Jim McElwain thinks of Eastern Michigan as 'huge rival' to Central Michigan
Central Michigan head coach Jim McElwain talks to the media after facing Western Michigan Sept. 28 at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo.
Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton doesn't think Central Michigan considers his squad a rival.
Jim McElwain wants that to change.
The first-year Chippewa coach called the Eagles a "true rival," and he said there's an added emphasis on winning since it's a home contest and Mid-American Conference battle.
"That's the way I look at it," McElwain said. "They've got a 'Michigan' on the end of their jersey, just like we do. Theirs says, 'Eastern' and ours says, 'Central' – it's a huge rivalry.
For the 97th time in history, the Chippewas (2-3, 1-1 MAC) and Eagles (3-1) square off at 3 p.m. Saturday in Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Central Michigan holds a 60-30-6 edge in the all-time series.
Creighton was blunt when touching on what he believes is a non-existent rivalry.
"I don't know if Central Michigan sees us as a rival," he said.
Maybe, just maybe, Creighton was bluffing. At least that's what McElwain thought when asked about Creighton's comment.
"I'm sure what he's trying to do is downplay it," McElwain said. "It's every guy's M.O. to say, 'We're the underdogs.' But they're ahead of us (in conference standings) and are probably picked to beat us.
"I don't know how any of that could ever come from anybody. To each his own."
Where Central Michigan has already played two conference games, a 45-24 win against Akron on Sept. 14 and 31-15 loss to Western Michigan on Sept. 28, the Eagles have yet to take on anybody from the MAC.
To Creighton, that's what makes this meeting special.
Again, there's no rivalry in his opinion.
"It's a huge game for us because it's a MAC game," Creighton said, "but there's no question we are in the same state and run into the same people."
The two programs are separated by 140 miles. To get from Ypsilanti to Mount Pleasant, Eastern Michigan will likely take WB I-96 to NB US-127, approximately a 2 hour bus ride.
The Chippewas won the first-ever matchup, 10-0, and have taken seven of the last 10 contests. In 2018, Eastern Michigan secured a 17-7 victory at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti.
Of the 12 commits CMU has picked up in the 2020 class, Lumen Christi 3-star offensive guard Keegan Smith, Lincoln (Manitowoc, Wisc.) 3-star tight end Davis Heinzen and Western 3-star quarterback Tyler Pape have an offer from EMU.
Smith and Pape are in-state recruits.
"They're right down the road; we recruit the same guys," McElwain said.
