Week 9, Central Michigan: Opponent Overview

General:

The Central Michigan Chippewas (5-3) roll into UB Stadium on Saturday looking to reach bowl eligibility with a win over the Buffalo Bulls. The Chippewas have been one of the more consistent teams in what has been a wildly inconsistent MAC in 2019. The Chippewas have lost the games they were expected to, their big games against Miami (FL) and Wisconsin, but otherwise are 5-1 on the year with their only other loss coming on the road at Western Michigan. However, their season has been shaken up by the suspension of starting QB David Moore after testing positive for a banned substance. They won their first two games without Moore against a bad Bowling Green team, and a winless New Mexico State team but CMU has yet to be tested without Moore.

Offense:

While the CMU lost David Moore, they do have a solid QB backing him up in Quinten Dormady. Dormady spent time at Tennessee and Houston before winding up in Mount Pleasant, and actually opened the season as the starter. So far this season, Dormady has completed 62.4% of his passes at a 6.9 yard per attempt clip. Dormady has also thrown six touchdowns to just two interceptions so far this season. WR Kalil Pimpleton has been the top pass catcher for CMU this season, after transferring in from Virginia Tech. Pimpleton has caught 50 passes for 521 yards, and four touchdowns. The Chippewas also features a two headed monster in the backfield that rivals Buffalo’s Kevin Marks and Jaret Patterson. RBs Jonathan Ward and Kobe Lewis have rushed for 661 and 616 yards, respectively, and each has eight touchdowns on the ground. The Chippewas also feature last season’s first team all-MAC placekicker, Ryan Tice, making Bulls fans everywhere jealous. Tice has hit 100% of his extra points and 64.3% of his field goals this season. Additionally, I see that Dormady is 1/1 on extra points this season, so if a CMU fan reads this, please comment below and let us know why he kicked a PAT this season, thanks.

Defense:

The Chippewa defense has been solid this season ranking third in the MAC in both points allowed per game, and total yards allowed per play. The defense is led by LB Troy Brown who leads the team in tackles with 63, including 12 tackles for a loss which also leads the team. The pass rush is spearheaded by Illinois transfer DE Sean Adesanya who has piled up six sacks this season, good for first in the MAC. The Chippewa defense has also been solid turning teams over this season, forcing seven fumbles and snagging seven interceptions through eight games.

Closing Thoughts:

Central Michigan will be a tough test for a Bulls team looking to fight the uphill battle to bowl eligibility. CMU has a strong, balanced offense, but without their starting QB, the opportunity is there for the top ranked UB defense to capitalize. The Buffalo offense will have to show more life than they did last week against Akron, and they will be faced with a significantly tougher test in CMU.