2025 Central Michigan Chippewas football team

2025 Central Michigan Chippewas football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	3–2 (1–0 MAC)
Head coach	Matt Drinkall (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Jim Chapin (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Derek Fulton (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Sean Cronin (1st season)
Home stadium	Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Seasons ←  2024 2026 →

2025 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Central Michigan		1	–	0					3	–	2
Ohio		1	–	0					3	–	2
Buffalo		1	–	0					2	–	3
Western Michigan		1	–	0					2	–	3
Toledo		1	–	1					3	–	2
Ball State		0	–	0					1	–	3
Miami (OH)		0	–	0					1	–	3
Northern Illinois		0	–	0					1	–	3
UMass		0	–	0					0	–	4
Bowling Green		0	–	1					2	–	3
Kent State		0	–	1					1	–	3
Akron*		0	–	1					1	–	4
Eastern Michigan		0	–	1					1	–	4
Championship: December 6, 2025
* Ineligible for postseason play due to low APR score As of September 28, 2025

The 2025 Central Michigan Chippewas football team represent Central Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Chippewas are led by Matt Drinkall in his first year as the head coach. The Chippewas play their home games at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. ^[1]

Preseason

The MAC Football Kickoff was held on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at the Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan from 9:00 am EDT to 1:30 pm EDT. ^[2]

Preseason polls

Coaches Poll

On July 24 the MAC announced the preseason coaches' poll. ^[3]

MAC Coaches poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Toledo	135 (7)
2	Miami	131 (3)
3	Ohio	123 (3)
4	Buffalo	115
5	Northern Illinois	94
6	Bowling Green	81
7	Western Michigan	71
8	Eastern Michigan	68
9	Central Michigan	65
10	Ball State	41
T11	Akron	39
T11	Massachusetts	39
13	Kent State	12

Coaches poll (MAC Championship)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes
1	Toledo	6
2	Miami	4
3	Ohio	3

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	10:30 p.m.	at San Jose State *	CEFCU Stadium San Jose, CA	FS1	W 16–14	14,877
September 6	12:00 p.m.	at Pittsburgh *	Acrisure Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	ESPNU	L 17–45	48,424
September 13	12:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Michigan *	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI	BTN	L 3–63	110,740
September 20	1:00 p.m.	Wagner *	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN+	W 49–10	18,787
September 27	1:00 p.m.	Eastern Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI (rivalry)	ESPN+	W 24–13	28,605
October 4	3:30 p.m.	at Akron	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field Akron, OH	ESPN+
October 18		at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH
October 25	3:30 p.m.	UMass	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI
November 1		at Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI (rivalry)
November 12	7:00 p.m.	Buffalo	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	ESPN2/ESPNU/CBSSN
November 19	7:00 p.m.	at Kent State	Dix Stadium Kent, OH	ESPN2/ESPNU
November 29		Toledo	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^[4]

Game summaries

at San Jose State

See also: 2025 San Jose State Spartans football team

Central Michigan Chippewas (0–0) at San Jose State Spartans (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chippewas	10	3	0	3	16
Spartans	0	7	7	0	14

at CEFCU Stadium • San Jose, California

• Date: August 29
• Game time: 6:30 PM PDT
• Game attendance: 14,877
• Referee: Cal McNeill
• TV announcers (FS1): Trent Rush and Will Blackmon

Game information

First quarter CMU – Trey Cornist 29-yard run (Cade Graham kick), 3:14. Chippewas 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:28. CMU – Cade Graham 34-yard field goal, 0:10. Chippewas 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, -2 yards, 1:56. Second quarter CMU – Cade Graham 28-yard field goal, 8:26. Chippewas 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 31 yards, 3:37. SJSU – Leland Smith 11-yard pass from Walker Eget (Denis Lynch kick), 4:20. Chippewas 13–7. Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 3:58. Third quarter SJSU – Danny Scudero 45-yard pass from Walker Eget (Denis Lynch kick), 12:01. Spartans 14–13. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:59. Fourth quarter CMU – Cade Graham 28-yard field goal, 4:13. Chippewas 16–14. Drive: 14 plays, 70 yards, 7:16.

Statistics	CMU	SJSU
First downs	20	19
Total yards	340	383
Rushing yards	225	75
Passing yards	115	308
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	8–13–0	24–45–2
Time of possession	33:45	26:15

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing	Angel H. Flores	3/3, 59 yards
	Rushing	Nahree Biggins	18 carries, 102 yards
	Receiving	Tommy McIntosh	2 receptions, 61 yards
San Jose State	Passing	Walker Eget	24/43, 308 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Floyd Chalk IV	11 carries, 44 yards
	Receiving	Daniel Scudero	9 receptions, 189 yards, TD

at Pittsburgh

See also: 2025 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Pregame line	Over/under
PITT –21.5	48.5

Central Michigan Chippewas (1–0) at Pittsburgh Panthers (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chippewas	0	10	7	0	17
Panthers	7	17	7	14	45

at Acrisure Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: September 6
• Game time: 12:00 PM EDT
• Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: SW at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
• Game attendance: 48,424
• Referee: Justin Elliott
• TV announcers (ESPNU): Brian Custer and Max Starks

Game information

First quarter PITT – Raphael Williams Jr. 3-yard pass from Eli Holstein (Trey Butkowski kick), 11:56. Panthers 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 2:58. Second quarter CMU – Cade Graham 41-yard field goal, 12:28. Panthers 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 53 yards, 6:42. PITT – Justin Holmes 12-yard pass from Eli Holstein (Trey Butkowski kick), 11:03. Panthers 14–3. Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 1:20. PITT – Josh Altsman 2-yard pass from Eli Holstein (Trey Butkowski kick), 6:40. Panthers 21–3. Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 2:20. PITT – Trey Butkowski 43-yard field goal, 2:08. Panthers 24–3. Drive: 6 plays, 24 yards, 2:51. CMU – Jadyn Glasser 2-yard run (Cade Graham kick), 11:03. Panthers 24–10. Drive: 6 plays, 13 yards, 0:44. Third quarter CMU – DeCorion Temple 2-yard pass from Joe Labas (Cade Graham kick), 3:01. Panthers 24–17. Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 7:18. PITT – Raphael Williams Jr. 48-yard pass from Eli Holstein (Trey Butkowski kick), 2:15. Panthers 31–17. Drive: 10 plays, 30 yards, 5:06. Fourth quarter PITT – Juelz Goff Jr. 2-yard run (Trey Butkowski kick), 2:15. Panthers 38–17. Drive: 12 plays, 44 yards, 7:29. PITT – Ja'Kyrian Turner 2-yard run (Trey Butkowski kick), 0:45. Panthers 45–17. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 2:20.

Statistics	CMU	PITT
First downs	13	22
Total yards	217	465
Rushing yards	40	124
Passing yards	177	340
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	27–20–0	32–24–1
Time of possession	36:43	23:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing	Joe Labas	11/14, 89 yards, TD
	Rushing	Angel H. Flores	9 carries, 18 yards
	Receiving	Camden Kruisenga	1 reception, 26 yards
Pittsburgh	Passing	Eli Holstein	21/28, 304 yards, 4 TD, INT
	Rushing	Desmond Reid	10 carries, 46 yards
	Receiving	Raphael Williams Jr.	6 receptions, 121 yards, 2 TD

at No. 23 Michigan

See also: 2025 Michigan Wolverines football team

Central Michigan Chippewas (1–1) vs. No. 23 Michigan Wolverines (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chippewas	0	3	0	0	3
No. 23 Wolverines	14	21	14	14	63

at Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Date: September 13
• Game time: 12:00 PM EDT
• Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C) • Wind: SW at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
• Game attendance: 110,740
• Referee: Matthew Richards
• TV announcers (BTN): Jeff Levering, Jake Butt, and Brooke Fletcher

Game information

First quarter (10:56) MICH – Justice Haynes 2-yard run, Dominic Zvada kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:04; Michigan 7–0) (7:21) MICH – Semaj Morgan 32-yard pass from Bryce Underwood, Dominic Zvada kick (Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 2:28; Michigan 14–0) Second quarter (12:09) MICH – Bryce Underwood 20-yard run, Dominic Zvada kick (Drive: 4 plays, 77 yards, 2:04; Michigan 21–0) (9:23) MICH – Andrew Marsh 23-yard run, Dominic Zvada kick (Drive: 2 plays, 34 yards, 0:48; Michigan 28–0) (1:51) CMU – Cade Graham 22-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 81 yards, 5:52; Michigan 28–3) (0:09) MICH – Jordan Marshall 1-yard run, Dominic Zvada kick (Drive: 11 plays, 79 yards, 1:36; Michigan 35–3) Third quarter (8:27) MICH – Jordan Marshall 4-yard run, Dominic Zvada kick (Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 4:29; Michigan 42–3) (3:12) MICH – Bryce Underwood 18-yard run, Dominic Zvada kick (Drive: 8 plays, 63 yards, 4:17; Michigan 49–3) Fourth quarter (14:01) MICH – Bryson Kuzdzal 1-yard run, Dominic Zvada kick (Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:25; Michigan 56–3) (9:00) MICH – Jasper Parker 1-yard run, Dominic Zvada kick (Drive: 9 plays, 45 yards, 4:50; Michigan 63–3)

Statistics	CMU	MICH
First downs	8	35
Total yards	139	616
Rushing yards	79	381
Passing yards	60	235
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	11–20–1	16–25–1
Time of possession	26:53	33:07

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing	Joe Labas	4/8, 36 yards, INT
	Rushing	Angel H. Flores	9 carries, 76 yards
	Receiving	Justin Ruffin Jr.	2 receptions, 23 yards
Michigan	Passing	Bryce Underwood	16/25, 235 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Bryce Underwood	9 carries, 117 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Semaj Morgan	4 receptions, 69 yards, TD

Wagner (FCS)

See also: 2025 Wagner Seahawks football team

Wagner Seahawks (FCS) (0–3) vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (1–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Seahawks (FCS)	0	3	0	7	10
Chippewas	14	21	14	0	49

at Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, Michigan

• Date: September 20
• Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 73°F, Northwest wind 8 mph
• Game attendance: 18,787
• Referee: Chris La Mange
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Evan Stockton (play-by-play), Doc Holliday (analyst), and Sam Ramos (sidelines)

Game information

First quarter CMU – Dakota Cochran 30-yard interception return (Cade Graham kick), 14:20. Chippewas 7–0. Drive: , 0:40. CMU – Angel Flores 2-yard run (Cade Graham kick), 08:15. Chippewas 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 3:34. Second quarter WAG – Nicholas Romero 33-yard field goal, 08:34. Chippewas 14–3. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 5:07. CMU – Nahree Biggins 88-yard pass from Joe Labas (Cade Graham kick), 08:22. Chippewas 21–3. Drive: 1 play, 88 yards, 0:12. CMU – Tommy McIntosh 33-yard pass from Joe Labas (Cade Graham kick), 01:41. Chippewas 28–3. Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 2:59. CMU – Tyson Davis 33-yard pass from Joe Labas (Cade Graham kick), 00:16. Chippewas 35–3. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 0:59. Third quarter CMU – Brock Townsend 22-yard pass from Angel Flores (Cade Graham kick), 05:43. Chippewas 42–3. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 5:45. CMU – Angel Flores 3-yard run (Cade Graham kick), 02:54. Chippewas 49–3. Drive: 3 plays, 33 yards, 1:15. Fourth quarter WAG – A. Bailey 75-yard fumble return (Nicholas Romero kick), 13:56. Chippewas 49–10. Drive: , 1:44.

Statistics	WAG	CMU
First downs	7	24
Plays–yards	55–113	66–506
Rushes–yards	35–72	48–233
Passing yards	41	273
Passing: comp–att–int	12–20–1	14–18–0
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	27:37	32:23

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wagner	Passing	Jordan Barton	7/12, 18 yards
	Rushing	Matt Morad	9 carries, 35 yards
	Receiving	Richard Perkins Jr.	3 receptions, 9 yards
Central Michigan	Passing	Joe Labas	12/14, 241 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Trey Cornist	11 carries, 52 yards
	Receiving	Nahree Biggins	3 receptions, 106 yards, TD

Eastern Michigan (rivalry)

See also: 2025 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team, Central Michigan–Eastern Michigan football rivalry, and Michigan MAC Trophy

Eastern Michigan Eagles (1–3) vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (2–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	3	3	7	0	13
Chippewas	14	7	0	3	24

at Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, Michigan

• Date: September 27
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Doug Sherman (play-by-play) and Marcus Ray (analyst)

Statistics	EMU	CMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Central Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Akron

See also: 2025 Akron Zips football team

Central Michigan Chippewas (3–2) vs. Akron Zips (1–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chippewas	-	-	-	-	0
Zips	-	-	-	-	0

at InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field • Akron, Ohio

• Date: October 4

Statistics	CMU	AKR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Akron	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Bowling Green

See also: 2025 Bowling Green Falcons football team

Central Michigan Chippewas (0–0) vs. Bowling Green Falcons (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chippewas	-	-	-	-	0
Falcons	-	-	-	-	0

at Doyt Perry Stadium • Bowling Green, Ohio

• Date: October 18

Statistics	CMU	BGSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Bowling Green	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

UMass

See also: 2025 UMass Minutemen football team

UMass Minutemen (0–0) vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Minutemen	-	-	-	-	0
Chippewas	-	-	-	-	0

at Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, Michigan

• Date: October 25

Statistics	MASS	CMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UMass	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Central Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Western Michigan (rivalry)

See also: 2025 Western Michigan Broncos football team, Central Michigan–Western Michigan football rivalry, and Michigan MAC Trophy

Central Michigan Chippewas (0–0) vs. Western Michigan Broncos (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chippewas	-	-	-	-	0
Broncos	-	-	-	-	0

at Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, Michigan

• Date: November 1

Statistics	CMU	WMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Buffalo

See also: 2025 Buffalo Bulls football team

Buffalo Bulls (0–0) vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	-	-	-	-	0
Chippewas	-	-	-	-	0

at Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, Michigan

• Date: November 12
• Game time: 7:00 PM EST

Statistics	BUFF	CMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Buffalo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Central Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Kent State

See also: 2025 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

Central Michigan Chippewas (0–0) vs. Kent State Golden Flashes (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chippewas	-	-	-	-	0
Golden Flashes	-	-	-	-	0

at Dix Stadium • Kent, Ohio

• Date: November 19
• Game time: 7:00 PM EST

Statistics	CMU	KENT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Kent State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Toledo

See also: 2025 Toledo Rockets football team

Toledo Rockets (0–0) vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rockets	-	-	-	-	0
Chippewas	-	-	-	-	0

at Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, Michigan

• Date: November 29

Statistics	TOL	CMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Toledo	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Central Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. "2025 Football Coaching Staff". Central Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
2. "2025 Division I FBS Media Days". www.sportswriters.net. FWAA. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
3. "Toledo Selected as Favorite in Head Coaches Preseason Football Poll". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. July 24, 2025. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
4. "2025 Central Michigan Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 2, 2025.