Three things to know about Central Michigan, Boise State’s opponent in the Arizona Bowl
The parallels between Boise State’s and Central Michigan’s journeys to the Arizona Bowl are undeniable.
Both teams had to overcome slow starts to the season just to earn bowl eligibility. The Chippewas were 2-3 after a loss in their Mid-American Conference opener against Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 2. The Broncos went into their bye week in mid-October with a 3-4 record after a loss to Mountain West foe Air Force, which capped Boise State’s first three-game losing streak at Albertsons Stadium since 1996.
Central Michigan (8-4) and Boise State (7-5) both then went on winning streaks to salvage their seasons. The Broncos went 4-0 in the month following their bye and clinched bowl eligibility for the 24th year in a row with a home win over Wyoming. The Chippewas ended the regular season on a four-game winning streak, including a 31-10 win over rival Eastern Michigan.
Both teams came up just short in games that had major conference title implications. Central Michigan botched a field goal attempt with seven seconds left in a 39-38 loss to eventual MAC champion Northern Illinois. Boise State led San Diego State 16-3 in the second quarter of the regular-season finale two weeks ago, but the Aztecs stormed back to win 27-16. The Broncos needed to win that game and have Air Force lose to UNLV to make the Mountain West title game.
Boise State and Central Michigan will face off in Tuscon, Arizona, on Dec. 31 (noon Mountain time, barstoolsports stream), and Broncos head coach Andy Avalos knows any opponent can be dangerous when it has watched a big win slip through its fingers and is peaking at the right time.
“They’re on a hot streak, and they’re doing the things it takes to play successful football,” Avalos told reporters on Sunday. “As we start to look at it, you can see why they’ve been successful down the stretch.”
Here are three things Boise State fans need to know about the Chippewas.
Central Michigan has explosive offense
Central Michigan ranks No. 2 in the MAC at 33 points per game this season. The Chippewas have scored at least 30 in each of their past five games, and they followed a loss to Northern Illinois with a combined 96 points in wins over Western Michigan and Kent State.
The Chippewas average 181.8 rushing yards, and Lew Nichols III leads the country with 1,710 yards on the ground. He has scored 15 of the team’s 17 rushing touchdowns and was named MAC Offensive Player of the Year on Dec. 1. He was the conference’s freshman of the year in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
Nichols has racked up 628 rushing yards in the Chippewas’ past three games — victories over Kent State, Ball State and Eastern Michigan. He also posted 192 yards on the ground against Northern Illinois.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Richardson has 2,424 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, and has thrown just five interceptions. He’s throwing to a trio of talented receivers in Kalil Pimpleton, JaCorey Sullivan and Dallas Dixon — each of whom posted at least 40 catches and more than 600 receiving yards.
Pimpleton, a 5-foot-9, 175-pound junior, leads the team with 58 catches for 929 yards and was named first-team All-MAC for the second year in a row. Sullivan (6-2, 215-pound senior) has posted 42 catches for 604 yards and a team-high 10 touchdown catches this fall, and Dixon (6-1, 200-pound junior) has hauled in 44 passes for 696 yards and eight touchdowns. Sullivan and Dixon were both named third-team All-MAC.
Chippewas get it done on special teams
The Chippewas have more than one of the best running backs in the nation on their roster. They also have one of the best punt returners.
In addition to his all-conference honors as a wide receiver, Pimpleton made first-team all-conference as a punt returner for the second season in a row and was named MAC Special Teams Player of the Year on Dec. 1. He averages 20.25 yards per punt return, which leads the MAC and ranks among the top averages in the country.
Pimpleton also returned two punts for touchdowns in the team’s win over Western Michigan — the longest covered 97 yards. Central Michigan kickoff returner Marion Lukes has a 100-yard return for a touchdown this season.
Punter Luke Elzinga averages 41 yards per punt and has had eight punts cover more than 50 yards this season. His longest went 62. Kicker Marshall Meeder is 2-for-3 on field goals longer than 50 yards.
The coaches are no strangers to BSU
Central Michigan is led by Jim McElwain, who was the head coach at Colorado State (2012-14). McElwain won a couple of national championships as an assistant at Alabama prior to that.
McElwain went 22-17 at Colorado State and was named Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2014 after leading the Rams to a 10-3 record and a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl. That is Colorado State’s only 10-win season since it won a Mountain West title in 2002.
McElwain left Colorado State following the 2014 season and was the head coach at Florida for two-plus seasons before being fired in 2017 after a 3-4 start. He spent one year as the wide receivers coach at Michigan before taking over at Central Michigan in 2019. In his first season, he led the Chippewas to a West Division title, an appearance in the MAC championship game and a berth in the New Mexico Bowl against San Diego State.
Central Michigan’s defensive coordinator is also a familiar name to many in Boise: Robb Akey. The former Idaho head coach has led the Chippewas’ defense the past three years. He also served as McElwain’s defensive line coach at Florida in 2017.
Akey went 20-50 as the head coach at Idaho from 2007 to 2012. He led the Vandals to one winning season, going 8-5 and beating Bowling Green 43-42 in the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl in Boise. He was fired in 2012 following a 70-28 loss to Louisiana Tech, which dropped the Vandals’ record to 1-7 that season.
BOISE STATE VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
What: Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
When: Noon Mountain time, Dec. 31
Where: Arizona Stadium, Tuscon, Arizona
TV: The game will be streamed for free on all Barstool Sports platforms.
Records: Boise State 7-5, 5-3 MW; Central Michigan 8-4, 6-2 MAC
Series: Boise State is 2-3 against Central Michigan, but the teams haven’t played since 2001. The Broncos won games in 2000 and 2001.
Vegas line: Boise State by 9
This story was originally published December 6, 2021 at 3:35 PM.
