The first leg of the Michigan MAC Trophy is here, and it’s a vital game to stay alive in the conference race to boot.
The Michigan MAC Trophy is one of the more under-heralded in the conference, in part due to its three-team nature, but that doesn’t mean it’s undesirable.
Central Michigan (3-3, 1-1 MAC) hasn’t held the Michigan MAC crown since 2021, and Eastern Michigan (4-2, 1-1 MAC) was felled by Western in last year’s Michigan MAC race after winning the trophy back in 2022 for the first time in over a decade.
Going into this weekend, Central and Eastern— both coming off painful losses— look to get the edge both in the trophy race and in the MAC postseason race at large, as a win would prove vital to advance both those causes.
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024 at 2 p.m. Eastern time
- Location: Maxx Crosby Field at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan
- Viewing options: The game will be streaming exclusively on ESPN+. A valid subscription is required for viewing. Michael Reghi (play-by-play) and Marcus Ray (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 Tom Helmer (play-by-play) and Rob Rubick (color) will provide the EMU call for WEMU-FM 89.1.
- Gambling considerations: EMU is a 3.5-point favorite in front of the Homecoming crowd, with an over/under of 55, per DraftKings.
- All-time series: CMU leads the all-time series at 64-31-3 in a series dating back to 1902. Last time out, the Chippewas snuck away with a 26-23 win after Jesus Gomez hooked a potential game-tying field goal left in the final moments.
Getting to know the Chippewas
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The Chippewas will be hurting for production on offense after a very quiet performance against Ohio.
CMU mustered an embarrassing 63 yards in the first half last week, with all five full drives ending in punts— including two three-and-outs and a -7 yard drive to end the first two quarters. On top of that, the comeback effort in the second half was thwarted by penalties, with the Chips getting 15 accepted flags overall and seven in the third and fourth quarters.
The penalties were particularly costly, as they wiped away a Donte Kent punt return touchdown, a field goal block and a running gain which put CMU inside Ohio’s five-yard line. Those were all plays which could have won the game for Central. Instead, it resulted in a three-and-out punt, an Ohio field goal and a CMU field goal.
If there was something to be encouraged by for Central fans, it was the commitment to the running game in the game’s second half (which produced three touchdowns) and the defense limiting Ohio to three punts, a fumble and a field goal.
Marion Lukes, the hero of last week’s rally, toted the ball 20 times for 110 yards (no yards lost) and three second-half touchdowns and will be in line to shoulder the load once again. The Chips can go four-deep at the position, with BJ Harris, Myles Bailey and Nahree Biggins all available. CMU has success on the ground, sitting fourth in the conference at 180.7 yards per game, so it might be prudent to stay on the ground for a bit while the passing offense resolves itself.
Tyler Jefferson, who started the year as the third-string project quarterback, is set to take the reins after starter Joe Labas suffered a season-ending injury to his arm on an unprotected hurry from Bradley Weaver. Bert Emanuel Jr., a late scratch last week due to injury, is listed as the team’s back-up quarterback and has seen a lot of work in redzone packages.
Jefferson was admirable in his first real action, finishing 8-of-13 for 95 yards passing and 39 yards rushing.
The receiving attack is pretty battered, with several receivers and a tight end out for the season and at least two more passcatchers (Stephan Bracey Jr. and Jordyn Williams) dealing with nagging injuries. Chris Parker (18 rec., 256 yards, three TDs) and Evan Boyd (18 rec., 259 yards, one TD) have proven to be the most reliable options so far, but with the new QB under center, tight ends could start to become more a part of the passing attack. Gavin Harris and Decorian Temple would be in line for more action if that’s the case.
Defensively, the Chippewa unit has been strong— especially in the second half. They’ve allowed just three points to San Diego State and Ohio in the last two games, aiding the offense in two comeback attempts in the process.
They’ve fallen a bit in total defensive yards allowed over the last three weeks (365.3 yards, 72nd in the NCAA), but have paired that with opportunistic play on the field. It’s hard to identify why exactly the team seems to get gashed in the first half of late, but they have made clear adjustments in the second half for most of the season.
Junior linebacker Jordan Kwiatkowski is on pace for an all-MAC campaign, with 48 tackles for eight tackles-for-loss and a pass break-up on the season. His dominance on the chart is noticeable; he eclipses second-place in total tackles by 15 (Elijah Rikard; 35), and has two more TFLs than the second-best defender in the category— who is 1.5 TFLs above third. If Kwiatkowski can pick up a few more sacks, he’ll be in the running to make a list.
The CMU defense has relied upon interior pressure to get stops in the front seven and have been pretty successful there, with Jonah Pace and Jason Williams combining for 8.5 TFLs and Williams recording three sacks on the season from the tackle spots. Linebackers Dakota Cochran (6) and Fernando Sanchez III (3), along with edge rusher Kade Kostus (2.5) have combined for 11.5 TFLs as well.
Donte Kent continues to lead the secondary with five pass breakups from the cornerback spot and has 20 unassisted tackles so far in 2024. True freshman Jaion Jackson has also keyed as a starter, with 22 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and three pass break-ups opposite Kent, while the safety duo of Elijah Rikard (34 tackles, two TFLs, one sacks, PBU) and Caleb Spann (27 tackles, three TFLs, 1.5 sacks, four pass break-ups) has excelled with varied play.
If there’s one thing the defense could improve upon, it’s causing turnovers. Prior to forcing a fumble last week, CMU had just two turnovers caused (one interception, one fumble) to 10 turnovers lost for an apocalyptic -8 margin.
Another area for improvement is special teams. Central has muffed an incredible amount of punt and kick returns this season, with four total vs. Ball State serving as a low-light and a muffed punt vs. San Diego State resulting in a touchdown drive. The punting unit is also one of the worst in the country, with an average net punt of 37.5 yards. Placekicker Tristan Mattson, however, has been near perfect, going 9-of-10 on kicks and 16-of-17 on PATs.
Getting to know the Eagles
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The Eagles come into this game off a loss to Miami last week. It wasn’t a close one, as EMU’s defense struggled to contain the RedHawks passing game and the offense made crucial mistakes at several junctures to give up a tough conference loss.
The nature of the loss once again raised questions about the quality of the team’s record, as their best win to this point was against a Jacksonville State who is 3-3 with a three-game win streak (all after their loss to EMU.) Miami had just one win prior to the game as well, which only amplifies the impact of the loss.
With a win, EMU could have been 5-1 with a 2-0 record in-league and in the conversation for a top team in the league, needing just one win to clinch the postseason. Instead, they’re 4-2 with a 1-1 mark and in need of wins as the schedule only gets tougher from here, with dates against Toledo, Buffalo and Ohio all in a row to start the November slate.
Despite the concerns for EMU, they’re still pretty solid— especially compared to this time a year ago. They’re 80th in the NCAA total defense (375.0 yards allowed per game) and 93rd overall in total offense (361.8 yards per game), placing EMU firmly in the “average” range.
This is an extremely balanced offensive attack when they’re at their peak efficiency, averaging about 215.3 yards per game through the air and 146.5 yards per game on the ground.
Buffalo transfer Cole Snyder has steadied the position for the Eagles after a black hole at the position in 2023. To date, he has seven total touchdowns (four passing, three rushing) and 1,168 yards through the air on 65.1 percent completion. Snyder is also third-highest on the team in rushing yards, with 267 gained yards (146 net) on 70 carries.
First and second on the rushing list are former NC State back Delbert Mimms III and local product Elijah Jackson-Anderson. Mimms III has handled the brunt of the carrying responsibilities, with 89 carries for 392 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Jackson-Anderson has emerged for 46 carries and 156 yards and two touchdowns after Weber State transfer Dontae McMillain suffered an injury early in the season.
The passing game is a little stop-and-start, with six touchdowns through six games, but there’s good pieces to be wary of. JUCO transfer Oran Singleton leads the bunch, with 35 catches for 334 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Max Reese ties Singleton for the touchdown lead on 19 receptions for 166 yards. Terry Lockett has yet to score, but he’s second on the team with 26 catches for 273 yards.
Defensively, EMU could be missing a few players heading into the contest. The secondary is especially affected, with expected contributors Josh Scott and Bryce Llewellyn combining for two games played and Daiquan White (15 tackles, half-sack, two pass break-ups) all listed on the student-athlete gameday availability reports.
This has greatly affected their ability to cover the pass, as EMU is ranked 103rd in the NCAA in passing yards allowed per game (247)— a statistic which proved itself against Miami last week. Graduate defensive back David Carter Jr. has been a positive bright spot, with 20 tackles (13 unassisted) and a PBU.
They’re still decent enough at stooping the run, however, so they can’t be completely discounted.
A pair of transfer linebackers have filled in quite nicely in the middle, with Luke Murphy (32) and JT Killen (31) topping the tackle charts. In fact, EMU’s defense is effective in general at tacking, with seven players generating at least 20 tackles and an additional seven players at least getting into the double-digits. That’s pretty rare for a football team at this point in the season and is deserving to note.
The Eagles have had great success getting home in the pass rush, which has aided their ability to stay close in games. Peyton Price and Justin Jefferson have each notched three sacks to lead the Eagles, while Jefferson Adam (14 tackles), Joey Zelinsky (14 tackles) and Trey Laing (eight tackles) all have two sacks apiece.
This ability to cause disruption has also proven positive with turnover luck, as EMU as recovered all seven of the fumbles they’ve forced— scoring once— and nabbing two interceptions. Comparatively, EMU has tossed one pick and lost two fumbles.
Special teams are traditionally strong for the Eagles, but they’ve taken a slight step back this season, with Jesus Gomez missing one PAT and three field goals to this point. Mitchell Tomasek averages 40. 2yards per punt.