Chippewas, birds, sharks: An unfiltered memoir from the student section in battle for Victory Cannon

“Hate 'em.”

“We’re gonna beat the shit out of them.”

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Such phrases are used by both sides of the battle for the Victory Cannon. An in-state rivalry of which both schools are extremely proud was renewed for the 91st time Saturday afternoon. For the host Broncos, it was about more than the game on the field.

They had home-field advantage, and the students were eager to exert an influence in support of the home team. In big rivalry games, which take place all over college football, students take pride in being able to take part in important games.

No matter the school, students dish out smack talk with pride. Students are unafraid and unwavering in support of their team. Whether or not that upsets the opposing students isn’t up to them. 

Pregame

“I don’t want to talk about it, that’s how much I hate them,” said one Western student of Central Michigan. “Find somebody else, kiddo.”

Another Western Michigan student, Devon Ivy, was adamant about his viewpoint on the rivalry.

“Get this on paper,” he said. “(Expletive) the Chips, just because I go to Western.”

His friend, Marcel Wiggins, wasn’t too worried about the rivalry. Wiggins, who is not enrolled at either school, just wanted to know if CMU student Antonio Brown was in the lineup Saturday for the Chippewas.

Of course, Brown wasn't.

As the Chippewas took the field before kickoff, they were led by an animated coach Jim McElwain. Instead of being intimated by Central’s charge onto the field, the Bronco students simply laughed it off. Hundreds of middle fingers were raised to the sky and a chorus of boos rained down.

The birds were flying high in the student section.

First half

Three former Bronco students, one of which was named Parker, remain very passionate about their alma mater. They were unafraid to show their emotion in support of Western Michigan, doing so the second the Chippewa offense took the field for the first play.

Jonathan Ward, who was questionable to play, took the opening carry 11 yards for a first down.

“We can’t be Swiss cheese like that,” remarked one of Parker’s friends, who wished to remain anonymous, of Western’s defense.

The three of them continued to complain about the lack of pressure as David Moore completed a pass to Tony Poljan for yet another first down. Moore then carried the ball for 9 yards, and Central looked to have something going. Tension began to build within the student section. 

Then, everything changed.

Moore threw a pass that was tipped multiple times before being intercepted by Patrick Lupro of the Broncos. Pandemonium ensued. The Broncos had the ball for the first time. They wasted little time capitalizing.

After Jon Wassink hooked up with Skyy Moore for a pair of big gains, the students could smell blood in the water. They were sharks sensing the fear in their prey.

Speaking of sharks. 

Two freshmen students, Matt and Kyle, saw a picture on Western Michigan’s Barstool account regarding McElwain and a shark and saw an opportunity to create some humor for their counterparts. Matt wore a shark head, khaki shorts and was shirtless. He painted a phrase on his chest regarding the meme – "Coach Jim (expletive) sharks."

Both students said they meant no disrespect to coach McElwain or Central Michigan University. They thought the situation was funny and figured their friends would, too.

“Multiple people from Central have said that it’s not real,” Kyle said. 

“Regardless, we decided to make fun of it, so we went to Target,” Matt, who hails from Brighton, added.

Both students were adamant that they would like to be featured on Barstool Sports. In CMU's Sept. 21 game against Miami (FL), the Hurricanes played the "Baby Shark" song at Hard Rock Stadium.

Back to the action, the Broncos were relentless as they entered the end zone. The student section chanted, “(Expletive) the Chips” as the players on the field celebrated a LeVante Bellamy touchdown. It was an 11-yard touchdown, and it had Parker fired up.

“Run it up!” he yelled as he gave a high-five to a man next to him, who was wearing a “Stud Light” shirt modeled after Bud Light.

Central Michigan got the ball back and moved all the way to the Western 13-yard line. Moore couldn’t connect with Tyrone Scott, but flags came out. Western students were befuddled.

“Central collusion,” said one student three rows down from where Parker was. “Impeach the refs!”

There were flags on both teams. The penalties offset and the play was redone. 

Central Michigan was unable to convert on a fourth down from Western’s 9-yard line, ending there drive without putting anything up on the board. What must’ve been demoralizing for the Chippewas only fueled the fire for the Western students. “(Expletive) the Chips” made a return as the Western players fed off the energy, chest bumped and celebrated the big stop.

Bellamy ran for another first down on the first play after the turnover. By this point, the stadium was bouncing. 

At least on the Western half.

“We’re probably going to get sick of those,” Parker said, joking about all the first downs.

His friends commanded the Western Michigan offense, which is led by coach Tim Lester, to “quit stalling and score already.”

The Broncos complied when Thiago Kapps converted a 25-yard field goal to stretch the lead to 10-0. After the field goal, Parker was off to meet up with his family. His friends left as well, but one of them stopped to shake my hand as he walked away.

“(Expletive) the Chips,” was his parting phrase. 

Western had a chance to stretch the lead even further, but Wassink was intercepted in the red zone by Central Michigan safety Gage Kreski. With the interception coming at a critical juncture and giving the Chippewas a chance to cut into the lead, one would expect a little tension within the student section.

Nope. 

“Well, there goes the over,” said Pierce, a junior from San Diego, California. Pierce’s parents both attended Western Michigan, and he is currently on an academic full-ride scholarship.

Central Michigan quickly went three and out, and it took Western Michigan only two plays to drive 47 yards, scoring on a pass from Wassink to tight end Giovanni Ricci. Central Michigan turned the ball over on downs yet again deep in Bronco territory to end the half and went into the locker room down 17-0. 

Western Michigan students cranked up the heat as Central Michigan jogged back toward their locker room. The section closest to the tunnel was again a sea of middle fingers and boos.

One Chippewa player returned the favor.

Second half

Many Western students were not impressed with the competition that CMU offered through the first half and took off toward the exits. The student section was a shell of itself to start the second half and the air had left the building. The energy dropped on Western’s side as they were stopped on downs to start the third. 

Central Michigan converted a third down with a pass from Moore to Scott and got into WMU territory. However, their momentum was short-lived, as Kobe Lewis fumbled. The recovery ignited what was left of the Bronco student section, including junior Bobby Green.

“I miss football so much!” he exclaimed while mimicking NFL quarterback Cam Newton with his “Superman” celebration.

Western moved the ball on their ensuing drive, aided by three CMU penalties, one of which was an offside penalty by defensive lineman Jacques Bristol. The Bronco faithful showed no sympathy for the true freshman.

“Goodbye, big sexy!” yelled Avery, a senior. 

“He’s angry,” he added, as Bristol was portrayed on the big screen of the scoreboard.

The Broncos tacked on a rushing touchdown from Wassink to stretch their lead to 24-0. CMU got on the board with a Lewis touchdown, and a Tice field goal made it 24-9. However, Sean Tyler scored from 11 yards out to make it 31-9 and essentially ended the game. A touchdown from Moore to JaCorey Sullivan made it 31-15, which was the final.

Postgame

Even as the clocked ticked to zero with the Chippewas in the red zone, the outcome was never in doubt. The students from Western Michigan helped to give their home team an edge that would propel their team over their rival. 

That energy is common in big rivalry games all over the country. Students are proud of their teams and want them to succeed. The confidence they show in their squads often flows into the players who represent them on the field. At the end of the day, the players are college kids – just like the fans who support them. 

The game is played by eleven players on the field, but it can be won by the energy of the thousands in the stands.