Central Michigan University Athletics
Saturday, October 17
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
1:30 p.m.
Central Michigan University
vs
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Western Michigan
CMU coach Matt Drinkall is seeking his first win over rival Western Michigan when the Broncos visit Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Saturday.
Football Preview: It's Western; ’Nuff Said
10/15/2026 2:24:00 PM | Football
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Chippewas need a win vs. bitter rival to remain in the MAC hunt
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Yes, it's Western Michigan. And to Central Michigan, that is plenty of motivation.
In 2026, the Western Michigan game takes on more importance for the Chippewas, who need a win to bounce back from last week's loss at Ohio and to remain relevant in the Mid-American Conference race.
CMU is 3-3, 1-1 MAC after a 31-14 loss to the Bobcats last week. The defending MAC-champion Broncos are 4-2, 2-0. The bitter rivals meet for the 97th time with the Victory Cannon Trophy, and, of course, bragging rights at stake.
"We're going to be underdogs in the game, and it's a chance to get a signature win, and win the victory cannon, and I mean, it would be really, really fun to see all that happen, because you know how much this game means to everyone at Central Michigan and Mount Pleasant," second-year CMU coach Matt Drinkall said. "It is a humongous game for everybody.
"We've had former coaches come in, former players come in, who have been able to frame the game as many different ways as possible so our players understand. It's good to put in perspective for those guys how many people our program impacts. It's just another great touch point to see the great community we represent and how to support them.
"When you come to college and your college football team is going to play, it's for an environment like this. Our students and our fans make an enormous impact on the game itself; the home field advantage here is that we're all fighting the opponent together.
"I'm really, really excited for this game and for this matchup just because of the environment that will be here at Kelly/Shorts."
The Chippewas found themselves in a 31-0 halftime hole last week at Ohio. And while CMU was much better in the second half, it was not nearly enough to overcome the deficit.
Clearly, the Chippewas have to be better, not only this week against the Broncos, but for the remainder of the season if they hope to be a factor in the MAC race.
"I think we came out ready to play," Drinkall said. "What we didn't do well was weather the first two big pieces of adversity that happened on the first two series."
The first was a pass interference penalty that wiped out a CMU interception; the second was a Chippewa failure to convert a fourth down.
Before long, the Chippewas found themselves in a 14-0 deficit and, on the road, were squarely on their heels.
"You can whittle your way back at 14-0 through playing the rest of the game," Drinkall said. "There's probably plenty of time left.
"We did a lot of uncharacteristic things from an assignment and discipline standpoint because we were just trying to do too much. We got punched in the face and never got settled again until the second half."
While the Chippewas would, obviously, prefer to be unbeaten in MAC play, they are far from out of the race for a spot in the title game. That said, they need a win over the Broncos to get back on the lead lap.
"I can handle losing," Drinkall said. "I can't handle losing with bad football. And we played really bad football for a half, and that part is on me, and that can't happen. We have got to figure out.
"You really need to focus on the stuff you can control, which is your own preparation, execution, and your own readiness."
The Broncos finished first in the MAC preseason poll. They stopped Buffalo on their 1-yard line with 2 seconds left to preserve a 20-17 win over the Bulls in their league opener, and then last week rolled past Kent State, 38-7.
Western's two losses have come to Michigan and to Boise State, which is now ranked 23rd. The infamous loss to Michigan came when the Wolverines were given a final play with 1 second on the clock and then completed a hail mary touchdown pass.
Western ranks third in the MAC in total defense, sixth in total offense and is surrendering just 17.3 points per game, the best in the MAC.
"You can tell that these guys take a lot of pride in playing together," Drinkall said. "They play really hard, they have a great beat on what they're doing, what the offense is trying to do to them. They're really, really tough; they're around the ball all the time, and they get after it. They play hard, they play fast, and they're well coached."
In 2026, the Western Michigan game takes on more importance for the Chippewas, who need a win to bounce back from last week's loss at Ohio and to remain relevant in the Mid-American Conference race.
CMU is 3-3, 1-1 MAC after a 31-14 loss to the Bobcats last week. The defending MAC-champion Broncos are 4-2, 2-0. The bitter rivals meet for the 97th time with the Victory Cannon Trophy, and, of course, bragging rights at stake.
"We're going to be underdogs in the game, and it's a chance to get a signature win, and win the victory cannon, and I mean, it would be really, really fun to see all that happen, because you know how much this game means to everyone at Central Michigan and Mount Pleasant," second-year CMU coach Matt Drinkall said. "It is a humongous game for everybody.
"We've had former coaches come in, former players come in, who have been able to frame the game as many different ways as possible so our players understand. It's good to put in perspective for those guys how many people our program impacts. It's just another great touch point to see the great community we represent and how to support them.
"When you come to college and your college football team is going to play, it's for an environment like this. Our students and our fans make an enormous impact on the game itself; the home field advantage here is that we're all fighting the opponent together.
"I'm really, really excited for this game and for this matchup just because of the environment that will be here at Kelly/Shorts."
The Chippewas found themselves in a 31-0 halftime hole last week at Ohio. And while CMU was much better in the second half, it was not nearly enough to overcome the deficit.
Clearly, the Chippewas have to be better, not only this week against the Broncos, but for the remainder of the season if they hope to be a factor in the MAC race.
"I think we came out ready to play," Drinkall said. "What we didn't do well was weather the first two big pieces of adversity that happened on the first two series."
The first was a pass interference penalty that wiped out a CMU interception; the second was a Chippewa failure to convert a fourth down.
Before long, the Chippewas found themselves in a 14-0 deficit and, on the road, were squarely on their heels.
"You can whittle your way back at 14-0 through playing the rest of the game," Drinkall said. "There's probably plenty of time left.
"We did a lot of uncharacteristic things from an assignment and discipline standpoint because we were just trying to do too much. We got punched in the face and never got settled again until the second half."
While the Chippewas would, obviously, prefer to be unbeaten in MAC play, they are far from out of the race for a spot in the title game. That said, they need a win over the Broncos to get back on the lead lap.
"I can handle losing," Drinkall said. "I can't handle losing with bad football. And we played really bad football for a half, and that part is on me, and that can't happen. We have got to figure out.
"You really need to focus on the stuff you can control, which is your own preparation, execution, and your own readiness."
The Broncos finished first in the MAC preseason poll. They stopped Buffalo on their 1-yard line with 2 seconds left to preserve a 20-17 win over the Bulls in their league opener, and then last week rolled past Kent State, 38-7.
Western's two losses have come to Michigan and to Boise State, which is now ranked 23rd. The infamous loss to Michigan came when the Wolverines were given a final play with 1 second on the clock and then completed a hail mary touchdown pass.
Western ranks third in the MAC in total defense, sixth in total offense and is surrendering just 17.3 points per game, the best in the MAC.
"You can tell that these guys take a lot of pride in playing together," Drinkall said. "They play really hard, they have a great beat on what they're doing, what the offense is trying to do to them. They're really, really tough; they're around the ball all the time, and they get after it. They play hard, they play fast, and they're well coached."
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Thursday, October 15
Thursday, October 15
Thursday, October 15
Thursday, October 15