE ESSENTIALS
Central Michigan (5-4, 3-2 MAC) travels to rival Western Michigan (3-6, 2-3 MAC) for its second MACtion game, battle for the Victory Cannon Trophy, and 10th contest of its 122nd season of college football on Tuesday at Waldo Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME
The game will be live televised nationally on ESPNU with Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (color analyst) calling action. Stos Hall will handle 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
• Central Michigan and Western Michigan renew their yearly football matchup for the Victory Cannon Trophy. Tuesday's winner will claim two trophies: Victory Cannon and the Michigan MAC Trophy.
• With three games left, CMU needs one more win to become bowl eligible.
• All five CMU victories this year have come in close fashion as all five games were decided by seven points or less.
• Head Coach Jim McElwain is in search of his third bowl appearance and third winning season at Central Michigan in the last four full years (2019 New Mexico Bowl and 2021 Sun Bowl).
ABOUT THE CHIPPEWAS
Central Michigan (5-4, 3-2 MAC) travels to Kalamazoo, Mich. to take on rival Western Michigan (3-6, 2-3 MAC) in Waldo Stadium. The winner earns the right to take home the annual Victory Cannon Trophy and Michigan MAC Trophy. The contest marks CMU's sixth MAC game and 10th overall contest. The two schools meet for the 95th time in series which began in 1905.
As Central Michigan's second midweek MACtion contest, the Chippewas find themselves fighting for bowl eligibility in a tie for second place in the MAC West Division with Northern Illinois with identical 3-2 records. Toledo is in first place with a 5-0 record, while Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan are tied for fourth place with 2-3 records.
After Tuesday, CMU's last two regular season games are at Ohio (Nov. 15) and home against Toledo (Nov. 24).
With five victories in nine games, Central Michigan has already surpassed its win total from the 2022 season (4). Central Michigan needs one more victory to become bowl eligible for the third time in four years under Head Coach Jim McElwain.
Central Michigan enters Tuesday night's game following a 37-31 home victory over Northern Illinois on snowy Halloween Night (Oct. 31). The Chippewas rushed for a season-high 331 yards, 7.0 yards per carry, and tied a season-high with four rushing touchdowns. CMU took a commanding 24-3 halftime lead and held off the visiting Huskies the rest of the way.
Junior running back Marion Lukes led CMU with a career-high 202-yard rushing performance that included a 46-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Lukes averaged 9.6 yards per carry (21-202 yards) in the game and finished the evening with a career-best 254 all-purpose yards (52 kickoff return yards). For his efforts, Lukes was named the MAC West Division Offenisve Player of the Week. Redshirt sophomore Jase Bauer was responsible for three touchdowns, on the evening including runs of nine and one yards respectively and threw for another touchdown on a 20-yard pass to Mitchel Collier. Bauer finished with 106 rushing yards of his own, his third career 100-yard rushing performance, and completed nine of 16 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Even though Northern Illinois accumulated 506 yards of total offense, CMU's defense held the Huskies to an incredible 0-10 on third down conversions. With NIU driving, CMU's Nahree Biggins intercepted a pass to seal the victory.
With the win, CMU improved to a perfect 4-0 at home and snapped a three-game Northern Illinois win streak.
Central Michigan is 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 were added in who will play significant roles in 2023, several players return from injury, and a variety of players have improved over the offseason and are ready to contribute.
CMU-WMU: WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Central Michigan and Western Michigan are vying for two trophies: the Victory Cannon Trophy and the Michigan MAC Trophy.
The Victory Cannon Trophy was first awarded on Oct. 18, 2008. On the trophy sits a cannon, which represents cannons that are fired at both CMU's Kelly/Shorts Stadium and WMU's Waldo Stadium.
In the current Michigan MAC Trophy standings, both Central Michigan (26-23) and Western Michigan (45-21) defeated Eastern Michigan in previous meetings.
The Michigan MAC Trophy is presented annually to one of the Michigan-based Mid-American Conference institutions (CMU, EMU, WMU) as the trophy is awarded to the team which has the best head-to-head football record against each other. It is one of just two regularly-awarded trophies between three teams (the other is the Commander-in-Chief's trophy between Army, Navy, and Air Force).
In 2022, Eastern Michigan claimed the trophy. CMU last claimed the Michigan MAC Trophy in 2022 with wins over EMU and WMU.
NOVEMBER SUCCESS
Since 2019, Central Michigan has closed out seasons successfully under Head Coach Jim McElwain as the Chippewas sport a 12-3 record in the month of November.
Central Michigan went 3-0 in 2019, 3-1 in 2020, 4-0 in 2021, and finished 2-2 in 2022.
Previously, the Chippewas won seven straight games in the month of November under McElwain up until last year's 2022 loss to Western Michigan. The Chippewas closed out the 2022 season with a road loss at Eastern Michigan.
CMU-WMU SERIES
Central Michigan and Western Michigan meet for the 95th time in series history.
• Central Michigan enters its rivalry game with a 40-52-2 all-time record vs. Western Michigan.
• Western Michigan has won three of fhe series' last four games, including a 12-10 comeback win in last year's Snow Bowl played at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
• Central Michigan has won two of the last three matchups played in Kalamazoo. The last time the two teams played in Kalamazoo, Central Michigan won a thrilling 42-30 victory over the Broncos. The win helped CMU become bowl eligible. CMU also won a 35-28 game in 2017.
• Western Michigan has claimed three of the last 10 games and nine of the last 20 contests played in the series.
• CMU Head Coach Jim McElwain is 1-3 vs. Western Michigan.
HOME SWEET, HOME
With one home game remaining on the schedule (vs. Toledo, Nov. 24), Central Michigan is a perfect 4-0 in home games this year. The last time CMU completed a season with an undefeated home record was during Head Coach Jim McElwain's first year in 2019, when the Chippewas went a perfect 6-0.
Since 1950, CMU has registered 12 undefeated home seasons: 1953 (4-0), 1954 (4-0), 1955 (4-0), 1956 (4-0), 1967 (4-0), 1970 (4-0), 1977 (5-0), 1979 (5-0), 1980 (6-0), 1994 (5-0), 1998 (5-0), and 2009 (5-0).
LUKES EARNS WEEKLY AWARD
Junior running back Marion Lukes was named the MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for a career-high 202 yards on 21 carries and a 46-yard touchdown and amassing a career-best 254 all-purpose yards.
Lukes is CMU's fourth MAC weekly honoree of the year and third Offensive Player of the Week honoree of the season. He earns his second weekly MAC award as he was named the MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 11.
Through nine games, Lukes leads the Chippewas in rushing yards (462), all-purpose yards (1,138), kickoff return yards (448) and ranks second on the squad in receptions (23). He has scored four total touchdowns (three rushing, one on kickoff returns) and ranks among national leaders in kickoff return touchdowns and combined kick returns.
CMU IN NATIONAL STATISTICS
After nine games, Central Michigan finds itself ranked among top-35 national leaders in several statistical categories. The Chippewas rank:
• No. 2 in fumbles lost (1).
• No. 12 in fourth down conversions (75%).
• No. 32 in kickoff returns (22.76).
In addition, several individuals are ranked among the nation's top-35 in a variety of statistics:
• Marion Lukes, No. 2 in kickoff return touchdowns (1).
• Marion Lukes, No. 12 in combined kick returns (448).
• Jase Bauer, No. 13 in rushing touchdowns (9).
• Marion Lukes, No. 14 in kickoff returns (24.9).
• Marion Lukes, No. 16 in all-purpose yards (126.44).
• Jase Bauer, No. 22 in total touchdowns (9).
MACtion Game/Battle for the Victory Cannon Trophy • Tuesday, November 7, 2023 • 7 p.m. ET
Waldo Stadium (30,200) • Kalamazoo, Mich.
TUESDAY NIGHT MATCHUP/RIVALRY GAME
Television: ESPNU (Clay Matvick, play-by-play; Rene Ingoglia, color analyst; Stos Hall, producer).
Chippewa Sports Radio Network: Adam Jaksa, Brock Gutierrez, Steve Powers, Riley Edwards.
Live Stats: visit https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=wmu
CMU Social Media: Twitter (@cmu_football); Facebook (@cmufootball); Instagram (cmufootball); Website: www.cmuchippewas.com.
Coaches: Central Michigan-Jim McElwain, 5th year at CMU (29-25), 11th year overall (73-52), 38th year in coaching. Western Michigan- Lance Taylor, 1st year at WMU (3-6); 1st year overall (3-6), 16th year in coaching.
Series: Central Michigan and Western Michigan meet for the 95th time in series history as WMU holds a 40-52-2 advantage in the series dating back to 1905. CMU is 17-26-1 in games played in Kalamazoo, including a 42-30 victory over the Broncos on Nov. 3, 2021. WMU claimed a 12-10 win over CMU in the last matchup on Nov. 16, 2022 in Mount Pleasant.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN GAME NOTES
THE ESSENTIALS
Central Michigan (5-4, 3-2 MAC) travels to rival Western Michigan (3-6, 2-3 MAC) for its second MACtion game, battle for the Victory Cannon Trophy, and 10th contest of its 122nd season of college football on Tuesday at Waldo Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME
The game will be live televised nationally on ESPNU with Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (color analyst) calling action. Stos Hall will handle 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
• Central Michigan and Western Michigan renew their yearly football matchup for the Victory Cannon Trophy. Tuesday's winner will claim two trophies: Victory Cannon and the Michigan MAC Trophy.
• With three games left, CMU needs one more win to become bowl eligible.
• All five CMU victories this year have come in close fashion as all five games were decided by seven points or less.
• Head Coach Jim McElwain is in search of his third bowl appearance and third winning season at Central Michigan in the last four full years (2019 New Mexico Bowl and 2021 Sun Bowl).
ABOUT THE CHIPPEWAS
Central Michigan (5-4, 3-2 MAC) travels to Kalamazoo, Mich. to take on rival Western Michigan (3-6, 2-3 MAC) in Waldo Stadium. The winner earns the right to take home the annual Victory Cannon Trophy and Michigan MAC Trophy. The contest marks CMU's sixth MAC game and 10th overall contest. The two schools meet for the 95th time in series which began in 1905.
As Central Michigan's second midweek MACtion contest, the Chippewas find themselves fighting for bowl eligibility in a tie for second place in the MAC West Division with Northern Illinois with identical 3-2 records. Toledo is in first place with a 5-0 record, while Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan are tied for fourth place with 2-3 records.
After Tuesday, CMU's last two regular season games are at Ohio (Nov. 15) and home against Toledo (Nov. 24).
With five victories in nine games, Central Michigan has already surpassed its win total from the 2022 season (4). Central Michigan needs one more victory to become bowl eligible for the third time in four years under Head Coach Jim McElwain.
Central Michigan enters Tuesday night's game following a 37-31 home victory over Northern Illinois on snowy Halloween Night (Oct. 31). The Chippewas rushed for a season-high 331 yards, 7.0 yards per carry, and tied a season-high with four rushing touchdowns. CMU took a commanding 24-3 halftime lead and held off the visiting Huskies the rest of the way.
Junior running back Marion Lukes led CMU with a career-high 202-yard rushing performance that included a 46-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Lukes averaged 9.6 yards per carry (21-202 yards) in the game and finished the evening with a career-best 254 all-purpose yards (52 kickoff return yards). For his efforts, Lukes was named the MAC West Division Offenisve Player of the Week. Redshirt sophomore Jase Bauer was responsible for three touchdowns, on the evening including runs of nine and one yards respectively and threw for another touchdown on a 20-yard pass to Mitchel Collier. Bauer finished with 106 rushing yards of his own, his third career 100-yard rushing performance, and completed nine of 16 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Even though Northern Illinois accumulated 506 yards of total offense, CMU's defense held the Huskies to an incredible 0-10 on third down conversions. With NIU driving, CMU's Nahree Biggins intercepted a pass to seal the victory.
With the win, CMU improved to a perfect 4-0 at home and snapped a three-game Northern Illinois win streak.
Central Michigan is 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 were added in who will play significant roles in 2023, several players return from injury, and a variety of players have improved over the offseason and are ready to contribute.
CMU-WMU: WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Central Michigan and Western Michigan are vying for two trophies: the Victory Cannon Trophy and the Michigan MAC Trophy.
The Victory Cannon Trophy was first awarded on Oct. 18, 2008. On the trophy sits a cannon, which represents cannons that are fired at both CMU's Kelly/Shorts Stadium and WMU's Waldo Stadium.
In the current Michigan MAC Trophy standings, both Central Michigan (26-23) and Western Michigan (45-21) defeated Eastern Michigan in previous meetings.
The Michigan MAC Trophy is presented annually to one of the Michigan-based Mid-American Conference institutions (CMU, EMU, WMU) as the trophy is awarded to the team which has the best head-to-head football record against each other. It is one of just two regularly-awarded trophies between three teams (the other is the Commander-in-Chief's trophy between Army, Navy, and Air Force).
In 2022, Eastern Michigan claimed the trophy. CMU last claimed the Michigan MAC Trophy in 2022 with wins over EMU and WMU.
NOVEMBER SUCCESS
Since 2019, Central Michigan has closed out seasons successfully under Head Coach Jim McElwain as the Chippewas sport a 12-3 record in the month of November.
Central Michigan went 3-0 in 2019, 3-1 in 2020, 4-0 in 2021, and finished 2-2 in 2022.
Previously, the Chippewas won seven straight games in the month of November under McElwain up until last year's 2022 loss to Western Michigan. The Chippewas closed out the 2022 season with a road loss at Eastern Michigan.
CMU-WMU SERIES
Central Michigan and Western Michigan meet for the 95th time in series history.
• Central Michigan enters its rivalry game with a 40-52-2 all-time record vs. Western Michigan.
• Western Michigan has won three of fhe series' last four games, including a 12-10 comeback win in last year's Snow Bowl played at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
• Central Michigan has won two of the last three matchups played in Kalamazoo. The last time the two teams played in Kalamazoo, Central Michigan won a thrilling 42-30 victory over the Broncos. The win helped CMU become bowl eligible. CMU also won a 35-28 game in 2017.
• Western Michigan has claimed three of the last 10 games and nine of the last 20 contests played in the series.
• CMU Head Coach Jim McElwain is 1-3 vs. Western Michigan.
HOME SWEET, HOME
With one home game remaining on the schedule (vs. Toledo, Nov. 24), Central Michigan is a perfect 4-0 in home games this year. The last time CMU completed a season with an undefeated home record was during Head Coach Jim McElwain's first year in 2019, when the Chippewas went a perfect 6-0.
Since 1950, CMU has registered 12 undefeated home seasons: 1953 (4-0), 1954 (4-0), 1955 (4-0), 1956 (4-0), 1967 (4-0), 1970 (4-0), 1977 (5-0), 1979 (5-0), 1980 (6-0), 1994 (5-0), 1998 (5-0), and 2009 (5-0).
LUKES EARNS WEEKLY AWARD
Junior running back Marion Lukes was named the MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for a career-high 202 yards on 21 carries and a 46-yard touchdown and amassing a career-best 254 all-purpose yards.
Lukes is CMU's fourth MAC weekly honoree of the year and third Offensive Player of the Week honoree of the season. He earns his second weekly MAC award as he was named the MAC West Division Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 11.
Through nine games, Lukes leads the Chippewas in rushing yards (462), all-purpose yards (1,138), kickoff return yards (448) and ranks second on the squad in receptions (23). He has scored four total touchdowns (three rushing, one on kickoff returns) and ranks among national leaders in kickoff return touchdowns and combined kick returns.
CMU IN NATIONAL STATISTICS
After nine games, Central Michigan finds itself ranked among top-35 national leaders in several statistical categories. The Chippewas rank:
• No. 2 in fumbles lost (1).
• No. 12 in fourth down conversions (75%).
• No. 32 in kickoff returns (22.76).
In addition, several individuals are ranked among the nation's top-35 in a variety of statistics:
• Marion Lukes, No. 2 in kickoff return touchdowns (1).
• Marion Lukes, No. 12 in combined kick returns (448).
• Jase Bauer, No. 13 in rushing touchdowns (9).
• Marion Lukes, No. 14 in kickoff returns (24.9).
• Marion Lukes, No. 16 in all-purpose yards (126.44).
• Jase Bauer, No. 22 in total touchdowns (9).
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
DB
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RB
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