By the numbers: Chippewa comeback falls short
Central Michigan and Western Michigan battled for the 92nd time Wednesday night in Kelly/Shorts Stadium and ended with a high-scoring 52-44 win for the Broncos.
CMU falls to 2-1 and is only one game back of the 3-0 Broncos for first place in the Mid-American Conference West Division with three games remaining. Despite a 17-point WMU advantage entering halftime, the Chippewas pulled within eight points as the scoreboard showed zeroes at the end of the fourth quarter.
Here is a look at this years Battle for the Victory Cannon by the numbers.
1 The total number of turnovers in Wednesday’s game. CMU earned one interception in the first quarter.
6 The number of first down completions by redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Richardson. The Miami, Florida native finished 13-of-19 with 157 yards with a touchdown in his third-career start.
8 The number of penalties committed by each team. CMU finished with 56 penalty yards to the Broncos 58.
22 The number of combined tackles between junior linebacker George Douglas and junior safety Devonni Reed. Douglas finished with 10 solo tackles and an interception while Reed earned seven solo tackles.
38 The number of unanswered points by the Broncos. CMU led 14-0 with 11:18 remaining in the first quarter and scored again 4:10 into the third stanza.
52 The number of points allowed by the Chippewa defense, the most points allowed since surrendering 61 at Wisconsin last season. The 52 points are the most scored by either team in the rivalry since WMU, then known as Western State, scored 54 in 1930.
96 The amount of points scored between both teams. Wednesday’s 96 points are the most combined points scored between the Chippewas and Broncos.
127 The number of rushing yards by redshirt freshman Lew Nichols III. The Detroit Cass Tech alumnus added two touchdowns to go with his career-high number of rushing yards.
136 The number of miles between Kelly/Shorts Stadium and Waldo Stadium. The first matchup between the arch-rivals occurred in 1907, a 29-0 victory by Western State in Mount Pleasant.
180 Total yards for junior wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton. The Muskegon native finished with 30 yards passing, 42 yards receiving and 108 yards rushing with three touchdowns on the ground.
292.9 The QBR of WMU quarterback Kalen Eleby. The redshirt sophomore finished with 382 yards and five touchdowns with one interception.
1,013 The number of combined total yards. The Broncos earned 628 yards to CMU’s 406.
3,668 The number of days since CMU last defeated the Broncos at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The Chippewas defeated WMU 26-22 during the 2010 campaign.
