Chippewas Fall in Season Finale at Northern Illinois, 24-16

DeKALB, Ill. – It came to a bitter end on a bitterly cold night, but not without some sure signs of life and a refusal to pack it in.

Central Michigan fell into an early 19-0 deficit on Saturday in what eventually became a 24-16 loss to Northern Illinois at Huskie Stadium, bringing to an end the college careers for 21 Chippewa seniors, a 4-8 season, and the coaching career of Jim McElwain.

Angry "that we lost because I wanted it so bad for the university and the kids," said McElwain, who is retiring after 40 years in coaching, the last six as the head man at CMU. "For me, I've never had a job. Never had to work a day in my life and after 40 years of doing something that you love to do and the lives that we've been able to be involved in and the people – it's just going to be hard to sail away."

It was hard from the jump for the Chippewas as NIU (7-5, 4-4 Mid-American Conference) scored touchdowns on its first three possessions for a three-score lead before the Chippewas picked up a first down on a night when the game-time temperature was 23 degrees.

Still, CMU showed some resolve in battling back to pull within 21-16 at halftime as Jadyn Glasser connected with Jesse Prewitt III on a pair of touchdown passes – the first two of his career for the freshman quarterback – and Tristan Mattson booted a 40-yard field goal.

But the Chippewas could get no closer in the second half against a Huskie defense that ranked eighth in the nation. CMU committed two second-half turnovers but, as has been the case throughout much of the season, its defense kept it in the game.

"Obviously a horrible start; dug ourselves a hole again but we hung in there," McElwain said. "It's just a credit to the kids and their fight and their will. Defensively we played good. You just can't turn the ball over and you've got to make plays and we weren't able to make any plays.

"It's the story of the year. The kids fought and we gave ourselves an opportunity to tie it up and we weren't able to do it. You know what? That locker room, there's a bunch of great kids in there; guys who care about being Chippewas and I just told them that I'm proud to be their coach."

Glasser threw for 92 yards on 12-of-25 passing; Prewitt finished with five catches for 37 yards. Marion Lukes, in his final game in a Chippewa uniform, led the CMU run game with 78 yards.

"This is my last college game, and we wanted to go out on a win but you've got to take it in perspective," Prewitt said. "All the hard work and all that you went through with the team, you've got to take a look back at it and reflect on it and soak up all the memories with the guys.

"It's a bittersweet moment and I'm definitely going to miss playing with these boys. I just wanted to leave it all out there, no regrets, play for me, play for my brothers, play for the team."

Jordan Kwiatkowski led CMU's defense with nine tackles, while Caleb Spann and Donte Kent made six stops apiece.

"There's a lot going through my mind," said Kent, a senior. "It's actually just starting to hit me so I'm a little emotional. I'm kind of sad that I'm going to be apart from all the guys; there's a lot of love in that locker room.

"This team, we always have that fight in us. We showed it throughout the course of the season. We just came into this game giving it our all for the seniors, giving it our all for coach Mac knowing that this is his last game."

McElwain, as one might expect, was philosophical, emotional and introspective after the game. He compiled a 33-36 record in his six years in charge of the program. Among the many highlights was an MAC Championship Game berth in his first season and a victory in the 2021 Sun Bowl.

"It's a great place, Central Michigan University, it's in great hands," he said. "A lot of things to look forward to and they're going to be successful and they'll be successful because of the people. There are great people here, there are great people in the community, and there is a great group of guys in that locker room who will be committed to getting us back."

Team Stats

Jadyn Glasser

Players Mentioned

Jadyn Glasser

Donte Kent

Jordan Kwiatkowski

Marion Lukes

Tristan Mattson

Jesse Prewitt III

Caleb Spann