Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU defensive linemen Jason Williams (94) and Kade Kostus celebrate during the Chippewas' 22-21 win on Saturday at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Photo by: Sydney Kline '26 - @sydney.kline.photography
Football Notebook: Defense Steps Up Big Time in Comeback Victory
9/29/2024 2:00:00 PM | Football
Press Conference-Jim McElwainPress Conference-Jason WilliamsPress Conference-Joe LabasPress Conference-Tristan MattsonGame Recap
CMU defense sets season high with four sacks, 10 tackles-for-loss, Chippewas pitch a shutout in second half.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Tristan Mattson was the hero. Credit the offense for a second-half comeback and for driving into field goal range in the final two minutes.
But give a hand, maybe a standing ovation, to the Central Michigan defense, which showed an awful lot of moxie on Saturday in the Chippewas' 22-21 nonconference victory over San Diego State on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
"You take a couple plays away and our defense damn near threw a shutout," CMU coach Jim McElwain said. "That crew coming in here didn't have a lot of respect for us, didn't think we're a very good program, didn't think this league was very good.
"You know what? We outhit them. That's what it's all about."
The CMU defense shut out the Aztecs in the second half, opening the door for the Chippewas to overcome a 21-10 deficit.
After surrendering 249 yards and 12 first downs to the Aztecs in the first half, the Chippewas limited them to 115 yards and nine first downs in the final two quarters. They forced the Aztecs to punt three times in the second half and twice San Diego State missed field goals.
"What we talked about at halftime was quite simple, was it them or was it us?" McElwain said. "Kids realized it was us and every game we play this year it is about us."
CMU's defense registered a season-high four sacks, all in the second half. Defensive tackle Jason Williams had two of them, a career high.
"Before the game I wasn't even sure I was going to play this game because I woke up sick as a dog," Williams said. "I had to sit in the shower with the hot water on just to get my body warm and moving. I was praying and God is good.
"I was able to go out there and do my job and just so happened to come up with two sacks. Nothing special, just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
The Chippewa defense stepped up when it was most needed late in the game when San Diego State, leading 21-19, returned an interception to the Chippewa 11-yard line with just over two minutes to play.
Three Aztec run plays resulted in 1 net yard gained, forcing a field goal try which missed. The Chippewas took over with 1:56 remaining and then drove for the game-winning field goal.
The Chippewa crowd – the announced attendance was 27,072 – played a role, a big role, in helping the defense step up, not only in holding the Aztecs to a field goal try, but in the miss, Williams said.
"That field goal it was crazy," he said, "the whole crowd was going wild and It got in the kicker's head. It definitely gives you an adrenaline rush like, 'Yeah, our crowd has our back' and we go do our thing. It's amazing. You want to replicate that feeling as much as possible … It's a great feeling."
Had San Diego State made both of those field goals, the Chippewa deficit would have been 27-19, meaning CMU would have need a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the game and send it to overtime.
As it was, the Chippewas needed only a field goal to win.
Defensive Leaders
Justin Whiteside and Lawai'a Brown led CMU's defensive with seven tackles apiece and CMU's four sacks came among a season-high 10 tackles-for-loss.
Starts and Stops
The Chippewa defense kept San Diego State from scoring on its two opening drives.
CMU stopped San Diego State on fourth down at the Chippewa 29-yard line on the Aztecs' first possession of the game, and forced a three-and-out on their first possession of the third quarter.
In CMU's first four games, opponents had scored on six of eight such possessions.
"It helps us set the tone," Williams said. "It helps us show the other team that we're not just going to be run over, we're here to fight, we're not going to just lay down, especially at home. A big emphasis this week is we win at home."
The Final Drive
For the second week in a row, the Chippewas scored in the waning seconds to win.
The previous week, they went 75 yards in the final minute for the game-winning touchdown to beat Ball State, 37-34.
On Saturday, they took over with 1:56 remaining at their own 20-yard line and drove to the San Diego State 26 and got the game-winning field goal from Tristan Mattson with 5 seconds left.
Quarterback Joe Labas was the triggerman on both drives. Against the Aztecs, he completed six of his 11 pass attempts on the 15-play, 52-yard drive. Of the two incompletions, one was a clock-stopping spike and the other was an out-of-bounds throwaway to stop the clock on the play before the winning field goal.
Labas hit his first three passes of the drive to move CMU to the Aztec 36, and he later found Chris Parker for a 16-yard gain to the San Diego State 40 on fourth-and-7. Still later, he connected with Evan Boyd for 12 yards to the Aztec 28 on third-and-10.
"Stay focused on what's important," Labas said of the final drive. "Know you have guys around you who are counting on you and do it for each other. That was our mindset. Every drive, go out there and compete."
Labas, as he did a week earlier against Ball State, showed tremendous poise, a critical factor for a quarterback with the game on the line.
"It's like in basketball," McElwain said, "'Man I want to take the last shot' and those guys that are wired that way – you never see Joe flustered and he's got confidence and he's got a quick release and gets the ball out.
"When we ran on the field, there was nobody who didn't think we weren't going to move it down there, which is a great feeling. I think the guys believe in each other. That's what's cool and when that happens they realize they're never out of it. They played off of each other today."
Fourth-down success
The Chippewas converted on all four of their fourth-down tries. They have converted a Mid-American Conference-best eight times in 14 attempts this season. They rank sixth in the MAC with a 57.1 percent success rate in such situations.
Run Game
The Chippewas rushed for 154 yards, a far cry from the 335 they posted a week before against Ball State.
But the run game was effective – 154 yards is a solid total – in that it helped the Chippewas to a 10-plus-minute edge in possession time, a critical factor in keeping San Diego State's up-tempo, get-and-go offense on the sidelines.
Trick Play
Down 21-13 with under 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Chippewas lined up to punt on fourth-and-3 at the San Diego State 43-yard line.
CMU punter David Chapeau tossed a strike over the middle to Whiteside for a 23-yard gain to the Aztec 20. Six plays later. B.J. Harris scored to pull the Chippewas to within 21-19.
Consistent Kicker
Mattson has made eight of his nine field goal attempts this season. His lone miss came in the Chippewas' second game, a 52-16 loss at Florida International.
His three field goals against the Aztecs matched his career high. He also had three this season in a game at Illinois. He has made his last seven attempts and his game-winning 46-yarder against San Diego State was a season long.
"I think being prepared for the season is just mental," said Mattson, who made seven of his 14 attempts a year ago. "I know what I can do. Last year was not what I wanted, but it is what it is. I just went out and cleared my head and do me."
Mattson has made 88.9 percent of his field goal attempts this season, ranking third in the MAC in that category. His eight field goals rank second.
Next
It's strictly MAC opponents from here on out. The Chippewas are idle next weekend and then entertain Ohio for homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is TBA.
Ohio is 3-2, 1-0 MAC after topping Akron, 30-10, on Saturday in its MAC opener. The Bobcats are also idle next week.
But give a hand, maybe a standing ovation, to the Central Michigan defense, which showed an awful lot of moxie on Saturday in the Chippewas' 22-21 nonconference victory over San Diego State on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
"You take a couple plays away and our defense damn near threw a shutout," CMU coach Jim McElwain said. "That crew coming in here didn't have a lot of respect for us, didn't think we're a very good program, didn't think this league was very good.
"You know what? We outhit them. That's what it's all about."
The CMU defense shut out the Aztecs in the second half, opening the door for the Chippewas to overcome a 21-10 deficit.
After surrendering 249 yards and 12 first downs to the Aztecs in the first half, the Chippewas limited them to 115 yards and nine first downs in the final two quarters. They forced the Aztecs to punt three times in the second half and twice San Diego State missed field goals.
"What we talked about at halftime was quite simple, was it them or was it us?" McElwain said. "Kids realized it was us and every game we play this year it is about us."
CMU's defense registered a season-high four sacks, all in the second half. Defensive tackle Jason Williams had two of them, a career high.
"Before the game I wasn't even sure I was going to play this game because I woke up sick as a dog," Williams said. "I had to sit in the shower with the hot water on just to get my body warm and moving. I was praying and God is good.
"I was able to go out there and do my job and just so happened to come up with two sacks. Nothing special, just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
The Chippewa defense stepped up when it was most needed late in the game when San Diego State, leading 21-19, returned an interception to the Chippewa 11-yard line with just over two minutes to play.
Three Aztec run plays resulted in 1 net yard gained, forcing a field goal try which missed. The Chippewas took over with 1:56 remaining and then drove for the game-winning field goal.
The Chippewa crowd – the announced attendance was 27,072 – played a role, a big role, in helping the defense step up, not only in holding the Aztecs to a field goal try, but in the miss, Williams said.
"That field goal it was crazy," he said, "the whole crowd was going wild and It got in the kicker's head. It definitely gives you an adrenaline rush like, 'Yeah, our crowd has our back' and we go do our thing. It's amazing. You want to replicate that feeling as much as possible … It's a great feeling."
Had San Diego State made both of those field goals, the Chippewa deficit would have been 27-19, meaning CMU would have need a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the game and send it to overtime.
As it was, the Chippewas needed only a field goal to win.
Defensive Leaders
Justin Whiteside and Lawai'a Brown led CMU's defensive with seven tackles apiece and CMU's four sacks came among a season-high 10 tackles-for-loss.
Starts and Stops
The Chippewa defense kept San Diego State from scoring on its two opening drives.
CMU stopped San Diego State on fourth down at the Chippewa 29-yard line on the Aztecs' first possession of the game, and forced a three-and-out on their first possession of the third quarter.
In CMU's first four games, opponents had scored on six of eight such possessions.
"It helps us set the tone," Williams said. "It helps us show the other team that we're not just going to be run over, we're here to fight, we're not going to just lay down, especially at home. A big emphasis this week is we win at home."
The Final Drive
For the second week in a row, the Chippewas scored in the waning seconds to win.
The previous week, they went 75 yards in the final minute for the game-winning touchdown to beat Ball State, 37-34.
On Saturday, they took over with 1:56 remaining at their own 20-yard line and drove to the San Diego State 26 and got the game-winning field goal from Tristan Mattson with 5 seconds left.
Quarterback Joe Labas was the triggerman on both drives. Against the Aztecs, he completed six of his 11 pass attempts on the 15-play, 52-yard drive. Of the two incompletions, one was a clock-stopping spike and the other was an out-of-bounds throwaway to stop the clock on the play before the winning field goal.
Labas hit his first three passes of the drive to move CMU to the Aztec 36, and he later found Chris Parker for a 16-yard gain to the San Diego State 40 on fourth-and-7. Still later, he connected with Evan Boyd for 12 yards to the Aztec 28 on third-and-10.
"Stay focused on what's important," Labas said of the final drive. "Know you have guys around you who are counting on you and do it for each other. That was our mindset. Every drive, go out there and compete."
Labas, as he did a week earlier against Ball State, showed tremendous poise, a critical factor for a quarterback with the game on the line.
"It's like in basketball," McElwain said, "'Man I want to take the last shot' and those guys that are wired that way – you never see Joe flustered and he's got confidence and he's got a quick release and gets the ball out.
"When we ran on the field, there was nobody who didn't think we weren't going to move it down there, which is a great feeling. I think the guys believe in each other. That's what's cool and when that happens they realize they're never out of it. They played off of each other today."
Fourth-down success
The Chippewas converted on all four of their fourth-down tries. They have converted a Mid-American Conference-best eight times in 14 attempts this season. They rank sixth in the MAC with a 57.1 percent success rate in such situations.
Run Game
The Chippewas rushed for 154 yards, a far cry from the 335 they posted a week before against Ball State.
But the run game was effective – 154 yards is a solid total – in that it helped the Chippewas to a 10-plus-minute edge in possession time, a critical factor in keeping San Diego State's up-tempo, get-and-go offense on the sidelines.
Trick Play
Down 21-13 with under 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Chippewas lined up to punt on fourth-and-3 at the San Diego State 43-yard line.
CMU punter David Chapeau tossed a strike over the middle to Whiteside for a 23-yard gain to the Aztec 20. Six plays later. B.J. Harris scored to pull the Chippewas to within 21-19.
Consistent Kicker
Mattson has made eight of his nine field goal attempts this season. His lone miss came in the Chippewas' second game, a 52-16 loss at Florida International.
His three field goals against the Aztecs matched his career high. He also had three this season in a game at Illinois. He has made his last seven attempts and his game-winning 46-yarder against San Diego State was a season long.
"I think being prepared for the season is just mental," said Mattson, who made seven of his 14 attempts a year ago. "I know what I can do. Last year was not what I wanted, but it is what it is. I just went out and cleared my head and do me."
Mattson has made 88.9 percent of his field goal attempts this season, ranking third in the MAC in that category. His eight field goals rank second.
Next
It's strictly MAC opponents from here on out. The Chippewas are idle next weekend and then entertain Ohio for homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is TBA.
Ohio is 3-2, 1-0 MAC after topping Akron, 30-10, on Saturday in its MAC opener. The Bobcats are also idle next week.
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