Chippewas Host Bowling Green for First #MACtion game on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

GAME 9: BOWLING GREEN (4-4, 3-1 MAC) AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN (3-5, 1-3 MAC)
First Weeknight #MACtion Game/Military Appreciation Night
Tuesday, November 5 • 7:30 p.m. ET • Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium (30,255)

TUESDAY NIGHT MATCHUP

Television: ESPN2 (Clay Matvick, play-by-play; Steve Addazio, analyst; Brett Wilensky, producer).

Chippewa Sports Radio Network: Adam Jaksa, play-by-play; Brock Gutierrez, color analyst; spotter: Steve Powers; host: Riley Edwards; host/engineer: Nathan Arbaugh.

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

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

Coaches: Central Michigan-Jim McElwain, 6th year at CMU (32-33), 12th year overall (76-60), 39th year in coaching. Bowling Green-Tim Loeffler, 6^th year at BGSU (24-39), 6^th year overall (24-39).

Series: Central Michigan and Bowling Green meet for the 44^th time. The Falcons hold a 24-19 advantage in the series which began in 1924. Bowling Green has won three straight and five of the last six games vs. Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant. CMU's last win over Bowling Green in Mount Pleasant was on Oct. 19, 2006, a 31-14 victory.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN GAME NOTES

THE ESSENTIALS

Central Michigan (3-5, 1-3 MAC) begins weeknight #MACtion play and gets back to Mount Pleasant when it hosts Bowling Green (4-4, 3-1 MAC) on Tuesday at Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME

The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Steve Addazio (color analyst) calling action with Brett Wilensky producing.

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 five-station network (Mount Pleasant, Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Muskegon) and nationally on the Varsity Network app. Coverage begins with a one-hour pre-game show.

TUESDAY'S TOP STORYLINES

•Central Michigan and BGSU meet for a pivotal #MACtion game on Tuesday.

•CMU has been successful at home as the Chippewas have won seven of their last nine home games and are 3-1 at home this year. It is 21-9 under Head Coach Mac at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

•CMU enters the game on a three-game losing streak after dropping three straight MAC games.

•CMU and BGSU meet for the 44th time.

•McElwain is in search of his third bowl appearance and third winning season at Central Michigan in the last five full years (2019 New Mexico Bowl and 2021 Sun Bowl).

ABOUT THE CHIPPEWAS

Central Michigan (3-5, 1-3 MAC) begins its #MACtion weeknight schedule when it hosts Bowling Green (4-4, 3-1 MAC) in the fifth and pivotal league contest for both teams on Tuesday evening. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET at Kelly/Shorts Stadium for an ESPN2 nationally televised game.

Four games remain for Central Michigan. The Chippewas must go 3-1 to become bowl eligible: vs. Bowling Green (Nov. 5), at Toledo (Nov. 12), vs. Western Michigan (Nov. 19), at Northern Illinois (Nov. 30).

Central Michigan enters Tuesday's contest vs. Bowling Green on a three-game losing streak after dropping three straight MAC contests including a 27-25 home loss to Ohio, a 38-34 road loss at Eastern Michigan and a 46-7 loss at Miami (OH). The Ohio and Eastern Michigan games were decided in the last minute.

Returning to the friendly confines of Kelly/Shorts Stadium couldn't come at a better time as the Chippewas are 3-1 in home games this season and have won seven of their last nine home games. In addition, Head Coach Jim McElwain is 21-9 in home games since he became head coach at CMU in 2019.

Prior to the Miami (OH) game, the Chippewas played four consecutive close games, defeating both Ball State (37-34) and San Diego State (22-21) in the closing seconds and dropping contests to Ohio (27-25) and at Eastern Michigan (38-34). All four contests were decided by four points or less and were decided in the final minute.

CMU is coming off a 46-7 loss at Miami (OH), where the Chippewas accumulated season-lows for points (7), total offensive yards (168), rushing yards (106), passing yards (62) and first downs (12). The last time CMU amassed less than 200 yards of total offense and threw for fewer than 62 yards was at Wisconsin on Sept. 7, 2019 (58 yards of total offense, 43 yards passing). The last time CMU scored seven or fewer points was at Michigan State on Sept. 1, 2023.

CMU's only bright spot was a 15-play, 75-yard drive spanning 8:03 where the Chippewas took a 7-3 lead on a 2-yard run by Myles Bailey. Miami (OH) then scored 43 unanswered points to win the game. The Redhawks finished the game with 518 total yards, 277 rushing yards, 241 passing yards and 19 first downs. They scored on 10 of 11 possessions.

Prior to the season, Central Michigan returned 17 players who started a significant number of games in 2023, including eight players on offense and nine on defense. Several transfers were added in who play significant roles in 2024, several players return from injury, and a variety of players have improved over the offseason and are ready to contribute. The Chippewas are a year older across the board with a majority of their talent returning.

Last year, CMU narrowly missed advancing to a bowl game as it entered its season finale against No. 23 Toledo needing one more win to become bowl eligible. CMU dropped a 32-17 decision.

Combining the last three seasons (2022-24), CMU has accumulated an 12-19 record and the Chippewas are coming off back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2010 and 2011 when they went 3-9 in consecutive years. Central Michigan is hoping to erase the memory of those two seasons that saw it finish an identical 3-5 in Mid-American Conference play.

The last two seasons 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.

A WIN OVER BOWLING GREEN WOULD…

•Improve CMU's record to 2-3 in MAC play.

•Give CMU a 4-5 overall record start and put CMU in a position to win two out of its last three games to become bowl eligible.

•Give Central Michigan a 4-1 record at home.

•Snap a three-game losing streak to Bowling Green in games played in Mount Pleasant. The last time Central Michigan defeated BGSU at home was on Oct. 19, 2006, a 31-14 Chippewa win. Ironically, Bowling Green has won five of the last six matchups with CMU in Mount Pleasant.

COMEBACK KIDS

Central Michigan has proved the ability to come-back-from behind and overcome deficits. In four of its last five games, Central Michigan has trailed by double-digits and have come back to either win the game or have an opportunity to win it in the end.

Here is a look at each comeback:

•CMU trailed 13-0 at EMU in the second quarter before regaining the lead in the second half.

•Against Ohio, CMU trailed 24-0 at halftime, but battled back and gave itself an opportunity to win at the end.

•Against San Diego State, CMU trailed by as many as 11 points (21-10) in the first half and 21-13 at halftime before scoring the game's final nine points, including a game-winning 46-yard field goal with five seconds to play by Tristan Mattson to win 22-21.

•Versus Ball State, the Chippewas trailed 10-0 in the first quarter. They trailed 27-23 with 8:39 to play, came back to take the lead with a touchdown, then trailed 34-30 before Joe Labas hit Chris Parker on a 20-yard touchdown pass to win the game with 16 seconds left.

HOME, SWEET, HOME

Under Head Coach Jim McElwain, Central Michigan has enjoyed a tremendous home field advantage. The Chippewas are a combined 21-9 under Coach Mac with a .700 win percentage within the confines of Kelly/Shorts Stadium since 2019.

CMU will enter its next home game vs. Bowling Green (Nov. 5) after having won three of its last four and seven of its last nine home contests.

The last time CMU completed a season with an undefeated home record was during McElwain's first year in 2019, when the Chippewas went a perfect 6-0. The last several seasons, CMU went 1-2 in 2020, 5-1 in 2021, 2-4 in 2022, 4-1 in 2023, and now 3-1in 2024 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

Since 1950, CMU has registered 13 undefeated seasons at home: 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), 2009 (5-0), and 2019 (6-0).

MIAMI POST-GAME NOTES

The Central Michigan loss...
•Dropped Central Michigan to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the MAC.

•Gave Central Michigan its third straight loss.

•Extended CMU's road game losing streak to eight consecutive games. CMU has lost six straight MAC road games.

•Handed CMU its fifth straight loss to Miami (OH).

•Handed CMU its third consecutive loss to Miami (OH) in games played in Oxford.

Team Notes
•Miami (OH) registered a 46-7 win over Central Michigan, the largest victory for the Redhawks in the 31-game series. Previously, Miami's largest win over Central Michigan with a 38-point victory (59-21) on Nov. 1, 1986.

•The 39 point loss was Central Michigan's largest loss since a 61-0 loss at Wisconsin on Sept. 7, 2019.

•Central Michigan took a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, but Miami (OH) scored 43 unanswered points to claim a 46-7 win. The Redhawks took a 26-7 lead in the third quarter.

•Central Michigan finished with season-lows in total offensive yards (168), rushing yards (106), passing yards (62), and first downs (12). Previously, the Chippewas accumulated just 292 yards of total offense vs. Ohio, 113 yards rushing vs. CCSU, 98 yards passing at Eastern Michigan, and 16 first downs vs. Ohio.

•Central Michigan was outgained 518-168 in total yardage, outrushed 277-106, and outpassed 241-62.

•Central Michigan scored just seven points in the game. The last time CMU scored seven points or less was vs. Michigan State on Sept. 1, 2023 (31-7 loss). The last time CMU scored seven or fewer points vs. a MAC team was vs. Eastern Michigan (17-7 loss) on Nov. 3, 2018.

•The last time Central Michigan accumulated less than 200 yards of total offense was at Wisconsin when the Chippewas totaled 58 yards of offense (15 yards rushing/43 yards passing) on Sept. 7, 2019.

•The last time Central Michigan threw for 62 yards or less was at Wisconsin on Sept. 7, 2019 when it threw for just 43 yards passing.

•CMU's game-opening touchdown drive went a season-high 15 plays for a season-best 8:03 time of possession. The Chippewas tied the game on a 2-yard touchdown run by Myles Bailey.

•Miami (OH)'s 72-yard run by Keyon Mozee was the longest play of the year against Central Michigan this season.

•Miami (OH) placekicker Dom Dzioban kicked five field goals. The last time an opponent converted four or more field goals was Miam (OH)'s Sam Sloman, who hit four on Dec. 7, 2019.

•Central Michigan totaled 8.0 tackles for loss for 29 yards and 4.0 sacks for 20 yards.

Player Notes
•Redshirt freshman Tyler Jefferson made his second career and second consecutive start at quarterback. He completed seven of 17 passes for 62 yards and threw one interception. He also rushed for a team-high 37 yards on eight carries (4.6 yards per carry).

•Running back Myles Bailey scored his first touchdown since the season opener vs. Central Connecticut State. It marked his third rushing touchdown of the season.

•For the first time in his career, defensive lineman Jason Williams led the Chippewas with six tackles (four solo).

•Defensive lineman Michael Heldman registered a career-high 2.0 sacks.

•Defensive lineman Jaden Davis tied his career-high with one sack.

•Defensive lineman Malik Denkins made his first appearance since the 2022 season.

•Punter David Chapeau kicked a career-long 60-yard punt in the second quarter. His previous career long was 56 yards two different times. He averaged 42.4 yards per punt (7-297).

Miscellaneous
•Central Michigan and Miami (OH) met for the 31st time in a series which began on Sept. 16, 1978. The two programs met for the first time since Oct. 2, 2021.

•Central Michigan wore all white uniforms.

JEFFERSON STARTS LAST TWO GAMES

Lefthanded redshirt freshman Tyler Jefferson started each of the last two games for Central Michigan at quarterback. He entered the season as the third string quarterback but due to injuries to Joe Labas (out for the season) and Bert Emanuel, Jr. (week-to-week) has been named the starter.

He made his first career start at quarterback against Eastern Michigan as he rushed for 79 yards on 13 carries and completed 2-8 passes for six yards. Last week at Miami (OH), he completed 7-17 passes for 62 yards with an interception and rushed for a team-high 37 yards on eight carries.

On the year, Jefferson has seen action in six games, thrown for 280 yards while completing 26-51 passes (50.9%) and rushed for 168 yards on 38 carries (4.4 average yards per carry).

CMU IS MAC LEADER IN SACKS, TACKLES FOR LOSS

Central Michigan leads the MAC in two key pressure defensive statistics: sacks and tackles for loss. The Chippewas are averaging 2.88 sacks, good for No. 17 in the nation, and 8.1 tackles for loss per game, good for No. 8 in the nation. CMU has accumulated 65.0 tackles for loss on the year for 228 yards and 23.0 sacks for 136 yards.

Individually, CMU's Jordan Kwiatkowski ranks No. 2 in the MAC and No. 17 nationally in tackles for loss with 10.5 overall and 1.31 per game. The Chippewas have four players ranked among the league's top-20 in sacks: Jason Williams (No. 14), Dakota Cochran (No. 15), Justin Whiteside (No. 18), and Michael Heldman (No. 19).

CMU IN NATIONAL STATISTICS

After eight games, Central Michigan is ranked among the nation's top-35 national leaders in six statistical categories. The Chippewas rank:

•No. 8 in tackles for loss (8.1).
•No. 13 in defensive touchdowns (1).
•No. 15 in kickoff return defense (15.86).
•No. 17 in sacks (2.88).
•No. 19 in red zone offense (92.6).
•No. 26 in punt returns (13.62).

In addition, several individuals were ranked among the nation's top-35 in seven different statistics:

•Donte Kent, No. 1 in punt return touchdowns (1).
•Donte Kent, No. 9 in punt returns (13.6).
•Jordan Kwiatkowski, No. 17 in tackles for loss (1.3).
•Marion Lukes, No. 20 in all-purpose yards (126.29).
•Marion Lukes, No. 29 in combined kick returns (296).
•Tristan Mattson, No. 33 in field goal percentage (84.6).
•Tristan Mattson, No. 35 in field goals per game (1.38).

MATTSON HAVING A GREAT YEAR

Senior placeckicker Tristan Mattson has enjoyed an effective 2024 season. He has been named the MAC Special Teams Player of the Week two times this year: Sept. 30 and Oct. 21.

Up until missing a 46-yard field goal at Miami last Saturday, Mattson had converted 10 consecutive field goals. He is a spectacular 11-13 on the season, leads CMU in scoring with 53 points and has converted 20-21 point after attempts.

At Eastern Michigan two weeks ago, Mattson converted two 50-yard field goals and led the Chippewas with 10 points. He hit a 56-yard field goal and a 51-yarder, both in the third quarter. His 56-yarder marked the longest field goal by an opponent at Rynearson Stadium as the previous record was a 54-yarder by Ohio's Mike Fultz on Oct. 31, 1987.

NOVEMBER SUCCESS

Since 2019, Central Michigan has closed out seasons successfully under Head Coach Jim McElwain as the Chippewas sport a 12-6 record in the month of November.

Central Michigan went 3-0 in 2019, 3-1 in 2020, 4-0 in 2021, finished 2-2 in 2022, and 0-3 in 2023.

Previously, under McElwain, the Chippewas won seven straight games in the month of November spanning the 2021-22 seasons.

Central Michigan University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Myles Bailey

David Chapeau

Dakota Cochran

Jaden Davis

Malik Denkins

Bert Emanuel, Jr.

Michael Heldman

Tyler Jefferson

Donte Kent

Jordan Kwiatkowski

Joe Labas

Marion Lukes

Tristan Mattson

Chris Parker

Justin Whiteside

Jason Williams

Chippewas Host Bowling Green for First #MACtion game on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

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