The gulf between Central Michigan, Michigan showed up on 2 drives before halftime in drubbing

Ann Arbor — The final eight minutes of the first half told the whole story of Michigan’s domination of Central Michigan on Saturday. 

And Jordan Marshall capped the spell off when he slithered through the maize and blue-clad blockers that paved his path into the endzone from one yard out and wrapped up the most dominant half of football Michigan has played this season. And getting brushed aside were both the Central Michigan defenders on that play and the Chippewas in the game, in general. 

Saturday’s noon contest in Michigan Stadium was never competitive, as the Wolverines won, 63-3. Michigan rolled out to a four-touchdown lead before the visitors even cracked the scoreboard following a long, grinding drive just to get into the red zone. And where the Chippewas had to scratch, claw and luck their way into forward yardage, the Wolverines took it at will. So after Central Michigan made a field goal with 1:50 to play in the first half, Michigan parading 79 yards for a touchdown in a crisply-executed 2-minute drive only made sense in response. 

To wit, Central Michigan’s scoring drive only came about because of Bryce Underwood’s lone big mistake, an interception thrown into double coverage while rolling out to his right. Trying to connect on a deep post route to Channing Goodwin, Underwood didn’t get enough on the throw and Brandon Deasfernandes undercut it for an interception. 

Central Michigan took over at its own 15, and the slog began. 

The 14 play, 81 yard drive that took 5:52 off the clock, on top of being the longest scoring drive of the young season for Central Michigan, got the defense some much needed time on the sideline after defending for most of the half. 

With Angel Flores leading up the series as the more capable runner against the Michigan defense, Central Michigan began to inch down the field. 

Flores completed a pass for 4 yards, then ran three straight times for 4, 7 and 17 yards before throwing an incomplete pass. The next play, he kept it for 5 yards and got tackled at the Michigan 48, the Chippewas first trip across the 50.

The quarterback runs kept up, with Flores taking a 14-yard chunk on the next play before again throwing incomplete. The Chippewas followed that up with another pass call, and Flores completed to Nathan VanTimmeren for 7 yards to set up a 3rd and short. 

Trey Cornist ran for 8 yards to convert the down, and a facemask call on the Wolverines put Central Michigan into the red zone for its lone trip of the day. But a touchdown didn’t await.

The Michigan defense bowed up, forcing a 3-yard loss on a swing/screen look on 1st and goal, then giving up 2 yards and 6 yards on back-to-back Flores keepers. The Wolverines burned timeout No. 1 after the second keeper, stopping the clock with 1:52 to get the ball back after Cade Graham made his 22-yard field goal to make it 28-3, Michigan. 

That timeout paid dividends for the Wolverines, which erased the field goal and added to the lead in 1:45. 

And while the Chippewas offensive day felt Sisyphean, the Wolverines rolled with little resistance, even on a two-minute drive.

Following a 5 yard carry by Justice Haynes to open the series, the Wolverines started the no huddle procession, with Underwood completing a pass to Goodwin for 6 yards for a 1st down to temporarily stop the clock, before running for 11 yards and then out of bounds himself the next play. A pass to Haynes followed that up for 16 more yards and another clock stoppage as the back got to the sideline.

Two incomplete passes sandwiched a 10 yard connection to Goodwin, who again got out of bounds as the Chippewas struggled to defend the boundary.

Underwood scrambled for 5 yards on the next play, and Michigan used its second timeout. The Wolverines almost lost time on the next play, but a 9 yard completion to McCulley was close enough to the sideline that the wideout spun with a defender on his ankles and slapped a palm onto the white as he landed down. 

A 17 yard connection to Goodwin put Michigan on the 1 yard line the next play, and the Wolverines used the third timeout with :12 left in the half. 

Marshall powered in the next play. 

And those eight or so minutes before halftime were a microcosm of a day where Central Michigan just didn’t have a chance to keep up with Michigan.