Chippewas Roll Past Eastern in Motor City MACtion, 35-7 - Central Michigan University Athletics

Wednesday, November 4

Detroit, Mich./Ford Field

7:30 p.m.

Central Michigan University

4-5 , 2-3

Eastern Michigan

4-6 , 3-3

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Central Michigan	7	14	7	7	35
Eastern Michigan	0	0	0	7	7

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CMU vs Eastern Michigan, November 4th, 2026

Photo by: Kailey Hill '26 - @rahsignz

Photo by: Josie Ransley '25,M'27 - @josieransmedia

Photo by: Brayden Gallagher

11/5/2026 1:02:00 AM | Football

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Sophomore Nick Woodford breaks out with a career-high 123 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

By: Andy Sneddon

DETROIT – A dominant performance and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Nick Woodford ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns and Central Michigan was in control from start to finish Wednesday as the Chippewas rolled past Eastern Michigan, 35-7, in the Motor City MACtion game before 12,656 fans at Ford Field.

The Chippewas snapped a three-game losing streak in improving to 4-5, 2-3 MAC. Eastern is 4-6, 3-3. CMU entertains MAC newcomer Sacramento State on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

"I was excited to see us execute as well as we did and get back in the win column," second-year CMU coach Matt Drinkall said. "One of those deals where we played well and we caught a lot of breaks. It's really nice to see (the players) smiling and laughing and having fun and getting rewarded. That is a better feeling than winning the game."

CMU quarterback Jadyn Glasser threw for 175 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-19 passing. His TD pass, an 8-yarder to Nasier Williams, capped the opening drive of the game and the Chippewas were off to the races.

Woodford, a sophomore from Macon, Ga., scored from 11 and then 2 yards out as the Chippewas built a 21-0 halftime lead. He added a 1-yard TD run early in the third quarter to make it 28-0.

The CMU offense produced 418 yards, 251 on the ground and totaled a season-high 26 first downs. The Chippewa scoring drives covered 75, 86, 51, 90 and 64 yards and CMU finished with a 2-to-1 advantage in time of possession.

The Chippewa defense held Eastern, which was playing without injured starting quarterback Noah Kim, to one first down until the fourth quarter. The Eagles finished with 177 yards of offense, 125 of that coming in the final 15 minutes.

"We really benefited from getting up early," Drinkall said. "Keeping them off the field and really getting some drives together on offense. Obviously, when you can do that, then time starts to become a pressure cooker, and you can make (Eastern) more one-dimensional.

"We were able to throw the ball early in series. And what that allowed us to do is pick and choose and then get a couple explosives and a couple chunk plays. Then you can lean on the run game. (We were) a little bit more balanced to start series out, which has been really helpful."

Woodford, who is listed at 5-foot-9 and 220 pounds, carried just 25 times for 135 yards through the Chippewas' first eight games. One of a number of talented runners on CMU's roster, he had patiently waited his turn and delivered big time on Wednesday.

"Our problem is we kind of are rich at running back," Drinkall said. "We've got a lot of good players there and they're good at everything. And they all contribute.

"And Nick, he's sneaky because he's not like flashy at any one thing. He kind of reminds me of like Maurice Jones Drew a little bit where he's not like a burst guy. He's not super big. He's really amazing. Maybe the most humble kid on the whole team. He just shows up and he works and he's really, really happy.

"The captains gave him a game ball afterwards and he spoke to the team and just thanked everybody for executing the basics really well. He's just one of those guys: the more touches he gets, he's so productive that once he gets worked into the full rotation, it's going to be hard to get him out."