Zurlon Tipton details return, looks to rivalry game against Western Michigan
Central Michigan tailback Zurlon Tipton is back, and so is his colorful personality.
The senior addressed the media Tuesday for the first time since returning during last week's 44-24 loss at Ball State, coming clean on his plan to return this season after head coach Dan Enos declared his surgery on a broken ankle as season-ending.
"Just the way I was feeling, I knew there was a chance I could possibly come back," said Tipton, who joked with Enos days after his September surgery that he was ready to play.
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In reality, though, he knew he wasn't. There was a plan, a target date set: Nov. 6 against Ball State. Tipton practiced to little contact in the week leading up to the game, with his ankle still bothering him at times. It was decided his return would be a game-time decision, allowing him to take the Schuemann Stadium field before the rest of his team to test it out.
On CMU's third play of the game, Tipton took his first hand-off in a game since he left the season opener at Michigan with a broken ankle. He only rushed five times for 8 yards, making no bones that he could have played more, but scored a touchdown in the third quarter.
It was his first of the season, after finding the end zone 20 times last year.
"I hate being on the sidelines, I hate it," Tipton said. "Just watching the game or not traveling and watching it on TV, I hate the feeling of not being able to do anything. It felt pretty good to be back out there with my team.
"Just to get six again, it's the greatest feeling in the world. Especially coming off injury, it definitely felt like 'Yeah, I'm back now.'"
Tipton is officially listed as third on the depth chart at tailback for Saturday's game against Western Michigan (Noon, ESPN+/ESPN3), but Enos says he is closer to 100 percent and likely to see more carries this week.
How many, exactly?
"That will be determined on how we're running the ball and how he does," Enos said. "He looks a lot more comfortable. The Ball State game, we got him in, got him acclimated with a goal-line carry for a touchdown, got him in some protection things.
"I would say his role will increase, where his carry number is I don't know."
Tipton rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns last season against the Broncos, a game in which he tried to use the media to motivate the team beforehand. CMU lost, 42-31 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, and Tipton says he's learned to try to keep quiet ahead of big rivalry games.
At least sort of.
"What the (expletive) was I thinking on that? That was me just trying to encourage people," Tipton said. "When you hear Western, we don't lose to Western. That was just me saying it so people would raise their sense of urgency in practice. That's why you love playing them, but you hate them at the same time.
"Let's get this out of the way; I don't want to be in Kalamazoo."
Contact Aaron McMann: aaron.mcmann@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @AaronMcMann.
