COLUMN: With performance against WMU, Kalil Pimpleton makes case for more action in 'wildcat' set
Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton (88) rushes to catch the ball during the Ohio game in Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 4. The Chippewas won 30-27.
For a moment, Kalil Pimpleton flashed back to his days playing quarterback at Muskegon High School.
Pimpleton took the snap on a fourth-and-11 from Western Michigan's 25-yard line. He looked to his left to pass. His receiver was covered, and with the Chippewas trailing big early in the third quarter, Pimpleton needed to make a play. The Muskegon junior had only a split-second to react.
So, he tucked the ball, turned on the jets and sprinted into the end zone to keep the Chippewas alive.
The score was one of his three on the night for CMU, who fell 52-44 to rival Western Michigan on Nov. 18. Pimpleton carried the ball seven times for 108 yards, caught it three times for 42, and completed a 30-yard pass to JaCorey Sullivan, who was his high school teammate.
"I went up to him and said, 'Bro, it's just like high school,'" Pimpleton said. "It definitely felt like high school out there."
With starter redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Richardson nursing a sore shoulder, Pimpleton and three others, backup quarterback Ty Brock and running backs Kobe Lewis and Lew Nichols, split snaps in an attempt to take the load off the injured young quarterback.
"You take the pieces you have and try to put a plan together to go win a football game," coach Jim McElwain said. "That's what we're doing right now."
None of the others had the success that Pimpleton had, and for that reason, he should get the majority, if not all, of the wildcat snaps going forward.
On a night where the Chippewas struggled for a majority of the first half, Pimpleton helped key the second half charge. He was quiet in the first half outside of a 65-yard touchdown dash on the Chippewas' first possession. However, struggles in the passing game limited his ability to get his hands on the football.
After Pimpleton was put behind center, he was able to do a lot more. Having him at the quarterback position guarantees that the ball will be in his hands. When the ball is in Pimpleton's hands, as shown Wednesday night, good things happen.
Pimpleton also brings an element to the wildcat that Lewis and Nichols do not. He can throw the ball, and did so twice last night. He doesn't have the arm strength that Richardson and Brock have, however he brings the element of surprise as a receiver throwing the ball.
And as a former high school quarterback, he can throw it well. So why not continue to ride the hot hand?
Pimpleton showed what he is capable of when he gets the ball -- and with a young quarterback still finding his footing, why not bridge the gap by putting the ball in Pimpleton's hands in the easiest way possible?
