Don't blink, kickoff is here
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Year 2 of the John Bonamego era at Central Michigan officially gets under way Thursday, when the Chippewas play host to Presbyterian in the season-opener on the brand new turf at Kelly/Shorts Stadium (7 p.m.).
The Blue Hose play in Football Championship Subdivision, and it has become an annual event for the Chippewas to play an FCS school early in the season. Last year, it was Monmouth - a 31-10 CMU win -- and in 2014 it was Chattanooga.
"We don't differentiate between FCS, Power 5, MAC or anybody else," Bonamego said. "It's about committing to the process, it's about coming out here every single day and making ourselves better and preparing ourselves the very best that we can.
"There's only one way to play the game and that's to play it as hard as you can and as well as you can, and focus on the things you can control."
The Chippewas went 7-6 in 2015, Bonamego's first year. They shared the Mid-American Conference West title and earned a berth in the Quick Lane Bowl.
By almost any measure, the season would have to be considered successful in light of what the Chippewas endured, beginning with Bonamego's cancer diagnosis during the summer of 2015 and the death of former teammate Derrick Nash.
The Chippewas will put plenty of proven commodities on the field Thursday night, quarterback Cooper Rush among them.
The highly touted senior is on the watch list for every award for which a college quarterback is eligible, and is coming off a junior season in which he threw for 3,848 yards, a CMU season record, and 25 touchdowns while completing 66.3 percent of his passes.
But, as is the case with any opening game - at any level - Bonamego and his staff will get a chance to gauge the progress of many of the returnees who are expected to step into more expanded roles this season, and the potential of several of the newcomers.
Some of those who may garner the attention are offensive linemen Joe Austin and J.P. Quinn, who have a combined three starts heading into the season, and, as usual, the running backs.
Jahray Hayes and Devon Spalding are the incumbents in a crowded backfield that sustained a potentially heavy blow in the preseason when sophomore Romello Ross - who emerged late last season as a potential starter - was lost for the season with an injury.
Among the other backs who could get a look on Thursday are redshirt freshman Jerrod Davis, junior Jay Roberson, and true freshmen Jonathan Ward and Kumehnnu Gwilly. Davis is returning from an injury that cost him the entire 2015 season. Presbyterian finished 2-9 in 2015, including 1-5 in the Big South Conference. The Blue Hose are led by sophomore quarterback Ben Cheek, who started the final four games of the 2015 season and All-Big South running back Darrell Bridges, who rushed for 1,065 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago.
Presbyterian returns seven starters on offense, five on defense.
Bonamego stressed that the Chippewas are in no way looking past the Blue Hose to next week's game at 21st-ranked Oklahoma State. The Cowboys defeated CMU, 24-13, in the 2015 season opener before going on to a 10-3 finish and a berth in the Sugar Bowl, where they loss to Ole Miss.
"We're not even thinking about who's next on the schedule," Bonamego said. "We have a game to play against a very capable team who I expect will be improved from a year ago. They're very well coached, they're disciplined, they don't commit a lot of penalties."
Oklahoma State opens on Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana.