Central Michigan got four TDs in the first fifteen and a half minutes, then coasted to a 35-10 win over Northern Illinois at CMU’s Homecoming on Saturday. The Chips slowed down in the second half, but had already kept their foot on the gas long enough to build an insurmountable lead.
The win snapped a 9-game losing streak for CMU against NIU, and may have sent a message to the MAC that, despite their slow start, the Chippewas (2-3, 2-0 MAC) are still a threat to win the conference.
Chips RB Justin Hoskins, who started in place of Ontario Sneed, said afterward that the game had extra meaning to CMU, coming off last week’s embarrassing 44-14 home loss to FCS squad North Dakota State. Hoskins ran for a nifty 40-yard touchdown on his first carry of the game, capping a quick 4 play, 80-yard drive for the Chippewas’ first score.
So was this a statement game, Hoskins was asked at the post-game press conference? “Yep,” the junior back said emphatically. “We ain’t playing no games.”
Hoskins ran for 93 yards on 14 carries and two scores after making the surprise start. CMU Coach Butch Jones gave no specific reason for Hoskins’ replacement of Sneed, other than to say that Hoskins had had a great week of practice and had “earned the right to start.” The Chippewas did rotate Hoskins and Sneed, but Sneed was far less effective, netting just 39 yards on 12 carries.
Northern Illinois (1-4, 0-2 MAC) got 157 rushing yards from Justin Anderson, including 59 on an opening drive that spanned 17 plays before Chris Nendick missed on an ugly field goal attempt from 21 yards. The Chips took over, and four plays later, Hoskins had them in the end zone.
On NIU’s next drive, the Huskies penetrated the Chips’ five yard line, only to come up empty handed once again. Central Michigan’s Red Keith, the leading active tackler in the FBS, forced Anderson to fumble, and CMU’s Frank Zombo recovered. Starting from their own one-yard line, the Chips gained first downs on three straight drop back pass plays, and were off to the races yet again. Once Central found itself in scoring position, Coach Butch Jones resorted to a bit of trickery.
On a play designed to look like an end-around to CMU WR Duane Brooks, QB Dan LeFevour snuck down the left sideline unmarked. As he approached the right edge, Brooks pulled up and threw a gorgeous soft lob to LeFevour, who didn’t have a defender within 15 yards of him. LeFevour walked in, and the Chips led by two scores.
“We’ve got Brooks, and we’ve got Gene Pitts, who is also a former quarterback,” Jones said afterward. “So we’ve got a few of those that we can throw in any week. The key with a successful trick play is knowing when to use it.”
The shootout continued throughout the first quarter, as both teams moved with ease by land and air. The two squads combined for 414 yards in the first period alone, a number which excludes Antonio Brown’s electrifying 90-yard kick return, which gave CMU a 21-7 lead with 1:31 to play in the quarter.
After NIU sophomore Zach Larsen fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Central took over deep in Northern territory. Five plays later, the Chips and LeFevour were the endzone again, taking a 28-7 lead on the signal-caller’s two yard QB sneak.
The Huskies, coming off their first win of the year at Idaho, outgained CMU by over 100 yards, 521-381, but were crippled by five turnovers and the special teams mishaps.
Remarkably, there was no second half scoring after all the fireworks of the first act. CMU brought their attack mostly between the tackles in an effort to run clock, and Northern struggled as they were forced to become one-dimensional, trailing by 25.
Central Michigan will head in to next week’s showdown at Ball State as the sole leader in MAC West divisional play at 2-0. Northern Illinois falls to 0-2, and plays Temple next Saturday in Philadelphia.
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