Central Michigan Chippewas

Chippewas Win GoDaddy.com Bowl, Beat Troy 20-17

January 5, 2014

Game Report Posted: November 04, 2013 16:18  

In what has been a dream season under first year Head Coach Rob Carlson, the Chippewas continued their winning ways with a 20-17 win over the Troy Trojans in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.

CMU jumped out to an early 6-0 lead when Carlson decided to go for two and failed. "We had planned to go for two all along, we thought if we scored first and got the two point conversion we could really set the tone for the game, unfortunately we didn't convert." Troy would answer with a FG to cut the lead to 6-3 after the 1st quarter. CMU would increase their lead to 13-3 before a TD and missed PAT by Troy trimmed the lead to 13-9. The Chippewas were driving late in the half looking to increase their lead when an errant throw by Cooper Rush lead to a Troy INT. The Chippewas scored the lone TD of the 3rd quarter to increase their lead to 20-9. Troy really struggled to move the ball in the 2nd half, but was able to get a late TD and two point conversion to cut the CMU lead to three at 20-17. The Trojans decided to not attempt the onside kick and put their faith in their defense, unfortunately it turned out to be the wrong choice. CMU was able to get a couple key first downs and run the clock out to seal the victory.

"Just a great way to end the season for us" said Carlson. "Before the season we set our goals of what we thought we should do and I can say we met everyone of those goals. It was a tough to start to the season, realistically we could have started off 0-4, but the guys just continued to work and things started to turnaround. Once we started to put together some wins everyone bought in and we played up to our potential."

Zurlon Tipton, who was named as the recipient of the Doak Walker award as the Nation's best RB, had 93 yards on 20 carries and 1 TD. He caught 2 passes for 34 yards. The outstanding Senior finishes the season with 1,722 yards rushing and an astonishing 30 TD's. Junior WR Titus Davis again lead the team in receiving catching 7 passes for 109 yards and 2 TD's. The Junior from Chicago finishes the season with 94 catches for a CMU record 1,436 yards. He found the endzone 6 times this season. Freshman QB Cooper Rush limited his mistakes and helped lead CMU to the victory. He completed 14/19 passes for 182 yards and 2 TD's. He finishes the season with 2,329 yards passing 16 TD's and 12 INT's. The staff will look for the young QB to improve those numbers next year. It will be interesting to see if Senior Cody Kater can get back in the mix in the off-season.

It will be an interesting off-season for the Chippewas. The first order of business will be to get Coach Carlson a contract extension. His name has already been mentioned with numerous openings, but Carlson has denied that he is leaving the school. Carlson will be looking to get a raise for his staff as well. Both Offensive Coordinator Eric Taylor and Defensive Coordinator Danny Bryant, have been mentioned with a few head coach openings throughout the country. Carlson will want to make sure he does what he can to keep his staff intact.

Chippewas Win MAC Championship!

December 6, 2013

Game Report Posted: November 04, 2013 15:37  

The Chippewas claimed their 8th Mid-American Conference title and their first since the 2009 season, with a 28-18 victory over the Buffalo Bulls. The favored Chippewas struggled out of the gate and found themselves down 10-0 after the first quarter. CMU was able to rattle off 21 straight points in the 2nd quarter to head into halftime with a comfortable 21-10 lead. An early 4th quarter touchdown increased the lead to 28-10. Buffalo would cut the lead to 28-18 with a TD and 2 point conversion. The Chippewas recovered the ensuing onside kick and were able to run out the clock.

The win for CMU returns them to the top of the MAC. It's a place many fans wondered if they would ever return to after Dan Enos managed to win only 13 games in his three seasons as head coach. "I have spoken about the type of program we believe CMU is" said Carlson. "Coach Jones and Coach Kelly before him, had a tremendous amount of success here at CMU, there was no reason we couldn't do the same thing. I think the success we have had this year shows we are on the right track. I'm just really happy for the guys, especially the Seniors. This is something they will always remember. We just have to keep in mind that the work isn't over yet. We still have a bowl game to go win."

The CMU offense didn't put up the kind of numbers they are used to, but it was enough to get the job done. Cooper Rush managed the game well going 18/22 for 187 yards, he also had a rushing TD. The Buffalo defense was able to contain RB Zurlon Tipton to only 107 yards on the ground, but his 3 rushing TD's proved to be the difference. Tipton now has 29 rushing TD's on the season, shattering Dan LeFevour's record of 19. Titus Davis was once again Rush's favorite target. The Junior WR set the single season receiving record while catching 10 passes for 118 yards.

The Chippewas improve to 10-3 (8-1) on the season and will most likely be headed to the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

Chippewas Beat Eagles 41-28, Clinch MAC West Title

November 29, 2013

Game Report Posted: November 01, 2013 20:35  

The Chippewas had a lot to be thankful for the day after Thanksgiving. A 41-28 victory over Eastern Michigan allowed CMU to claim the Michigan MAC Trophy as well as a spot in the MAC Championship game at Ford Field. "I'm just really proud of the guys and how we turned this season around" said Carlson. "It was tough to start off 0-2, but we told them after week 2 that we were still 0-0 in the conference and could meet all of the goals we set forth as a team. We faced some adversity in the loss to NIU, but the guys worked their tails off in preparation of BSU and that was a game we had to have."

The score was probably too close for comfort heading into the half for most Chippewa fans. CMU held a slim 28-21 lead over the Eagles. CMU would get some breathing room in the 2nd half, taking a 38-21 lead before EMU got the lead down to 38-28 in the 4th quarter. A late CMU field goal ensured the Chippewas 41-28 win. Senior RB Zurlon Tipton fell just short of his 4th consecutive 200 yard rushing game, finishing with 186 yards on 24 carries and scoring 2 TD's. Tipton caught 4 passes for 32 yards. "It's a great feeling to be on top of the MAC and represent the West Division in Detroit" said Tipton. "It's been a couple of tough seasons for everyone affiliated with the program, but I'm glad we are back and have a shot at the conference title." Freshman QB Cooper Rush put together arguably his best performance of the season since the game against NCSU in which he came in relief of Cody Kater. The young QB finished 21/23 for 280 yards and 3 TD's. Junior WR Titus Davis continued to be Rush's favorite target, hauling in 8 catches for 152 yards and 2 TD's. Davis is almost certain to break Antonio Brown's single season yardage record with two games left to play.

The Chippewas finish the regular season 9-3 (7-1) and will travel to Detroit to face the Buffalo Bulls 9-3 (6-2) for the Mid-American Conference Championship. On the sidelines for Buffalo is a familiar face, former CMU assistant coach Jeff Quinn will take his Buffalo squad to their first MAC Championship game since 2008. Kickoff is set for Friday, December 6th at 7:30 PM. The game will air on ESPN.

Chippewas Stomp Minutemen 42-3

November 23, 2013

Game Report Posted: October 31, 2013 15:59  

The Chippewas continued their winning ways in convincing fashion with a 42-3 win over the winless Minutemen. CMU went into the half struggling offensively and holding a slim 14-0 lead. The 2nd half was all Chippewas as they pulled away for the easy win. Carrying the weight offensively once again was Senior RB Zurlon Tipton. The stud RB had his third consecutive 200 yard game running the ball 16 times for 229 yards and 3 TD's. He also caught 2 passes for 47 yards. "I don't know what I can say that hasn't already been said" said Carlson. "He's been absolutely terrific all season and especially these last few weeks. Who knows what happens if we don't have this young man running the ball for us."

Defensive Coordinator Danny Bryant was pleased with his defenses effort in the win. "I thought we played our best game of the season. We wanted to get pressure on the QB and disrupt their offense, and we were able to do that with five sacks on the QB. Setting up those long yardage situations takes a lot of pressure off our guys and we can send a lot of different packages in those situations."

QB Cooper Rush wasn't relied on heavily and finished the game 12/19 for 190 yards and 2 TD's. Leading the WR's was Jesse Kroll who caught 4 passes for 57 yards and 1 TD.

The win improves the Chippewas to 8-3 (6-1). The Chippewas host Eastern Michigan on Friday, November 29th in the final game of the regular season. A win over EMU will seal up the Michigan MAC Trophy and a trip to Ford Field and the MAC Championship. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM.

Chippewas Knock Off Cardinals in a Shootout!

November 6, 2013

Game Report Posted: October 29, 2013 21:47  

It was a bad day to be a defensive coach as the Chippewas and Cardinals lit up the score board. It was the Chippewas who were able to come away with the 47-42 victory over the MAC West leading Ball St. Cardinals. An early CMU turnover proved to be a key moment in the game. With the Chippewas going in for a score on their opening drive, Cooper Rush's pass was intercepted at the 1 yard line. The BSU defender made the wrong choice to try and gain some yards by running back into the endzone where he was tackled for a safety. The Chippewas then drove right down the field after BSU's free kick to take an early 9-0 lead. BSU answered with 14 unanswered points to take a 14-9 lead. CMU was able to head into the half up 26-21 and BSU would not get any closer with CMU escaping with a 47-42 victory after a late BSU TD cut the lead back to 5. "I'm really proud of the guys" said Carlson "we had a lot of time to think about the NIU game, but the guys got it out of their heads after 24 hours and we focused on BSU. We knew we had to win this game if we wanted to remain in the MAC West and we were able to do that."

Zurlon Tipton was a workhorse for CMU finishing with 28 carries for 228 yards and 4 TD's. "I can't say enough about Zurlon. Week in and week out he just get's the job done. He may not have a game like he did tonight every week, but he does everything the right way." Titus Davis continued his hot streak catching 8 passes for 112 yards, but was once again kept out of the endzone. Cooper Rush rebounded nicely from his poor performance against NIU finishing the game 22/29 for 270 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.

CMU dominated the time of possession, but BSU's up-tempo offense scored fast and caused a lot of issues for Defensive Coordinator Danny Bryant. "I'm happy we got the W, but myself and my guys are disappointed with our performance tonight" said Bryant. "Wenning, Snead and Edwards are a terrific trio, but I thought we should have been better prepared for their offense. I'm glad the boys on offense were able to take advantage of their opportunities and put more points on the board."

With the win over BSU, the Chippewas sit in a three way tie with BSU and NIU all with one conference loss. The Chippewas will most likely need to win their next three games, based on their competition that shouldn't be an issue. WMU, EMU and UMass have combined for three wins this season. However, they could use some help from BSU in their game against NIU next week. A BSU win gives NIU two conference losses. If CMU were to win out they would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with BSU and would represent the MAC West at Ford Field. There will be a lot Chippewas focused on the BSU vs NIU showdown.

Chippewas Get Wake Up Call Against NIU

October 19, 2013

Game Report Posted: October 29, 2013 21:01  

All was right in the world for the Chippewas during the last five weeks and than they stepped on the field against NIU and were knocked down a peg... Or five. In what has been a problem for CMU throughout the season, the turnover bug reared its ugly head once again. The Chippewas committed six turnovers including five interceptions from its QB's. Unlike Hawaii, who let CMU stick around despite the turnovers, NIU took full advantage of the mistakes. "I'm sure it's obvious, but when you turn the ball over six times and your opponent turns it over once, it's certainly going to be tough to win that game. I would say the 45-14 score makes that pretty apparent" said Carlson. "Maybe we needed this as a team. We had gone on a run here and beat some good teams, but NIU and BSU are the class of the West and it showed today." Arguably even more startling than the score, is the fact that NIU inflicted this type of damage without starting and Heisman hopeful, QB Jordan Lynch who was out with an injury.

Cooper Rush showed that he is still learning on the job, making some errant throws that lead to 4 INT's. Down 38-14 and needing a spark, Carlson turned to Kater, and the results were not any better as Kater was picked off on his only drive. NIU scored off that turnover to rub salt in the wound. "Cooper has been excellent for us, I don't think we are where we are right now without his play, but much like the Hawaii game, I thought we needed a change so we gave Cody a shot. Cooper is our starting QB next game." And what a next game it will be. The Chippewas will travel to Muncie, IN to face the one loss Ball St. Cardinals. It's pretty clear that it is a three team race in the West. CMU, NIU and BSU all have a shot to win the division. CMU did themselves no favors with their loss to NIU, but NIU also has one conference loss. CMU will need to beat BSU and hope for BSU to beat NIU if they want to represent the MAC West at Ford Field. It will certainly be a tough task for CMU, but they will have 16 days to prepare for their mid-week battle with BSU.

Leading CMU offensively was WR Titus Davis, who had another stellar game catching 10 passes for 97 yards. The impressive Zurlon Tipton had 21 carries for 75 yards and 2 TD's and also added 6 catches for 75 yards.

CMU falls to 5-3 (3-1) and will be off until Wednesday, November 6th.

Chippewas Improve to 3-0 in MAC Play

October 12, 2013

Game Report Posted: October 23, 2013 13:31  

The Chippewas jumped out to an early 14-0 lead just minutes into the game and never looked back. An opening possession coupled with a pick-six on Ohio's first possession gave CMU the two score lead before fans had even made it to their seats. "That pick six was huge and really set the tone for us." said Carlson. "It gave us the momentum we needed and the guys never looked back. Add in the TD on the first drive and we couldn't have asked for a better start."

The Chippewas never let off the gas and headed into the half up 28-7. The Bobcats did their best to make it a game in the 2nd half, but the CMU offense proved to be too much leading them to a 42-28 win. "I thought we got a little complacent in the 2nd half and gave Ohio some life, but there's no doubt that's a very good team we played and they weren't just going to rollover, especially on their homecoming. I'm proud of the guys for handling the situation and making sure we won this game."

The Chippewas scored touchdowns on five of their six redzone possessions. Titus Davis lead all receivers with eight catches for 127 yards. Davis hasn't found the endzone a whole lot this year, but he has quietly been racking up 100 yard games week in and week out.

CMU has reeled of five wins in a row since their 0-2 start and has improved to 5-2 (3-0) on the season. The Chippewas will host MAC West favorite Northern Illinois next week, in a game that will surely be a huge factor in the conference race.

Chippewas Handle the RedHawks

October 5, 2013

Game Report Posted: October 28, 2013 15:34  

The Chippewas traveled to Oxford, OH Saturday and returned home with a convincing 31-7 win over the Miami RedHawks. It was all Chippewas, all day. Copper Rush got the nod at starting QB for CMU after replacing the inefficient Cody Kater in last week's victory over NCSU. "I thought Cooper played well today. Myself and Coach Taylor made the decision during practice this week to give Cooper the start. He was tremendous last week at NCSU and was effective again this week. I think it was also big that we didn't have to rely on him to win this game. We played well in all phases of the game and that helps take some pressure off the QB."

The win made it four in a row for Carlson and the Chippewas and improved their record to 2-0 in MAC play. "It's obviously huge to get off to a good start in conference and we have done just that. We struggled early on losing our first two games, but we were still 0-0 in MAC play and we knew what this team was capable of and they are showing it now. We have another huge game next week against a MAC East favorite in Ohio. I think that game will tell us a lot about where we're at or where we need to be."

The Chippewas 4-2 (2-0) travel to Athens, OH next Saturday to take on Tyler Tettleton and the Ohio Bobcats.

Cooper Rush Era Begins!

September 28, 2013

Game Report Posted: October 22, 2013 22:27  

Coach Carlson made the decision to pull the struggling Cody Kater from the game with the score tied at 7 in the first half. Kater had struggled for most of the season and today was no different. Kater started out going 5/9 and passing for 80 yards, but two more costly INT's made the switch an easy decision for Coach Carlson.

Replacing Kater was Redshirt Freshman Cooper Rush. The young QB looked like a vet on the field going 18/22 for 264 yards and 2 TD's while leading the Chippewas to a 42-28 victory over the heavily favored NCSU Wolfpack. "I told everyone last week that the player who gave us the best chance to win would start. Going into the game we felt that was Cody. Obviously Cody struggled, so we made the decision to give Cooper a shot and he was terrific." Asked if Rush was now the starter, Carlson had this to say "I think Cooper was definitely earned a shot at starting next game, but we'll see how practice goes this week and make that decision as a staff."

Titus Davis was a huge safety valve for Rush, accumulating 10 catches for 174 yards. Zurlon Tipton put in another solid performance surpassing 100 yards rushing and scoring 3 times. Tipton has been automatic near the goalline this season and could surpass Dan LeFevour's record of 19 rushing TD's in a season.

After a tough 0-2 start to his first season at the helm of the Chippewas, Coach Carlson has won three straight and the Chippewas currently sit at 3-2 on the season.

Chippewas Get Second Win In a Row, Open MAC Play 1-0

September 21, 2013

Game Report Posted: October 25, 2013 18:08  

The Chippewas open up MAC play against the Toledo Rockets on Saturday and it was a heavyweight battle in the West Division. CMU was able to get the last score as Zurlon Tipton punched it in from a few yards out with just minutes left in the game to propel CMU to a 28-27 victory. Tipton finished the with 22 carries for 88 yards and 2 TD's. He hauled in 4 catches for 28 yards and 1 TD. A very strong performance from the workhorse RB. Junior Titus Davis caught 4 passes for 81 yards and a TD as well. He has really picked it up the last few weeks and has been a key target for QB Cody Kater.

The Chippewas were able to get the win in spite of Kater's performance. The unexperience QB provided another average start. Kater finished 18/24 for 246 yards, 2 TD's and 3 INT's.

The INT's are becoming a major issue for Kater and may be something that Carlson needs to address before the cost the team games. When asked about Kater's performance Carlson had this to say, "Cody is aware he needs to be better. He struggled today and we were fortunate to get out of here with a W, we may not be so lucky next time." Asked if he may make a change at the QB spot, Carlson wasn't shy with his response, "the player that is going to give us the best shot to win is going to start and right now that is Kater. If myself and Coach (Eric) Taylor see something that says otherwise we will make a change, but at this time Cody is our QB."

After starting the season 0-2, the Chippewas have improved to 2-2 (1-0) on the season. They travel to Raleigh, NC to take on NC State in their last non-conference game of the season.

Chippewas and Carlson Get First Victory

September 14, 2013

Game Report Posted: October 25, 2013 17:56  

The Chippewas made the long trip to Las Vegas and came back victorious, but it took overtime to decide this game. CMU dominated the time of possession, but UNLV was able to connect on a handful of long scoring plays to counteract their limited TOP. With the game tied at 28 after four quarters the CMU offense took the field first in OT. Zurlon Tipton punched it in from inside the 5 yard line for his fourth TD of the day. The UNLV offense took the field, but the Chippewas were able to stop them on a 4th down attempt to earn their first victory of the year.

Coach Carlson had this to say about the Chippewas win, "It feels great to get this first W of the season. I'm happy for everyone associated with this program. We have had a couple of tough losses to start the season, but we never lost hope and just kept fighting. I'm really proud of Cody and how he managed this game and limited his turnovers. That was a huge rebound from last week and hopefully he continues this kind of play. It's going to be crucial for us to continue to play this way. We open MAC play next week and we have a tough opponent in the Toledo Rockets."

The Chippewas improve to 1-2 on the season and will open MAC play against Toledo at Kelly/Shorts stadium.

Hawaii and CMU Play Ugly Game

September 7, 2013

Game Report Posted: October 25, 2013 14:59  

It was an ugly state of affairs in the Hawaii vs Central Michigan matchup. The two teams combined for 10 turnovers including 6 from the Chippewas. Coach Carlson was not a happy camper after the game. "We have to be better on both sides of the ball if we want to win any games." The game was full of turnovers, and fittingly, it ended on a Cooper Rush interception in the endzone.

It was a rough outing for QB Cody Kater making his second career start. Kater finished 7/16 for 171 yards, 1 TD and 4 INT's before Carlson made the change to Freshman QB Cooper Rush. Rush finished the game 5/6 for 70 yards, but his crucial INT in the endzone was the final nail in the coffin. Coach Carlson expressed his disappointment with Kater. "Cody, as the QB of this team, is one of our leaders. I know he won't be happy when he looks at the film. Throwing 4 INT's is going to be tough to overcome as a team and it showed today as Hawaii took advantage." Asked about putting Rush in, Carlson made sure to let everyone know Kater was his guy. "Cody earned the spot in the off-season. He's had one pretty good game and one not so good game. I thought we just needed a spark on offense and I thought Rush gave us that chance. Cooper was very effective on that last drive right up until that last throw that resulted in an INT. Cody will get after it in practice this week and be ready to go against UNLV."

The Chippewas fall to 0-2 on the season. Coach Carlson will have to wait another week to get that first victory. CMU travels to UNLV Saturday for a 10 PM start.

Michigan Too Much to Handle for the Chippewas

August 31, 2013

Game Report Posted: October 25, 2013 13:53  

The Michigan ground game proved to be too much for the Chippewas and Coach Carlson who was making his first appearance as head coach of his Alma Mater, Central Michigan.

Devin Gardner had his way running the ball, totaling 175 yards and 3 TD's on 12 carries. Fitz Toussaint added 83 yards and a TD to bring the Michigan rushing total to 258 yards. CMU was held in check on the ground only totaling 46 yards rushing. "We just didn't have an answer for the run game" said Carlson. "I thought we played well and had a chance to win this game, but we just didn't get it done. I'm proud of this team. It's not easy to come into Michigan Stadium and 115,000 people and come out with a win. They gave it everything they had."

Cody Kater was effective in his first start for CMU, but was not able to overcome the strong Michigan defense. Kater finished the day 17/22 for 182 yards with one TD and one INT.

CMU falls to 0-1 on the season. The the 19th ranked Wolverines start off 1-0 and should move up in the rankings.

Coach Carlson will look for his first career win next week when CMU hosts Hawaii at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.