Sun Bowl Stadium (photo by Sterling, via Flickr).
What happens when your team travels almost 1,500 miles to play in a bowl game, and they arrive only to find their opponent canceled on them. You, your conference, and the bowl work like heck to get a replacement. After several other teams declined invitations, Central Michigan stepped up to face the Washington State Cougars in this year’s Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.
Originally scheduled to face Boise State in the Arizona Bowl, CMich found themselves in the same position as Washington State when they showed up in Tucson. Both WSU and CMU found themselves over a thousand miles away from home but just 317 miles apart. So, why not?
Phone calls were made, favors likely done (we’ll know more when a few MAC teams show up on Pac-12 schedules), politics played, and viola, the 2021 Sun Bowl 2.0 game is official. Here is a scouting report on the Coug’s new opponent Central Michigan.
This is the Chippewas second bowl appearance in three seasons under former Colorado State and Florida head coach Jim McElwain. In 2020 they decided to end their season with a 3-3 record after the final regular-season game. So they get a pass on the COVID shortened season.
It’s a different story for CMich in 2021; they finished the regular season with an 8-4 record, including 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference. That was good for second place in the West Division. Their record is a bit deceiving. Two of their losses were to SEC teams, while another was a 39-38 loss to MAC Champion Northern Illinois. A game where CMich held a 17-point lead with 6:07 left in the third quarter and a two-point lead with less than a minute to go.
Central Michigan scored under 21 points only once in 2021. They finished the season on a four-game win streak defeating their opponents by an average of 19.25 points in that stretch. McElwain’s team can score points. Their season average of 33.0 points per game was 30th best in all of FBS.
Redshirt freshman running back Lew Nichols makes the offense go. He had totals of 2,008 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns. Nichols averages almost six yards every time he touches the ball. Look for him to establish the run early.
Another redshirt freshman Daniel Richardson is the Chippewas starting quarterback. A little undersized at 5-10, Richardson threw for almost 2,400 yards and 23 touchdowns against only five picks.
With a stud performer in the backfield like Nichols, Richardson doesn’t need to throw very often, but when he does, he has three good receivers. Kahil Pimpleton was Cmich’s number one receiver (73 receptions, 1,007 yards, 6 touchdowns). He is followed by Dallas Dixon (44, 696, 8) and JaCorey Sullivan (42, 604, 10).
Along the offensive line, both of Central Michigan’s tackles Bernhard Raimann (LT) and Luke Goedke (RT), have a good chance to have their names called at next spring’s NFL Draft. Playing well against a Power-5 opponent would boost their respective draft stock.
While not as nearly as prolific as their offense, there are areas where the Chippewas defense excels:
There are areas where Central Michigan does poorly as compared to the rest of FBS teams:
It starts up front in Central Michigan’s 4-2-5 base defense. Edge Rushers Troy Hairston and John Wesley Whiteside get after the quarterback combining for a dozen sacks during the season. Fortunately for Washington State, two of CMich’s key defensive linemen entered the transfer portal earlier this month. That includes defensive tackle Samir Saddiq, who had 9.5 tackles for loss.
Their D is like an Oreo, but the Cougs can’t underestimate linebacker Troy Browm. The Chippewas playmakers are in the secondary. Safeties George Kreski, Devonni Reed, and Alonzo McCoy finished first, second, and fifth on the team in tackles. Opposing offenses went after corner Donte Kent. That probably wasn’t the best idea as the redshirt freshman was fourth in the nation with 14 passes defended.
The Washington State Cougars will be a rude awakening. With quarterback Jayden de Laura, offensive tackles Liam Ryan and Abe Locus, and a deep and talented group of receivers, WSU can neutralize many things Central Michigan does well against the pass.
What do you think about the Washington State Cougars – Central Michigan match-up? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.