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Central Michigan Chippewas (2000: 2-9) The following team preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at this and all Division I-A teams, be sure to order the 2001 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.
Coach and programYou are not going to get too fancy with second-year Central Michigan head coach Mike DeBord. In a league now inundated with the offensive flavor of the week, the “spread,” DeBord last year tried to hunker down and bust you in the mouth with the run and mix in the occasional smart pass.DeBord ran the offensive show at Michigan before getting the call from coaching legend and CMU athletic director Herb Deromedi. And he believes in playing the kind of mistake-free offensive ball the Wolverines did with guys like Brian Griese at the controls. While the personnel may be a little different on the Happy Hill, DeBord knows what he wants to accomplish and how to get there. “I had a great situation, probably the best you could have in the whole country without being a head coach,” DeBord said. “But you come here, it’s not a hard sell. They’re committed to being serious about football and the situation is wonderful.” Ninety yards of indoor turf, a quality weight room and a refurbishing of Kelly/Shorts Stadium make the school 70 miles north of Lansing a pretty solid stop on the MAC tour. Other than the harsh winter that seems to afflict nearly every MAC campus, there’s a lot to sell kids on being a Chippewa. This program had stopped achieving the last few seasons, as rival Western Michigan and Toledo stepped to the front of the MAC line. And changes needed to be made. But the problems here are minor compared to programs like Kent State, Eastern Michigan and Buffalo. Getting the team back on track should take only a couple years. The Chips hit this spring and hit a lot, taking as many full-contact practices as the NCAA allows in the 15 spring sessions. DeBord said it was time for fundamentals and hitting in large doses, to build mental and physical toughness. “We’re still lacking some things, and need to work on strength and size and conditioning,’’ he said. “We’re close but not there yet. But the key is to see some confidence, to create that team ego.”
Offense“We were terrible at running the football last year and we were terrible at stopping the run,” DeBord said. “And we’ll spend a lot of time working on those areas before next season.”Well said. Not only did CMU lack a 1,000-yard rusher, no Chippewa back cracked the 500-yard barrier. The Chips barely got into four digits as a team (1,016 yards) on the ground. Still, the top three rushers do return, starting with the injury-prone junior Vince Webber (5-9, 205), who managed 458 yards and three touchdowns, both team highs. Webber has broken his jaw twice in the last year, knocking him out of game and spring action. Sophomore Derrick Vickers (6-1, 185) returns at quarterback after passing for 1,059 yards in 2000. From Florida, Vickers is very mobile and always a threat on the rollout. He will also have more chances to tuck it and run this fall if CMU runs some of the four-receiver sets seen in the spring. The top two outside receivers are gone, leaving sophomore Steve Messam (5-9, 175) as the most experienced pass catcher. He pulled in 22 catches last fall, but a post-spring look at the depth chart shows him second string at flanker. There is one junior, Rob Turner (6-3, 200), in the mix at wideout, and a gaggle of sophomores -- Dante McKnight (5-10, 187), Willie Hill (5-11, 180) and Rod Means (6-3, 192).
Defense and special teamsLast fall, this unit was too small, too slow and not physical enough. Physical is a word you’ll hear from DeBord or even opposing players who remarked of CMU players asking them to “ease up” late in games.So, these guys got the brunt of the weight room work from conditioning coach Denny Starnes over the winter. Playing the nose requires a player to be a team guy who knows he won’t get many chances for glory. Junior Marvin Smith (6-1, 265) is a “great anchor for this line and a great student-athlete,” DeBord said. Smith is a consistent player who plays over top the center in a “2” technique in this offset 4-4 defense. DeBord does have some good linebackers at his disposal, if that undersized line can keep the guards or center from getting off the blocks. Middle linebacker Darvin Lewis (6-3, 225) is a junior star-in-waiting from Detroit. Lewis is the team’s top returning tackler with 113, and should improve on that total as this defense tries to shift more responsibility to the linebackers. With two of the “linebackers” in the 4-4 look just being oversized safeties, the free safety will get pretty lonely back here and have the responsibility of making the play call for the defensive secondary. This position is left to redshirt freshmen. Converted linebacker Joe Ballard (6-4, 205) and Ron Bartell (6-3, 190) both have zero game action in Division I-A and were alternating at this spot all spring. Sophomore Brian Brandt (6-2, 200) punted well as a freshman, stopping 16 kicks inside the opposing 20-yard line and averaging almost 40 yards per punt. He did have plenty of opportunities (87 punts).
Bottom lin3Coaches in this league have no doubt that DeBord will be the guy to bring CMU back to some prominence in the MAC West.But right now, even with a solid offensive line, there’s not yet a star to power that offense. Maybe he’ll appear this fall. Ditto for a defense that is pretty good on the second and third levels, but still too small inside. This program is growing, both in the weight room and in the win column. How quickly the players adjust to the position changes on both sides of the ball will determine the level of success for 2001. |
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