2021 Central Michigan Chippewas football team

2021 Central Michigan Chippewas football
2021 Central Michigan Chippewas football
MAC West Division co-champion; Sun Bowl champion
Sun Bowl, W 24–21 vs. Washington State
Conference	Mid-American Conference
	West Division
Record	9–4 (6–2 MAC)
Head coach	Jim McElwain (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Kevin Barbay (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Robb Akey (3rd season)
Home stadium	Kelly/Shorts Stadium
	Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Mid-American Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Kent State xy	6	–	2	7	–	7
Miami (OH)	5	–	3	7	–	6
Ohio	3	–	5	3	–	9
Bowling Green	2	–	6	4	–	8
Buffalo	2	–	6	4	–	8
Akron	1	–	7	2	–	10
West Division
Northern Illinois xy$	6	–	2	9	–	5
Central Michigan x	6	–	2	9	–	4
Toledo	5	–	3	7	–	6
Ball State	4	–	4	6	–	7
Eastern Michigan	4	–	4	7	–	6
Western Michigan	4	–	4	8	–	5
Championship: Northern Illinois 41, Kent State 23
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

The 2021 Central Michigan Chippewas football team represented Central Michigan University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Jim McElwain and played their home games at Kelly/Shorts Stadium as members of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference.

The Chippewas completed their regular season with an 8–4 record and accepted a bid to the Arizona Bowl, where they were due to face the Boise State Broncos. On December 27, Barstool Sports (the title sponsor of the bowl) founder David Portnoy announced the withdrawal of the Broncos from the bowl due to COVID-19 issues within the program; organizers stated that they would attempt to secure a replacement team to face the Chippewas.^[1] Later in the day, the Arizona Bowl was canceled,^[2] and Central Michigan was named as a replacement team for the Sun Bowl to face the Washington State Cougars.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	4:00 p.m.	at Missouri*	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	SECN	L 24–34	46,327
September 11	3:00 p.m.	Robert Morris*	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN3	W 45–0	16,128
September 18	7:30 p.m.	at LSU*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	SECN	L 21–49	92,547
September 25	12:00 p.m.	FIU*	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN+	W 31–27	18,382
October 2	3:30 p.m.	at Miami (OH)	Yager Stadium Oxford, OH	ESPN+	L 17–28	15,065
October 9	3:30 p.m.	at Ohio	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	ESPN+	W 30–27	20,928
October 16	3:30 p.m.	Toledo	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	CBSSN	W 26–23 ^OT	20,112
October 23	12:00 p.m.	Northern Illinois	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPNU	L 38–39	15,232
November 3	7:00 p.m.	at Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI (rivalry, Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPNU	W 42–30	13,137
November 10	8:00 p.m.	Kent State	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPNU	W 54–30	9,213
November 17	7:00 p.m.	at Ball State	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	ESPNU	W 37–17	5,602
November 26	12:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI (rivalry, Michigan MAC Trophy)	ESPNU	W 31–10	7,708
December 31	12:00 p.m.	vs. Washington State	Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX (Sun Bowl)	CBS	W 24–21	34,540
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[4]

Game summaries

At Missouri

Central Michigan at Missouri

	1	2	3	4	Total
Central Michigan	7	7	0	10	24
• Missouri	7	10	7	10	34

Date: September 4, 2021
Location: Faurot Field
Columbia, MO
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 46,237
Television network: SECN

Pregame line	Over/under
MIZ –14.0	59.0

Statistics	Central Michigan	Missouri
First downs	27	26
Total yards	475	468
Rushing yards	174	211
Passing yards	301	257
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	31:59	28:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing	Jacob Sirmon	23/45, 295 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	19 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	JaCorey Sullivan	8 receptions, 102 yards, 2 TDs
Missouri	Passing	Connor Bazelak	21/32, 257 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Tyler Badie	25 carries, 203 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	D'ionte Smith	2 receptions, 69 yards

Robert Morris

Robert Morris at Central Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Robert Morris	0	0	0	0	0
• Central Michigan	7	21	14	3	45

Date: September 11, 2021
Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Mount Pleasant, MI
Game start: 3:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 16,128
Television network: ESPN3

Pregame line	Over/under
CMU –37.0	53.5

Statistics	Robert Morris	Central Michigan
First downs	3	28
Total yards	109	515
Rushing yards	96	287
Passing yards	13	228
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	23:21	36:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Robert Morris	Passing	George Martin	5/8, 13 yards
	Rushing	Jaylon Brown	3 carries, 37 yards
	Receiving	Bryce Bevins	1 reception, 12 yards
Central Michigan	Passing	Jacob Sirmon	12/16, 110 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	De'Javion Stepney	9 carries, 81 yards
	Receiving	Dallas Dixon	5 receptions, 73 yards, 2 TDs

At LSU

Central Michigan at LSU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Central Michigan	7	0	7	7	21
• LSU	21	14	7	7	49

Date: September 18, 2021
Location: Tiger Stadium
Baton Rouge, LA
Game start: 7:30 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 92,547
Television network: SECN

Pregame line	Over/under
LSU –19.5	60.5

Statistics	Central Michigan	LSU
First downs	17	23
Total yards	284	484
Rushing yards	56	84
Passing yards	228	400
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	33:02	26:58

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing	Jacob Sirmon	17/24, 156 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Myles Bailey	7 carries, 29 yards
	Receiving	JaCorey Sullivan	5 receptions, 114 yards, 1 TD
LSU	Passing	Max Johnson	26/35, 372 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Corey Kiner	12 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Deion Smith	5 receptions, 135 yards, 2 TDs

FIU

FIU at Central Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
FIU	0	14	13	0	27
• Central Michigan	0	10	0	21	31

Date: September 25, 2021
Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Mount Pleasant, MI
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 18,382
Game weather: Sunny
Referee: Jon Noli
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jim Barber and Randy Buffington

Pregame line	Over/under
CMU –12.0	55.5

Statistics	FIU	Central Michigan
First downs	18	29
Total yards	437	599
Rushing yards	42	202
Passing yards	395	397
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	26:40	33:20

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
FIU	Passing	Max Bortenschlager	20/38, 395 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	D'Vonte Price	17 carries, 50 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Tyrese Chambers	6 receptions, 175 yards, 1 TD
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	16/23, 276 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	25 carries, 152 yards
	Receiving	Dallas Dixon	8 receptions, 127 yards, 2 TDs

At Miami (OH)

Central Michigan at Miami (OH)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Central Michigan	0	7	3	7	17
• Miami (OH)	14	0	0	14	28

Date: October 2, 2021
Location: Yager Stadium
Oxford, OH
Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 15,065
Television network: ESPN+

Pregame line	Over/under
CMU –2.0	56.0

Statistics	Central Michigan	Miami
First downs	25	26
Total yards	430	514
Rushing yards	52	164
Passing yards	378	350
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	26:45	33:15

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	22/41, 326 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Myles Bailey	8 carries, 29 yards
	Receiving	Dallas Dixon	7 receptions, 113 yards, 1 TD
Miami	Passing	AJ Mayer	13/18, 179 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Keyon Mozee	13 carries, 83 yards
	Receiving	Mac Hippenhammer	8 receptions, 170 yards

At Ohio

Central Michigan at Ohio

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Central Michigan	7	6	7	10	30
Ohio	3	7	9	8	27

Date: October 9, 2021
Location: Peden Stadium
Athens, OH
Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 20,928
Television network: ESPN+

Pregame line	Over/under
CMU –5.0	57.5

Statistics	Central Michigan	Ohio
First downs	23	22
Total yards	461	369
Rushing yards	204	179
Passing yards	257	190
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	26:33	33:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	16/30, 257 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	30 carries, 186 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Dallas Dixon	4 receptions, 91 yards
Ohio	Passing	Armani Rogers	13/18, 190 yards
	Rushing	De'Montre Tuggle	19 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Cameron Odom	4 receptions, 88 yards

Toledo

Toledo at Central Michigan

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Toledo	0	3	7	13	0	23
• Central Michigan	7	10	3	3	3	26

Date: October 16, 2021
Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Mount Pleasant, MI
Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 20,112
Television network: CBSSN

Pregame line	Over/under
TOL –5.0	53.0

Statistics	Toledo	Central Michigan
First downs	20	13
Total yards	350	332
Rushing yards	142	128
Passing yards	208	204
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	31:33	28:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Toledo	Passing	Dequan Finn	15/32, 208 yards
	Rushing	Bryant Koback	15 carries, 87 yards
	Receiving	Isaiah Winstead	4 receptions, 108 yards
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	21/35, 204 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	29 carries, 136 yards
	Receiving	Kalil Pimpleton	6 receptions, 103 yards

Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois at Central Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Northern Illinois	7	11	11	10	39
Central Michigan	14	14	7	3	38

Date: October 23, 2021
Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Mount Pleasant, MI
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 15,232
Television network: ESPNU

Pregame line	Over/under
CMU –6.0	56.0

Statistics	Northern Illinois	Central Michigan
First downs	25	25
Total yards	548	500
Rushing yards	197	189
Passing yards	351	311
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	36:09	23:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Illinois	Passing	Rocky Lombardi	17/27, 348 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Jay Ducker	31 carries, 183 yards
	Receiving	Trayvon Rudolph	6 receptions, 160 yards, 2 TDs
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	23/36, 289 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	22 carries, 192 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Kalil Pimpleton	6 receptions, 130 yards, 1 TD

At Western Michigan (Michigan MAC Trophy)

Michigan MAC Trophy

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Central Michigan	0	21	7	14	42
Western Michigan	7	7	10	6	30

Date: November 3, 2021
Location: Waldo Stadium
Kalamazoo, MI
Game start: 7:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 13,137
Television network: ESPN+

Pregame line	Over/under
WMU –9.0	64.5

Statistics	Central Michigan	Western Michigan
First downs	17	25
Total yards	389	445
Rushing yards	148	169
Passing yards	241	276
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	25:14	34:46

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	10/18, 230 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	26 carries, 163 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Kalil Pimpleton	5 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD
Western Michigan	Passing	Kaleb Eleby	22/36, 276 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Sean Tyler	15 carries, 59 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Corey Crooms	7 receptions, 118 yards, 1 TD

Kent State

Kent State at Central Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Kent State	14	3	13	0	30
• Central Michigan	0	26	14	14	54

Date: November 10, 2021
Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Mount Pleasant, MI
Game start: 8:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 9,213
Television network: ESPNU

Pregame line	Over/under
CMU –2.5	76.5

Statistics	Kent State	Central Michigan
First downs	23	33
Total yards	456	505
Rushing yards	134	221
Passing yards	322	284
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	23:03	36:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kent State	Passing	Dustin Crum	28/38, 322, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	21 carries, 83 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Dante Cephas	5 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	21/27, 268 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	43 carries, 215 yards, 4 TDs
	Receiving	JaCorey Sullivan	5 receptions, 61 yards

At Ball State

Central Michigan at Ball State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Central Michigan	7	21	6	3	37
Ball State	7	10	0	0	17

Date: November 17, 2021
Location: Scheumann Stadium
Muncie, IN
Game start: 7:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 5,602
Television network: ESPNU

Pregame line	Over/under
CMU –2.5	57.0

Statistics	Central Michigan	Ball State
First downs	26	18
Total yards	567	329
Rushing yards	285	159
Passing yards	282	170
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	32:47	27:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	20/25, 283 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	32 carries, 219 yards, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Kalil Pimpleton	7 receptions, 144 yards, 1 TD
Ball State	Passing	Drew Plitt	21/39, 170 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Carson Steele	20 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jayshon Jackson	6 receptions, 61 yards

Eastern Michigan (Michigan MAC Trophy)

Michigan MAC Trophy

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Michigan	0	3	7	0	10
• Central Michigan	7	3	7	14	31

Date: November 26, 2021
Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Mount Pleasant, MI
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 7,708
Television network: ESPNU

Pregame line	Over/under
CMU –8.5	63.5

Statistics	Eastern Michigan	Central Michigan
First downs	15	22
Total yards	226	366
Rushing yards	5	236
Passing yards	221	130
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	27:17	32:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Michigan	Passing	Ben Bryant	24/35, 221 yards
	Rushing	Bryson Moss	5 carries, 26 yards
	Receiving	Tanner Knue	7 receptions, 70 yards
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	12/24, 130 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	44 carries, 194 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	JaCorey Sullivan	4 receptions, 46 yards, 2 TDs

Vs. Washington State (Sun Bowl)

Sun Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
Washington State	0	0	14	7	21
• Central Michigan	13	8	0	3	24

Date: December 31, 2021
Location: Sun Bowl
El Paso, TX
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 34,540
Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 46 °F (8 °C)
Referee: Larry Smith
TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Analyst), and Jamie Erdahl (Sideline)

Pregame line	Over/under
WSU –5.5	56.0

Statistics	Washington State	Central Michigan
First downs	11	15
Total yards	243	338
Rushing yards	18	145
Passing yards	225	193
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	24:43	35:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Washington State	Passing	Victor Gabalis	11/23, 180 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Nakia Watson	15 carries, 58 yards
	Receiving	Lincoln Victor	4 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD
Central Michigan	Passing	Daniel Richardson	16/29, 193 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Lew Nichols III	28 carries, 120 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	JaCorey Sullivan	6 receptions, 73 yards

References

^ Glasspiegel, Ryan (December 27, 2021). "Dave Portnoy announces Boise State out of Barstool Bowl due to COVID-19". New York Post. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
^ "UPDATE: Arizona Bowl canceled for 2021". KOLD-TV. December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via MSN.com.
^ Sallee, Barrett (December 27, 2021). "Central Michigan to play Washington State in Sun Bowl after Miami pulls out due to COVID-19 issues". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
^ "2021 Central Michigan Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

[1] Glasspiegel, Ryan (December 27, 2021). "Dave Portnoy announces Boise State out of Barstool Bowl due to COVID-19". New York Post. Retrieved December 27, 2021.

[2] "UPDATE: Arizona Bowl canceled for 2021". KOLD-TV. December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via MSN.com.

[3] Sallee, Barrett (December 27, 2021). "Central Michigan to play Washington State in Sun Bowl after Miami pulls out due to COVID-19 issues". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 27, 2021.

[4] "2021 Central Michigan Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

[1]

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[4]

v t e Central Michigan Chippewas football
Venues	Kelly/Shorts Stadium (1972–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Eastern Michigan Western Michigan Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan: Michigan MAC Trophy
Culture & lore	Chippewa Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913–1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold