Pressure on EMU QB Mike Glass III leads to dominant defensive performance
Central Michigan defensive back Da'Quaun Jamison, right, and Devonni Reed tackle Eastern Michigan wide reciever Line Latu Oct. 5 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Central Michigan entered its contest against Eastern Michigan with the tough task of stopping Mike Glass III.
The Eagles' quarterback came into the game third in the Mid-American Conference with 1,120 yards passing to go along with 12 touchdowns.
The Chippewas, however, were up to the task.
The defense, led by coordinator Robb Akey, was able to prevent Glass from setting the pace of the game. It stemmed directly from pressure delivered by the line.
Freshman nose tackle Jacques Bristol got a sack on the first EMU drive that turned a second-and-4 into a third-and-long.
The pressure altered the way the Eagles were able to run their offense, forcing them to run the ball more and utilize quick passes and rollouts to try to give Glass time to throw.
The change gave the Eagles some room to work with. But on their first drive, the final play was a fourth-and-3 where Glass rolled out to his right. Multiple Chippewas were able to get free from their blocks and chase Glass toward the sideline, forcing him to throw an incomplete pass.
First-year coach Jim McElwain praised his defense for forcing long third downs and getting the ball back to the offense.
”Defensively, they got about two third down conversions or something like that, and I don’t think they got a fourth down conversion,” McElwain said. “To me that means that our guys were on point and knew what we needed to do to get off the field to give the football to the offense to give us a chance.”
Ultimately, the CMU defense came through when it was needed most.
Each time EMU crossed into Chippewa territory, the defense tightened up.
In the first half, CMU forced the fourth down incompletion on the first drive and then forced another incompletion on third-and-13 with a blitz on the second drive.
On most plays, Glass threw the ball with a Central Michigan defender in his face.
Constant pressure led to a turnover in the second quarter when the Chippewas forced Glass outside of the pocket, and he threw the ball up for grabs. Junior safety Alonzo McCoy was able to get the interception in the end zone.
”(Alonzo) went out there and he made a great play today, that needed to be made, and within the right time,” said senior safety Da’Quaun Jamison. “That’s just hats off to him for being so locked in and focused this week, knowing that his role has emerged on the defense.”
Playing with the lead in the second half, Central Michigan was able to make the Eastern Michigan offense one dimensional and seal a victory.
While the defensive line will get a lot of the credit for good reason, the entire defensive unit for CMU impressed.
Jamison turned in a solid performance with four tackles and a quarterback hit. Sophomore safety Devonni Reed had 10 tackles. McCoy had the key first half interception. True freshman cornerback Kyron McKinnie-Harper had arguably his best game as a Chippewa, recording two pass breakups and playing well in coverage against EMU's receivers.
”I just think he’s a freshman, and he is still getting his feet wet,” Jamison said of McKinnie-Harper. “He’s making plays, and I like that."
The Chippewas finished the game with five sacks and four quarterback hits. Those plays caused Glass to have one of his worst games of the season with 193 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
“We gave Glass a lot of credit,” Jamison said. “I think he’s a good quarterback. We knew if we could just squeeze him and contain him and keep him in there it would be an advantage for us.”
Jamison noted that the team added stunts and other ruffles to its defensive playbook throughout the week in order to execute the game plan.
With the 0-6 New Mexico State Aggies coming to town Oct. 12, the Chippewa defense could be primed for another solid performance – utilizing both games as a launching point for a MAC defense that will be tough to play against every week.
