In this Cats Illustrated feature, we visit with John Evans, Publisher of ChippewaCountry.com, to discuss what UK fans can expect of their opponent in the season opener on Saturday at Kroger Field.
Central Michigan is coming off a good season in 2017 -- 8-5 with a fourth consecutive bowl appearance -- but it sounds like the Chippewas lost a lot of productive players from that team. Is this a rebuilding year?
John Evans: It's hard to say it's a rebuilding year, because head coach John Bonamego has been competitive in every game since taking over the program 3 years ago. The front seven on defense is one of the best in the conference, but they do have to replace a lot of production on the offensive side. "Rebuilding on the fly" could be a good term. Yes, they are young, but they should be competitive every step of the way.
How is the quarterback position shaping up after Shane Morris (3,237 yards, 27 TDs) has departed? What should we see from Tony Poljan or the Chippewas' other signal callers?
John Evans: Sophomore Tony Poljan has been handed the reigns, and he will be under center on Saturday as the main man for the Chippewas. After redshirting in 2016, he made an appearance in every game last year either at quarterback or wide receiver. He's been groomed and patiently waiting for his chance, and now it's here. He was highly touted out of high school (Lansing Catholic, MI.) being recruited as a tight end at Michigan State and Nebraska, but ultimately chose CMU to play quarterback. He's 6-foot-7 and a lot faster than people think someone of his size would be. He will be asked to make a lot of plays with his legs, as well as his arm this season.
What is CMU's style of play on both sides of the ball?
John Evans: On offense the Chippewas use a run spread formation. It's strange to think about, but they like to run out of the spread. Running backs Jonathan Ward (1017 rushing yards last season) and Romello Ross are as versatile as it gets. The Chippewas lost their top four pass catchers from last season, so expect them to lean on the running back position a lot. The offense is high risk, high reward, taking multiple shots down field, but setting it up with runs and short passes.
On defense the Chippewas are pretty traditional with mostly 4-3 base and some nickel packages. They have 3 returning linebackers in seniors Malik Fountain (team captain), Alex Briones and junior Michael Oliver. They are the strength of the team. With CMU being so young in the secondary, expect to see a lot of those three on Saturday.
What is the biggest strength and biggest concern for the Chippewas heading into the season?
John Evans: The biggest strength is certainly the front seven on defense. They are experienced, and have added senior transfers Marcus Griffin (Arizona) and Sean Adesanya (Illinois) to the defensive line. They have a strong rotation on the line and veteran linebackers that should cause problems for opposing offenses.
The biggest concern for the Chippewas this season is the inexperience. They will be replacing three starting wide receivers and a tight end that was drafted in the 5th round by the Minnesota Vikings (Tyler Conklin). It will be interesting to see how they react opening the season in SEC country.
Central Michigan has always produced some nice talent that went on to star in the NFL -- Antonio Brown, Joe Staley and Eric Fisher to name a few. Who are a couple of players on both sides of the ball that UK fans should be aware of, and is there one guy in particular who has shown he could have played for any P5 in the country.
John Evans: Kentucky fans may not want to look past the likes of tight end Logan Hessbrook and wide receiver Brandon Childress. Hessbrook, a senior, stepped in for Conklin during an injury last season and performed well until missing the second half with upper body injuries. He had 4 catches for 61 yards and a touchdown at Kansas last year. Childress is someone CMU has been waiting to break out for a while, but injured his ACL celebrating a touchdown last season, causing him to miss the entire year.
On defense Sean Bunting, CMU's top corner, has NFL talent. He is being held in high regard as one of the top corners in the Mid-American Conference as he enters his junior season. He's got 14 starts under his belt and has appeared in all 26 games of his collegiate career so far.
The one guy that has shown to be a top talent is running back Jonathan Ward. Ward was the first 1,000 yard back for the Chippewas in over 8 years, running for 1,017 yards and also catching 48 passes for 470 combining for 13 total touchdowns. He was under-recruited out of Kenkakee, Ill., and is one of the most talented players CMU has had on offense in a long time. He can take the ball to the house every time he touches it.
Evans' Game Prediction: 34-24 Kentucky. I think the CMU defense keeps it close in the first half. CMU scores a late touchdown to get back within striking distance but not enough in the end.
Central Michigan is coming off a good season in 2017 -- 8-5 with a fourth consecutive bowl appearance -- but it sounds like the Chippewas lost a lot of productive players from that team. Is this a rebuilding year?
John Evans: It's hard to say it's a rebuilding year, because head coach John Bonamego has been competitive in every game since taking over the program 3 years ago. The front seven on defense is one of the best in the conference, but they do have to replace a lot of production on the offensive side. "Rebuilding on the fly" could be a good term. Yes, they are young, but they should be competitive every step of the way.
How is the quarterback position shaping up after Shane Morris (3,237 yards, 27 TDs) has departed? What should we see from Tony Poljan or the Chippewas' other signal callers?
John Evans: Sophomore Tony Poljan has been handed the reigns, and he will be under center on Saturday as the main man for the Chippewas. After redshirting in 2016, he made an appearance in every game last year either at quarterback or wide receiver. He's been groomed and patiently waiting for his chance, and now it's here. He was highly touted out of high school (Lansing Catholic, MI.) being recruited as a tight end at Michigan State and Nebraska, but ultimately chose CMU to play quarterback. He's 6-foot-7 and a lot faster than people think someone of his size would be. He will be asked to make a lot of plays with his legs, as well as his arm this season.
What is CMU's style of play on both sides of the ball?
John Evans: On offense the Chippewas use a run spread formation. It's strange to think about, but they like to run out of the spread. Running backs Jonathan Ward (1017 rushing yards last season) and Romello Ross are as versatile as it gets. The Chippewas lost their top four pass catchers from last season, so expect them to lean on the running back position a lot. The offense is high risk, high reward, taking multiple shots down field, but setting it up with runs and short passes.
On defense the Chippewas are pretty traditional with mostly 4-3 base and some nickel packages. They have 3 returning linebackers in seniors Malik Fountain (team captain), Alex Briones and junior Michael Oliver. They are the strength of the team. With CMU being so young in the secondary, expect to see a lot of those three on Saturday.
What is the biggest strength and biggest concern for the Chippewas heading into the season?
John Evans: The biggest strength is certainly the front seven on defense. They are experienced, and have added senior transfers Marcus Griffin (Arizona) and Sean Adesanya (Illinois) to the defensive line. They have a strong rotation on the line and veteran linebackers that should cause problems for opposing offenses.
The biggest concern for the Chippewas this season is the inexperience. They will be replacing three starting wide receivers and a tight end that was drafted in the 5th round by the Minnesota Vikings (Tyler Conklin). It will be interesting to see how they react opening the season in SEC country.
Central Michigan has always produced some nice talent that went on to star in the NFL -- Antonio Brown, Joe Staley and Eric Fisher to name a few. Who are a couple of players on both sides of the ball that UK fans should be aware of, and is there one guy in particular who has shown he could have played for any P5 in the country.
John Evans: Kentucky fans may not want to look past the likes of tight end Logan Hessbrook and wide receiver Brandon Childress. Hessbrook, a senior, stepped in for Conklin during an injury last season and performed well until missing the second half with upper body injuries. He had 4 catches for 61 yards and a touchdown at Kansas last year. Childress is someone CMU has been waiting to break out for a while, but injured his ACL celebrating a touchdown last season, causing him to miss the entire year.
On defense Sean Bunting, CMU's top corner, has NFL talent. He is being held in high regard as one of the top corners in the Mid-American Conference as he enters his junior season. He's got 14 starts under his belt and has appeared in all 26 games of his collegiate career so far.
The one guy that has shown to be a top talent is running back Jonathan Ward. Ward was the first 1,000 yard back for the Chippewas in over 8 years, running for 1,017 yards and also catching 48 passes for 470 combining for 13 total touchdowns. He was under-recruited out of Kenkakee, Ill., and is one of the most talented players CMU has had on offense in a long time. He can take the ball to the house every time he touches it.
Evans' Game Prediction: 34-24 Kentucky. I think the CMU defense keeps it close in the first half. CMU scores a late touchdown to get back within striking distance but not enough in the end.
