Senior center Steve Eipper on David Moore's suspension: 'It's a really terrible situation, but we support him'
Central Michigan offensive lineman Steve Eipper prepares to snap the ball to quarterback David Moore while facing Western Michigan Sept. 28 at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo.
When starting quarterback Quinten Dormady went down with a knee injury in Week 2 against Wisconsin, the "next man up" mentality kicked in for the Central Michigan football team.
That meant it was junior quarterback David Moore's job, and he rose the occasions.
But after pacing the Chippewas to a 2-2 overall record, including a 42-16 win against in-state rival Eastern Michigan on Oct. 5, Moore has been suspended by the NCAA following a positive test for a banned substance.
Now, the starting signal caller duties are back to Dormady.
The university found out about Moore's positive test result Oct. 7 and announced the suspension one day later. CMU will appeal the ruling, but it's typically a lengthy process. If upheld by the NCAA, Moore will not be eligible to return until October 2020.
With a game to prepare for against 0-6 New Mexico State on Saturday, senior center Steve Eipper said the quarterback circumstances haven't changed the game plan – at all.
"It's a really terrible situation that David got caught up in, but we support him and are all family here," Eipper said. "We have to adapt to the next man up mentality. We are going to stand behind David no matter what."
Dormady completed 27 of 37 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns in CMU's 38-21 season-opening win over Albany, a program from the Football Championship Subdivision. The 6-foot-5, 219-pound quarterback has fumbled twice.
Since Dormady played well in Week 1, Eipper is certain that it will roll over and take precedent for the remainder of the season. He doesn't think the offense will miss a beat, even without Moore and his recent success.
"We had an explosive game, so I don't have any doubts we'll be just as explosive as if David was in there," Eipper said. "He was here all of training camp and last spring, so he'd had lots of time in this system.
"He's just going to step right back to where he left off."
The Chippewas are 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the Mid-American Conference, putting first-year coach Jim McElwain's group third in the MAC West Division – behind Ball State (1-0) and Toledo (1-0).
Moore completed 94 of 164 passes for 1,143 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions in five games, of which four he started, before being suspended by the NCAA.
Dormady is a graduate transfer from Houston (2018) and Tennessee (2015-17). He threw for 1,282 yards and seven touchdowns during his time with the Volunteers. With Houston, Dormady took a redshirt due to an injury.
He was the No. 11 pro-style quarterback in the country out of Boerne High School, according to the 247Sports Composite. Dormady picked Tennessee over Alabama and many others.
