An Insider’s Look at Central Michigan

By Bryan Bruwer

Ahead of this weekend’s clash against the Central Michigan Chippewas at Alumni Stadium, WZBC talked to James Jimenez, a Central Michigan graduate and assistant site manager for Hustle Belt, an Sb Nation affiliate revolving around MAC football.

The Eagles (1-3) enter this matchup 3-0 all-time against the Chippewas (2-2), but the two programs have not faced off since the Eagles 31-10 victory back in 2009.

1. After BC’s defense held Clemson to only 140 yards passing last week, how will offensive coordinator Chris Ostrowsky get the air attack going against a BC secondary that has played well this season?

Well, that’s just the thing: the passing offense just hasn’t really been able to get going recently. CMU is missing four of their top five receiving targets due to injury and that’s greatly affected the way CMU’s spread offense operates. Corey Willis (fractured hand,) Brandon Childress (torn ACL,) Logan Hessbrook (undisclosed) and Tyler Conklin (broken foot) will all most likely be out against BC, leaving Coach Ostrowsky and Coach John Bonamego to depend on literal third-stringers to seize the day. All that said, one way they could get going is if one of the replacements (Eric Cooper, Cam Cole, Jamil Sabbaugh or Berkley Edwards) is able to be a compliment to Mark Chapman, who is the team’s healthiest and most experienced outside receiver. Cole has shown himself to be dangerous as a deep threat opposite Chapman, while Cooper has been a safety valve option. If CMU can get the ball to someone other than Chapman on offense, they might be able to open up the passing offense just enough to start running the ball. And as everyone knows, if you can run the ball, you can run the play action and therefore, you can pass. Look out for Jonathan Ward out of the backfield on passing downs.

2. The BC defense also intercepted two Kelly Bryant passes against Clemson, and being that CMU quarterback Shane Morris has thrown 5 interceptions this season, do you think that he will be able to protect the football effectively on Saturday?

Shane Morris has been a bit of a mixed bag the last few games. He looked pedestrian against Rhode Island and Syracuse, but really posted some big numbers against Kansas. The Miami game is in a universe of its own; it was 95 degrees at kickoff and Morris seems to have potentially aggravated an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Morris tends to make mistakes when he passes to the right or down the middle; this would make sense because he’s left-handed and southpaws tend to have trouble throwing across their bodies. This has shown itself over the past two weeks, where throws to the right on key drives for CMU ended in long interception returns. (It certainly doesn’t help that Chapman has shifted to the left side from the right as injuries have taken their toll.) There’s not an easy fix, as protecting the football is a mental, as much as a physical, aspect of the game. He’s shown a propensity for running if he feels the situation is out of hand, but one thing that could definitely help him to protect the ball is the line. If the offensive line is able to hold protections for him to assess the field, he’ll have time to make a more comprehensive decision. Otherwise, he turns trigger-happy.

3. Crowd noise could play a factor at Alumni Stadium, as its Parent’s Weekend at BC. How is this Central Michigan team prepared to enter and excel in a hostile environment?

CMU is quite used to playing the spoiler on the road, especially in the out-of-conference schedule. (Exhibit A: 30-27 over Oklahoma State.) What should ultimately help keep the Chippewas competitive is their stellar defense. It’s taken a beating lately in terms of total yards, but one has to keep in mind both of those offenses run very fast, very skilled formations that don’t give the Chips a good matchup. BC runs a very pro-set, run-the-clock sort of offense that is a lot more predictable. CMU has nine interceptions on the year, which leads the country, thanks primarily to cornerback Amari Coleman and safety Josh Cox, although nickelback Da’Quaun Jamison and linebacker Alex Briones have also proven to be great in coverage. Joe Ostman, Chris Kantzavelos and MIke Danna have also proven the ability to penetrate the line and score tackles for loss and quarterback hits throughout the season. Ostman currently leads the team with three sacks. They’ll have to follow the Underdog Handbook: limit offensive possessions, keep the ball as long as possible, win the turnover battle. They’ve done it before and they could certainly do it again, especially since BC has proven it can be susceptible to allowing big plays or runs.

4. Central Michigan comes into this weekend’s match up at 2-2. How important would a road victory on Saturday be for this CMU team?

In one word: vital. This is easily the toughest stretch of CMU’s schedule, and they’re already down 0-1 in that four-game stretch after a loss to Miami. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, as they have to face Ohio (the preseason media favorite to win the MAC East) on the road and then host Toledo (the preseason media favorite to win the MAC West) for Homecoming. A win on the road against a Power Five team would definitely be a significant confidence boost going into the brunt of the conference season for a squad that has endured a lot of adversity during this particular campaign. The rebuild would be back on track. If CMU can’t pick up a win against BC, that signals danger ahead. Their chances at a bowl game could be sunk before they even really begin, due to the sheer competitiveness of the MAC West division, which looks to be cannibalistic yet again in 2017. It’s definitely a tense time to be a fan in Mt. Pleasant right now, as bowl games have largely become an expectation in recent years.

5. Who do you think will emerge victorious and why? Any score predictions?

I’m really not a fan of score predictions, as numbers don’t largely mean anything at the end of the day, but if CMU can stay within, say, a touchdown or 10 points of Boston College, that’s great improvement. I think BC’s defense will have a field day limiting the somewhat flat spread offense and will wear down the Chips in the second half to take a dominant victory. It probably won’t be easy, at least at first, as CMU’s defense has shown itself to be quite the unit.