2017 Central Michigan Chippewas football team
The 2017 Central Michigan Chippewas football team represented Central Michigan University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by third-year head coach John Bonamego and played their home games at Kelly/Shorts Stadium as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 8–5, 6–2 in MAC play to finish in a tie for second place in the West Division. They received an invitation to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where they lost to Wyoming.
| 2017 Central Michigan Chippewas football | |
|---|---|
![]() | |
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, L 14–37 vs. Wyoming | |
| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| West Division | |
| Record | 8–5 (6–2 MAC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Chris Ostrowsky (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Greg Colby (3rd season) |
| Home stadium | Kelly/Shorts Stadium (capacity: 32,885) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Akron xy | 6 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (OH) | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 2 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo xy$ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State | 0 | – | 8 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Toledo 45, Akron 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preseason
Central Michigan was picked to finish in fifth place in the MAC West Division in a preseason poll of league media.[1]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 31 | 7:00 p.m. | Rhode Island* | ESPN3 | W 30–27 3OT | 16,311 | |
| September 9 | 3:00 p.m. | at Kansas* | FSN | W 45–27 | 28,531 | |
| September 16 | 3:30 p.m. | at Syracuse* | ACCN Extra | L 17–41 | 33,004 | |
| September 23 | 3:30 p.m. | Miami (OH) |
| ESPN3 | L 14–31 | 17,193 |
| September 30 | 1:00 p.m. | at Boston College* | ACCN Extra | L 8–28 | 27,036 | |
| October 7 | 2:00 p.m. | at Ohio | ESPN3 | W 26–23 | 23,570 | |
| October 14 | 3:30 p.m. | Toledo |
| ESPN3 | L 10–30 | 15,572 |
| October 21 | 3:00 p.m. | at Ball State | ESPN3 | W 56–9 | 15,850 | |
| November 1 | 8:00 p.m. | at Western Michigan | ESPN2 | W 35–28 | 11,776 | |
| November 8 | 8:00 p.m. | Eastern Michigan |
| ESPNU | W 42–30 | 9,700 |
| November 14 | 7:00 p.m. | at Kent State | ESPNU | W 42–23 | 5,580 | |
| November 24 | 12:00 p.m. | Northern Illinois |
| CBSSN | W 31–24 | 8,744 |
| December 22 | 4:00 p.m. | vs. Wyoming* | ESPN | L 14–37 | 16,512 | |
| ||||||
Game summaries
Rhode Island
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | 3OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
| Chippewas | 0 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 30 |
At Kansas
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewas | 0 | 24 | 7 | 14 | 45 |
| Jayhawks | 3 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 27 |
At Syracuse
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewas | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Orange | 10 | 14 | 17 | 0 | 41 |
Miami (OH)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RedHawks | 14 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 31 |
| Chippewas | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
At Boston College
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewas | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Eagles | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
At Ohio
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewas | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 26 |
| Bobcats | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 23 |
Toledo
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockets | 7 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 30 |
| Chippewas | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
At Ball State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewas | 7 | 21 | 7 | 21 | 56 |
| Cardinals | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
At Western Michigan
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewas | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 35 |
| Broncos | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
In an increasingly heavy downpour in Kalamazoo, the Chips avenged their 49-10 loss to the Broncos the year before. During the battle between the two bitter in-state rivals, the Chippewas fell behind 28-14 in the 3rd quarter. The Chips then staged a dramatic comeback in the 4th quarter, scoring 21 unanswered points, capped off by Shane Morris’ 77 yard touchdown pass to Corey Willis with 2:37 left in the game to defeat the Broncos for the first time since 2013 by a score of 35-28.
Eastern Michigan
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 7 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 30 |
| Chippewas | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
At Kent State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewas | 7 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 42 |
| Golden Flashes | 3 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
Northern Illinois
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huskies | 14 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Chippewas | 0 | 0 | 17 | 14 | 31 |
Vs. Wyoming–Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewas | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Cowboys | 21 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 37 |
References
- "MAC Football 2017: Toledo, Ohio University picked as division winners in preseason poll". cleveland.com. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
- 2017 Central Michigan Chippewas football schedule 'FBSchedules.com'. Accessed April 14, 2017.
