Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Central Michigan season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Central Michigan Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 1-11 overall, 0-8 in MAC
Head Coach: Jim McElwain, 1st year
Photo Credit: Central Michigan Sports Information
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CENTRAL MICHIGAN OFFENSE
– The O just didn’t move. It couldn’t convert on third downs, it was dead last in America in first downs, and it was second-to-last in total offense, averaging just 255 yards and 15 points per game. It’s up to offensive coordinator Charlie Frye to jump-start the attack under new head man Jim McElwain. But the Chippewas need the pieces.
– Start with the passing game – it has to start working. Tommy Lazzaro struggled last season – throwing for just 711 yards with five touchdowns and ten picks – but he’s still in the mix for playing time. Enter Quinten Dormady, the one-time excellent recruit for Tennessee and transfer to Houston. He’s stepping in to crank up the offense and start pushing the ball down the field.
– The O line that was such a problem is at least experienced. The interior is okay, but the tackles have to emerge in a hurry and be much, much better at the position. At the skill spots, 2017 1,000-yard runner Jonathan Ward needs to bounce back to form as a part of a veteran group of backs. Four of the top five receivers are back, but Virginia Tech transfer Kalil Pimpleton should be the new star.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CENTRAL MICHIGAN DEFENSE
– The defense wasn’t bad. It finished second in the MAC overall, allowing 355 yards and 27 points per game, but now it has to replace almost all of the stars. Leading tackler Malik Fountain is gone from the linebacking corps. Top pass rusher Mike Danna transferred to Michigan, and the lightning-fast defensive backs Sean Bunting and Xavier Crawford are off to the NFL, but …
– The secondary is okay. The corners need to rise up and rock right away – this might be the D’s biggest early concern – but the safety tandem of Devonni Reed and Da’Quan Jamison is good enough to work around. They all need help from a pass rush that will sorely miss Danna. LaQuan Johnson and Robi Stuart should be okay on the inside, but the pass rushers have to emerge.
– Fountain is the big loss for the linebacking corps, but losing Alex Briones hurts, too. This will be a revolving door up until the opener against Albany to find the right starting three, with Michael Oliver is a likely option at one spot – bringing a little bit of size – but this group is going to be young.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP CENTRAL MICHIGAN PLAYERS
Best Central Michigan Offensive Player
WR Kalil Pimpleton, Soph.
Call this a bit of a projection for a team that desperately needs new offensive stars to step up. Houston transfer QB Quinten Dormady has to be the best player, and a running back has to emerge, but Pimpleton should be the star playmaker with the elite quickness and skills to stand out as a No. 1 receiver. The Virginia Tech transfer sat out last year, he’s ready to explode.
2. QB Quinten Dormady, Sr.
3. PK/P Ryan Tice, Sr.
4. WR Kalil Pimpleton, Soph
5. RB Jonathan Ward, Sr.
Best Central Michigan Defensive Player
S Devonni Reed, Soph.
The stars in the secondary are gone, and while Reed isn’t going to make the impact that Sean Bunting and Xavier Crawford did, he’s the new main man. The 6-0, 188-pound sophomore finished second on the team with 97 tackles and broke up three passes. Now he’s going to have to be the star veteran for a D in transition.
2. S Da’Quaun Jamison, Sr.
3. LB Michael Oliver, Sr.
4. DT Robi Stuart, Jr.
5. S Alonzo McCoy, Soph.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Central Michigan Offense
The passing game has to be far, far sharper and more efficient. Seven different players threw a pass last season, and in all, the Chippewas completed 49% of their passes for just 1,614 yards and ten touchdowns and 18 picks. The downfield passing game wasn’t there – averagingnation-worst 4.5 yards per throw – for an attack with no 200-yard games and just two touchdowns passes over the last five games.
Biggest Key To The Central Michigan Defense
The pass rushers have to emerge in a hurry. The Chippewas weren’t too bad at getting into the backfield, coming up with 28 sacks and 77 tackles for loss. However, 64 of those TFLs and 23.5 of those sacks are gone. With Mike Danna going to Michigan, the top six sackers are done, and now the Chippewas have to be better and more disruptive with a whole new group.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Quinten Dormady, Sr.
The Texas native was a four-star get for Tennessee and was supposed to be the main man to lead the attack. It didn’t happen, and he transferred to Houston. He wasn’t able to rise up and take over the gig there, either, and so he’s off to Central Michigan to try closing out his career with something big. He’s got the prototype size, the live arm, and the basic skills, and anything he can do will be an improvement for one of the nation’s worst offenses.
Key Game To The Central Michigan Season
Akron, Sept. 14
The Chippewas just need to start out with something positive. They should be Albany to kick things off, get hammered by Wisconsin, and then start out the MAC season against an Akron program looking to get off to a decent start, too. Win, and with winnable games against New Mexico State, at Bowling Green and at Ball State still to go, there could be a big turnaround.
– Central Michigan Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Central Michigan Fun Stats
– Penalties: Central Michigan 98 for 851 yards – Opponents 71 for 699 yards
– Rushing TDs: Opponents 28 – Central Michigan 8
– 3rd Down Conversions: Opponents 70-of-179 (39%) – Central Michigan 55-of-189 (29%)
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. CENTRAL MICHIGAN WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
New head coach Jim McElwain has a whole lot of work to do.
Last year’s team should’ve and could’ve been good enough to build on a solid 2017, but it all went off the rails after a rough start, and the offense never found its footing.
But it was a much better team than 1-11, even though you are what your record is. Under the new coaching staff, the O will improve almost immediately.
The quarterback situation should be better with transfer Quinten Dormady and veteran Tony Poljan working with a decent receiving corps, but the line has to be strong right away, and there needs to be a running game.
Now the D has to do its part despite the loss of just about everyone who matters. It’s going to be a season-long work in progress, but there’s just enough to work around to keep that side of the ball from going into the tank.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 5
Assume a regression to the mean. This won’t be the team that managed to win eight games in 2017, and it certainly won’t be the anomaly that was last season’s disaster.
Beat Albany, beat Akron, beat New Mexico State, beat Eastern Michigan and/or Bowling Green and/or Ball State and/or come up with an upset or two, and there’s a shot coming up with a terrific turnaround.
There are way too many question marks and concerns to be assured of a bowl game, but with a strong get in McElwain as the head man, expect an instant turnaround.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
