Football Notebook: Loyalty, Commitment Rewarded as Chippewas Become Bowl Eligible, Remain Alive in Hunt for MAC Title Game Berth

Photo by: Lauren Verellen '26 - @laurenverellen_photography

Photo by: Kailey Hill '26 - @rahsignz

Football Notebook: Loyalty, Commitment Rewarded as Chippewas Become Bowl Eligible, Remain Alive in Hunt for MAC Title Game Berth

11/13/2025 1:14:00 PM | Football

Matt Drinkall Post-Game Press Conference Joe Labas Post-Game Press Conference Jordan Kwiatkowski Post-Game Press Conference Michael Heldman Post-Game Press Conference Langston Lewis Post-Game Press Conference Game Recap Photo Gallery

Lewis, McIntosh, Labas produce in passing game.

By: Andy Sneddon

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Schemes, keys, blitzes, coverages. The language of defensive football.

But at the core of any defense on any level of football, where no interpreter is required, is heart. Always has been; always will be.

At the heart of Central Michigan's defense are a collection of veterans, linebackers Jordan Kwiatkowski and Dakota Cochran, defensive end Michael Heldman, and safety Caleb Spann.

In Wednesday's 38-19 win over Buffalo at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, that group – Kwiatkowski, Cochran and Heldman in particular – took center stage.

It was Kwiatkowski who helped set the tone, returning an interception 48 yards for his first career touchdown in the first quarter to give the Chippewas a 7-3 lead.

And then it was Cochran, snatching a fumble in the air and racing 85 yards for a TD early in the fourth quarter to extend CMU's lead to 31-13 and effectively put the game away. Kwiatkowski threw a block near the goal line to spring Cochran into the end zone.

A bit symbolic: Kwiatkowski started it with a TD and then Cochran finished it off.

And in between, the increasingly dominant Heldman led a defensive front that put constant pressure on Buffalo quarterback Ta'Quan Roberson, recording a season-high five sacks.

Heldman's final stat line: four tackles, two sacks, two pass breakups, two quarterback hurries – one of those breakups and hurries came as he bore down on Roberson on the play that resulted in Kwiatkowski's interception.

The Kwiatkowskis, the Heldmans, the Cochrans are part of the core that chose to stay, buy in, and commit when Matt Drinkall was named the Chippewas' coach 11 months ago.

Like most of the front-line veterans on the Chippewa roster, they could have walked away.

But they didn't. And today, they are major spokes in the wheel that has the Chippewas, at 6-4, bowl eligible for the first time in four seasons and, more importantly, still squarely in the hunt for a spot in the Mid-American Conference Championship Game at Ford Field in Detroit on Dec. 6.

"When we got here," Drinkall said after Wednesday's game, "I basically told them that this is going to be the hardest experience of their entire life. And that's not usually what a lot of people want to hear when you first walk in the door.

"You know, I kind of got here and laid down the law as far as like, the first guy that's going to try to screw this up, I'm going to get rid of you.

"And for those guys to buy into that and stay -- like for Kwiatkowski and Heldman and Dakota Cochran and Caleb Spann -- for those guys to have stayed … I mean, one of those guys leaves, it's like the bottom Jenga row comes out and the whole thing falls apart."

Kwiatkowski, as he has done throughout most of the season, led the Chippewas with nine tackles. He also forced a fumble and was credited with a quarterback hurry.

"Every senior on this team's a leader," said Kwiatkowski in his typically deflective tone. "A lot of us stayed, a lot of us were in the (transfer) portal and came back.

"It's for sure satisfying. Because in December, me and some other guys weren't even sure what we were going to do. New coach, don't know who it is, a lot of things. You're getting offered money from other schools, all this type of thing.

"Coach Drinkall came in, put a good plan in, and we helped build from the roots up. It's awesome to see it pay off. Emotions are high; it's just so real."
It's about more than money, isn't it, Kwiatkowski was asked.
"Way more," he said.

Big Play
In a bit of an ironic twist, one of the biggest stops of the game – a defensive play, if you will came from a pair of CMU offensive players.

On the game's first drive, Buffalo's Solomon Brown intercepted a CMU quarterback Joe Labas pass at midfield and raced for the goal line.

Tyson Davis, the intended receiver on the play, chased down Brown and caught him from behind. With the help of offensive lineman Dasan Smith, Davis wrestled Brown down at the CMU 9-yard line.

The Chippewa defense then stepped on the field and held the Bulls to minus-2 yards on three downs, forcing a field goal, which gave Buffalo an early 3-0 lead.

Had Buffalo scored a touchdown at that point, it very well could have changed the entire outlook of the game. Instead, the Bulls settled for three and CMU's defense had come up big – the first of many momentum- and game-changing turns on the night.

Pass Game
The Chippewas were without injured quarterback Angel Flores for the second consecutive game.

In CMU's unique offensive approach, Flores has proven to be quite an effective runner throughout the season while Labas has been ultra efficient through the air.

Labas' efficiency, and ability to move CMU's offense, was again put on display on Wednesday. He completed 75 percent of his pass attempts (18 for 24) for 247 yards and two touchdowns.

On the season, Labas has completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 1,313 yards and 10 touchdowns against four interceptions, two of which came against Buffalo. Both his pass attempts and completions in Wednesday's game were season highs.

"It's not like we're throwing the football 40 times a game," Labas said. "So, you know, that's my main goal every game is to find completions, and I thought we did a good job today."

While Labas' biggest highlight completions, as is typically the case, were touchdown passes to Langston Lewis and Tommy McIntosh, perhaps his most important one, the one that helped swing the game in CMU's favor, was a 25-yarder to Lewis on third-and-15 late in the second quarter that put the Chippewas on the Buffalo 1-yard line.

Marcus Beamon, who has stepped into Flores' role as the running quarterback, scored on the next play to put CMU in front, 14-10.

The Chippewas never trailed again.

Double Threat
Lewis finished with six catches for 118 yards and a touchdown, a 75-yarder in the third quarter, that extended CMU's lead to 24-13.

Lewis had four catches for 111 yards in the Chippewas' previous game, a 24-21 loss at Western Michigan.

It marked the first time since 2016 – a 106-game stretch -- that a CMU receiver has put together back-to-back 100-yard receiving games. Corey Willis accomplished that feat in '16 with century-mark performances against Eastern Michigan and then Ohio.

"You know, I just go out there, play hard every day," said Lewis, a speedy and talented redshirt junior who has battled injuries throughout his career. "We get an opportunity to shine, and today, we got a chance to shine again.

"I just go out there and do my job. Like, I just say the ball in the air is 90/10 – 90 percent chance I'm going to come down with it every time, 10 percent chance for the other dudes."

Tommy McIntosh, a 6-foot-5 junior from DeWitt who is in his second season at CMU after transferring from Wisconsin, had five catches for 85 yards, both career bests.

"Yeah, he's a baller," said Labas, in a rare animated moment for the normally steady and stoic quarterback. "That whole (receiver) room, really, just a bunch of guys we can go to. Tommy's definitely, you know, one of them, and he's just a heck of a player. He gets separation; he's tall, big target, runs great routes."

Complimentary Compliment
The Chippewa defense forced five turnovers, giving it 18 on the season. A year ago, CMU created just five turnovers. The Chippewas are now plus-8 in turnover margin on the season after finishing minus-17 a year ago.

Without question, the turnovers were the statistics in Wednesday's win. Buffalo finished with 398 yards to the Chippewas' 358.

The Chippewa defense held Buffalo to a 7-for-19 conversion rate combined on third and fourth down.

And perhaps most important of all the critical plays turned in by CMU's defense was Cochran's fumble return for a TD early in the fourth quarter

To set the scene, CMU, leading 24-13, took possession at its own 15-yard line after a Buffalo punt. On the first play of the drive, the Bulls returned an interception to the Chippewa 12-yard line.

On Buffalo's first play, CMU sophomore Korver Demma sacked Roberson and the ball popped into the air. Cochran snatched and the rest is history.

The game went from Buffalo threatening to the Chippewas effectively ending it with just under 11 minutes to play.

"I ain't gonna lie, they nasty," Lewis, a wide receiver, said of his counterparts on defense. "I feel like they go out there with just crazy energy. Every day, they gave us (the offense) problems in practice. They just do crazy things.

"I'm just so proud of them. I'm not going to lie, they saved us a lot this game. They play their tails off. They play their tail off every game, every week."

Defensive Numbers
Heldman and Demma had two sacks apiece and Lawai'a Brown and J.J. Douglas were each credited with one-half sack. CMU finished with a season-high five sacks.

The last time a CMU defense made five sacks was last season against Eastern Michigan and the last time a CMU defense forced five turnovers was against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 27, 2020.

CMU safety Elijah Gordon made his first interception as a Chippewa. Gordon, a Midland native, is in his first year at CMU after transferring from Saginaw Valley State, where he earned All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors in 2024.

Graham Extends Streak
CMU senior placekicker Cade Graham kicked a 32-yard field goal early in the third quarter to extend CMU's lead to 17-10.

It was Graham's eighth consecutive make and he has hit 13 of his 15 field goal tries this season.

His streak of eight straight ties him for third in program history and his 13 field goals on the season ties him for 14^th.

The program record for consecutive field goals is 10, held by David Harman (2011) and Tristan Mattson (2024).

Championship Game?
At 4-2 in MAC play, the Chippewas are in a five-way tie for second place behind Western Michigan (5-1). Ohio, Toledo, Buffalo and Miami (Ohio) are the teams tied with CMU.

The top two teams in the final standings will meet in the MAC Championship Game on Dec. 6 at Ford Field in Detroit.

The MAC's first tie-breaker is head-to-head, which complicates the matter since CMU has not, and will not, play Ohio or Miami this season. The Chippewas have beaten Buffalo and lost to Western Michigan.

The second tie-breaker is win percentage against common opponents and third is win percentage based on their order of finish in the standings.

In short, there are plenty of scenarios under which CMU could find itself playing in Ford Field, but there are just as many under which the Chippewas could be left as spectators.

Home Sweet Home
The Chippewas are 4-0 at home and can, with a win over Toledo on Nov. 29, finish unbeaten at Kelly/Shorts Stadium for the first time since 2019.

The Series
CMU is 9-4 against Buffalo, 4-1 at home, and has won two of the past three meetings.

The Chippewas have won two of the last five meetings with the Bulls after winning seven of the first eight.

Next
CMU goes to Kent State for a MAC game on Wednesday, Nov. 19. The game will be broadcast by ESPNU.

The Golden Flashes are 4-6, 3-3 MAC after rallying for a 42-35 overtime win over rival Akron on Tuesday. Kent State's other two MAC wins have come over Bowling Green and Massachusetts.

The Chippewas and Golden Flashes last met in 2021, a 54-30 CMU victory. The teams last met at Kent State in 2017, a 42-23 CMU win.