News & Notes: Chippewas Host Miami (Ohio) for Senior Day on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET

10/21/2026 11:45:00 AM | Football

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Contest features a matchup of the top two historically most successful MAC programs; Miami (Ohio) plays at Central Michigan for the first time in nine years.

By: Greg Hotchkiss

GAME 8: MIAMI (OHIO) (4-3, 2-1 MAC) AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN (3-4, 1-2 MAC)
SENIOR DAY/ALUMNI AWARDS
Saturday, October 24, 2026 • 1:02 p.m. ET • Mount Pleasant, Mich. • Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium (30,255)

SATURDAY MATCHUP

Television: ESPN+ (Evan Stockton, play-by-play; Marcus Ray, 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 (10-10), 7^th year overall (52-27), 23^rd year in coaching. Miami (Ohio): Chuck Martin, 13^th year at Miami (76-77), 19^th year overall (149-84).

Series: Central Michigan and Miami meet for the 32^nd time. The last time the two schools played in Mount Pleasant was nine years ago on Sept. 23, 2017. Miami owns a 17-13-1 advantage in the series dating back to 1978. Miami has won each of the last five games in the series dating back to a 34-27 CMU win in Mount Pleasant on Nov. 4, 2016.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN GAME NOTES

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.– For the first time in nine years, Central Michigan (3-4, 1-2 MAC) hosts Miami (Ohio) (4-3, 2-1 MAC) in Mount Pleasant at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET for an ESPN+ broadcast.

Central Michigan is traditionally tough at home. The Chippewas are 3-1 at home this season and have won eight of their last 10 games and are 7-2 under head coach Matt Drinkall in Mount Pleasant.

In MAC play, the Chippewas enter the weekend with one win (41-17 vs. Akron) and two losses (31-14 at Ohio and 21-14 vs. Western Michigan). CMU is coming off back-to-back losses, including last week's 21-14 decision to Western Michigan and Oct. 10's 31-14 loss to Ohio.

The Chippewas battled back from a 21-0 deficit and made it interesting in the fourth quarter last Saturday against rival Western Michigan. CMU scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, including a 32-yard pass from Angel Flores to Jaden Allen and a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Jadyn Glasser with 44 seconds to play. The Chippewas recovered an onside kick, threatened to score in the closing seconds, but could not complete the comeback.

The Chippewas outgained WMU 337-272 in total yardage and finished with 20 first downs to WMU's 15. Flores led the Chippewas with a career-high 279 total yards (117 rushing/162 passing). He rushed a career-high 31 times for 117 yards and completed a career-high 14-25 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown. On defense, Central Michigan was led by Xavier White (11 tackles), Mayson Hitchens (10 tackles, fumble recovery), Jaion Jackson (nine tackles), Brett McCalla (nine tackles), and JJ Douglas (career-high nine tackles).

At Ohio, the Bobcats 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 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 Michigan hosts Miami (Ohio) for the first time in nine seasons. The last time the two teams played at CMU in Mount Pleasant was on Sept. 23, 2017.
CMU enters the game with a 3-1 record at home. The Chippewas have won eight of their last 10 games at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, are 29-12 in the last seven seasons, and are 7-2 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 high 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 3-1 at home this season and 7-2 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 29-12 (.707 win percentage) within the confines of Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The Chippewas have also won 11 of their last 15 and 15 of their last 20 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 3-1 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 191-91-4 in 286 games. In MAC games, the Chippewas are 144-71-4 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

TOUGH SCHEDULE

Central Michigan's four losses are to teams who are a combined 21-5. Miami, Fla. is the consensus No. 1 ranked team in the America, New Mexico is the top team in the Mountain West, and Ohio and Western Michigan are the two undefeated teams in the league.

Rank	Opponent	W-L
No. 1	Miami, Fla.	6-0
ARV	New Mexico	5-1
	Ohio	3-0 MAC, 5-2
	Western Michigan	3-0 MAC, 5-2

WINNING TRENDS

Over the first two seasons under coach Matt Drinkall (2025 and 2026), Central Michigan has won 10 of its 20 games. Here are some statistical trends during that time:

In all 10 wins, Central Michigan has held all of 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. MIAMI (OHIO)

Central Michigan and Miami (Ohio) meet for the 32nd time since 1978. More series notes:

Ironically, Central Michigan hosts Miami (Ohio) for the first time in nine seasons. The last time the Redhawks played in Mount Pleasant was on Sept. 23, 2017, a 31-14 Miami win.
Miami (Ohio) has won each of the last five games vs. Central Michigan dating back to CMU's 34-27 victory on Nov. 15, 2014 in Mount Pleasant.
Central Michigan owns a 5-8-1 record in games played against Miami (Ohio) in Mount Pleasant.
Miami (Ohio) and Central Michigan are the Mid-American Conference's two most successful programs in terms of football history. In the MAC standings, both schools are 1-2 in all-time wins, most wins-Group of 5 schools, and all-time winning percentage.

A WIN OVER MIAMI WOULD…

Give Central Michigan a 4-4 overall record and 2-2 MAC record after eight games.
Snap a two-game losing streak for Central Michigan.
Snap Central Michigan's five-game losing streak to Miami (Ohio).
Give Central Michigan a 14-17-1 all-time record vs. Miami (Ohio) and improve the Chippewas to 6-8-1 in games played vs. Miami in Mount Pleasant.

FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY

Central Michigan has converted 13 of its 20 fourth down attempts for a 65 percent efficiency. Here is where the 2026 season currently ranks among all-time CMU best seasons:

FOURTH DOWN PERCENTAGE

Pct.	Conversions-Attempts	Year
70%	16-23	2023
69%	9-13	1998
65%	13-20	2026
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
13	13-20 (65%)	2026

FLORES AMONG TOP QB RUSHERS

Central Michigan's Angel Flores enters the eighth week of the 2026 season ranked No. 18 nationally in rushing yards (618) and No. 27 in rushing yards per game (88.3). He ranks No. 2 in the MAC in both rushing yards and rushing yards per game. Among national quarterbacks, Flores is No. 5 in rushing yards and No. 5 in rushing yards per game. Here is where he stands among national quarterbacks:

TOTAL RUSHING YARDS

Rk.	Player, School	Att.-Yards	TD
10.	Michael Hawkins, West Virginia	143-749	14
11.	Cale Hellums, Army	129-729	13
14.	Jacurri Brown, Rice	118-668	6
16.	Jackson Gutierrez, Navy	123-644	9
18.	Angel Flores, Central Michigan	128-618	4
42.	Caden Creel, Jacksonville State	105-500	4

RUSHING YARDS PER GAME

Rk.	Player, School	Avg.	GP
5.	Cale Hellums, Army	119.8	6
13.	Jackson Gutierrez, Navy	107.3	6
14.	Michael Hawkins, West Virginia	107.0	7
19.	Jacurri Brown, Rice	95.4	7
27.	Angel Flores, Central Michigan	88.3	7

Note: rank refers to overall national rank

CMU, WINNINGEST G5 TEAMS

Central Michigan currently ranks No. 7 nationally among the winningest Group of Five teams in the all-time wins rankings category (source: CFB Home). Here is where CMU currently ranks on the list:

Rk.	Team (2026 W-L)	Wins
1.	Navy (2-4)	761 wins
2.	Army (4-2)	749 wins
3.	Miami (Ohio) (4-3)	744 wins
4.	Delaware (2-4)	741 wins
5.	Appalachian State (4-2)	679 wins
6.	Fresno State (4-3)	664 wins
7.	Central Michigan (3-4)	661 wins
8.	Tulsa (4-3)	659 wins
	Louisiana Tech (4-2)	659 wins
10.	Marshall (3-3)	646 wins
11.	Jacksonville State (5-2)	636 wins
12.	Western Kentucky (3-4)	635 wins

CMU AMONG TOP 50 PROGRAMS

Historically, Central Michigan has been ranked among the nation's top 50 all-time college football programs by a variety of organizations. The Pro Football Hall of Fame and ESPN both rated Central Michigan No. 41 on their respective lists of all time most successful college football programs.

Of MAC schools, the two highest-rated college football programs of all time are Miami (Ohio) and Central Michigan.

Also on display at the College Football Hall of Fame is Central Michigan-Western Michigan, one of the top rivalries in all of college football.
CMU IN NATIONAL STATISTICS

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

No. 17 in fumbles recovered (5).
No. 20 in turnovers gained (11).
No. 25 in blocked kicks (1).
No. 26 in passing yards allowed (174.3).
No. 31 in kickoff returns (24.57).
No. 33 in passes intercepted (6).
No. 34 in fourth down conversion percentage (65%).

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

Angel Flores, No. 18 in rushing yards (618).
Angel Flores, No. 27 in rushing yards per game (88.3).
Justin Taylor, No. 27 in interceptions (2).
Declan Duley, No. 27 in punting (43.9)

WESTERN MICHIGAN POST-GAME NOTES

The Central Michigan loss...

Drops the Chippewas to 3-4 on the year and 1-2 in the Mid-American Conference.
Snapped Central Michigan's three-game home win streak.
Dropped Central Michigan to 7-2 in home games under Matt Drinkall. The Chippewas have now won eight of their last 10 games at home and 29-12 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in the last 41 contests.
Dropped Central Michigan to 17-8-1 vs. WMU in home MAC games since 1975.
Snapped CMU's win streak at home vs. WMU following a 16-14 victory over the Broncos in Mount Pleasant on Nov. 19, 2024.

Team Notes

Central Michigan battled back from a 14-0 halftime deficit and made it interesting at the end of the game.
Central Michigan outgained Western Michigan in total yardage (337-272) and first downs (20-15).
Central Michigan surpassed season-highs for passing yards (179) on 16 completions for 32 attempts.
The turnover battle was tied 1-1. CMU recovered a fumble on a WMU punt return and CMU threw an interception on the game's final play.
Central Michigan converted 3-7 on fourth down. The fourth down attempts represented a season-high. The Chippewas are now 13-20 on fourth down this year.
Western Michigan converted 7-13 third downs.
Today's attendance was a season-high 25,352.
Western Michigan's Jalen Buckley rushed for 150 yards on 24 carries. He became the first player to rush for 150 or more yards vs. CMU since Akron's Jordan Gant ran for 176 yards on Oct. 4, 2025, 13 games ago.

Player Notes

Quarterback Angel Flores rushed for 117 yards on a career-high 31 attempts with a long run of 15 yards and passed for 162 yards and one touchdown while completing 14 of 25 passes. He threw a 44-yard pass to Langston Lewis. The contest marked his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season and fifth of his career. Flores' 31 attempts rank as the No. 2 most rushing attempts for a quarterback in school game history. Dan LeFevour ran 33 times vs. Purdue on Dec. 26, 2007. Flores led CMU with 117 all-purpose yards. Flores finished with a career-high 279 total yards (117 rushing, 162 passing). His performance marks the 18th all-time 100-yard rushing and 100-yard passing performance in school history. The last such performance was by Jase Bauer (106 rushing/116 passing) on Oct. 31, 2023 vs. Northern Illinois. The last time a CMU runner rushed 30 or more times was Lew Nichols (31) vs. Ball State on Oct. 8, 2022, 50 games ago.
Quarterback Jadyn Glasser completed 2-7 passes for 17 yards. He scored his first touchdown of the season on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter. It marked his third career touchdown.
Running back Brock Townsend caught a career-high five passes for 27 yards with a long of 10. He finished with 45 all-purpose yards.
Wide receiver Langston Lewis finished with a season-high four receptions for 74 yards, including a 44-yard reception from Flores. He finished second on the team in all-purpose yards (74).
Tight end Jaden Allen scored his first career touchdown on a career-high 32-yard reception in the fourth quarter. It marked his second career reception at Central Michigan. He also caught a career-high four passes for a career-high 56 yards with a long reception of 32.
Fullback Rusty VanWetzinga IV made his first career reception for eight yards.
Linebacker Mayson Hitchens recovered a fumble on a Western Michigan punt return. He finished with a career-high tying 10 tackles (two solo) with 0.5 sacks for 2 yards.
Linebacker Xavier White led the Chippewas with a career-high tying 11 tackles (two solo) and also added 0.5 tackles for loss for one yard.
Defensive Back Jaion Jackson made a career-high nine tackles (three solo).
Defensive lineman JJ Douglas finished with a career-high nine tackles (two solo).
Defensive Back Justin Taylor finished with a career-high 1.5 tackles for loss for two yards. He also made four tackles.
Defensive lineman Quavion Bird made his first start of the season. It was his eighth career start. He finished with two tackles.
Defensive lineman D.J. Bennett made his first start of the season. It was his fifth career start.
Punter Declan Duley boomed a 64 yard punt and finished with a 43.7 average on three punts for 131 yards. He placed two inside the 20-yard line.

Miscellaneous

The game marked the 97th all-time meeting between Western Michigan and Central Michigan.
It was the first Western-Central game played on a Saturday in Mount Pleasant in eight years.
Central Michigan wore maroon jerseys and maroon pants.
Today's weather was sunny, 51 degrees.