"Ultimately this is chaos and how you're able to handle the different things that hit you, those are the teams that are going to come out on top of this in the end," second-year CMU coach Jim McElwain said. "Realize whatever's happening today (that) you'd better focus on (that), because you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow and I think all of us have learned that throughout our everyday lives.
"I am really, really happy with how our kids have been resilient through all this: the ups, the downs, the disappointments, the uncertainty. But it all kind of leads back to some of the lessons that you try to teach. Look, there's a lot of unknowns. The one thing you can kind of control is who you are and how you go about your daily business and ultimately part of your responsibility (is) to help the others around you and I think our guys have done a really good job of that."
The Chippewas, who open at home on Wednesday, Nov. 4, with a Mid-American Conference game against Ohio, are, for all intents and purposes, in mid-August, if you will, preparation wise. But even taking that stance comes with a caveat – as does everything in 2020, the year of COVID-19.
McElwain has his team working on a hybrid schedule in which the Chippewas practice on back-to-back days only one time per week. In between, they are undergoing conditioning and strength training.
"Right now, we're loading the wagon with a lot of things," McElwain said. "We still need to keep pushing the load from a mental standpoint and an install standpoint. (Then) we'll get back, stop that wagon, and pull out the things that we're going to use as we move toward an opponent."
Soon enough, the Chippewas will indeed narrow their focus to the Bobcats and then beyond. The overriding message, and the vibe, if you will, remains one of gratitude and excitement that they will get to play football – albeit fewer games than anyone would have liked – in 2020.
"Now more than ever from a football standpoint is the understanding that, and I hope our guys get it, maybe some of the things we took for granted, maybe this was a good reflection that we better live in the now and go attack what we have right now because none of us ever know," McElwain said.
Year Two
From a pure football standpoint, the Chippewas are in better position three weeks out from the opener than they were at the same point in 2019. That's only natural with McElwain and his coaching staff now in their second year in Mount Pleasant, and the program is back on solid footing as evidenced by a remarkable turnaround in 2019 when CMU increased its win total by seven, won the MAC West for the first time in a decade, and earned a berth in the New Mexico Bowl.
The familiarity certainly has helped in dealing with the shutdown/delay triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. On the field, the benefits are obvious too.
"That first year you've really got to make sure the guys understand what the base piece is, and kind of keep adding a little bit," McElwain said. "They kind of know the expectations now."
The Bobcats
The Chippewas and Ohio have not met since 2017, when CMU won in Athens, Ohio, 26-23, for its fourth-consecutive win in the series.
Ohio finished 7-6 a year ago and has perennially been a solid program under coach Frank Solich, who is in his 16th season in Athens after a highly successful six-year run at Nebraska from 1998-2003.
"My respect is the utmost for their head coach and what he's done and the success he's had at Nebraska and now at Ohio I think it's incredible," McElwain said.
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Chippewas Adjust On The Fly In Prep For Season - Central Michigan University Chippewas
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