The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/122487
michigan football Early Look At 2013 Opponents Central Michigan Last season, Central Michigan scored 29.1 points per game, thanks to the offense's balanced blend of running and passing. And there are some big skill position talents coming back to keep the momentum rolling. First up, running back Zurlon Tipton returns for his senior season after a monster junior campaign. Tipton ranked 15th nationally in rushing yards per game (114.8), racking up an impressive 1,492 yards on 252 carries (5.92 yards per attempt). He also scored 19 touchdowns. Tipton added 24 catches for 287 yards (12.0 yards per reception) and a score. Tipton's huge season was a bit of a surprise. Although he was effective as a sophomore (79 carries for 370 yards), he had done nothing to prove he could carry the type of load he took on in 2012. "Tipton was a stud last year," Chippewa Country publisher Steve Livingston said. "He's a big guy who runs downhill and has speed." However, the Chippewas might be even more stacked at wide receiver. Now a junior, wideout Titus Davis will be the deep threat. In 2011, he was named to Phil Steele's Freshman All-America team. In two years, he has made 83 receptions for 1,611 yards (19.4 yards per catch) and 16 touchdowns. Even battling through an injury last year, he still racked up 860 receiving yards. To bolster the receiving corps, Central Michigan has junior Courtney Williams and sophomore Andrew Flory. Last year, Williams racked up 24 catches for 268 yards and two scores. Flory, a big-play threat, had 17 catches for 340 yards and four touchdowns. Three-year starter Ryan Radcliffe has graduated, after throwing for 3,158 yards with 23 touchdowns and just nine interceptions as a senior. Junior Cody Kater led Montague (Mich.) High School to back-to-back state championships as the starter in 2009 and 2010 and was a two-time all-state selection. He spent a year at Grand Rapids Community College, where he led the team to an 11-0 record. That season, he racked up 2,218 passing yards and 19 touchdowns, and added another 356 yards and nine scores on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Alex Niznak was a state champion at Ithaca (Mich.) High School, throwing for 2,731 yards and 31 touchdowns while running for 1,161 yards and 21 scores as a senior. "Radcliffe was a very good quarterback, but I think there are some talented guys there," Livingston said. "Cody Kader is a very talented guy. Niznak was a state championship quarterback in high school. Both those guys are big and have good arms and can run well." Defensively, senior Shamari Benton and junior Justin Cherocci, the two starting linebackers in the Chips' 4-2-5 system they started using last season, are