A 44-24 blowout on national television was hardly what myself and many other Chippewa fans had in mind after a 17 day hiatus from football. Not when the majority of that 17 days could have been and probably was used to prepare for BSU quarterback phenom Keith Wenning. Instead, Wenning led the Cardinals on 8 scoring drives, throwing for four touchdowns in a very easy win in Muncie.
It seemed like the Chips could make an impact in this game, especially after their early success against Northern Illinois last week, but the team was outscored 34-3 in the first 2 1/2 quarters and never recovered. The offense struggled to move the ball and stay on the field early on, and Wenning made them pay.
What damage the Chippewas did do was through the air, as Cooper Rush threw for almost 300 yards, including 187 to Titus Davis, who remains the Chippewa's most reliable playmaker. However the Chippewas have not received consistent contributions from any other receiver, which hurts their offense overall.
On the positive side, the Chippewas could still secure postseason play, but they will have to win outright to do so. Fortunately again, CMU faces the combined hopeless trifecta of Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Massachusetts to do so, and if the Chips manage to play well, they could seize their own destiny at the finish for the second straight season. Their position is improving, as they welcome the return of their best tailback, Zurlon Tipton from injury. Tipton was ineffective in 5 carries on Wednesday, but was a powerhouse last season and could be again in these last three games.
The Chippewas return to play next Saturday, the 16th against rival Western Michigan. This game is a must win, both to preserve the posteseason hopes as well as it's importance as a rivalry game. A win there will also allow me to leave CMU with the series lead, 3-2, since my time began there.
Oh hey fans of the blog, thanks to my good friend Jesse, I finally have a logo. This is it, and you can expect to see it in every post from now on. Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment