WMU looks to win their third-straight Victory Cannon and stay alive in the MAC title race.
There’s more than pride on the line on Tuesday night in Mt. Pleasant, as the Battle for the Victory Cannon will have additional stakes when the Central Michigan Chippewas (3-7, 1-5 MAC) host the Western Michigan Broncos (5-4, 4-2 MAC) under the national TV lights.
The Broncos must win the game in order to keep their increasingly-dwindling MAC title hopes alive after two-straight league losses in a campaign which perhaps saw WMU peak earlier than many outside prognosticators anticipated under second-year head coach Lance Taylor.
CMU hopes to play spoiler and claim the Victory Cannon for the first time since 2021 to build some positive momentum after being consigned to a third-straight losing season last week vs. Toledo— the first such streak for CMU since 2002-04. Tuesday could also set up to be a must-win for head coach Jim McElwain, who is 1-4 against WMU in his five prior seasons.
Let’s get to know both sides:
Game notes
- Time and date: Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 at 7 p.m. Eastern time
- Location: Kelly/Short Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan
- Viewing options: The game will be streamed exclusively on ESPN2. A valid cable subscription is required. Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Craig Saubert (color) will commentate.
- Streaming options: The game will be available for streaming on the ESPN App or on applicable cable/satellite services. A valid subscription is required for viewing on either platform. Other streaming carriers include Sling, DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV.
- Radio options: Adam Jaksa (play-by-play) and Brock Gutierrez (color) will provide the CMU call for WUPS-FM 98.5, while Robin Hook (play-by-play) and John Creek (color) will provide the WMU call for Jack 106.5 FM.
- Gambling considerations: WMU are seven-point road favorites, with an over/under of 56.5, per DraftKings.
- All-time series: WMU leads the series 53-40-2, with the Broncos taking six of the last eight contests— including a 4-1 mark against Jim McElwain’s Chippewas in five matchups. Since the Victory Cannon trophy was established in 2007, WMU has won the trophy 10 times to CMU’s six.
Getting to know the Chippewas
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The Chippewas haven’t won a game since taking down San Diego State in the waning moments of their matchup in early October, with five-straight losses and a litany of injuries looming over the program as they approach this rivalry game.
In weekly availability, head coach Jim McElwain emphasized the importance of the rivalry matchup, which also serves as Senior Day for Central. The Chips, with no postseason to play for on Tuesday, hope to win the Victory Cannon for the first time since 2021, when many of the current seniors were freshmen.
“I told them we’ve got to come back for our last home game,” McElwain said in his post-game availability last Tuesday vs. Toledo. “Playing for a lot, playing for the Cannon, playing for the seniors and a lot of guys who’ve played a lot of football for us. We’ll put a good week’s work together and go get ready to play next week.”
Amongst those seniors looking to make an impact are the running back trio of Marion Lukes, Myles Bailey and BJ Harris. All three backs, along with senior Nahree Biggins, have led CMU to the fourth-best rushing yards measure in the MAC at 174.8 yards per game— though the Chips have rushed for under three yards per play in two of their last three games due in part to passing game dysfunction.
Lukes is the most physical of the runners by far, with 617 yards and five touchdowns on 133 carries— nearly double the carries of the next-highest carrier in BJ Harris (69 carries, 357 yards, two touchdowns.)
They’ll have to do everything in their power to lift the Chippewas, whose passing offense has been virtually non-existent since injuries to both Joe Labas and Bert Emanuel Jr. last month. Neither Jadyn Glasser nor Tyler Jefferson have thrown a passing score this season and have combined for three interceptions— including a pick-six. Only two receivers have eclipsed 25 yards in the last three weeks, both against Toledo when Chris Parker (five catches, 52 yards) and Jesse Prewitt III (four catches, 38 yards) paced CMU in a blowout loss.
CMU will also have to rely on a boom-or-bust defense to keep them in the game, as the offense has mustered just 29 minutes of possession on offense on average in 2024. Despite the Chippewas’ general woes as a total team, the defense has been a steady, physical unit which has single-handedly kept them competitive.
The Chippewa defense is one of the best in the country at generating backfield stops, with 27 sacks (second in MAC) and an incredible 81 tackles-for-loss (good for fourth in the NCAA) to go along with an efficient third-down rate (34.8 percent; third in MAC.) They’re a top-five unit in yards in the MAC (202.3 yards per game) with an average defensive efficiency— a suggestion that Central suffers in the margins.
Those margins do end up bearing out, as the CMU defense is one of the worst in the MAC at preventing scores, ranking 11th in fourth-down conversion stops (75 percent) and eighth in the MAC in scoring defense (31.8 points per game), while giving up 22 touchdowns (third-highest in MAC) and 15 field goals (highest in MAC.)
Jordan Kwiatkowski has defined CMU’s aggressive nature, entering this week as a top-five player in the NCAA in tackles-for-loss (13) to go with 82 tackles and an interception (all team-leading numbers.) Three Chippewas— including both defensive tackles in Jason Williams and Jonah Pace— have generated 3.5 sacks each on the season to lead the team, with two (Kwiatkowski and Dakota Cochran) having at least 10.5 TFLs. Six Chips in total have eclipsed the 4.5 TFL mark. Sixth-year defensive coordinator Robb Akey has not hesitated to send pressure early and often.
The cornerback duo of senior Donte Kent and true freshman Jaion Jackson have been bright spots, with 12 pass break-ups and 79 tackles between the two. Senior hybrid back Da’Raun McKinney rotates between corner and free safety and leads the team with nine pass break-ups to go along with 31 solo stops, 1.5 TFLs and a sack.
Getting to know the Broncos
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The Broncos walk in to Mt. Pleasant on a two-game losing streak, finding themselves victim to the unpredictable nature of the 2024 MAC football season. WMU, previously 4-0 in league play with control of their Detroit destiny, dropped games to NIU and BGSU over the last two weeks, which put one-possession wins against Akron and Buffalo the prior two weeks under the microscope.
Western has largely won thanks to a prolific offense, which ranks second in the MAC in total offense (395.3 yards per game on average) and tops in the MAC in scoring average (31.3 points per game.) The ship is built on a strong rushing offense, with two backs capable of all-MAC honors in Oklahoma State transfer Jaden Nixon (123 carries, 871 yards, 12 touchdowns) and reigning Freshman of the Year Jalen Buckley (89 carries, 504 yards, six touchdowns in seven games.)
The two backs, along with Zahir Adbus-Salaam, combine to produce the league’s third-best rushing attack, posting 197.8 rushing yards per game and 24 touchdowns (joint-first in the MAC.)
Hayden Wolff (1,960 yards, 16 touchdowns, seven interceptions on 67 percent completion) mans the passing attack, which ranks seventh in the MAC (197.5 yards per game.) Tight end Blake Bosma has been the main target, totaling six touchdowns on 32 catches (both team leads) for 343 yards. Kenneth Womack (30 catches, 409 yards, TD) and Anthony Sambucci (29 catches, 375 yards, two TDs) are the starters on the outside, while Malique Dieudonne (17.45 yards per catch) is utilized as a yards-after-catch threat.
Defensively is where WMU shows off some of its flaws, ranking 10th in the MAC in total defense (425.8 yards per game), including ninth in pass defense and 10th in run defense. They’re also towards the bottom in sacks and interception, ranking 10th in the MAC in both categories and have allowed 23 rushing scores and 18 passing scores on the season— while also giving up an eye-watering four special teams return touchdowns.
They do have great luck in forcing and recovering fumbles, however, with seven forced fumbles and a league-leading 11 fumbles recovered.
Tate Hallock has been the highlight player for the Broncos defense at the safety spot, with 68 total tackles (41 solo), five tackles-for-loss (second on team) and a team-leading three interceptions on the season.
Minnesota transfer Donald Willis leads the tackle charts from the linebacker position, with 73 tackles (45 solo), including 4.5 TFLs, four pass break-ups and a forced fumble. Mason Nelson leads the team in TFLs (7.5) from the defensive line, with fellow DLs Corey Walker (3.5 TFLs/sacks) and Isaiah Green (three TFLs/sacks) leading the team in their categories.
The back end of the defense with Bilhal Kone, Aaron Wofford and Nyquann Washington have combined for 17 pass break-ups and five tackles-for-loss, complimenting Hallock’s numbers.