Saturday, September 14
Urbana-Champaign, Ill./Memorial Stadium
Noon ET/11:00 AM CT
Central Michigan University
at
Illinois
Running back/kick returner Marion Lukes returned to CMU's lineup last week in the Chippewas' 52-16 loss at FIU.
Photo by: Jared Lennon
Football Preview: 'You Get Back Up After You Get Knocked Down. That's All You Can Do"
9/13/2024 7:50:00 AM | Football
Hype Video for IllinoisWatch Live on Peacock (NBC)Listen Live on the Chippewa Sports Radio NetworkLive StatsGame Day PageCMU Game Notes (PDF)Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
Chippewas head to Illinois (2-0) on Saturday for noon ET/11 a.m. CT kickoff.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The unmistakable message was right there for all to see.
On the dozens of flat-screen TVs inside the Chippewa Champions Center, home to the Central Michigan football team, Muhammed Ali stares back, fists taped, wearing his trademark white boxing trunks trimmed in black.
Printed underneath Ali is the quote: "Inside of a ring or out, ain't nothing wrong with going down, it's staying down that's wrong."
Perfect for the Chippewas, who must rebound after their 52-16 loss last week at Florida International as they go to Illinois on Saturday (noon ET) for a nonleague game.
"Picking yourself up off the ground is something you've got to do, not only in football, but you've got to do it every single day in life," coach Jim McElwain said. "We've got a ton ahead of us, No. 1; No. 2, some of the things that showed their face (at FIU) happening now is better than later.
"It's going to give opportunities for guys and it's also going to give opportunity for guys to get it corrected and that's everybody in the organization, me included."
The Chippewas face an Illinois team (2-0) that upset No. 19 Kansas, 23-17, on Saturday. It marked Illinois' highest-ranked nonconference victory since 1995. The Illini are 26th in this week's Associated Press poll
"It's a great challenge. It's a team that's playing great, coming off a great win, with a fan base that should be energized," McElwain said. "We've got a huge task at hand."
True, but to McElwain's long-held way of thinking, the Chippewas first look inward, just as they did before and after their season-opening 66-10 win over Central Connecticut State.
"Don't discount the opponent," he said. "It's all about playing against us."
Which is coach-speak for, We've got to get our house in order. And there is plenty to get in order coming out of FIU. The Chippewas committed six turnovers, five of which were interceptions thrown by quarterback Joe Labas. McElwain said he counted seven dropped balls among Labas' 20-for-39 performance.
The Chippewas outgained the Panthers in total yardage, 369-309, and had 22 first downs to the Panthers' 15. But the turnovers led directly or indirectly to 39 points.
"A lot of the things that we did, or did wrong, I should say, are correctable," CMU defensive back Donte Kent said. "A lot of stuff was self-inflicted. We know what we're capable of. That's really what we're preaching to the team."
Any positives on CMU's side were overshadowed by the final tally. And yet, there are things to build on. There have to be, McElwain said, because there is a long way to go and one game – good or bad – does not a season make.
The Chippewas are second in the Mid-American Conference in total defense and third in total offense.
"There's not an excuse for how we played offensively," McElwain said. "We had some guys who competed and that was a good thing. Regroup, that might be the word. More than anything, let's just learn from it and move forward."
The game marked the return of running back Marion Lukes to the Chippewa lineup. Lukes, who amassed a combined 1,618 yards a year ago rushing, receiving and returning kicks, had 37 yards on 10 carries and returned nine kickoffs for 162 yards against FIU.
"I was just happy to be out there with my best friends, my brothers," said Lukes, who missed the season opener with an injury. "Just to be out there with them again was an awesome experience."
A senior, Lukes has played in 34 games as a Chippewa and has seen the ups and down.
"I hated the way that (the FIU game) went down," he said. "We really beat ourselves. There were moments in the game that were happening that just simply can't happen. I saw us playing not playing to our standards and just expecting things to go our way.
"You've just got to remind everybody that we've got the same goals. I trust my brother to the left and I trust my brother to the right and if we can all just feed off each other. When we're down, we can't have our heads down. We've got to be consistently positive and understand that there's another play to be had.
"You get back up after you get knocked down. That's all you can do."
On the dozens of flat-screen TVs inside the Chippewa Champions Center, home to the Central Michigan football team, Muhammed Ali stares back, fists taped, wearing his trademark white boxing trunks trimmed in black.
Printed underneath Ali is the quote: "Inside of a ring or out, ain't nothing wrong with going down, it's staying down that's wrong."
Perfect for the Chippewas, who must rebound after their 52-16 loss last week at Florida International as they go to Illinois on Saturday (noon ET) for a nonleague game.
"Picking yourself up off the ground is something you've got to do, not only in football, but you've got to do it every single day in life," coach Jim McElwain said. "We've got a ton ahead of us, No. 1; No. 2, some of the things that showed their face (at FIU) happening now is better than later.
"It's going to give opportunities for guys and it's also going to give opportunity for guys to get it corrected and that's everybody in the organization, me included."
The Chippewas face an Illinois team (2-0) that upset No. 19 Kansas, 23-17, on Saturday. It marked Illinois' highest-ranked nonconference victory since 1995. The Illini are 26th in this week's Associated Press poll
"It's a great challenge. It's a team that's playing great, coming off a great win, with a fan base that should be energized," McElwain said. "We've got a huge task at hand."
True, but to McElwain's long-held way of thinking, the Chippewas first look inward, just as they did before and after their season-opening 66-10 win over Central Connecticut State.
"Don't discount the opponent," he said. "It's all about playing against us."
Which is coach-speak for, We've got to get our house in order. And there is plenty to get in order coming out of FIU. The Chippewas committed six turnovers, five of which were interceptions thrown by quarterback Joe Labas. McElwain said he counted seven dropped balls among Labas' 20-for-39 performance.
The Chippewas outgained the Panthers in total yardage, 369-309, and had 22 first downs to the Panthers' 15. But the turnovers led directly or indirectly to 39 points.
"A lot of the things that we did, or did wrong, I should say, are correctable," CMU defensive back Donte Kent said. "A lot of stuff was self-inflicted. We know what we're capable of. That's really what we're preaching to the team."
Any positives on CMU's side were overshadowed by the final tally. And yet, there are things to build on. There have to be, McElwain said, because there is a long way to go and one game – good or bad – does not a season make.
The Chippewas are second in the Mid-American Conference in total defense and third in total offense.
"There's not an excuse for how we played offensively," McElwain said. "We had some guys who competed and that was a good thing. Regroup, that might be the word. More than anything, let's just learn from it and move forward."
The game marked the return of running back Marion Lukes to the Chippewa lineup. Lukes, who amassed a combined 1,618 yards a year ago rushing, receiving and returning kicks, had 37 yards on 10 carries and returned nine kickoffs for 162 yards against FIU.
"I was just happy to be out there with my best friends, my brothers," said Lukes, who missed the season opener with an injury. "Just to be out there with them again was an awesome experience."
A senior, Lukes has played in 34 games as a Chippewa and has seen the ups and down.
"I hated the way that (the FIU game) went down," he said. "We really beat ourselves. There were moments in the game that were happening that just simply can't happen. I saw us playing not playing to our standards and just expecting things to go our way.
"You've just got to remind everybody that we've got the same goals. I trust my brother to the left and I trust my brother to the right and if we can all just feed off each other. When we're down, we can't have our heads down. We've got to be consistently positive and understand that there's another play to be had.
"You get back up after you get knocked down. That's all you can do."
Players Mentioned
Elijah Gordon and Angel Flores Post-Game Press Conference vs Michigan
Sunday, September 14
Coach Matt Drinkall Post-Game Press Conference vs. Michigan
Saturday, September 13
9.12.25 - Football Insider
Friday, September 12
Jordan Kwiatkowski Post-Game Press Conference at Pitt
Saturday, September 06