BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Graduate transfer quarterback Quinten Dormady hit junior wide receiver JaCorey Sullivan for 9 yards and his first completion of the afternoon.

He wasted no time getting his second.

The offense quickly hurried to the line, getting there just as the chains were being set. After a pass to senior running back Jonathan Ward lost yards, Dormady fired another downfield strike to Sullivan.

First down.

Again, Central Michigan wasted no time getting to the line. Dormady looked to the sideline for his signals while receivers quickly aligned themselves based on offensive coordinator Charlie Frye's desired formation.

Central Michigan continued to play confidently on offense, and the result was an astounding 553 yards of offense. The offensive explosion is just one takeaway from Central Michigan's impressive 38-20 victory over Bowling Green.

Crisp offense controls game

Tempo was the story of the day for the Chippewas, who moved the ball at will early on in the game. Central Michigan's offense held a 21:02 to 8:58 advantage in time of possession and a 215-yard advantage in total offense.

"Our offense is starting to play with some confidence," said first-year coach Jim McElwain.

Late in the first half, the Chippewas started a drive in the shadow of their own goal-post.

On second-and-6, Ward ran 40 yards to put the offense near midfield. The 97-yard drive culminated in a one-yard score by Ward, and took 5:23 off the clock. The Chippewa tempo was too much for Bowling Green, as the no huddle attack caused two substitution infractions on the Falcons.

Equally as impressive was the maturity the Chippewas showed in keeping drives alive.

The Chippewas converted on eight of their 14 third downs.

Dormady looked comfortable at the helm and took what the defense gave him. Early in the game, it was Sullivan making the Falcon defense pay, as he crossed the 100-yard mark in the second quarter.

When Bowling Green cut the lead to one score, the Chippewa offense wasted no time coming back with a four play, 65-yard drive to push the lead back to two scores.

Overall, the strength the Chippewas showed the offense was a major point of improvement. With just one loss in Mid-American Conference play, they're still in the thick of the conference title race. In order for them to take the next step, it's imperative that the offense continues to perform on this level.

Defense unable to put together complete performance

In his postgame presser last week, McElwain said he planned to have his team work on tackling. On far too many occasions, the Chippewas let players such as New Mexico State running back Jason Huntley loose.

"We've got to get better at tackling," McElwain said.

That they did.

While it wasn't perfect, it was much improved.

Defensive backs such as sophomore Devonni Reed and senior Da'Quaun Jamison made numerous plays in the open field, a product of their ability to take good angles to the ball carrier. Jamison also intercepted two passes, while sophomore linebacker Troy Brown had his second interception in as many weeks.

Junior safety Gage Kreski was also a fixture in the Bowling Green backfield, as he blew up multiple jet sweeps and outside runs designed to stretch out the defense.

Not to be outdone by the solid secondary performance, the front seven was also fundamentally solid. Redshirt freshman LaQuan Johnson was constantly in the backfield, and Bowling Green quarterback Grant Loy missed on several throws due to being hurried by the defensive line.

The Chippewa defense dominated in the first half. A majority of their 91 yards allowed came on Bowling Green's final drive of the half.

"We knew if we could make him (Loy) one dimensional, we would have a better chance to win," said Jamison.

However, the Falcons moved the ball at ease in the third, scoring on their opening drive.

The third quarter saw the Falcons rack up 156 yards of offense. However, for all the bending that the defense did, there was no breaking. Central Michigan stopped the Falcons on downs twice in that quarter alone.

McElwain stated that the defensive performance was "not good enough" for the standards he has set in place.

The defensive performance was far from perfect. However, the tackling and pass rush were much improved – the type of improvement one would like to see from such a young defense.

Wealth spread throughout offense

Last week, it was the running back duo of Ward and sophomore Kobe Lewis that stole the show.

Both sophomore receiver Kalil Pimpleton and junior tight end Tony Poljan caught touchdown passes, but for the most part, the offense ran through the two running backs.

It was more of a multifaceted attack on Saturday as the Chippewas once again racked up over 400 yards of offense. At the head of it was junior receiver Sullivan, who notched career highs in receptions and receiving yards.

Poljan came up 1-yard short of his career high in receiving yards, finishing with 89 yards on four catches. After totaling just two catches in the previous two games, Poljan reintegrated himself into the offensive scheme.

Ward did his part offensively, scoring a career high three touchdowns. Totaling 130 yards on the ground, he became the latest Chippewa to reach the 2,000 yard rushing plateau. His backfield counterpart Lewis also contributed a 51-yard touchdown.

"When you have two backs rushing over 100 yards, it makes things a lot easier," Dormady said.

With so many contributors, the Chippewas were able to move the ball with ease.

Dormady, while unspectacular, was productive and once again did a good job of delivering the ball to his playmakers. The emergence of Sullivan as a true receiving threat will not only deliver a confidence boost for him, but it should also free up fellow receiver Pimpleton.

With the majority of these playmakers due to return next season, fans have reason to be optimistic about the present as well as the future.

Three takeaways from Central Michigan's road victory over Bowling Green

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