Chippewas trounced by Miami (OH) in conference opener, 31-14

Amari Coleman has an act of doing things on the field that few can mirror.

Aside from the fact that he's coming off a first-team All-Mid American Conference year in 2016, the cornerback is also tied for second among Central Michigan players in interceptions with two.

Coleman could have had three Saturday at Kelly/Shorts Stadium had it not been for a roughing the passer penalty by defensive end Joe Ostman that allowed the Miami (OH) drive to go on in the second quarter.

Two plays later, running back Kenny Young scored from 31-yards out, going up 28-7 in what would be the RedHawks' biggest lead of the afternoon.

As a returner, Coleman can also turn heads.

Deep in the north end zone, he waited patiently for a missed field by Miami during the final seconds of the first half to hit his hands. Breaking tackles, the Flint, Michigan, native returned it 110 yards for the score, which would have put CMU down seven.

But as the story goes for the Chippewas this season, penalties were once again the deadweight. The team totaled six for 80 yards.

Central Michigan did not score once in the second half, failing to grab hold of the opportunities given. Quarterback Shane Morris led CMU on a nine-play, 80-yard drive late in the third quarter, only to throw an interception that was returned for 47 yards.

Morris, getting his fourth consecutive start, finished 15-of-33 passing for 195 yards and a touchdown both through the air and on the ground. He also threw two picks.

The 31-14 loss was the first loss in league play for the Chippewas, who'll end their non-conference schedule next week at Boston College.

"Obviously very disappointed in the loss," said CMU head coach John Bonamego. "Felt we dug ourselves too big a hole in the first half. When I look at the game overall, I think it's a story of missed opportunities."

The Miami offense, led by quarterback Gus Ragland, entered the weekend contest ranked seventh in the MAC in scoring offense with 24.7 points a game. It's a respectable number for a team that lost at a combined nine points to both Cincinnati and Marshall this year.

The winners of their last six games of 2016 to gain bowl eligibility, the RedHawks were picked to finish second in the MAC East Division behind the Ohio Bobcats. Miami had CMU's number last season, scoring 17 unanswered points in the closing minutes.

Less than 11 months removed, things remain the same.

On the opening drive in the first quarter, Miami moved 75 yards with ease that ended in a six-yard scoring run from Ragland. Two possessions later, Ragland found receiver Quentin Hardy on a rollout to go up 14-0.

Ragland's second touchdown pass of the game came immediately after Morris rushed for two yards to cut the deficit to seven in the second quarter. A 50-yard connection to Sam Martin brought the score back to two possessions.

Ragland, the junior from Cincinnati, threw for 217 yards and completed 11 of his 19 passes. His go-to target, receiver James Gardner, caught three passes for 66 yards.

For Central Michigan, tight end Logan Hessbrook, who took over for the injured Tyler Conklin, did not play leaving Zach Crouch to start. With four pass catchers out of action due to injury, others gained notoriety, such as redshirt senior Eric Cooper.

Cooper, who caught one touchdown pass back in 2015, found the end zone on 28-yard reception from Morris in the second quarter. He finished with 81 yards.

Senior Mark Chapman had four catches for 71 yards, while running back Jonathan Ward, who wasn't a major factor in the rushing attack, recorded 41 yards on four catches.

Ward finished with an average of 2.5 yards a carry, going 56 yards on 22 attempts. Morris had seven quarterback keepers for 33 yards, including a long of 23.

Tony Poljan saw playing time for the third time this season and second in a row. Named the future of the Central Michigan program, he went 4-of-5 passing for 24 yards.

Joe Ostman led the Chippewas in tackles with eight, including two for a loss, and two sacks. He said after the game that there's no excuses to the roughing the passer penalty and takes full responsiblity for the mistake.

"Amari made a great play," he said. "Probably one of the best plays you'll see all year. Miami went low, and I tried to go over top of them. I personally hurt our team tremendously and I take full responsibility for that."

Ostman has 17 total sacks in his career, tied for for sixth most all-time in CMU history.