Zeitler: Central Michigan has plenty to work on as Wisconsin looms large
Senior running back Jonathon Ward attempts to make his way down the field at Kelly Shorts stadium on Thursday, August 29.
In Central Michigan’s 38-21 win over Albany in the season opener, senior running back Jonathan Ward’s performance encapsulated the overall product given by the Chippewas in Week One.
Ward went off for over 200 yards of total offense: 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 22 carries in the rushing department in addition to 53 yards receiving. It was heartening to see the 6-foot, 202-pound running back return to peak form after a lackluster junior campaign in 2018.
And yet, Ward coughed up the ball on two occasions -- a cardinal sin for any back.
As a team, the Chippewas amassed over 400 yards of offense for the first time since 2017, and they blew that mark out of the water by racking up 539 total yards on the night. I know it was against Albany, a floundering FCS program, but still -- 539 yards. That’s more than CMU gained over the last three games of the 2018 season combined.
With that said, the offense also put the ball on the ground four times, and there’s really no excuse for being so careless with the ball, even if it is the first game of the season.
The Chippewas overcame their numerous blunders to pull out the win, but against stronger opponents looming large on the schedule, CMU will pay dearly for such mistakes if they aren't corrected -- and fast.
Ward fumbled on the opening possession of each half, both of which brought a screeching halt to promising drives. Quarterback Quentin Dormady contributed two fumbles of his own. He recovered one, but the other bounced directly into the hands of an Albany defender, who promptly returned it for a 52-yard touchdown.
“There are drills we work on every day,” McElwain said of his concern for ball security in the game. “I know (running backs coach) Cornell (Jackson) is gonna be re-drilling them.”
Similar to CMU’s offense, the Chippewa defense dominated the Great Danes for the majority of the game, but a number of lapses showed that defensive coordinator Robb Akey’s crew still has a long way to go.
In particular, I thought the defensive backs often looked lost in coverage, which concerns me greatly. There was an abundance of substitutions at the cornerback and safety positions -- far more than anyone expected.
The corners struggled with defending the sticks and gave up multiple first down conversions on sideline out routes. Based on what I saw in the game, the cornerbacks are reacting as opposed to anticipating. Because of this, the receivers consistently had the advantage in the matchup and were able to win position to give Albany quarterback Jeff Undercuffler a nice target.
Meanwhile, the safeties were a step slow to crash downfield and clean up runs that spilled more than a couple yards past the line of scrimmage.
Perhaps the most egregious error of the night on the defensive side of the ball came when Albany receiver Juwan Green hauled in a long pass for the Great Danes’ first touchdown of the game.
“That deep ball, getting beat on the play-action, the safety was up there in quarters, but you gotta win that at the corner as well,” McElwain said.
On that play, Green was able to get a step inside on the cornerback, and veteran safety Da'Quaun Jamison was expected to help over the top. However, Jamison had his eyes fixated in the backfield, and by the time he adjusted, it was too late, and Green had himself a 36-yard score to make it a 17-7 ballgame with 5:27 to play in the first half.
The Chippewas are headed to Camp Randall next Saturday to play the Wisconsin Badgers, one of the most successful programs in the country.
It is there that CMU will find out just how good they can be this season.
The Badgers boast the country’s most prolific running back in Jonathan Taylor, a rock-solid offensive line, and arguably the best receiving core in the Big Ten.
Not to say that CMU doesn’t stand a chance, but in order to stay in contention against Wisconsin, the Chippewas have to be leaps and bounds better than they were against Albany under the lights.
There are three things that, in my eyes, absolutely have to improve by the time the CMU team buses roll into Madison ahead of a 3:30 p.m. matchup against the No. 19 Badgers on September 7:
1. Staying in phase with receivers at the defensive back position.
2. Filling gaps so that 6-yard runs don’t become 60-yard touchdown runs.
3. Holding onto the football.
If the Chippewas can fix these issues quickly, I think CMU football fans are in for a real treat next Saturday.
The Chippewas’ defensive front seven looked solid throughout the game, and a revamped offense with Dormady and Ward playing smart and leading the charge could give the Badgers defense a real run for their money.
