Historical Look: Central Michigan Wins Over Michigan State

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Central Michigan football kicks off the 2023 season with a trip down to East Lansing to take on Michigan State in what will be its 12^th all-time matchup between the two schools and the first in five years. The Chippewas have defeated the Spartans three times in their head-to-head history despite being the underdog in every matchup, with wins in back-to-back years in 1991 and 1992, and a miraculous ending for the Chippewas in 2009.

Gallery: (8-30-2023) Central Michigan Victories Over MSU

Let's take a historical look back at the three games where the Chippewas stunned the Spartans:

Sept. 14, 1991 – Central Michigan 20, No. 18 Michigan State 3
In the greatest gridiron triumph in CMU history, the Chippewas who were coached by Hall of Fame coach Herb Deromedi stunned the 18th-ranked Spartans, controlling all facets of the game. Michigan State came into the contest as a 21.5 point favorite. The Chippewas outgained MSU, 346-281, led by tailback Billy Smith's 162 yards and a fierce rush that sacked MSU quarterbacks four times. Smith's high school classmate at Detroit Henry Ford, Lamar Sally, registered three of those sacks as both players reaped MAC Player of the Week honors. CMU's defense set the tone on the first series when Doug Adler stuffed Tico Duckett on fourth-and-goal at the CMU one-yard line. Smith opened the scoring with a 15-yard TD run just before halftime, and the Chippewas made it 14-0 on a 57-yard pass from Jeff Bender to Ken Ealy in the third period. From there, the defense took over.

Sept. 12, 1992 – Central Michigan 24, Michigan State 20
A great moment in CMU football history occurred when the Chippewas accomplished what few people thought they could do – repeat 1991's startling victory over Michigan State. But CMU did just that, led by coach Deromedi yet again. Outstanding performances on both sides of the ball helped the Chippewas stun Michigan State 24-20 for CMU's second consecutive win over the Big Ten school. Safety Darrall Stinson paced the CMU defense with 14 tackles, including a jarring hit that forced a MSU fumble at the Central goal line in the second quarter. Quarterback Joe Youngblood connected with split end Bryan Tice for touchdown passes of 6 and 15 yards to give CMU a 14-7 halftime lead. Youngblood would earn Mid-American Conference Player of the Week honors for his performance which included 163 yards passing and two TDs on 17-of-22 attempts and a pass reception for 29 yards. Youngblood also led CMU on a crucial 69-yard drive in the second half which took 6:33 off the clock and ended with a seven-yard TD scamper by Brian Pruitt to put the game out of reach. Junior tailback Leo Griffin gained 90 of CMU's 141 rushing yards.

Sept. 12, 2009 – Central Michigan 29, Michigan State 27
Andrew Aguila's 42-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining, in front of a national audience on ESPN2, gave the Chippewas their third victory in seven all-time meetings against Michigan State. Dan LeFevour's touchdown pass to Paris Cotton with 32 seconds remaining drew the Chippewas within a point, 27-26, but a two-point conversion pass to Antonio Brown was incomplete. Bryan Anderson recovered a perfectly executed onside-kick, and LeFevour completed three straight passes to move the Chippewas into field goal range and set up Aguila's game-winner. Both the Chippewas and Spartans look to improve from struggles in 2022, as CMU finished 4-8 (3-5 MAC) and MSU finished 5-7 (3-6 Big 10), so it's safe to say this game is big for both squads to start the season on the right foot. The Chippewas will kick off in East Lansing on Friday, Sept. 1st at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on FS1.

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