ATHENS, Ohio – Tyler Conklin is back!
And so are the Central Michigan Chippewas, who knocked off MAC East leader Ohio 26-23 Saturday at Peden Stadium.
Conklin made his 2017 debut a memorable one on Saturday as . . .
And so are the Central Michigan Chippewas, who knocked off MAC East leader Ohio 26-23 Saturday at Peden Stadium.
Conklin made his 2017 debut a memorable one on Saturday as . . .
. . . he made 10 catches for 136 yards – both career highs -- and two touchdowns in leading the Chippewas offense.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak and was the Chippewas’ first in MAC play this season. CMU is 3-3, 1-1 league. Ohio dropped to 4-2, 1-1 MAC as its three-game winning streak came to an end.
Conklin, who missed the Chippewas’ first five games with a foot injury, made is presence felt almost immediately. His first catch went for 19 yards on the Chippewas’ first possession, which ended in a 16-yard Conklin touchdown catch from quarterback Shane Morris.
The score evened things at 7-7 and Ohio moved ahead once more at 5:59 of the second quarter when Nathan Rourke scored on a 14-yard run.
It was part of an up-and-down day for Rourke. He completed 17 of 31 passes for 160 yards and ran 13 times for 105 yards and three touchdowns. However, he also threw one interception and fumbled three times – all of which were recovered by CMU. The Chippewas registered just one turnover on the day.
Trailing 14-7 with six seconds left before intermission, the Chippewas blocked an Ohio field goal attempt. Sean Bunting then scooped up the loose ball and raced 60 yards to pull Central to within a point, 14-13, at the break.
Jonathan Ward put CMU in front for good with a 1-yard run, capping the first possession of the second quarter, a 10-play, 65-yard CMU drive.
Morris connected with Conklin on a 10-yard scoring pass with 10:16 to play to extend the Chippewas’ lead to 26-14.
Ohio made it interesting when it blocked a CMU punt out of the end zone for a safety with under eight minutes to play. That pulled the hosts to within 10 at 26-16, and Rourke scored from three yards out with 5:01 remaining to make it 26-23.
(Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com/MRO Edit)
The win snapped a three-game losing streak and was the Chippewas’ first in MAC play this season. CMU is 3-3, 1-1 league. Ohio dropped to 4-2, 1-1 MAC as its three-game winning streak came to an end.
Conklin, who missed the Chippewas’ first five games with a foot injury, made is presence felt almost immediately. His first catch went for 19 yards on the Chippewas’ first possession, which ended in a 16-yard Conklin touchdown catch from quarterback Shane Morris.
The score evened things at 7-7 and Ohio moved ahead once more at 5:59 of the second quarter when Nathan Rourke scored on a 14-yard run.
It was part of an up-and-down day for Rourke. He completed 17 of 31 passes for 160 yards and ran 13 times for 105 yards and three touchdowns. However, he also threw one interception and fumbled three times – all of which were recovered by CMU. The Chippewas registered just one turnover on the day.
Trailing 14-7 with six seconds left before intermission, the Chippewas blocked an Ohio field goal attempt. Sean Bunting then scooped up the loose ball and raced 60 yards to pull Central to within a point, 14-13, at the break.
Jonathan Ward put CMU in front for good with a 1-yard run, capping the first possession of the second quarter, a 10-play, 65-yard CMU drive.
Morris connected with Conklin on a 10-yard scoring pass with 10:16 to play to extend the Chippewas’ lead to 26-14.
Ohio made it interesting when it blocked a CMU punt out of the end zone for a safety with under eight minutes to play. That pulled the hosts to within 10 at 26-16, and Rourke scored from three yards out with 5:01 remaining to make it 26-23.
(Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com/MRO Edit)
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