It's Homecoming Week for the Chippewas, who are looking for some sort of spark after three straight losses, including a conference loss to Toledo last Saturday, The Bobcats, meanwhile, look to jump to the top of the MAC with a win, which would them at 2-0 thanks to a Week One win over Kent State.
The Central Michigan Chippewas (2-3, 0-1 MAC) lost by 14 to the Rockets in the Glass Bowl, even despite running a balanced offensive attack. Once again, this came down to a simple statistic that MAC pundits have gone over over and over again: when the leading rusher goes over 100 yards, CMU is 2-0; when the leading rusher is under 100 yards, CMU is 0-3. It certainly does not help that Central Michigan's defense has chosen inopportune times to have an absolutely atrocious defense. Last week, they gave up 204 yards on the ground between all three of the rushers for the Rockets, and that was without Kareem Hunt (aka "The Dream") in the lineup. They also gave up 339 passing yards to Toledo's backup QB Logan Woodside and two 100+ yard receivers in Alonzo Russell and Corey Jones.
The Ohio Bobcats (3-2, 1-0 MAC) are coming off of an expected win against FCS foe Eastern Illinois at home. The week before was Idaho. First week was a Kent State win. The losses? Blowouts against Marshall and Kentucky. The Bobcats have the problem of being really dang young, as well as the problem of having the nations 119th best defense. Just for context's sake, SMU, Eastern Michigan, Idaho, Hawai'i, App State, Georgia Southern, and all the military academies rank above Ohio. They also can't seem to settle on a quarterback, and have rotated between JD Sprague and Darius Vick throughout the season.
Both teams are virtually identical in terms of offensive production: CMU is 112th in points for, Ohio is 110th. Ohio is 99th in passing yards; CMU, 91st. However, there is one difference that will be key in this upcoming matchup. Even with Thomas Rawls in the lineup, CMU is 110th in rushing yards, due to the lack of depth behind him. Ohio is 55th in rushing yards, with A.J. Ouelette and company leading the rushing attack. This game will come down to who can produce more on the offensive side of the ball, since both teams have notoriously bad defenses. Will CMU's rush defense bend or break vs, the Bobcats rushing attack? Can Ohio force CMU to put their hopes on Cooper Rush's arm? Ya gotta play the game and find out.
Speaking of the game, my prediction: the Homecoming Spirit, as well as the return of Titus Davis to a friendly environment, will help Central gain the edge over Ohio 24-17.