CMU’s Matt Drinkall balances prep for ‘biggest game of my entire life’ vs. WMU, expected birth of his 1st child

Mt. Pleasant — This week, Matt Drinkall is learning something from his players, perhaps a slight reprieve for a man with a lot going on in his life. 

The first year Central Michigan head coach is plenty familiar with big time college football rivalries, having coached in the Army-Navy game for several years. But he hasn’t experienced something quite like the intrastate feuding between the Chippewas and rival Western Michigan. 

“We kind of get to teach the coaches a thing or two about the rivalry,” offensive tackle Martin Koivisto said. “We saw that with Eastern because we don’t like Eastern as well. But this is a whole ‘nother kind of rivalry, so it really comes down to the players kind of teaching the coaches a little bit about the rivalry.” 

Central Michigan (5-3, 3-1 MAC) will travel just a few hours to the southwest on Saturday for a 4 p.m. kickoff at Waldo Stadium against Western Michigan (4-4, 3-1), likely in front of a packed house. And much like Michigan and Michigan State a week ago, the in-state nature of the rivalry breeds an increased resentment, stemming all the way back to WMU’s vote to not add CMU as a MAC member. 

And for the Chippewas head coach, specifically, this week is a whirlwind. As he preps for the rivalry that defines these programs, he’s also expecting to be in the hospital on Thursday and Friday with his wife, Kim, as their first child is due to be born this week. 

“We’re like buying a house, potentially, on Wednesday, having a kid on Thursday or Friday and then playing the biggest game of my entire life on Saturday,” Drinkall said Tuesday, adding a tongue-in-cheek coda. “So, no big deal.”

Along with all the emotion and intensity of the rivalry, plus this being part of the Michigan MAC series, too, there are real stakes for this season hanging in the balance. 

Central Michigan and Western Michigan are both tied at No. 2 in the MAC standings, part of a logjam of one-loss teams. Central Michigan is also a win away from bowl eligibility. 

So, along with bragging rights, the Victory Cannon Trophy and getting one over on their rivals, the Chippewas and Broncos are playing for an inside track to make it to Ford Field for the MAC title game. 

With so much riding on this game, both coaching staffs are applying the usual rivalry week protocols of riding the emotion of the week without it spilling over and leading to bad prep or sloppy, undisciplined moments in the game, like personal fouls. 

It’s a year-round affair, and if Drinkall isn’t well-versed in it yet, he certainly will be by Saturday evening. 

“First year, 2021, we’re coming out the tunnel and they’re pouring beer down. It’s unforgettable,” linebacker Dakota Cochran said. “Then in 2023, it was a kickoff or a punt, and that picture’s everywhere, I think. It’s on the CMU website. It’s just like a big scuffle. And I was like, ‘This is what college sports is. This is the game people live for.’ And you know, it’s fun.”

But there’s also an undeniable aspect that the intensity is not just heightened around his program, but Mt. Pleasant, too, Drinkall said. 

And he’s gotten a crash course from predecessors in not underestimating what’s to come on Saturday.

“I have spent the last 96 hours on the phone with several coaches that have been here and associated with this rivalry,” Drinkall said. “And they’ve been associated with, they’ve been in Iowa-Iowa State, Army-Navy, Michigan-Michigan State, Michigan-Ohio State. And all of them said the exact same thing, independently, which is, ‘When we first got there, we did not understand how intense and big this rivalry between Western and Central is.’ So they all said, unanimously, the same thing: Do not underestimate the importance and significance of this game and this rivalry.”

And, of course, he’s got a lot going on in his own life. Along with riding shotgun on the birth of his daughter in the coming days, Drinkall and his wife are also in the process of closing on a home purchase in the area. 

He and Kim are slated to go to the hospital in the later stages of this week, Wednesday evening or Thursday morning and, if the baby hasn’t come, induce labor. Drinkall will be away from the team on Thursday and Friday for walk-through and final prep before traveling to Kalamazoo on Saturday. 

And while the due date wasn’t secret, it happened to coincide with what Drinkall knows is a massive opportunity for his football team, and the expectant father is doing his best to straddle his duties to his team and his family. 

Speaking on Tuesday morning, though, Drinkall has evidently managed to muster his focus into this rivalry and all the prep. In some ways, getting to go full bore through Tuesday and Wednesday, the two days the Chippewas practice hardest and most intently, then detaching for some time might make things easier. He'll surely still be in touch with his staff in the days leading up to the game, too.

And despite being tugged in a number of directions this week, Drinkall's capacity to lock in on football hasn't waned. He has this game firmly in his sights. He raved about Western Michigan’s defense and the dual-threat nature of quarterback Broc Lowry. He’s new to this rivalry, but well aware of its importance, and taking a cue or two from players who have gotten to experience it before. 

Because with such intensity coming to the surface, managing emotions and being under control after a week of build up could be the deciding factor of the game.

And Drinkall has certainly become aware of just how many people are emotionally invested in the outcome this weekend. 

“The thing that has been, I don’t know, exposed, I guess, in this one, that I didn’t understand is the intensity and how personal it is,” Drinkall said. “Like how personal the players, the communities, the fans, the alumni — it’s an incredibly intimate game and a very, very intense rivalry. You can see it in people’s face, they don’t talk about this game or this matchup like anything else. And it’s pretty awesome, to be honest with you.” 

And few people will have such an intense, emotional week as Central Michigan’s head coach.