Football Notebook: Chippewas Find Motivation in Loss

- A week ago, the Central Michigan football team could point to its defense pitching a second-half shutout in a 31-14 loss at Ohio. This week, the Chippewas can point to a never-quit attitude that led to a chance - a hail mary pass into the end zone on the final play of the game - to win a game in which it trailed, 21-0, at the start of the fourth quarter.

Certainly, there are positives to come out of Saturday's 21-14 loss to rival Western Michigan, the defending MAC champion, in the Victory Cannon Trophy game at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. At the top of that list is motivation -- motivation to get better both for next week's home game with Miami (Ohio) and in the long term.

"When Western is good at stuff, that forces Central to do the smelling salts and get going," second-year CMU coach Matt Drinkall said. "I know for a fact from working here for the last 23 months, it's a very good catalyst to making everybody around here get better.

In an era of athletics where there's no precedent, there's no right way to do things, I can tell you this, we're really, really excited here right now, and I'm telling you it's only going to get better from here on out. I'm excited, and like I said, when Western has success, it lights a fire under people here, and it does me.

Slow Start The Chippewas made a frantic fourth-quarter rally, scoring early in the period to cut Western's lead to 21-7, and then pulling to 21-14 with under a minute to play. They covered the onside kick near midfield, giving them a shot to tie, or win, the game with a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

But all involved on the Chippewa side can point to the three-touchdown hole as the key to the game. Just as they could point to a 31-0 halftime deficit a week earlier at Ohio.

We needed a wakeup call, and we knew what they were going to do, but we just had to bind together," said linebacker Xavier White, who led CMU with 11 tackles. "Bend but don't break, that was our mentality, really, in the second half.

We just can't wait until the second half. We can't wait to get down or someone to punch us in the face to shock us to finally get moving.

We just have to, straight out the gate, get moving and do our own thing instead of waiting." In putting the Chippewas in a 21-0 deficit, the Broncos ran the ball very effectively, converted the vast majority of its third downs, and held a wide possession-time advantage.