A dazzling wide receiver/punt returner on the Central Michigan football team, Pimpleton has had bigger games, statistically speaking, than he did in Saturday's 30-27 Mid-American Conference victory at Ohio.
But his impact in the oh-so-critical win over the Bobcats cannot be quantified simply by numbers, just as his effect on CMU opponents game in and game out is hard to measure.
Pimpleton had five catches for 78 yards and scored two touchdowns on Saturday. He caught a 28-yard TD pass from quarterback Daniel Richardson with 3:55 remaining to put the Chippewas ahead for good.
His 7-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter gave the Chippewas a 20-19 lead that they would later relinquish.
Pimpleton lined up at his receiver position wide left and Richardson went under center. Richardson then pulled out to mock shouting instructions at the CMU offensive line. As he stepped aside, CMU center Jamezz Kimbrough snapped the ball to running back Lew Nichols III who was standing about 5 yards behind the line. Nichols took the snap, ran to his left, and flipped the ball to Pimpleton, who raced around the right end, picked up a block from Richardson, and dived across the pylon on the corner.
It was vintage Pimpleton, a speedy and elusive 5-foot-10, 175-pounder. And it was typical of the lengths the Chippewas have had to increasingly go to get him the ball as defenses focus on stopping him at every turn.
"We go in every week with game plans and plays to get KP the ball but drawing attention from the defense allows other guys … to get open," said Pimpleton, who had scored just one touchdown this season before Saturday's game. "I'm not a selfish player. As long as we're doing what we have to do, I'm not worried about the touches."
The Richardson-to-Pimpleton TD pass, which turned out to be the game winner, was a thing of beauty.
Richardson took a short drop and lofted the ball high and on line—it had the trajectory of a perfect pitching wedge approach to a green on any given PGA Tour Sunday—to Pimpleton, who streaked past an Ohio defensive back and cradled the ball in perfect stride about three steps before the end line in the end zone.
"There was a lot going on," Pimpleton said of the play, adding that there was confusion with the formation and the play clock was winding down. "I'm not even sure if I ran the right route. It came down to me and D-Rich making a play, having that chemistry, making that eye contact right before the play.
"Like 'Alright, this is what it's come to.' And he trusted me, and I trusted him to make that play and we got it done."
To see Pimpleton make a highlight reel catch of such importance and to score the earlier TD with the help of some razzle-dazzle was gratifying to everyone in maroon and gold, CMU coach Jim McElwain said.
"He's the heart and soul of this football team and I'll tell you what, I just love him," he said.
The Quarterback
Richardson had a solid game, completing 16 of his 30 pass attempts for 257 yards. He was questionable all week after leaving last week's 28-17 loss at Miami (Ohio) with an apparent shoulder injury in the fourth quarter.
The Bobcats intercepted him twice. They were the first two he has thrown this season, and he has been intercepted only four times in his 219 pass attempts as a Chippewa.
"You never saw that (the interceptions) affected him," McElwain said. "I think that's a real positive."
Richardson was helped immensely by his receiving corps, several of whom made catches for big gains at critical times while closely defended.
CMU played without wideout JaCorey Sullivan, who was injured. Sullivan entered the game second on the team in both receptions (24) and yards (366) and was sixth in the nation with six TD catches before this weekend's games.
Dallas Dixon made four catches for a team-high 91 yards.
Run Game
The Chippewas rushed for 204 yards, averaging 5 yards per carry. It was their second-highest rushing total of the season after the 287 they posted in a 45-0 victory over Football Championship Subdivision member Robert Morris in the second game of the season.
Nichols did the lion's share of the work, carrying a career-high 30 times for 186 yards and a touchdown. His 186 yards mark the second-highest total of his career after the 196 he had last season against Eastern Michigan.
Nichols' big day came one week after he was held to 21 yards on 12 carries at Miami (Ohio), when CMU had a mere 52 yards on the ground.
Nichols clearly ran with more verve against the Bobcats than he did a week ago, ripping off several runs for double-digits yardage through the first three quarters.
He became a grinder in the fourth quarter, which was exactly what CMU needed after it took the lead. He carried 11 times for 31 yards in the final 15 minutes, and none of those carries went for more than 6 yards. But what he did in the fourth quarter was every bit as critical to the Chippewa victory as what he did in the first three quarters.
"I was happy for (our) offensive line," McElwain said. "They created some push up front and Lew took advantage of it. We played with a little bit of tempo, and I thought we got (Ohio) tired and that helped us a little bit in the second half as well."
Nichols also made three catches for 24 yards, giving him a career-high 210 all-purpose yards.
Meeder Rebounds
CMU place kicker Marshall Meeder hit all three of his field goal attempts, connecting from 34, 35, and 40 yards. His 40-yarder came early in the fourth quarter and cut Ohio's lead to 27-23.
The freshman from Eaton Rapids had made just two of his previous seven field goal tries going back to the Chippewas' second game of the season against Robert Morris. He is now 7-for-12 on the season.
McElwain has stressed all season that he has the utmost confidence in Meeder, who last season earned First Team All-MAC honors and sports a distinctive mullet haircut.
"It's not only me, it's our football team," McElwain said. "Our football team believes in the mullet and when he's out there they feel like it's going to go every time. I was happy to see him rebound. He really struck the ball well and there wasn't a doubt on any of them."
The Defense
The Chippewa defense surrendered 369 total yards including 179 on the ground. The Bobcats came in ranked third in the MAC with an offense that had produced an average of 192.4 yards per game on the ground.
But in a see-saw game and when it most needed it, CMU's defense stood tall.
Ohio's Siah Bangura raced 40 yards for a touchdown on fourth down with 11:57 remaining to put the Bobcats in front, 27-20.
Still plenty of time for CMU, but it could not afford to trade scores with the Bobcats.
Meeder's field goal drew CMU to 27-23, and then Richardson and Pimpleton connected for what proved to be the game-winning TD.
After Bangura's TD run, CMU held the Bobcats to one first down, forced two punts and never allowed them past midfield.
Safeties Devonni Reed (11 tackles), Alonzo McCoy (8) and Gage Kreski (7) led a CMU defense that posted two sacks among 10 tackles-for-loss for a total of 28 yards.
(Courtesy of CMU Athletics)