Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 8 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Jim McElwain is best known as the former coach of a Power Five program, having fallen into the trap of being successful but not wildly successful at a school with College Football Playoff aspira- tions, in this case Florida. After being fired seven games into his third season in Gaines- ville, he headed to Michigan for a year as an assistant coach, then to Central Michigan as a head coach. Those moves worked out well for McElwain, and for the Chippe- was, too. Not only have they gone 15-7 against Mid-American Con- ference opponents in McElwain's three seasons, they've also shown the ability to compete against Power Five foes. Their 24-21 up- set victory over Washington State in last year's Sun Bowl may have been by the slender margin of a fourth-quarter field goal, but it was no fluke; they outgained the Cougars by 116 yards. Central Michigan figures to use the same approach against this year's Power Five nonconference opponents — Okla- homa State and Penn State — that it used in its bowl victory last December. The Chippewas pounded Washington State at the line of scrimmage, handing the ball to tailback Lew Nichols III 30 times for 138 yards and a touchdown. The 5-10, 220-pound Nichols will be a third-year sophomore this fall, and if last season was any indication, opponents will be seeing a lot of him. During the 2021 campaign, he led the FBS in carries (341), rushing yards (1,848) and rush- ing yards per game (142.2). He scored 16 touchdowns on the ground, and he also caught 40 passes for 338 yards and 3 scores. In addition to Nichols, the Chippewas welcome back third- year sophomore quarterback Daniel Richardson, who com- pleted 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,633 yards, with 24 touch- downs and only 6 interceptions. The problem for Central Mich- igan — if there is one — concerns the defense. The Chippewas have lost key players at all three lev- els, including their top five tack- lers and their leader in sacks and tackles for loss, defensive end Troy Hairston II. "We obviously lost some in- credible players and guys who had a lot of production and played a lot of games for us," McElwain said. "I'm going to credit the guys who are leaving the program right now for estab- lishing a certain expectation on how the Chippewas should play the game of football." McElwain has already shown an ap- titude for quick fixes. In 2018, the year before he arrived, Central Michigan went 1-11. In his first season, it went 8-6 and played in the MAC championship game. Now that the program has shown its mettle, McElwain is looking to take an- other step toward the MAC title. Said the coach, "We're definitely headed in the right direction." — Matt Herb S E P T . 2 4 | T I M E T B A | B I G T E N N E T W O R K | B E A V E R S T A D I U M | U N I V E R S I T Y P A R K , P A . As a freshman last fall, running back Lew Nichols III led the FBS in carries with 341 and rushing yards with 1,848. PHOTO COURTESY CENTRAL MICHIGAN ATHLETICS WEEK 4 CENTRAL MICHIGAN 2022 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2021 Result Sept. 1 at Oklahoma State — Sept. 10 South Alabama — Sept. 17 Bucknell — Sept. 24 at Penn State — Oct. 1 at Toledo W, 26-23 (OT) Oct. 8 Ball State W, 37-17 Oct. 15 at Akron — Oct. 22 Bowling Green — Nov. 2 at Northern Illinois L, 39-38 Nov. 9 Buffalo W, 35-33 Nov. 16 Western Michigan W, 42-30 Nov. 25 at Eastern Michigan W, 31-10 WHAT COULD GO RIGHT Nichols could keep chugging along. Even if his punishing running isn't enough to bring victories at Oklahoma State and Penn State, it figures to set Central Michigan up for success when the MAC season begins against Toledo on Oct. 1. WHAT COULD GO WRONG The defensive overhaul could prove insuf- ficient, giving Toledo, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan a leg up in the battle for the MAC's West Division crown. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Penn State leads 1-0 Last Meeting: Penn State defeated Central Michigan 40-3 on Sept. 17, 2005 Head Coach: Jim McElwain (20-13 in three seasons at Central Michigan; career coach- ing record: 64-40) 2021 Record: 9-4, 6-2 Mid-American Con- ference Returning Starters: 12 (7 offense, 3 de- fense, 2 specialists) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Lew Nichols III (1,848 yards, 16 TDs) Passing: QB Daniel Richardson (2,633 yards, 24 TDs) Receiving: WR Dallas Dixon (701 yards, 8 TDs) Tackles: CB Donte Kent (55) Sacks: DT John Wesley Whiteside (6.5) Interceptions: CB Donte Kent (1)