The Sports Xchange
NCAAF Team Report – Central Michigan – INSIDE SLANT
Central Michigan failed to build off the momentum of a 48-41 upset win over Northern Illinois last year on Oct. 1. The Chippewas hope to avoid last year’s collapse of losing six of their last seven games.
This year, on Sept. 21, the Chippewas pulled off a bigger upset with a 32-31 victory over Iowa in Iowa City. Central Michigan senior kicker David Harman drilled a career-long 47-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to beat the Hawkeyes.
The manner in which the Chippewas (2-1) defeated the Hawkeyes came as a surprise. Chippewas quarterback Ryan Radcliff hit Titus Davis for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 45 seconds left.
After failing on a two-point conversion, the Chippewas got some luck when redshirt freshman Jesse Kroll recovered an onside kick. Following a nine-yard run by Radcliff, Harman drilled the game-winner for CMU’s first win over a Big Ten opponent since 2009.
Third-year CMU coach Dan Enos admitted when he was first hired that Harman’s name wasn’t even on his radar.
“Harman is an unbelievable young man,” Enos said. “When I got the job two years ago, in spring practice he was the third or fourth kicker. I didn’t even know who he was for a week or two. He was a walk-on and didn’t have a very strong leg. He works and he’s tough.”
Harman made all four of his field goal attempts, plus his onside kick was executed flawlessly despite needing a holder.
“I mean it’s definitely something I’ll tell my kids,” Harman said. “That’s that moment that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. That’s what you dream about is, coming to a place like this just to do what you do.”
Central Michigan senior quarterback Ryan Radcliff dealt with difficult two weeks following a tough outing against Michigan State at home. Several media outlets suggested a change was in order at the quarterback spot. At Iowa, Radcliff’s steady play in the game — and down the stretch — was key in the upset win. Radcliff threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, for Enos, the victory was the biggest of his head coaching career. A win over a Big Ten Conference team on the road after winning just six games in his two years, Enos said the Chippewas showed some character wiping away their Week 2 loss to Michigan State. Enos credited Radcliff for his leadership in the victory.
“One of the big keys to the game was our quarterback (Ryan Radcliff),” Enos said. “He played very well and in order for us to be successful against any team, he has to play well. When you come into an environment like this on the road, if your quarterback plays subpar it’s going to be a long day. Our team kept believing and we limited our mistakes. We had no turnovers for the first time all year. We got our first penalty of the year in the third quarter.”
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NCAAF Team Report – Central Michigan – NOTES, QUOTES
WHAT’S AHEAD: The Chippewas hope to accomplish their second straight road defeat of a team located west of Chicago. After beating Iowa, the Chippewas face a hungry Northern Illinois team in DeKalb. Last year the Chippewas defeated the Huskies 48-41 on Oct. 1 in Mount Pleasant.
–The Chippewas improved to 5-22 all-time against teams from the Big Ten Conference.
–The Chippewas defeated Iowa for the first time in the program’s history.
–Central Michigan was called for its first penalty of the season in the third quarter, ending a span of 10 quarters without a flag.
–WR Titus Dave caught two touchdown passes in a game for the fourth time in his career.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Kicker David Harman. The senior was the integral player in CMU’s upset over Iowa. Harman showed his cool by nailing all four of his field goal attempts, including a 47-yarder with three seconds left to lift CMU to an upset over Iowa.
LOOKING GOOD: Ryan Radcliff stepped up with a sterling performance following a frustrating outing against Michigan State. Radcliff completed 26-of-35 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, Radcliff stayed away from throwing a momentum-killing interception.
STILL NEEDS WORK: The Chippewas struggled at the start of the game, allowing 14 first-quarter points. The Chippewas, not with a young defense, cannot afford to fall behind early in games. Otherwise, the Chippewas played a flawless game at Iowa, even limiting the Hawkeyes to 1-of-8 on third down attempts.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I never really felt too bothered by the whole ‘icing’ thing. It just gives me a couple more seconds to envision everything going right in my head.” — Central Michigan senior kicker David Harman on his game-winning kick at Iowa.
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NCAAF Team Report – Central Michigan – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES:
–QB Ryan Radcliff bounced back from a tough outing against Michigan State like a true veteran. After a bye week, Radcliff quieted doubts over his starting position by throwing for 283 yards and two touchdowns.
–WR Titus Davis came up big late in the game with the second of his two touchdown receptions. Davis tallied five receptions for 74 yards.
–PK David Harman, a third-string kicker in 2010, has come full circle after booting a game-winning 47-yard field goal with three seconds left to defeat Iowa in Iowa City. His four field goals were the most by a CMU kicker in a game since Andrew Aguila equaled that number against Troy in the 2010 GMAC Bowl.
–LB Cody Lopez recovered a fumble in the first half for his first fumble recovery of his career.
ROSTER REPORT
–WR Cody Wilson extended his streak to 32 straight games with a reception. He also moved into fifth place on CMU’s all-time receptions list with 172 and into seventh place on the career receiving yards list with 2,064 yards.
–RB Saylor Lavallii’s eight-yard reception in the third quarter was the first of his career.
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