News & Notes: Chippewas Host Western Michigan Saturday in Annual Battle for the Victory Cannon Trophy

Saturday, October 17

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

1:30 p.m.

Central Michigan University

Western Michigan

Buy Tickets

News & Notes: Chippewas Host Western Michigan Saturday in Annual Battle for the Victory Cannon Trophy

10/13/2026 5:41:00 PM | Football

Buy Tickets Watch Live on ESPN+Listen Live Live Stats GameDay Page Flip Card (PDF)CMU Game Notes (PDF)

The two schools meet for the 97th time in series history; Chippewas are 17-7-1 vs. Western Michigan in home games since joining the Mid-American Conference in 1975.

By: Greg Hotchkiss

GAME 7: WESTERN MICHIGAN (4-2, 2-0 MAC) AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN (3-3, 1-1 MAC)
BATTLE FOR THE VICTORY CANNON TROPHY/HALL OF FAME
Saturday, October 17, 2026 • 1:32 p.m. ET • Mount Pleasant, Mich. • Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium (30,255)

SATURDAY MATCHUP

Television: ESPN+ (Evan Stockton, play-by-play; Reginald Walker, color analyst; Sam Ramos, producer)

Chippewa Sports Radio Network: Adam Jaksa, play-by-play; Brock Gutierrez, color analyst; spotter: Steve Powers; hosts: Nathan Arbaugh, Kyle Sandel.

Live Stats: visit https://cmuchippewas.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

CMU Social Media: Twitter (@cmu_football); Facebook (@cmufootball); Instagram (cmufootball); Website: www.cmuchippewas.com

Coaches: Central Michigan-Matt Drinkall, 2^nd year at CMU (10-9), 7^th year overall (52-26), 23^rd year in coaching. Western Michigan: Lance Taylor, 4^th year at WMU (24-21), 4^th year overall (24-21).

Series: Central Michigan and Western Michigan meet for the 97^th time in a series which began on Oct. 19, 1907. Western holds a 54-40-2 advantage in the series, but in MAC home games played in Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is 17-7-1 vs. WMU dating back to 1975. The last time the two teams met in Mount Pleasant on Nov. 19, 2024, CMU claimed a 16-14 win.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN GAME NOTES

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.–Central Michigan (3-3, 1-1 MAC) hosts its rival Western Michigan (4-2, 2-0 MAC) for the annual Battle for the Victory Cannon Trophy Game on Saturday, Oct. 17 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. ET for an ESPN+ broadcast.

The two teams meet in Mount Pleasant on a Saturday for the first time in eight years. The last time the two schools played at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on a Saturday was on Oct. 20, 2018.

Central Michigan enters its rivalry weekend on a three-game home win streak at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The Chippewas have won eight of their last nine home games and are 7-1 under head coach Matt Drinkall in Mount Pleasant.

In MAC play, the Chippewas enter the weekend with one win (41-17 vs. Akron) and one loss (31-14 at Ohio). They are coming off a 31-14 loss to Ohio in Athens last Saturday. Ohio outgained CMU 403-275 in yardage, finished with 23 first downs to CMU's 14 and scored on five of its first six possessions to take a 31-0 lead at halftime. Quarterback Nick Poulos threw for 158 yards and three touchdowns while completing 11-18 passes and Duncan Brune rushed 16 times for 91 yards. After trailing 31-0 at halftime, the Chippewas played much better in the second half and shut out the Bobcats 14-0 with touchdowns runs by Jayden Clerveaux (15 yards) and Nick Woodford (20 yards). Brett McCalla led the Chippewa defense with a career-high 10 tackles, while Darrell Bryant, Jr. and Mayson Hitchens each contributed eight tackles.

On Oct. 3, CMU claimed a dominant 41-17 Homecoming decision over Akron in its MAC opener on Oct. 3. The Chippewas rolled up a season-high 481 yards of total offense, rushed for 332 yards and held Akron to just 17 points. Quarterback Angel Flores totaled a career-high 232 total yards, rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and completed 7-14 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. His career-long 55-yard touchdown run in the second quarter tied the score at 7-7, then he hit Shawn Foster II for a 48-yard touchdown pass to give the Chippewas a 14-7 lead and the lead for good. CMU would go on to score 28 unanswered points as six different players would go on to score touchdowns including Flores (55-yard TD run), Foster (48-yard TD reception), Brock Townsend (5-yard TD run), Nick Woodford (27-yard TD run), Jayden Clerveaux (23-yard TD run), and Langston Lewis (71-yard TD reception). The defense kept the Chippewas in the game early with several key plays, registered two interceptions, and limited Akron to 6-15 conversions on third downs. CMU improved to 3-0 at home this year and the victory marked CMU's fourth straight victory in a MAC opener.

Central Michigan concluded nonconference play with a 2-2 record for the fourth consecutive season with a 52-3 loss at No. 6/5 Miami, Fla.

Central Michigan claimed a 24-10 win over Wyoming at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Sept. 19. Flores led Central Michigan to its 24-10 victory over Wyoming as he set career-highs for rushing yards (163), attempts 28), all-purpose yards (163), and total yards (195). Flores keyed the Chippewas' rushing attack that accumulated 339 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns on 59 carries (5.7 average per carry). The 339 rushing yards represented the most for CMU since it rushed for 352 yards vs. New Mexico State on Oct. 12, 2019. As they did in all seven wins last year, Central Michigan jumped out to an early lead, taking a 17-0 halftime advantage and coasting to the win. The Chippewas took advantage of mistake-free football and dominated time of possession (35:48). CMU's defense also tallied two turnovers and limited the Cowboys to only 113 yards in the first half.

Central Michigan registered a 13-10 come-from-behind victory over Colgate on Sept. 12. It marked head coach Matt Drinkall's first come-from-behind win at Central Michigan. Playing in their second contest of the 2026 season, the Chippewas trailed 10-0 at halftime, but gained 180 of their 276 total yards and put together scoring drives of 87 and 65 yards in the second half. CMU's defense shut out the Raiders through the second half. Flores tallied his second career 100-yard rushing game, scored on a career-long 50-yard run, and rushed for 122 yards on 22 carries. Running back Vaughn Blue scored the game-winning touchdown, the first of his CMU career, on a 6-yard run with 7:29 to play. The Chippewas defense intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter, one by Darrell Bryant, Jr., and the other by Mayson Hitchens, and finished the day with four turnovers gained (two interceptions/two forced fumbles/fumble recoveries). Hunter Zirkle led the Chippewas with 1.0 sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery on the same play, made four tackles and finished with four quarterback hurries.

With seven wins in 2025, Central Michigan advanced to a bowl game for the first time in four seasons (since the 2021 season). The Chippewas made their 16th all-time bowl game appearance at the GameAbove Sports Bowl against Northwestern at Ford Field in Detroit. With seven victories, the Chippewas won more games than they did in each of the previous three seasons (4 in 2022, 5 in 2023, and 4 in 2024). CMU's seven wins were its most since it went 9-4 in 2021. In all seven wins, Central Michigan limited its opponents to 20 points or less. CMU was 7-2 when leading at halftime, 6-3 when leading at the end of the first quarter, 6-2 when leading time of possession, and 4-1 in home games.

Ranked as one of the nation's top-40 winningest FBS programs of all time, Central Michigan placed 12 players on preseason 2026 National Football League rosters.

SATURDAY'S TOP STORYLINES

•Central and Western meet on a Saturday in Mount Pleasant for the first time since Oct. 20, 2018. Saturday's winner will claim the all-important Victory Cannon Trophy and gain an advantage in the Michigan MAC Trophy race.

•CMU enters the game with a 3-0 unbeaten record at home. The Chippewas have won eight of their last nine games at Kelly/Shorts Stadium and are 7-1 at home under Matt Drinkall.

•Central Michigan is coming off a 2025 campaign in which it finished 7-6 overall, 5-3 in the MAC, and advanced to a bowl game for the first time in four years (since 2021).

PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS

Central Michigan entered its 2026 season with lofty expectations. Preseason magazines picked the Chippewas to finish somewhere between the No. 3 and No. 6 spots in the 13-team Mid-American Conference. All of the publications have CMU listed as "bowl bound."

Mid-American Conference coaches picked Central Michigan to finish fifth in their annual preseason poll. Here is a look at where each preseason publication picked the Chippewas to finish:

3rd place • Athlon Magazine
4th place • Lindy's Magazine
5th place • MAC coaches
5th place • ESPN.com
5th place • The Sporting News Magazine
6th place • Phil Steele Magazine

HOME SWEET, HOME

Central Michigan enjoys a tremendous home field advantage on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. CMU is a perfect 3-0 at home this season and 7-1 under head coach Matt Drinkall.

The Chippewas finished 4-1 in 2025 and have won eight of their last nine contests. Since 2019, the Chippewas are a combined 29-11 (.725 win percentage) within the confines of Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The Chippewas have won 11 of their last 14 and 15 of their last 19 home contests.

The last time CMU completed a season with an undefeated home record was when it went 6-0 in 2019 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The last several seasons, CMU went 1-2 in 2020, 5-1 in 2021, 2-4 in 2022, 4-1 in 2023, 3-2 in 2024, 4-1 in 2025, and now 3-0 in 2026.

Since 1950, CMU has registered 13 undefeated seasons at home: 1953 (4-0), 1954 (4-0), 1955 (4-0), 1956 (4-0), 1967 (4-0), 1970 (4-0), 1977 (5-0), 1979 (5-0), 1980 (6-0), 1994 (5-0), 1998 (5-0), 2009 (5-0), and 2019 (6-0).

Since Kelly/Shorts Stadium opened in 1972, Central Michigan is 191-90-4 in 285 games. In MAC games, the Chippewas are 144-70-4 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

WINNING TRENDS

Over the first two seasons under coach Matt Drinkall (2025 and 2026), Central Michigan has won 10 of its 19 games. Here are some statistical trends during that time:

•In all 10 wins, Central Michigan has held all its opponents under 20 points.

•In nine of the 10 wins, Central Michigan jumped out to early first half leads. The Chippewas have registered one come-from-behind victory as they rallied from a 10-0 halftime deficit vs. Colgate (Sept. 12, 2026).

•In nine of the 10 wins, Central Michigan outrushed its opponent.

•In all 10 wins, Central Michigan won the turnover battle or was at least even with its opponent. It has not won a game where it lost the turnover battle.

•When leading at halftime, Central Michigan is 9-2 under Drinkall.

SERIES VS. WESTERN

Central Michigan and Western Michigan meet for the 97th time in series history. Consider the following:

•   Central Michigan enters its rivalry game with a 40-54-2 all-time record vs. Western Michigan.

•   Last year, Western MIchigan defeated the Chippewas 24-21 in Kalamazoo on Nov. 1, 2025.

•   Central Michigan's last victory in the series came on Nov. 19, 2024, a 16-14 win in Mount Pleasant on Senior Day.

•   Western Michigan has won six of the series' last eight matchups.

•   In games played at Central Michigan, CMU is 17-7-1 in MAC play since 1975. The Chippewas are 23-25-1 all-time vs. WMU in Mount Pleasant.

•   The is series marked by close games. Ten games have been decided by three points or less (CMU is 5-4-1 in those games), and an incredible 48 of 96 games have been decided by 10 points or less (CMU is 27-19-2 in those contests).

•   The two teams meet for the 54th consecutive season dating back to 1973.

A WIN OVER WESTERN WOULD…

•   Give Central Michigan the Victory Cannon Trophy for the second time in the last three years.

•   Give Central Michigan its second straight home victory over Western Michigan. It would give CMU its first back-to-back home wins over WMU since 2008 and 2010 when it won four straight home matchups from 2004-10.

•   Give Central Michigan its fourth consecutive victory at home and improve the Chippewas to 8-1 in home games under head coach Matt Drinkall.

•   Improve CMU to 18-7-1 all-time vs. Western Michigan in home MAC games against the Broncos dating back to 1975.

•   Give Central Michigan the upper hand in the battle for the Michigan MAC Trophy, which goes to the team with the best head-to-head record between CMU, EMU, and WMU.

MICHIGAN MAC TROPHY

In addition to the Victory Cannon Trophy, should Central Michigan win, it would put itself in position to win the Michigan MAC Trophy. Central still must play Eastern Michigan at Ford Field on Nov. 4 and Western must play Eastern on Nov. 17.

Here are some facts on the Michigan MAC Trophy:

•   Presented annually to one of the Michigan-based Mid-American Conference institutions (CMU, EMU, WMU), the trophy is awarded to the team wich has the best head-to-head record against each other. It is one of just two regularly awarded trophies between three teams (the other is the Commander-in-Chief trophy between Army, Navy, and Air Force).

•   Central Michigan last won the trophy in 2021 with wins over both Eastern and Western.

FOURTH DOWN FRENZY

Central Michigan has converted 10 of its 13 fourth down conversions on the season. That percentage ranks No. 2 in the MAC and No. 9 in national statistics.

In addition, the Chippewas previously converted nine consecutive fourth down conversions from back the fourth quarter of the New Mexico game (Sept. 5) to the first quarter of the Ohio game (Oct. 10). Some have been clutch plays to keep drives alive, but four of those conversions have gone for touchdowns, including a 23-yard run by Nasir Williams at New Mexico, a 50-yard run by Angel Flores vs. Colgate, a 1-yard run before halftime vs. Wyoming, and a 55-yard touchdown run by Angel Flores.

Four of Central Michigan's 14 touchdowns this season have been scored on fourth down plays.

FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS BY GAME

Game	A-C	Touchdowns
at New Mexico	2-3	1 TD (23 yd run)
Colgate	3-3	1 TD (50 yd run)
Wyoming	3-3	1 TD (1 yd run)
at Miami, Fla.	0-0	--
Akron	2-2	1 TD (55 yd run)
at Ohio	0-2	--
Totals	10-13	4 TDs

NATION'S TOP SCHOOLS ON FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY

Rk.Team	Conversions	Pct.
1. Alabama	5-5	100.00
2. Air Force	11-13	84.60
3. Miami, Ohio	5-6	83.33
Mississippi State	5-6	83.33
5. LSU	9-11	81.80
6. Tulsa	16-20	80.00
Northwestern	4-5	80.00
8. James Madison	7-9	77.80
9. Central Michigan	10-13	76.90
Navy	10-13	76.90

FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY

Central Michigan has converted 10 of its 13 fourth down attempts for a 76.90 percent efficiency. Here is where the 2026 season currently ranks among all-time CMU best seasons:

FOURTH DOWN PERCENTAGE

Pct.	Conversions-Attempts	Year
76.9%	10-13	2026
70%	16-23	2023
69%	9-13	1998
62%	10-16	2015
59%	17-29	2021
59%	16-27	2010

MOST FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS-SEASON

No.	Conversions-Attempts	Year
18	18-34 (53%)	2022
17	17-29 (58%)	2021
17	17-30 (57%)	2019
16	16-23 (70%)	2023
16	16-27 (59%)	2010
15	15-26 (58%)	2025
15	15-26 (58%)	2014
10	10-13 (76.9%)	2026

FLORES AMONG TOP QUARTERBACK RUSHERS

Central Michigan's Angel Flores enters the seventh week of the 2026 season ranked No. 29 nationally in rushing yards (501), No. 40 in rushing yards per game (83.5), and No. 63 in rushing yards per carry (5.16). He leads the MAC in both rushing yards and rushing yards per game. Among national quarterbacks, Flores is No. 5 in rushing yards and No. 7 in rushing yards per game. Here is where he stands among national quarterbacks:

TOTAL RUSHING YARDS

Rk.	Player, School	Att.-Yards	TD
8.	Michael Hawkins, West Virginia	117-672	12
23.	Cale Hellums, Army	104-524	8
27.	Jacurri Brown, Rice	107-514	4
28.	Jackson Gutierrez, Navy	102-505	7
29.	Angel Flores, Central Michigan	97-501	4
41.	Mason McKenzie, Boston College	95-437	3

RUSHING YARDS PER GAME

Rk.	Player, School	Avg.	GP
9.	Michael Hawkins, West Virginia	112.0	6
14.	Cale Hellums, Army	104.8	5
18.	Jackson Gutierrez, Navy	101.0	5
22.	Liam Szarka, Air Force	97.8	4
32.	Mason McKenzie, Boston College	87.4	5
36.	Jacurri Brown, Rice	85.7	6
40.	Angel Flores, Central Michigan	83.5	6

RECORD VS. NON POWER 5 TEAMS

Under head coach Matt Drinkall, Central Michigan has compiled a 10-5 record vs. non-Power 5 opponents. The Chippewas previously won three straight games vs. non-Power 5 opponents: 13-10 vs. Colgate, 24-10 vs. Wyoming, and 41-17 vs. Akron.

CHIPPEWAS PICKED FIFTH IN MAC PRESEASON POLL

Central Michigan was picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference preseason coaches' poll, released on July 22, 2026.

The full preseason poll (coaches' vote):

1.	Western Michigan (9)	138
2.	Miami, Ohio (4)	134
3.	Toledo	115
4.	Ohio	107
5.	Central Michigan	101
6.	Buffalo	81
7.	Eastern Michigan	76
8.	Kent State	64
9.	Bowling Green	59
10.	Akron	52
11.	Ball State	34
12.	Sacramento State	28
13.	Massachusetts	25

Conference champion: Western Michigan 9 votes, Miami, Ohio 4 votes

CMU IN NATIONAL STATISTICS

Through six games, Central Michigan is ranked among the nation's top 35 in seven statistical categories:

•   No. 9 in fourth down conversion percentage (76.9).
•   No. 19 in turnovers gained (10).
•   No. 20 in passes intercepted (6).
•   No. 22 in fumble recovered (4).
•   No. 26 in blocked kicks (1).
•   No. 27 in kickoff returns (25.2).
•   No. 35 in tackles for loss allowed (4.17).

In addition, several individuals were ranked among the nation's top 35 in a variety of statistical categories:

•   Justin Taylor, No. 19 in interceptions (2).
•   D.J. Bennett, Korver Demma, JJ Douglas, Hunter Zirkle, No. 24 in fumbles recovered (1).
•   Justin Taylor, No. 27 in passes defended (1.00).
•   Declan Duley, No. 29 in punting (43.9).
•   Angel Flores, No. 29 in rushing yards (501).

OHIO POST-GAME NOTES

The Central Michigan loss...
•   Dropped the Chippewas to 3-3 on the year and 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference.

•   Gave Ohio its third consecutive victory over Central Michigan, the longest win streak for Ohio in the series dating back to 1972.

•   Dropped Central Michigan to 27-8-2 overall vs. Ohio and 12-5-1 all-time vs. Ohio in games played in Athens.

•   Dropped Central Michigan to four wins in its last six played vs. Ohio in Athens.

•   Gave Ohio its 16th consecutive home win and 26th victory in the last 27 home games.

Team Notes

•   Central Michigan won the second half 14-0. It was the second time the Chippewas shut out a team in the second half this season. It blanked Colgate 14-0 in the second half.

•   Central Michigan won the turnover battle, gaining two turnovers to Ohio's one. The Chippewas recovered two fumbles. It marks the second time this year that the Chippewas have recovered two or more fumbles as they recovered two vs. Colgate on Sept. 12, 2026.

•   Central Michigan's fourth down conversion streak ended at nine in the first quarter. The Chippewas went 0-2 on fourth down and have now converted 10 of 13 fourth downs on the season.

•   Central Michigan completed 17 of 24 passes for a season-high 154 yards.

Player Notes

•   Quarterback Angel Flores surpassed career-highs for passing yards (112), completions (14), and passing attempts (20). Flores finished the game with 139 total yards as he rushed for 27 yards on 16 carries.

•   Quarterback Jadyn Glasser thew for 42 yards on 3-4 completions off the bench. He hit Braylen Naves for a 33-yard reception in the fourth quarter.

•   Running back Jayden Clerveaux scored on a 15-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. It marked his second career rushing touchdown and second in as many games. He finished with 20 yards rushing on four carries.

•   Running back Nick Woodford scored his second touchdown in his second consecutive game on a 20-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Woodford rushed for 27 yards on three carries.

•   Running back Brock Townsend caught a career-high three passes for 37 yards.

•   Wide receiver Langston Lewis tied a season-high with three receptions for 28 yards.

•   Wide receiver Braylen Naves caught a career-high four passes for a career-high 57 yards. He caught a career-long 33-yard pass from Jadyn Glasser in the fourth quarter.

•   Wide receiver Da'Shon Febres caught his first career pass in the third quarter.

•   Defensive lineman JJ Douglas recovered the first fumble of his career in the second quarter.

•   Defensive lineman D.J. Bennett recovered the first fumble of his career in the third quarter.

•   Linebacker Brett McCalla registered career-highs for total tackles (10) and sacks (1-2).

•   Defensive back Jaion Jackson registered his third career sack for 12 yards. He finished with five tackles.

•   Defensive lineman Korver Demma forced a fumble, made three tackles and a tackle for loss.

•   Running back Jordan Stapleton returned a career-high two kickoffs for 51 yards. His long was a 26-yard return. He led the Chippewas in all-purpose yards with 59.