I've always been of the opinion that support should be earned, not expected. In the case of a university football team and its fans, there is a certain return that every fan expects out of their team every year, something to make it all worth it.
It has been no secret that the Chips have struggled recently, I myself have watched them reach the pinnacle of success just 3 years ago as a freshman and have seen the team plummet to two straight 3-9 seasons since. However, this latest offseason brought about a new sense of hope in the program and fan base. The team was blessed with a very favorable schedule, seven home games at Kelly/Shorts and the chance to upset Big Ten powerhouse Michigan State in front of thousands of loyal fans just dying to see things as they once were. Then the university ponied up money for brand new uniforms to further excite players and fans about what this season held in store.
Indeed, with all this excitement in the air, as well as returning many players from last years team,and with the State game looming so close, everyone viewed last nights' game against FCS school Southeast Missouri State as an easy tune up game for the Spartans.
This one got messy.
In front of a mass of excited students and alumni, the Chips came out very flat and quickly got behind early. Students stood open mouthed in disbelief as the Redhawks dominated early on the ground, running up a 24 point lead on the Chips with 7 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. The Chips had no real trouble moving the ball on the ground, with running backs Zurlon Tipton and Anthony Garland running wild through the Redhawks early. However, a fumble and a bad interception by three year starter Ryan Radcliffe killed two promising Central drives and gave the Redhawks momentum heading into half.
Fortunately for the Chippewa's, the offense seemed to gain new life after the Redhawks stretched the lead to 14, and with less than seven minutes to go they were able to put two quick touchdowns on the board, using the run game almost exclusively and with a little help from the CMU defense in forcing a three and out.
Watching attentively from the stands, my main concern coming out from half was that the team might squander the momentum and come out flat out of the locker room, but in the third quarter the Chips started to really tighten up the defense and shrink the field for Redhawks freshman quarterback Scott Lathrop. After dominating possession in the first half, the Redhawks only managed a field goal after the break, and CMU scored twice more, once a Tipton scoring run and the other a wide open touchdown pass from Radcliffe to seal the win in the season opener.
While certainly not the easy game that many expected it to be, there were some good things to take away from the game as well as some bad things. Lets break down each part of the team and their performance yesterday.
Offense: A-
While the offense wasn't able to get CMU a lead early, they had a field day with the Redhawks defense, especially on the ground, where the Chips racked up 324 yards with a 7.2 YPC average and several scores. Senior quarterback Ryan Radcliffe was admittedly shakier than I had hoped he would be, and the early interception had many fans thinking back to last season all over again. He made some good plays under pressure and avoiding sacks, yet also missed easy plays where he had plenty of time to get off a good throw.
Defense: B+
Arguably the Chippewa's biggest weakness on paper, the defense had some bright spots yesterday, but overall gave up too many points to a weak football program and also struggled to stop 3rd down conversions. Additionally, the Chips continue to struggle to get ample pressure on the opposing quarterback, as Lathrop had a pretty easy time in the pocket on the night. The tackling looks solid, and the defense is far form porous, but they might have a tough time with some of the bigger schools on the schedule.
Special Teams: B+
Didn't we have an issue with field goals once? Well, whatever that was, it seems to be gone, as David Harman knocked in a short field goal early and was perfect on his extra point attempts on the night. Going back to last season, Harman provides the Chippewas with a suitable kicker who can be relied upon in clutch situations. Our kick return team struggled to give the offense decent field position all night, as we would've been better off kneeling almost every return considering where we ended up. The blocking needs to improve in this unit.
Play Calling: B+
I'm not going to pretend I'm a coach. I'm not going to pretend I know more than Dan Enos. In my opinion he picked a safe, solid strategy last night, exploited the opponents weakness on the ground and it worked for us. Some would say we were to predictable, and that this might hurt us later in the season. While that is hard to say, I definitely feel like Radcliffe needs to take the reins and do something with this team for his final season, and Enos should have the confidence in his quarterback to air out the football and spread the defense.
Concessions: A+
Facing an increased amount of student attendance, the concessions crew seemed to really step up their game early and often, giving a promising image of what we should be able to expect this season.
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