ROYALLY FLUSHED
Greg Burghardt
DETROIT — Head Coach Mike DeBord feels his Chippewas are ready for the top despite being predicted to finish fifth in the MAC West Division.
“We have 31 fourth or fifth-year players returning,” DeBord said. “We’ll be a better football team than we were last year. There is no doubt in my mind.”
CMU was tabbed fifth in the MAC News Media Association preseason poll Tuesday, behind Northern Illinois, Toledo, Bowling Green and Western Michigan.
The Chippewas finished last season 4-8, and have made a one-game win improvement during each of DeBord’s three seasons as coach.
“I’m happy with the improvement we’ve been making in our program,” he said. “We had a starting point, and we gradually continued to improve talent, which has made better competition at each position. We’ve had guys who have stayed the course and have worked through adversity.”
After starting 3-0, the team relinquished a halftime lead at Indiana, which led to the team dropping eight of its final nine games.
“Focus is something that we’ve lacked a little bit in the past,” DeBord said. “I think we’ve learned from that and I know we have. I’m looking to build upon the veteran leadership that we have.”
The Chippewas return seven starters on offense and four of defense — among the returning veterans are guard Derek McLaughlin, tailback Terrance Jackson, fullback Adam Supianoski, linebackers Anthony Tyus, Jr. and Eddie Hillery and safety James King.
“Central is just a player or two away,” said Bowling Green Head Coach Gregg Brandon.
Like past seasons, the team’s strength will lie in its run offense and defense. The team has produced a 1,000-yard rusher for each of the last two seasons, including departed Robbie Mixon’s 1,361-yard outburst last season.
A solid offensive line — led by returning starters McLaughlin, Adam Kieft and Eric Ghiaciuc — hopes to lead the Chippewas rushing success once again.
“I definitely take pride in our run game,” McLaughlin said. “Right now it is our job to consistently do this every season.”
Jackson eclipsed the 1,000 mark in 2001, before an ankle injury opened the door for Mixon. Jackson is at full health heading into the season and will share the backfield with veterans like tailback Kenan Lawhorne and fullback Adam Supianoski.
“Our running back corps is really strong,” DeBord said. “I feel that we’re deep and we’ve had guys in the program.”
CMU finished third in the MAC in rush defense last season, allowing just 141 yards a game. The team returns a veteran defensive line, allowing Tyus, Hillery and King to make tackles. Highly-touted freshman linebackers Anthony Rogers and De’Onte Burnham also could contribute immediately.
Conversely, the Chippewas struggled in pass defense, finishing 13th in the conference. Defensive coordinator/cornerbacks Coach Bob Bartolomeo comes to CMU from the Ball State staff hoping to improve the team’s most glaring weakness.
With the loss of 2002 starters Dante McKnight and Ron Bartell, the Chippewas will need their youthful crop of defensive backs to step up. Corner Richard Kiel is healthy, and DeBord is looking for him to make a contribution.
More change will happen at the quarterback slot, as junior Jeff Perry overtook three-year incumbent starter Derrick Vickers during spring drills. DeBord said he is impressed with Perry’s consistency.
“He has had to overcome injury,” DeBord said. “This past spring he was healthy and he really did an outstanding job leading our offense. He was very accurate, and to me, that’s the one thing a quarterback needs.”
Leading receiver Rob Turner graduated, opening competition for Perry’s targets. Wideouts Justin Harper, Jacob Brown, Scott Gibson, Willie Hill and tight end Tory Humphrey all saw reps in the spring, and will be pushed by a group of four newcomers, including former Northwestern player Jovan Witherspoon.
“He hasn’t practiced yet, so I don’t really know what he’ll be able to do,” DeBord said. “But I have seen him on film and I do like his height, speed and experience in the Big Ten.”
CMU’s non-conference schedule includes road games at Michigan and Navy and home contests against New Hampshire and Eastern Kentucky.
In MAC play, CMU will be at Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Florida and Western Michigan. The Chippewas will host Akron, Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Northern Illinois at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. DeBord said while his past teams tended to look ahead, emphasis this season will be placed on playing one game at a time.
“That’s been a little bit of a problem with us rebuilding this program is that we do look at the end of it before we get started,” DeBord said. “I’m not worried about where we are in the future. I’m just going to worry about where we are today, and then we’ll worry about the future.”
Even if CMU losses its first game August 30 to Michigan, the Chippewas are focused on finishing strong.
“We came out with a bang and had a fire going,” McLaughlin said. “Part of our learning process that we need to have going into this season is keeping that going. This year, there’s more expected of us.”
| West Division | (Points) |
|---|---|
| 1. Northern Illinois | 269 |
| 2. Toledo | 238 |
| 3. Bowling Green | 232 |
| 4. Western Michigan | 172 |
| 5. Central Michigan | 114 |
| 6. Ball State | 104 |
| 7. Eastern Michigan | 47 |
| East Division | (Points) |
| 1. Miami | 254 |
| 2. Marshall | 253 |
| 3. UCF | 248 |
| 4. Akron | 144 |
| 5. Kent State | 121 |
| 6. Ohio | 109 |
| 7. Buffalo | 47 |
| Winner of MAC Championship Game | |
| NIU (15), Marshall (7), Miami (6), Bowling Green (5) UCF (5), Toledo (4) | |
| — (votes) | |
| 2003 CMU schedule | |
| Date | Opponent |
| 8/30/03 | @Michigan |
| 9/6/03 | New Hampshire |
| 9/13/03 | Eastern Kentucky |
| 9/20/03 | @Ball State |
| 10/4/03 | @Bowling Green |
| 10/11/03 | Northern Illinois |
| 10/18/03 | Toledo |
| 10/25/03 | @UCF |
| 11/1/03 | Eastern Michigan |
| 11/8/03 | Akron |
| 11/15/03 | @Western Michigan |
| 11/22/03 | @Navy |
| CMU starters lost | |
| Offense: Four | |
| Defense: Seven | |
