On point in Ohio

Fluke {flook}-an accident or chance happening.


The Central Michigan Chippewas played without a doubt their best game of the season and quite possibly best game of Dan Eno's tenure yesterday as they beat MAC East favorite Ohio at home, 26-23.


If I had to choose one word to describe why this game turned out the way it did, it would be power. Power was the Chippewas game plan, and they worked it perfectly for three quarters against one of the top teams in their conference. 

In the fourth quarter, however, Ohio found it's offense and appeared poised to win the ballgame as the Chips punted the ball to them deep in their own territory with under three minutes left and Ohio leading 19-23. 


What happened next, and the reason why I didn't start this post out with a Gossip Girl reference, was a fluke. 


You ever have one of those dull, repetitive tasks that you do so often you barely think about it, except for that one time in a hundred where you really screw it up?  


Catching a football is one of those things. And yet in the most pivotal moment of the game, Bobcats senior Travis Carrie muffed a fair catch of the punt, giving the Chippewas the ball back in Ohio territory. 

It took the Chippewas just a few more plays to find the end zone on a crisp slant pass from Cooper Rush to Courtney Williams, putting the Chippewas up 26-23 and proving to be the game winning score.


Watching the game, I was at a complete loss when Dan Enos decided to punt the ball away on 4th and short instead of going for the conversion, effectively giving the Bobcats the ball to run out the remaining three minutes. What appeared to be a very stupid play call ended up working out for the Chippewas, but make no mistake, that play was a fluke. 


Now of course, the Chippewas probably deserved to win that game. Personal bias aside, the tale of the game for the entirety of the first three quarters was Chippewas power football and running roughshod over the Bobcats defense. 


Defensively, the Chippewas made it a difficult day for Ohio QB Tyler Tettleton, picking him off twice and ruining a third drive off a receiver's fumble. His day would end on a crushing hit by Chippewas end Blake Serpa as Ohio tried desperately to get into field goal range with 30 seconds left. 


So if you didn't watch the game, take it from what you've read here that while the Chippewas probably deserved to win, they did win mostly because of a fluke turnover at the end of a game where they dominated for 3/4 of the game but lost the lead late. 




I have a phrase that I use often when I play disc golf out with my friends. I'm a casual player, hardly a pro, but I'm always looking for that great shot that I can be proud of. When I throw a particularly close approach shot that looks like it might hit the basket, but doesn't, I have a pattern. I smile, laugh a bit, and say "I dared to hope".  


Now, that's not seemingly related to football, but know that heading into this game, actually at any point this season, I dared to hope that Central would play up to it's potential. I wouldn't have guessed that it would be against a team as good as Ohio, but I'll definitely take it. Everything looked good in this game, well, most everything. Here are some highlights.


Running game: Perfect, absolutely perfect. The Chippewas 1500lb O-Line created massive holes for Saylor Lavalli to hit the line through, and the speedy back did the rest, racking up 184 yards on 16 carries. Though he did not rush for a score, Lavalli had runs of 24, 30, 36 and 37 yards to boost Chippewas drives, and was a pivotal force on offense. 


Passing game: Probably Cooper's best game thus far, as he was accurate (20-28), had several beautiful touchdown throws (3) and managed the game well through short, accurate throws to move the chains. Nothing spectacular about the way it was done, but a very solid effort, and one that Enos is probably very happy to see. Also, the interception he "threw" was one of those odd interceptions that you can't fault a quarterback for, so as far as I'm concerned, he had ball control too. 


Defense: The Chippewas have a D-line now. Wait, I apologize, they've HAD a D line all season, what has changed is the presence this unit is making in the past two weeks. In the center of the line, Leterrious Walton and Louis Palmer are making noise, stopping up the run game and creating chaos for quarterbacks. The defensive backs continue to create turnovers in most every game, led by defensive back Kavon Frazier and his knack for getting the ball. The defense forced three turnovers in yesterday's game, holding one of the MAC's higher scoring offenses (28ppg) to just 23 points. 


Special teams: While I mostly have to point out the struggles in the kicking game, in which Ron Coluzzi was 2-4 on field goals and also had an extra point blocked, this unit was saved by some truly great punt coverage, including recovering the pivotal fumble recovery that would hand the Chippewas the win. Still, in a game where the Chippewas struggled in the red zone, Coluzzi left 7 points on the field that the Chippewas desperately needed. A team needs to have faith in their kicker, and they need to feel like three points is a given in case a touchdown is not scored. 


Good news Chippewa fans, we're on our first win streak of the season, with a lot of promise to nab a couple more wins this season. 




Are you as happy as I am about this win? Are you as happy as Dan Enos? Doubtful, he probably just saved his job. In any case, if you're reading this then there's a 37% chance you know that this is the most recent post in a series of CMU football posts. It'll be the same ole, same ole next week, as #23 Northern Illinois comes to town for Homecoming, in what should be a blowout CMU win. Heh. Keep it classy, people. See you next week.