Ohio looks to spoil the party on Homecoming Day, taking on a Central Michigan team with a penchant for close wins at home.
The Central Michigan Chippewas (3-2, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) are set to host the Ohio Bobcats (3-2, 1-0 MAC) for Homecoming weekend.
The game, which will also serve as a celebration of the 1974 Division II National Championship team for Central, is key for both teams as they look to get a head start on their conference peers. CMU in particular is seeking their first 2-0 start to MAC play since 2009— the last season where they won the league outright.
Ohio, with a litany of new faces after dozens of departures in the offseason, has looked as if they never lost a step and will look to spoil the party atmosphere and build a streak after winning last season’s contest.
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at 4 p.m. Eastern time
- Location: Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
- Viewing options: The game will be available exclusively on ESPN+. A valid subscription is required for viewing. Matt Schumacher (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (color) will provide the commentary.
- Radio options: Adam Jaksa (play-by-play) and Brock Gutierrez (color) will provide the CMU commentary for WUPS-FM 98.5, while Marty Bannister [debut season] (play-by-play) and Rob Cornelius (color) will provide the Ohio call for WXTQ-FM 105.5.
- Gambling considerations: Ohio is a three-point favorite on CMU’s 100th Homecoming and 1974 D-II National Title Day, with an over/under of 49, per DraftKings.
- All-time series: CMU leads the all-time series at 27-6-2. In 2023, Ohio picked up their first win over Central in a decade-plus, tallying a 34-20 weeknight win in Athens.
Getting to know the Chippewas
James H. Jimenez
The Chippewas come into Saturday’s matchup fresh off a BYE week after an extremely emotional comeback win against San Diego State to wrap up their non-conference slate.
The message from the coaching staff and players in Tuesday’s presser was to focus on what was ahead of them and worry about themselves, using the BYE week— CMU’s first true break in a season since 2019— to recover and turn the page.
CMU will come into this game largely healthy outside of their season-ending injuries, as right tackle Brayden Swartout and left tackle/guard Jemeil Jackson are set to make returns to the offensive line. That’s vital for a running game which has emerged as one of the most successful in the MAC this season, currently third-best in the league with 184.6 yards per game on only 172 carries. To put that in context, Ohio and Toledo, the two teams above them in-league, both needed over 200 carries to get their numbers.
CMU’s fearsome foursome of backs will likely be the focus, with Marion Lukes, Myles Bailey, BJ Harris, and quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. all featuring in a variety of personnel packages. (Nahree Biggins, who picked up 71 yards vs. Ball State, is uncertain with an injury suffered in that contest.)
Key to Central’s gaining an edge will be maintaining their edge in the passing game. Central likes to go vertical when possible, setting up read-option looks and play action with their backs to get explosive plays downfield.
Joe Labas (88-of-151, 1,078 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions) has latched onto the starting role since his transfer from Iowa, playing a clutch role in both of CMU’s comebacks at home. Labas has been a true hometown hero, completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 802 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions when at Kelly/Shorts.
Chris Parker (15 catches, 223 yards) has been the receiver to watch for CMU in close moments, as his rapport with Labas has allowed the Chips to gain some significant chunk yardage. He leads CMU with three touchdowns on the season. Evan Boyd has also been reliable for chunk yardage, leading CMU in both receptions (17) and yards (253 yards) on the season, scoring once. Former Howard Bison tight end Gavin Harris has also emerged for 10 catches and 148 yards.
CMU’s defense has much improved from last season’s unit, ranking fourth in the MAC with 353.6 yards per game allowed. They’re especially staunch in backfield penetration, ranking 12th in the NCAA with 7.6 tackles-for-loss per game and tied-34th in sacks per game (2.4).
That’ll make an interesting matchup against a pistol-oriented offense which features the MAC’s second-best rushing attack.
Junior linebacker Jordan Kwaitkowsi has been the team leader all season for CMU, leading the Chips in total tackles (43), solo tackles (27), asssited tackles (16) and tackles-for-loss (5.5) through five games. He’ll be the key factor at the second level of the defense to stop the run, with Dakota Cochran (24 tackles, 4.5 TFLs) and Elijah Rikard (30 tackles, two TFLs) also figuring to contribute.
The pass defense, ranked third in the suffered at least one injury recenly, with free safety Brendon Deasfernandes questionable to play this week, but does still feature several intriguing players, including NFL prospect Donte Kent (19 tackles, two pass break-ups) and true freshman Jaion Jackson (18 tackles, TFL, two pass break-ups) handling the corners while Caleb Spann (21 tackles, three TFLs, three pass break-ups) has handled safety responsibility with aplomb.
Getting to know the Bobcats
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
The Bobbies roll into this road game with a big 30-10 conference win over the Akron Zips last week. They’ve been a team filled with back-and-forth performances so far in 2024, but when they’re on, they’re one of the most dangerous teams in the conference.
Just ask QB Parker Navarro, who returned from injury to earn the MAC’s co-Offensive Player of the Week award last week after accumulating 204 passing yards, 131 rushing yards (both career-high marks) and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing.)
On the year, Navarro sits at 62-of-91 for 751 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions (three of which were in one contest), while additionally picking up 330 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He’ll be the most mobile quarterback CMU has faced this season, so it presents a unique challenge.
As ever, Ohio will utilize their traditional pistol offense to try and catch opposing defenses off-balance. Similar to CMU, they like to utilize the threat of a run game to open up routes downfield— but similarities stop there, as Ohio incorporates traditional option looks such as the veer and speed/power options to set up those opportunities downfield.
There were questions in the offseason as to who would catch the ball after a bevy of departures, but the answer seems to be former Northern Arizona receiver Coleman Owens (team-leading 31 catches, 466 yards, two touchdowns.) His being the target is almost exclusive; he holds 20 more receptions and 330 more yards than the second-highest receiver (Chase Hendricks.)
The passing game can be describes as a work-in-progress, ranking 109th in the NCAA with 177.2 yards per game on average, but the hope is that it does enough to keep the defense on its guard.
Thankfully for Ohio, they have great running backs to lean on. Anthony Tyus III, the former Northwestern Wildcat, has assimilated into the flow right away for Ohio, leading the team with 87 carries for 500 rushing yards and five total touchdowns (four rushing, one passing). Rickey Hunt Jr., who made a name for himself in the 2023 Myrtle Beach Bowl with five touchdown runs, also features heavily in the run game, with 152 yards on 40 carries.
The trio of Bobbie backs (including Navarro) largely accounts the MAC’s second-best rushing unit, ranking 39th in the NCAA with 190.2 yards per game on average, scoring nine touchdowns.
Defensively, Ohio is a hard-nosed unit which ranks second-best in the conference with 339.8 yards per game allowed on average. They’ve also hauled in four interceptions on the year, so they could match up pretty well to CMU if the Chips suddenly find themselves one-dimensional.
Ohio is an excellent situational defense, stuffing opponents on 34.5 percent of third-down plays (46th in NCAA) and 42.9 percent of fourth-down plays (t-34th in NCAA)— though they’re fairly weak in redzone defense, allowing scores on 17-of-19 attempts.
Six Bobcat defenders have at least 2.5 tackles-per-loss, with defensive lineman Cam Rice averaging at least one TFL per game on his own. Fellow d-lineman Bradley Weaver, who returned from an injury last week, is also a legit contributor from the edge spot with 3.5 TFLs and three sacks on 12 total tackles. Ben McNaboe (22 tackles, three TFLs, half-sack) has also made great contributions from the line.
Linebacker Blake Leake (35 tackles, 2.5 TFLs) and safety Austin Brawley (33 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, one interception) currently lead the top of the defensive charts with their run-erasing styles of play, while Shay Taylor and DJ Walker have each contributed four tackles-for-loss to help establish the tone.
Tank Pearson (20 tackles, three pass break-ups, one interception) and Roman Parodie (16 tackles, two pass break-ups) man the corners in pass defense, while DJ Walker has already made immediate impacts at the JACK spot as a redshirt freshman, with 24 tackles, an interception and a team-leading four pass break-ups on his resume over five games.