Central Michigan
Central Michigan is 4-5 and No. 117 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 12.7 points below an average FBS team. Last game: won 35-7 vs Eastern Michigan in Week 10.
Week 11: vs Sacramento State, Wednesday, Nov 11: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Central Michigan is No. 117
- Central Michigan's rating is −12.7: the machine's estimate that Central Michigan is 12.7 points worse than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 117 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at −12.8, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 0.1.
- The biggest weekly moves: −3.2 after Week 1 (L 7-38 at New Mexico) and +2.3 after Week 5 (W 41-17 vs Akron).
- Its record is 4-5. The 5 losses were to No. 6 Miami, No. 48 New Mexico, No. 78 Western Michigan, No. 97 Ohio, No. 114 Miami (OH), by 21.0 points on average. The 4 wins came by 17.2 points on average; the best was over No. 103 Wyoming. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 89 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 116 San José State (−12.2); just below is No. 118 Old Dominion (−13.4).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Matt Drinkall is in his 2nd season at Central Michigan (since 2025). This season: 4-5. At Central Michigan overall: 11-11, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 116-196 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 1161 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 5-5 |
| Yards per attempt* | 6.0No. 131 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 6.6%No. 132 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 7.5%No. 111 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 357-1589 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 4.5No. 53 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 12.5%No. 101 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 12.8%No. 7 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 19.8No. 123 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 5.03No. 126 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 37.2%No. 95 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 66.7%No. 38 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 11No. 61 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 23.8No. 62 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.51No. 70 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 6.6No. 36 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 4.6No. 95 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 6.0%No. 61 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 15No. 20 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 47.3%No. 129 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Jadyn Glasser56-93, 638 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT
- Angel H Flores54-92, 475 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
- Marcus Beamon6-11, 48 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT
Rushing
- Angel H Flores128 carries, 618 yds, 4 TD
- Jayden Clerveaux59 carries, 291 yds, 2 TD
- Nicholas Woodford46 carries, 258 yds, 6 TD
Receiving
- Langston Lewis24 catches, 379 yds, 2 TD
- Justin Ruffin Jr.15 catches, 119 yds, 0 TD
- Nasir Williams11 catches, 117 yds, 1 TD
Tackles
- Mayson Hitchens68
- Brett McCalla61
- Xavier White55
Sacks
- Jaxon Cherry3
- Nathan Vantimmeren3
- Brett McCalla1.5
Interceptions
- Justin Taylor3
- Brett McCalla1
- Coen Ali1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Jadyn GlasserMost passes in the last game8 games93 attempts47%
- Angel H Flores7 games92 attempts47%
- Marcus Beamon3 games11 attempts6%
Carrying
- Jayden Clerveaux8 games59 carries31%
- Vaughn Blue8 games50 carries26%
- Nicholas Woodford8 games46 carries24%
- Brock Townsend9 games21 carries11%
Catching
- Langston Lewis7 games24 catches21%
- Justin Ruffin Jr.6 games15 catches13%
- Braylen Naves6 games11 catches9%
- Nasir Williams7 games11 catches9%
Tackling
- Mayson Hitchens9 games68 tackles11%
- Brett McCalla9 games61 tackles9%
- Xavier White8 games55 tackles9%
- Darrell Bryant Jr.9 games52 tackles8%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 L 7–38 at New Mexico. The passing game struggled: 1.9 yards an attempt, 4.5 less than New Mexico usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 2 W 13–10 vs Colgate. Colgate is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 3 W 24–10 vs Wyoming. The run game was the strength: 5.7 yards a carry, 1.1 more than Wyoming usually allows. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 4 L 3–52 at Miami. The run game struggled: 0.8 yards a carry, 2.0 less than Miami usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 3.
- Week 5 W 41–17 vs Akron. The run game was the strength: 7.4 yards a carry, 1.4 more than Akron usually allows. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 6 L 14–31 at Ohio. The pass defense gave ground: Ohio got 8.8 yards an attempt, 2.0 over what it usually gains.
- Week 7 L 14–21 vs Western Michigan. The passing game struggled: 6.0 yards an attempt, 1.7 less than Western Michigan usually allows.
- Week 8 L 27–28 vs Miami (OH). The run game struggled: 2.2 yards a carry, 1.5 less than Miami (OH) usually allows. The machine had Central Michigan by 1.8 (55%), so this was a loss it did not see coming; Central Michigan won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 10 W 35–7 vs Eastern Michigan (neutral site). The pass defense was the strength: Eastern Michigan got 4.5 yards an attempt, 1.0 under what it usually gains. The fewest yards an attempt it has allowed all season.