Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Get To Know Central Michigan
Get to know Wyoming’s foe.
Contact/Follow @JesseTachiquin & @MWCwire
Here is an early look at the Chippewas?
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Central Michigan has great playmakers that Wyoming will need to be prepared to stop for success
WHAT: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Wyoming vs Central Michigan
WHEN: Friday, December 22nd, 2017 — 2:00 p.m. MT
WHERE: Albertson’s Stadium, Boise, ID
TV: ESPN
RADIO: Cowboy Sports Network- 1030 AM Casper, 1240 AM Cheyenne, 1290 AM Laramie and 1600 AM Denver
About Central Michigan
Central Michigan will be playing in a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season and third consecutive under head coach John Bonamego. The 2017 Central Michigan Chippawas enter the Potato Bowl at 8-4 (6-2 MAC) with a 5-game win streak. CMU went 2-2 vs bowl teams on the season.
Central Michigan holds an all-time record of 305-290-17. CMU is 3-7 all-time in bowl appearances and enter the Potato Bowl on a 3-game bowl losing streak. The Chippewas are 2-3 all-time against current MW teams including 1-1 against Wyoming. The 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will be the first CMU game played outside of the Central or Eastern time zone since a 2013 loss at UNLV.
About the Head Coach
CMU coach John Bonamego has compiled a 21-17 record over his 3 years at CMU. After graduating from Central Michigan and spending 10 years as an assistant college coach, Bonamego coached in the NFL as a special teams coach from 1999-2014 with 5 different franchises before returning to Mount Pleasant to become CMU’s head coach.
Offensive Players to Watch
QB Shane Morris
Michigan transfer Shane Morris is the starting quarterback for CMU. A highly touted 4-star recruit out of Michigan, the left-hander had an underwhelming career with the Wolverines before transferring to CMU. Morris had a solid 2017 campaign leading the Chippewas with 2,908 passing yards and 26 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. His best game was Week 2 in Lawrence, Kansas, against the Big 12’s Kansas Jayhawks where he went 28-37 for 467 yards and 5 touchdowns in an easy 45-27 victory.
RB Jonathan Ward
Sophomore running back Jonathan Ward is Central Michigan’s leading rusher checking in with 988 yards and 9 touchdowns on 5.9 yards per carry. He topped the 100-yard mark in 4 games this season. During CMU’s 5 game win streak to end the season, he averaged 125 yards per game. Ward is also the 3rd leading receiver for the Chippewas with 41 catches for 361 yards and 2 touchdowns.
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Defensive Players to Watch
DB Josh Cox
Senior defensive back Josh Cox led CMU in tackles (82) and interceptions (6). Cox had four games with at least 9 tackles. Against Rhode Island, he finished with 8 tackles and 2 interceptions. In the final week of the season, Cox recorded 10 tackles and a pick against Northern Illinois. Cox was 2nd team All-MAC in 2016.
DL Joe Ostman
Senior Joe Ostman is a 6’3” 259 pound defensive lineman from St. Ignace, Michigan. Ostman led CMU in tackles for loss (17.5) and sacks (11). In a 56-9 victory at Ball State, Ostman had 4 sacks and 1 forced fumble. Ostman was 2nd team All-MAC in 2016.
Final Thoughts
The Central Michigan Chippewas are a quality opponent that will provide a tough challenge for Wyoming. CMU beat Kansas this year and won a controversial game at Oklahoma State last season. A bowl game in Boise was not a sight that Cowboys fans wanted to see at the end of the 2017 season but Wyoming has a quality opponent that should make for an interesting game.