Saturday, September 28
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
3:30 PM
Central Michigan University
3-2 , 1-0
22
vs
21
San Diego State
1-3 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
San Diego State
7
14
0
0
21
Central Michigan
10
3
6
3
22
Team Stats
SDS
CMU
Total Yards
364
452
Pass Yards
246
298
Rushing Yards
118
154
Penalty Yards
36
37
1st Downs
21
26
3rd Downs
7
6
4th Downs
0
4
TOP
24:33
35:27
1st Quarter
SDS 0, CMU 3
CMU - Mattson,Tristan 25 yd field goal 6 plays, 61 yards, TOP 02:28
SDS 7, CMU 3
SDS - Cooper,Marquez 3 yd run (Lopez,Nick kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:56
SDS 7, CMU 10
CMU - Lukes,Marion 8 yd pass from Labas,Joe (Mattson,Tristan kick) 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:42
2nd Quarter
SDS 14, CMU 10
SDS - Wolfe,Jude 5 yd pass from O'Neil,Danny (Lopez,Nick kick) 4 plays, 17 yards, TOP 01:07
SDS 21, CMU 10
SDS - Wolfe,Jude 26 yd pass from O'Neil,Danny (Lopez,Nick kick) 3 plays, 73 yards, TOP 00:53
SDS 21, CMU 13
CMU - Mattson,Tristan 34 yd field goal 12 plays, 59 yards, TOP 03:04
3rd Quarter
SDS 21, CMU 19
CMU - Harris,B.J. 1 yd run (), 15 plays, 77 yards, TOP 07:29
4th Quarter
SDS 21, CMU 22
CMU - Mattson,Tristan 46 yd field goal 15 plays, 52 yards, TOP 01:51
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
PK
/ Football
DL
/ Football
Central Michigan players surround kicker Tristan Mattson on Saturday after Mattson booted the game-winning field goal with just 5 seconds remaining.
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Another Thriller, Another CMU Victory
9/28/2024 9:36:00 PM | Football
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Tristan Mattson's 46-yard field with 5 seconds remaining lifts CMU to a dramatic 22-21 win over San Diego State; Chippewas' defense holds Aztecs scoreless in the second half; Mattson converts 3-3 field goals; Joe Labas throws for 275 yards and a touchdown in victory.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – They did it again.
Sometimes, a team can seem snakebit, seeing games slip away at the end. Other times, a team has that something extra, that dig-deep mentality that allows it to deliver in the clutch.
It would appear to be the latter for Central Michigan football in 2024.
Tristan Mattson kicked a 46-yard field goal with 5 seconds remaining on Saturday, lifting the Chippewas to a thrilling 22-21 nonconference victory over San Diego State before 27,072 on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
It was CMU's second consecutive dramatic victory after it scored with 16 seconds remaining last week for a 37-34 win over Ball State in its Mid-American Conference opener.
"Never in doubt," CMU coach Jim McElwain quipped after his team improved to 3-2. "Great crowd. I just love these kids, I love this program, the people involved in the program, and for me it's just seeing the smiles on their faces. That's all.
"They deserve winners, and our guys deserve to be winners. Just makes me happy."
The Chippewas overcame a one-time 21-10 deficit, drawing to 21-13 on Mattson's 34-yard field goal just before halftime.
CMU pulled to 21-19 when B.J. Harris scored midway through the third quarter. CMU's potential game-tying two-point conversion try failed, leaving the Chippewas trailing until Mattson's dramatic game-winner.
San Diego State (1-3) missed field goal attempts, the first from 33 yards, the second from 28, on its final two possessions, a turn of events that kept the Chippewas in the hunt.
The Aztecs' final possession started when Bryce Phillips returned an interception to the Chippewas' 11-yard line. At that point, things looked bleak for CMU with the Aztecs in the red zone holding a 21-19 lead and just 2:17 remained in the game.
It was Labas himself who made the touchdown-saving tackle on Phillips.
"That might be the play of the game," McElwain said.
Alas, the Chippewa defense held and forced the field goal try which was wide left.
"We felt we could put some pressure on their kicker," McElwain said. "They were a little unsettled at that position and you know what, he misses both of them down there where our band is. Our band does a great job."
CMU took over at its own 20-yard line with 1:56 remaining. Labas drove the Chippewas to the Aztec 28 with just 5 ticks left.
Up stepped Mattson, a redshirt senior who last season kicked a game-winner as time expired to lift the past New Hampshire. That field goal was Mattson's first in a CMU uniform.
"In warmups (the wind) was cutting over to the left," Mattson said. "I just told myself I'm going to play it just inside the right upright. It was intense, but I've been there before.
"I just stay as calm as possible. I look around, take it all in, stay locked in, don't get too high, stay in the moment. Just go out there and act like practice. Done it a million times; do it a million more."
It was Mattson's third field goal of the game. He hit from 25 yards out to cap CMU's game-opening drive for a 3-0 lead.
San Diego State answered with a 3-yard Marquis Cooper touchdown run midway through the first quarter for a 7-3 lead.
The Chippewas answered when Labas connected with Marion Lukes for an 8-yard touchdown to give CMU a 10-7 lead with under a minute to play in the first quarter.
San Diego State responded with two second-quarter Danny O'Neil touchdown passes to seize a 21-10 lead.
CMU's defense kept the Aztecs off the scoreboard after that.
"It was really as simple as doing your job," said CMU defensive tackle Jason Williams, who had two of CMU's four sacks. "The problem (comes) when you're overthinking, you're trying to do everybody else's job, you're focused on everything else that's happening on the field. But it's as simple as, what's in front of you, what's the play call, now go do your job."
Labas threw for 275 yards on 24-of-43 passing and the Chippewa run game produced 154 yards, 76 of it from Lukes on 16 carries.
Sometimes, a team can seem snakebit, seeing games slip away at the end. Other times, a team has that something extra, that dig-deep mentality that allows it to deliver in the clutch.
It would appear to be the latter for Central Michigan football in 2024.
Tristan Mattson kicked a 46-yard field goal with 5 seconds remaining on Saturday, lifting the Chippewas to a thrilling 22-21 nonconference victory over San Diego State before 27,072 on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
It was CMU's second consecutive dramatic victory after it scored with 16 seconds remaining last week for a 37-34 win over Ball State in its Mid-American Conference opener.
"Never in doubt," CMU coach Jim McElwain quipped after his team improved to 3-2. "Great crowd. I just love these kids, I love this program, the people involved in the program, and for me it's just seeing the smiles on their faces. That's all.
"They deserve winners, and our guys deserve to be winners. Just makes me happy."
The Chippewas overcame a one-time 21-10 deficit, drawing to 21-13 on Mattson's 34-yard field goal just before halftime.
CMU pulled to 21-19 when B.J. Harris scored midway through the third quarter. CMU's potential game-tying two-point conversion try failed, leaving the Chippewas trailing until Mattson's dramatic game-winner.
San Diego State (1-3) missed field goal attempts, the first from 33 yards, the second from 28, on its final two possessions, a turn of events that kept the Chippewas in the hunt.
The Aztecs' final possession started when Bryce Phillips returned an interception to the Chippewas' 11-yard line. At that point, things looked bleak for CMU with the Aztecs in the red zone holding a 21-19 lead and just 2:17 remained in the game.
It was Labas himself who made the touchdown-saving tackle on Phillips.
"That might be the play of the game," McElwain said.
Alas, the Chippewa defense held and forced the field goal try which was wide left.
"We felt we could put some pressure on their kicker," McElwain said. "They were a little unsettled at that position and you know what, he misses both of them down there where our band is. Our band does a great job."
CMU took over at its own 20-yard line with 1:56 remaining. Labas drove the Chippewas to the Aztec 28 with just 5 ticks left.
Up stepped Mattson, a redshirt senior who last season kicked a game-winner as time expired to lift the past New Hampshire. That field goal was Mattson's first in a CMU uniform.
"In warmups (the wind) was cutting over to the left," Mattson said. "I just told myself I'm going to play it just inside the right upright. It was intense, but I've been there before.
"I just stay as calm as possible. I look around, take it all in, stay locked in, don't get too high, stay in the moment. Just go out there and act like practice. Done it a million times; do it a million more."
It was Mattson's third field goal of the game. He hit from 25 yards out to cap CMU's game-opening drive for a 3-0 lead.
San Diego State answered with a 3-yard Marquis Cooper touchdown run midway through the first quarter for a 7-3 lead.
The Chippewas answered when Labas connected with Marion Lukes for an 8-yard touchdown to give CMU a 10-7 lead with under a minute to play in the first quarter.
San Diego State responded with two second-quarter Danny O'Neil touchdown passes to seize a 21-10 lead.
CMU's defense kept the Aztecs off the scoreboard after that.
"It was really as simple as doing your job," said CMU defensive tackle Jason Williams, who had two of CMU's four sacks. "The problem (comes) when you're overthinking, you're trying to do everybody else's job, you're focused on everything else that's happening on the field. But it's as simple as, what's in front of you, what's the play call, now go do your job."
Labas threw for 275 yards on 24-of-43 passing and the Chippewa run game produced 154 yards, 76 of it from Lukes on 16 carries.
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