Chippewas travel to Toledo for Second Tuesday Night #MACtion Game

GAME 10: CENTRAL MICHIGAN (3-6, 1-4 MAC) AT TOLEDO (6-3, 3-2 MAC)
Second Weeknight #MACtion Game
Tuesday, November 12 • 7 p.m. ET • Toledo, Ohio
Glass Bowl (26,248)

TUESDAY NIGHT MATCHUP

Television: ESPNU (Matt Schumaker, play-by-play; Dustin Fox, analyst; Stos Hall, 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://utrockets.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 (32-34), 12th year overall (76-61), 39th year in coaching. Toledo-Jason Candle, 9^thyear at Toledo (71-38), 9^th year overall (71-38).

Series: Central Michigan Central Michigan and Toledo meet for the 53rd time in series history. Toledo holds a 29-20-3 advantage in the series and is 17-7-2 in games played in Toledo. The Rockets have won seven straight games played in Toledo. The last time Central Michigan won in Toledo was on Oct. 25, 2008, a 24-23 victory.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN GAME NOTES

THE ESSENTIALS

Central Michigan (3-6, 1-4 MAC) plays its second #MACtion weeknight game when it travels to Toledo (6-3, 3-2 MAC) for a Tuesday game at the Glass Bowl. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU. CMU must win all three of its remaining games to gain a bowl berth.

WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME

The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Matt Schumaker (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (color analyst) calling action with Stos Hall 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 Toledo meet on ESPNU for a pivotal #MACtion game on Tuesday night.

•CMU is looking to snap a four-game losing streak after dropping four straight MAC games and end an eight-game road losing streak.

•CMU and Toledo meet for the 53rd time. Toledo, which has won 12 of the last 14, has won seven straight against CMU in Toledo dating back to 2008.

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

ABOUT THE CHIPPEWAS

TOLEDO, Ohio—Central Michigan (3-6, 1-4 MAC) plays its second #MACtion weeknight game when it travels to Toledo (6-3, 3-2 MAC) for the sixth league contest for both teams on Tuesday evening. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET at Kelly/Shorts Stadium for an ESPNU nationally televised game.

Three games remain for Central Michigan. The Chippewas must go 3-0 to become bowl eligible: at Toledo (Nov. 12), vs. Western Michigan (Nov. 19), and at Northern Illinois (Nov. 30). One loss will eliminate CMU from bowl contention.
Central Michigan enters Tuesday's contest at Toledo on a four-game losing skid after dropping four straight MAC contests. Those games include a 27-25 home loss to Ohio, a 38-34 road loss at Eastern Michigan, a 46-7 loss at Miami (OH), and a 23-13 home loss to Bowling Green. The Ohio and Eastern Michigan games were decided in the last minute.

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 23-13 home loss to Bowling Green which saw the Chippewas total just 250 yards of offense on 52 plays. CMU passed for 63 yards and rushed for 187. The 63 passing yards were the second fewest yards passing in a game this year. Marion Lukes led CMU with 105 all-purpose yards (72 rushing), backup quarterback Jadyn Glasser entered the game late and completed 5-7 passes for 57 yards and ran for a touchdown, starting quarterback Tyler Jefferson completed 1-7 passes for six yards and also ran for 65 yards on five carries, a career-long 44-yard gain, and a touchdown. CMU's defense kept it in the game as the Chippewas yielded 388 yards of total offense and limited Bowling Green to field goals. Defensive back Da'Raun McKinney led the Chippewas with 14 tackles and three pass breakups and linebacker Jordan Kwiatkowski totaled 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Down to its third and fourth string quarterbacks and without five top wide receivers including most of its speed receivers, injuries have decimated Central Michigan on offense.

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 TOLEDO WOULD…
•Improve CMU's record to 2-4 in MAC play.
•Give CMU a 4-6 overall record start and put CMU in a position to win its final two games to become bowl eligible.
•Snap a four-game losing streak.
•Snap an eight-game road losing streak.
•Snap a seven-game losing streak to Toledo in games played at Toledo.

LEADING THE MAC ON DEFENSE

Central Michigan leads the MAC in two key pressure defensive statistics: sacks and tackles for loss. The Chippewas are averaging 2.78 sacks, good for No. 18 in the nation, and 7.9 tackles for loss per game, good for No. 7 in the nation. CMU has accumulated 71.0 tackles for loss on the year for 245 yards and 25.0 sacks for 146 yards.

Individually, CMU's Jordan Kwiatkowski ranks No. 1 in the MAC and No. 15 nationally in tackles for loss with 12.0 overall and 1.31 per game. Other players who are ranked among MAC leaders in tackles for loss are Jonah Pace (No. 5, 8.5) and Dakota Cochran (No. 14, 7.5). CMU also has three players ranked among league leaders in sacks: Pace (No. 16, 3.5), Jason Williams (No. 17, 3.5), and Dakota Cochran (No. 18, 3.5).

BOWLING GREEN POST-GAME NOTES

The Central Michigan loss...
•Dropped Central Michigan to 3-6 overall and 1-4 in the MAC.
•Gave Central Michigan its fourth consecutive loss.
•Dropped Central Michigan to a 3-2 record in home games.
•Handed Central Michigan its second consecutive loss and fourth loss to Bowling Green in the last five matchups.
•Handed CMU its fourth consecutive loss to Bowling Green in games played in Mount Pleasant. The last time CMU defeated Bowling Green at home was on Oct. 19, 2006, a 31-14 Chippewa win. Bowling Green has now won six of the last seven matchups with Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant.

Team Notes
•Central Michigan totaled 250 yards of offense on 52 plays (4.8 average yards per gain). The Chippewas passed for 63 yards and rushed for 187 yards. The 63 yards were its second-fewest yards passing in a game this year. CMU passed for 62 yards at Miami (OH) last game.
•Central Michigan's Jonah Pace blocked a field goal in the third quarter. The last time CMU blocked a field goal was on Nov. 15, 2023 when Jayden Evans got his hand on a field goal attempt at Ohio.
•CMU lost the turnover battle 1-0.
•CMU's second quarter touchdown by Tyler Jefferson snapped a string of four consecutive scoreless quarters.

Player Notes
•Redshirt freshman Tyler Jefferson made his third consecutive start at quarterback. He ran for his first career touchdown run in the second quarter and ran for the longest run of his career, 46 yards, in the second quarter. He finished the game with 61 total yards, including 65 yards and a touchdown on five carries and six yards passing while completing 1-7 passes.
•True freshman Jadyn Glasser saw his first career action at quarterback. He was inserted into the game in the third quarter. He scored his first career touchdown on a 1-yard run, rushed for 10 yards on four carries and completed 5-7 passes for 57 yards.
•Running back Marion Lukes led CMU with 105 all-purpose yards, his 14th career and fifth season 100-yard all-purpose game. He rushed for 72 yards on 20 carries and added 33 yards on kickoff returns.
•Sophomore wide receiver Tommy McIntosh made his first career start.
•Offensive lineman Jemeil Jackson saw his first action since the second game of the season.
•Defensive lineman Jonah Pace blocked his first career field goal in the third quarter. Pace had a big game with three tackles, 1.5 sacks for nine yards, a career-high tying 2.5 tackles for loss for 11 yards, and a career-high two quarterback hurries.
•Defensive back Da'Raun McKinney registered career-highs for tackles (14), solo tackles (11), and pass breakups (three) on the evening. He had nine tackles, six solo and three pass breakups in the first half alone. The 14 tackles were the second most tackles in a game this year as Jordan Kwiatkowski totaled 15 tackles vs. Ball State on Sept. 21, 2024.
•Linebacker Jordan Kwiatkowski totaled 11 tackles (four solo), 1.5 tackles for loss. His 10-tackle game marked the sixth of his career.
•Defensive back Brendan Deasfernandes finished with a career-high five tackles.
•Defensive lineman Malik Denkins registered his first 0.5 sack of the year in the fourth quarter.

Miscellaneous
•Central Michigan and Bowling Green met for the 44th time in series history.
•Central Michigan wore all maroon jerseys and gold pants.

Game Captains and Coin Toss
•Representing Central Michigan at the coin toss were running back Marion Lukes, defensive back Donte Kent, offensive lineman Dominic Serapiglia III, and defensive back Caleb Spann.
•Central Michigan won the coin toss and deferred. Bowling Green received the opening kickoff. CMU defended the south end zone.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICS

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

•No. 7 in tackles for loss (7.9).
•No. 7 in kickoff return defense (14.67).
•No. 13 in defensive touchdowns (2).
•No. 16 in red zone offense (93.1).
•No. 18 in sacks (2.78).
•No. 21 in punt returns (13.0).
•No. 34 in third down conversion defense (33.9).

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

•Donte Kent, No. 2 in punt return touchdowns (1).
•Donte Kent, No. 11 in punt returns (13.0).
•Jordan Kwiatkowski, No. 15 in tackles for loss (1.3).
•Marion Lukes, No. 24 in all-purpose yards (123.63).
•Marion Lukes, No. 25 in combined kick returns (329).
•Tristan Mattson, No. 32 in field goal percentage (84.6).

Central Michigan University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Dakota Cochran

Malik Denkins

Jayden Evans

Jadyn Glasser

Jemeil Jackson

Tyler Jefferson

Donte Kent

Jordan Kwiatkowski

Marion Lukes

Tristan Mattson

Tommy McIntosh

Da'Raun McKinney

Jonah Pace

Dominic Serapiglia III

Caleb Spann

Jason Williams

Chippewas travel to Toledo for Second Tuesday Night #MACtion Game

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