Highlights and Lowlights from Central Michigan football's win over Ball State
MUNCIE, Ind. — Head coach John Bonamego inhaled and exhaled quickly, chuckling as he greeted reporters after Saturday's 23-21 victory over Ball State.
"We'll take it," he said.
The Chippewas knew it wasn't pretty, but they got the job done as they grabbed their first road victory of the season.
CMU Highlights:
Junior quarterback Cooper Rush was efficient and confident.
His only turnover, late in the game, wasn't really even his. Rush finished the game 30-of-38 passing for 316 yards and two important touchdowns.
Slot receivers Anthony Rice and Eric Cooper provided Rush with a safety valve. Aside from a few dumb penalties late in the first half, CMU's offense played well.
The Chippewas' defense is what won them Saturday's game. Linebacker Tyree Waller made the first big play late in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-short.
Then, senior Blake Serpa led CMU on two consecutive blitz packages that sealed the victory. Before the final drive of the game, the CMU defense allowed no first downs in the second half and rattled BSU freshman quarterback Riley Neal.
Junior kicker Brian Eavey also had a career day, going 3-for-3 on field goals, including a career long 47-yard attempt and the eventual game-winning 34-yard attempt.
CMU Lowlights:
Penalties, penalties, penalties.
CMU committed 10 against Ball State for 55 yards, the second most in any game this season. This was especially disheartening for Bonamego given how much he and his staff has harped on this drive-killing issue during the past several weeks in practice.
The biggest issue wasn't the penalty yardage, but the timing of the penalties, which stalled multiple Chippewa offensive drives.
Bonamego said he is considering limiting the playing time of Chippewas who commit multiple fouls during a game. A major reason CMU's offense could not get off the ground late in the first half was due to the mental mistakes.
The Chippewas gave up their first big kick return of the season on Saturday. BSU returner KeVonn Mabon went virtually untouched on an 89-yard touchdown kickoff return that have BSU a late 21-20 lead.
After the game, Bonamego, a former special teams coach for the Detroit Lions, said he is pretty sure he knows what broke down on the play and the Chippewas are likely to hear about it this week in practice.
Up Next:
The Chippewas (4-4 overall, 3-1 in MAC) head to Northeast Ohio to take on Akron at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Akron is coming off a bye. The Zips will be the third team CMU has faced off a bye week in four weeks.
Stay with Central Michigan Life for more on today's game.
