Jack Reeber
24
0-1 , 0-0
34
1-0 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 24 | |
| 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
Game Recap: Football | | Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
COLUMBIA, Mo. – In the Show Me State, Central Michigan showed plenty.
But not quite enough to beat Southeastern Conference member Missouri on Saturday in the Chippewas' season opener.
CMU stood toe-to-toe with the Tigers, getting a strong performance from quarterback Jacob Sirmon in his first collegiate start. But in the end, Missouri managed to stay a step ahead in handing CMU a 34-24 loss before 46,327 at Memorial Stadium.
"I'm proud of the kids," said assistant head coach Tim Skipper, who led the Chippewas in the absence of head coach Jim McElwain, who missed the game after emergency surgery earlier this week. "We played hard. We looked them dead in the eye and we hit them. We played with them.
"We fought 'til the end. We didn't come here for a moral victory. There are things we need to clean up. It was definitely a winnable game. Unfortunately, we didn't come out with the W, but we're going to get back to work. There's a long season ahead and there's a lot ahead for us."
Sirmon, a transfer from Washington in his first game as a Chippewa, completed 23 of his 45 pass attempts for 295 yards and one touchdown against two interceptions.
"He stood in that pocket and he took some hits today," Skipper said. "He had to come out for one play and he came back. You see how tough that kid is. He's very smart and with game experience he's just going to keep getting better and better. I expect big things from him.
"He's just a tough kid and he's got a natural calmness about him. Nothing's too big, and that's what you need to have in a quarterback."
Sirmon's second interception was perhaps the biggest play in the game. With the Chippewas trailing, 17-14, early in the third quarter, Sirmon was intercepted at the Missouri 4-yard line. Missouri extended its lead to 24-14 with a touchdown shortly thereafter.
Though the Chippewas managed to remain within striking distance, they never had as good an opportunity to take the lead.
CMU finished with 475 yards including 174 on the ground. Lew Nichols carried 19 times for 135 yards and a touchdown.
"I'm definitely proud of my teammates and my coaches," Nichols said. "We came down here with the mindset that we're going to win and come back home 1-0. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, but I think we definitely earned some respect. I think we woke some teams up."
Sirmon spread the wealth among seven receivers. JaCorey Sullivan paced the receiving corps with a career-high-tying eight catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
Missouri scored on the second play of the game, but the Chippewas came right back on their first possession to tie it on a 7-yard Sirmon-to-Sullivan TD pass. CMU went up, 14-7, when Nichols scored on an 18-yard run midway through the second quarter.
The Tigers answered with a TD with 2:25 left in the half and then went ahead, 17-14, with a 53-yard field goal with just two seconds remaining in the half.
Missouri extended its lead to 24-14 with a TD with under two minutes to play in the third quarter.
CMU hung in, and Daniel Richardson connected with Sullivan on a 6-yard TD pass with 11:52 to play, cutting the Chippewas' deficit to 24-21. Richardson, who had battled Sirmon throughout camp for the starting job, entered the game after Sirmon was sidelined with an injury and threw the touchdown pass on his lone snap of the game.
After Missouri scored again to make it 31-21, Sirmon led a drive that ended with a 51-yard Marshall Meeder field goal with 1:30 remaining, bringing the Chippewas to 31-24.
Missouri iced it with another field goal with 59 seconds left.
But not quite enough to beat Southeastern Conference member Missouri on Saturday in the Chippewas' season opener.
CMU stood toe-to-toe with the Tigers, getting a strong performance from quarterback Jacob Sirmon in his first collegiate start. But in the end, Missouri managed to stay a step ahead in handing CMU a 34-24 loss before 46,327 at Memorial Stadium.
"I'm proud of the kids," said assistant head coach Tim Skipper, who led the Chippewas in the absence of head coach Jim McElwain, who missed the game after emergency surgery earlier this week. "We played hard. We looked them dead in the eye and we hit them. We played with them.
"We fought 'til the end. We didn't come here for a moral victory. There are things we need to clean up. It was definitely a winnable game. Unfortunately, we didn't come out with the W, but we're going to get back to work. There's a long season ahead and there's a lot ahead for us."
Sirmon, a transfer from Washington in his first game as a Chippewa, completed 23 of his 45 pass attempts for 295 yards and one touchdown against two interceptions.
"He stood in that pocket and he took some hits today," Skipper said. "He had to come out for one play and he came back. You see how tough that kid is. He's very smart and with game experience he's just going to keep getting better and better. I expect big things from him.
"He's just a tough kid and he's got a natural calmness about him. Nothing's too big, and that's what you need to have in a quarterback."
Sirmon's second interception was perhaps the biggest play in the game. With the Chippewas trailing, 17-14, early in the third quarter, Sirmon was intercepted at the Missouri 4-yard line. Missouri extended its lead to 24-14 with a touchdown shortly thereafter.
Though the Chippewas managed to remain within striking distance, they never had as good an opportunity to take the lead.
CMU finished with 475 yards including 174 on the ground. Lew Nichols carried 19 times for 135 yards and a touchdown.
"I'm definitely proud of my teammates and my coaches," Nichols said. "We came down here with the mindset that we're going to win and come back home 1-0. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, but I think we definitely earned some respect. I think we woke some teams up."
Sirmon spread the wealth among seven receivers. JaCorey Sullivan paced the receiving corps with a career-high-tying eight catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
Missouri scored on the second play of the game, but the Chippewas came right back on their first possession to tie it on a 7-yard Sirmon-to-Sullivan TD pass. CMU went up, 14-7, when Nichols scored on an 18-yard run midway through the second quarter.
The Tigers answered with a TD with 2:25 left in the half and then went ahead, 17-14, with a 53-yard field goal with just two seconds remaining in the half.
Missouri extended its lead to 24-14 with a TD with under two minutes to play in the third quarter.
CMU hung in, and Daniel Richardson connected with Sullivan on a 6-yard TD pass with 11:52 to play, cutting the Chippewas' deficit to 24-21. Richardson, who had battled Sirmon throughout camp for the starting job, entered the game after Sirmon was sidelined with an injury and threw the touchdown pass on his lone snap of the game.
After Missouri scored again to make it 31-21, Sirmon led a drive that ended with a 51-yard Marshall Meeder field goal with 1:30 remaining, bringing the Chippewas to 31-24.
Missouri iced it with another field goal with 59 seconds left.
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A Loss, But Plenty To The Good In Season Opener - Central Michigan University Chippewas
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