It might have seemed like a pipe dream in July, when the Central Michigan football team was picked to finish sixth in the six-team Mid-American Conference West Division preseason poll. Now, the title game appearance is reality.
CMU dominated an . . .
"What we accomplished today," CMU senior linebacker Michael Oliver said, "I waited four years to do. It's a great feeling right now. A great, great feeling."
The Chippewas will play Miami (Ohio) in the MAC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 7 (noon) at Ford Field in Detroit.
It is yet another amazing milestone for the Chippewas under first-year coach Jim McElwain, who took over the program a year ago after it had won just one game in 2018.
"When I first got here, I saw that we had all the talent in the world," said CMU quarterback Quinten Dormady, a graduate transfer who joined the Chippewas prior to the season. "I knew we had that aspect. And when you ... see people starting to buy in, that's kind of what changes a program.
"This has been the most fun year of college football I've had. There's no doubt about it. It's a special group in the locker room and I'll say that for years to come. I'm happy for the guys who were here last year and endured what they did, and then came back and bounced back this year. It's just special. … We've still got more to accomplish."
The Chippewas scored on all five of their first-half possessions for a 35-7 halftime lead in ending a nine-game losing streak against Toledo, the team that was picked to win the MAC West.
It was CMU's third-consecutive victory and its sixth in its last seven starts. CMU won all six of its home games this season, becoming the first Chippewa team to go 6-0 at Kelly/Shorts since 1980.
"It's just short of amazing from where these guys started," McElwain said. "A team that was picked dead last and to see how far they've come; just great to see the joy on their faces. Our guys were ready to play, they knew what it was all about.
"This one is obviously something really special because of where these guys came from. To be picked where they were at the beginning of the season … and for them to choose to invest in themselves; I've seen a lot of growth. I'm just really proud of these guys.
"It's exciting for the university, it's exciting for the community, it's exciting for all the Chippewas out there and that's what it's all about. For our kids to be able to go play on a stage like that, it's awesome. I just want them to really enjoy it and take it all in."
CMU finished with 552 yards in total offense in its most-lopsided victory over the Rockets since a 44-0 win in 1977. CMU finished with 30 first downs to the Rockets' 15, and it held Toledo to 83 rushing yards.
The Rockets entered the game averaging a MAC-best 237.4 yards per game rushing.
The Chippewas dominated from the opening kickoff as Kobe Lewis ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, and Jonathan Ward had 88 and a TD on 13 attempts. CMU finished with 289 yards on the ground, an average of 6.1 per carry.
CMU quarterback Quinten Dormady completed 15 of 19 pass attempts for 250 yards and two scores.
His first TD pass went for 48 yards to a wide-open Tyrone Scott less than six minutes into the game, and the Chippewas were on their way.
Quarterback Tommy Lazzaro ran for two TDs and Ward and Lewis both scored on short runs as CMU held a 28-point halftime lead. Dormady connected with Tony Poljan for a 9-yard TD pass in the third quarter and Lewis capped the scoring with an 8-yard TD run midway through the fourth quarter.