Five questions for Central Michigan University beat writer John Evans
By Alan Gerould, Senior Writer, BroncoBlitz.com
We are pleased to have our counterpart from rivals.com "ChippewaCountry" on the hotseat with the inside track on this week's rivalry game. Welcome John Evans.
BroncoBlitz: This is the first conference game for both teams, yet one could argue that the winner has the inside track on the West Division crown, along with Toledo. The rivalry alone makes it a big game for the students and alumni, but this also has a certain playoff type feel. Are you feeling it up there? Will the team approach this game any differently due to the added importance?
John Evans: The team definitely won't be approaching things any differently this week, other than the fact that practice will be a little more juiced up because of the rivalry. Coach John Bonamego preaches preparation and he has a system in place. The atmosphere for the game should be incredible. The hype surrounding the program hasn't been this high since the 2009 season. The winner of this game definitely has the inside track in the West Division.
BroncoBlitz: Central Michigan has been behind early in all four games only to stage big comebacks. Last year against the Broncos in Kalamazoo the Chips were down 34-19 before coming up just short 41-39. Why have they started so slow but been so successful at coming back?
John Evans: The slow starts are kind of hard to explain. All of last season, the team was tabbed as a "second half team" and unfortunately that has continued into the 2016 season. I don't think it has anything to do with the team not being ready, but more just execution. We've also seen the team be a little conservative to start games, so it's possible we could see the playbook open a bit more earlier in games down the stretch.
BroncoBlitz: Much has been made of the showdown between CMU's Cooper Rush and WMU's Zach Terrell, ranked first and third in the nation in career passing yards among active quarterbacks. What makes these guys so good? Compare and contrast and who has the better game Saturday?
John Evans: I think what makes both Rush and Terrell so good is that they are both so composed in the pocket. Neither panics or makes many bad decisions and in turn, that helps their teams win football games. It's hard to say who will have the better game Saturday because I think both will be very successful in their own right. Rush has proven he can put the ball wherever it needs to go against top competition. I think a lot of Terrell's success will also hinge on the health of CMU safety Tony Annese, who is a gametime decision as of now, but both should be in for a stellar evening.
BroncoBlitz: The Broncos come into the game relatively healthy while the Chips seem to be a bit banged up. Can you tell us who's in who's out and whether or not the next guy up is a big drop off?
John Evans: As mentioned previously, Annese is a gametime decision. It's weird for CMU fans to not see him out there because he's been so durable over the years. His replacement is Otis Kearney who made his first career start last week at Virginia. It's hard to say it's not a big drop off because Annese is so talented and is a captain of the team. Wide receivers Jesse Kroll and Eric Cooper have both been ruled out for the season after sustaining injuries last Saturday. You feel the most for Kroll, who was a 6th year player who has already missed a ton of time with injuries. So his CMU career is unfortunately over but he will always be remembered for some spectacular plays. Linebacker Mitch Stanitzek remains out after suffering a knee injury against Oklahoma State and offensive lineman Derek Edwards is not expected to play Saturday after a foot injury at Virginia. It was a tough week, but Bonamego isn't making any excuses for his team.
BroncoBlitz: These two teams appear pretty evenly matched. They are both scoring around 40 points a game and giving up in the low to mid 20's. Both teams are averaging about 470 yards a game. Last year two points was the difference. This year the Broncos are favored by a point. What must the Chips do to win? What do you think will decide this and what will the scoreboard read at the final gun?
John Evans: In order for CMU to win they will have to be able to establish some sort of run game. They have struggled since the first week to really get things going on the ground, and when they can it helps open things up for Rush. But ultimately I think this game will come down to the big plays. Who will have more of those "splash" plays and who can take advantage in the turnover department. Last year against WMU the Chippewas had a ton of penalties, and they can't go down that road again or they will face a similar outcome. Behind the home crowd under the lights, I think CMU edges out the Broncos 38-34.