Central Michigan has been a stepping stone for head coaches in recent times. Brian Kelly spent three seasons with the Chippewas from 2004 through 2006 including the 2006 MAC Title. Kelly went to Cincinnati and is currently the head coach at Notre Dame. Replacing Kelly was Butch Jones, who went 27-13 in three season and won 2 MAC Championships. Like Kelly, Jones went to Cincinnati and is now at Tennessee. Dan Enos came in starting with the 2010 season, but things did not start well. Enos went 3-9 and 2-6 in conference play during both 2010 and 2011. Enos led the Chippewas to winning record in 2012 and the season culminated with a victory in the 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl over Western Kentucky. The 2013 season is below.

2013 Central Michigan Chippewas Season

There were expectations of another bowl game headed into 2013. The Chippewas opened up with a drubbing at the hands of Michigan and then needed a last second field goal to be a solid New Hampshire team. Despite leading 21-0 to UNLV, CMU gave up 31 unanswered points and lost 31-21. The slide continued with losses to Toledo and North Carolina State. At 1-4, CMU was in a deep hole, but won back-to-back games on the road versus Miami (OH) and Ohio. CMU lost the next two games to two of the top MAC teams in Northern Illinois and Ball State. CMU ended the season on a three game win streak to get to 6-6, but were not invited to a bowl game. The entire 2013 schedule is below.

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Offense

The ENTIRE offense returns in 2014 for head coach Dan Enos. Yes, all 11 starters are back after they averaged 23.3 points and 341 yards per game. Those numbers are not great, but they did have a freshman quarterback in Cooper Rush leading the offense. Rush returns this year after throwing for 2,349 yards (56.7%), 15 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. With a year of experience under his belt, Rush should be even better in 2014, especially with everyone else returning around him as well.

The leading rusher from 2013 was Saylor Lavallii, who finished with 807 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Chippewas do lose Zurion Tipton after he ran for 398 yards and 8 touchdowns, but he was injured for most of the 2013 season. His loss will not be as difficult with the addition of a former Michigan Wolverine. Thomas Rawls is a graduate transfer after running for 333 yards in three season during his time with Michigan. He will definitely see the field in 2014 and this unit should do better than the 133 yards per game they put up in 2013.

The top 3 and five of the top 6 receivers return from least season. The standout in 2013 was Titus Davis. He caught 61 passes for 1,109 yards and 8 touchdowns. The second leading receiver was Andrew Flory with 32 receptions for 384 yards and 2 touchdowns. The drop off between the two is apparent, but there is plenty of depth for CMU. Also returning is Courtney Williams, who had 23 catches for 251 yards and 1 touchdown. Deon Butler, Jesse Kroll, Anthony Rice, and Ben McCord provide the aforementioned depth.

With all five starters returning on the offensive line, this unit should pave the way for good rushing and passing attacks. Center Nick Beamish will be a three-year starter in 2014, as will left guard Andy Phillips. Right guard Connor Collins was a redshirt freshman last year, but he garnered offensive rookie player of the year on the team. At right tackle will be senior Kevin Henry and his opposite on the left side will be Ramadan Ahmeti. This group should do quite well in 2014.

Defense

8 starters return from a defense that improved in 2013 compared to the 2012 season. In 2012, the defense gave up 32.4 points and 432 yards per game. In 2013, the defense gave up 28.6 points and 405 yards per game with 7 starters returning. Three of the front four returns with senior nose tackle Leterrius Walton leading the way. Walton recorded 34 tackles, 1 sack, and 8.5 tackles-for-loss. Defensive end Louis Palmer recorded 35 tackles, 2 sacks, and 4 tackles-for-loss. Kelby Latta started 5 games a freshman last year at the defensive tackle and recorded 17 tackles and 2.5 tackles-for-loss. There is plenty of experience and depth for this unit to improve on the 201 rushing yards they surrendered per game last year.

Linebacker Justin Cherocci returns, which is great news for Central Michigan. He was the leading tackler in 2013 with 121 stops. In addition, he had 4 sacks, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, and 1 interception. He will be joined by Tim Hamilton, who is trying to replace the production of Shamari Benton (111 tackles, 2 sacks, and 8.5 tackles). It will be tough for Hamilton to do so, but it helps that Cherocci returns.

Four of the five starters return from the 2013 defensive secondary that gave up 204 passing yards per game with a 61.3 completion percentage. Cornerback Jason Wilson had 61 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, 4 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions last year. His counterpart at the other cornerback spot will be Brandon Greer. Greer finished 2013 with 49 tackles, 5 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions. Also returning are Tony Annese, Kavon Frazier, Kevin King, and Jarret Chapman. The depth and experience will help the entire defense improve.

Special Teams

Despite the abundance of returning starters elsewhere on the team, the special teams unit was not so lucky, but the news is not all bad. Kicker Ron Coluzzi returns after going 12 of 17 on field goals with a long of 40 yards. Punter Richie Hogan is gone after averaging a solid 43.9 yards per punt. The net was only 36.6 yards, but the coverage team was poor in 2013.

Also gone is top kick returner Jerry Harris. He had 28 kick returns for 602 yards, which was good enough for an average of 21.5 yards. He will be replaced by wide receiver Courtney Williams. Williams only had 5 returns in 2013, but he averaged 41.8 yards per return with 1 touchdown. Titus Davis will back to return punts after average 6.6 yards per return in 2013.

Overall, this unit should have a similar season to last season with the mixture of returning players and departures.

2014 Season Outlook

2014 is probably the best chance for Dan Enos and Central Michigan to get back to MAC Championship Game. The 19 returning starters in 2014 is a higher total than 2009, when 16 starters returned and CMU won the MAC Title. Plus, the schedule has a couple of winnable games against "Power 5" teams in Purdue and Kansas, though both of those games are on the road. The entire 2014 schedule is below.

Central Michigan should not have problems in the opener against Chattanooga. CMU could beat Purdue on the road, as the Boilermakers are still learning Darrell Hazell's systems. Syracuse will be a tough task, while Kansas is a bit more manageable. However, Kansas is in their third year under Charlie Weis and will be tough to beat on the road even if they have not been competitive in the Big 12.

The MAC conference schedule is manageable. Their toughest tests will be versus Toledo, Ohio, Northern Illinois, and Ball State, which happens to be the first four games of the MAC schedule for the Chippewas. If CMU goes 3-1 in those games, they could be well on their way to a 7-1 record in the MAC West.

Barring a dramatic and crippling rash of injuries, Central Michigan should expect to see at least 7 or 8 wins in 2014, which would more than likely put them back into a bowl game. If the Chippewas get to 7-1, it may be enough to even see them reach the MAC Championship game. 2014 should be a good year for Central Michigan.