Previewing Michigan vs. Central Michigan with a Chippewas insider

By Clayton Sayfie

TheWolverine.com caught up with Adam Jaksa, the radio play-by-play commentator for Central Michigan, ahead of Saturday afternoon’s matchup with Michigan Wolverines football. Jaksa broke down the Chippewas and made a final score prediction. We begin with the projected starting lineup for CMU:

RELATED
• What to expect from Biff Poggi as Michigan interim coach: ‘Mob boss energy, but players love him’
• Three takeaways from Sherrone Moore radio show: Michigan defense ‘played well enough to win’ at OU, third-down woes, more

Central Michigan projected starters on offense

• #2 – Redshirt senior QB Joe Labas (6-4, 210) — Has completed 16 of his 24 pass attempts (66.7 percent) for 145 yards with 1 touchdown, throwing no picks and taking no sacks, through two games. The Iowa transfer (2021-23) was the Chippewas’ starter last year, playing in six games until he suffered a season-ending injury. He connected on 59 percent of his passes for 1,114 yards and 7 touchdowns with 7 interceptions. Labas has rushed 6 times for 18 yards with a 6-yard long this season, after having 21 carries for 19 yards in 2024. Central Michigan uniquely plays three quarterbacks, so expect to see redshirt freshman Jadyn Glasser and junior Angel Flores Saturday, too.

• #5 – Redshirt senior RB Nahree Biggins (6-1, 210) — The former defensive back is in his second season on offense, and is breaking out. He’s rushed 27 times for 112 yards with a 17-yard long. He’s seen 88 of his 112 yards come after contact and has forced 4 missed tackles. The Chippewas rotate multiple backs, including redshirt sophomore Trey Cornist, a Tulane transfer who’s amassed 113 yards and a score on 23 rushing attempts.

• #20 – Redshirt junior WR Langston Lewis (6-0, 195) — Has hauled in 2 catches for 35 yards this season, after missing the 2024 campaign with injury.

• #19 – Junior WR Tommy McIntosh (6-5, 210) — The Wisconsin transfer (2022-23) leads the team with 78 receiving yards on 4 catches, having hauled in a 47-yard grab on a deep ball in the 16-14 season-opening victory over San Jose State.

• #3 – Redshirt junior WR Tyson Davis (5-10, 175) — Named a preseason second-team All-MAC honoree in 2024, he missed the entire season with an injury. That came after he led the Chippewas with 444 receiving yards and 4 touchdown catches on 29 overall grabs in 2023. He has 3 receptions for 31 yards through two weeks this fall.

• #8 – Redshirt junior TE DeCorion Temple (6-5, 245) — The Ypsilanti, Mich., native has been a two-sport athlete at Central Michigan, having averaged 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.8 minutes per game during the 2024-25 basketball season. He’s hauled in 5 catches for 36 yards so far in 2025. He had 5 catches for 66 yards last season.

• #70 – Redshirt sophomore LT Jacob Russell (6-4, 295) — The Valparaiso transfer started all 11 games at his previous school last season and won the left tackle job in Mount Pleasant this year. He’s graded out at 71.4 overall, yielding 3 pressures, this season. In the FCS in 2024, he had a 72.8 PFF pass-blocking grade with 8 pressures and 1 sack given up.

• #73 – Redshirt freshman LG Dasan Smith (6-6, 290) — Got the start last week following a season-ending injury to senior John Iannuzzi in the opener versus SJSU. Smith is one of four Chippewas to take double-digit snaps at left guard, a true platoon. He has a 55.7 overall PFF rating with 1 pressure allowed and a 28.2 pass-protection grade.

• #55 – Redshirt sophomore C Ryan Blum (6-1, 295) — Started both games but has played only 54 offensive snaps, compared to junior Apisa Poumele‘s 83 at the same position. Blum has posted a 34.0 overall PFF grade, with 3 pressures allowed on 20 pass-blocking snaps.

• #66 – Redshirt sophomore RG Matthew Nehf (6-3, 295) — Started two games last season and earned the starting right guard role in 2025, though he’s split time with redshirt junior Brady Ploucha (who’s also seeing time at left guard) and redshirt junior Dominique Maiava. Nehf has recorded a 58.0 overall PFF grade , giving up 1 sack in a 45-17 loss to Pittsburgh last week.

• #76 – Redshirt junior RT Martin Koivisto (6-7, 305) — Opened five contests at guard last season before shifting to tackle. He’s registered a 42.0 overall PFF rating with 4 pressures allowed through two games.

Central Michigan starters on defense

• #93 – Senior DT D.J. Bennett (6-5, 250) — The Louisburg College transfer finished with 7.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss at the JUCO level in 2023, before playing in only one game at Central Michigan in 2024. He’s made 2 tackles and batted down a pair of passes this year.

• #98 – Redshirt senior DT Jonathan Decker (6-5, 300) — Tallied 4 tackles, including 1 behind the line of scrimmage, adding 1 pressure as a pass rusher.

• #97 – Redshirt senior DE Michael Heldman (6-4, 260) — Entered this season with 29 starts, 17.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in his career. He’s posted 7 tackles, including 1 sack, with a forced fumble so far in 2025. Heldman had 6 pressures against San Jose State and 1 versus Pittsburgh.

• #56 – Sophomore DE Korver Demma (6-3, 245) — The Nebraska (2023) and Northwestern College (NAIA; 2024) transfer has tallied 5 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, and 2 pressures this year. He recorded 9 stops for loss and 4.5 sacks at his previous school last season.

• #1 – Redshirt senior LB Dakota Cochran (6-2, 240) — Posted 54 tackles with 10.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks, earning fourth-team All-MAC honors by Phil Steele, in 2024. He’s made 13 tackles with 2 pressures in 2025.

• #12 – Senior LB Jordan Kwiatkowski (6-1, 235) — The second-team All-MAC pick led the Chippewas with 96 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss, adding 1 interception, in 2024. He’s recorded 14 stops with a half-tackle for loss, 2 pass breakups and an interception, which came in last week’s game at Pittsburgh, so far this season.

• #4 – Sophomore NB Jaion Jackson (5-10, 160) — Has tallied 7 tackles, including 6 against Pittsburgh. He’s registered a 54.4 PFF coverage grade, giving up 8 receptions for 80 yards and no touchdowns on 14 targets. Jackson earned third-team All-MAC honors by College Football Network last year, starting seven games and making 38 tackles, 2.5 stops for loss and 4 pass breakups as a freshman in 2024.

• #6 – Redshirt junior CB Kalen Carroll (6-1, 185) — The Cincinnati transfer opened 10 games in the Big 12 a season ago, finishing with 19 tackles, 2 stops for loss and a pass breakup. He’s recorded 9 tackles this season and graded out at 61.9 in coverage. He’s given up 6 catches for 103 yards and 1 touchdown on 10 targets.

• #3 – Senior CB Brenden Deasfernandes (6-0, 195) — The Iowa transfer is in his second season at Central Michigan. He finished last season with 14 tackles and a pass breakup, and has made 4 stops and an interception — which came against San Jose State — this season. His 70.2 PFF coverage grade is the highest on the team, having allowed 6 receptions for 109 yards on 9 targets.

• #15 – Redshirt senior S Caleb Spann (6-0, 195) — Ranked second on the team with 61 tackles, adding 6 pass breakups, 4 stops for loss and 1.5 sacks, last season. He’s posted 9 tackles through two games this season, grading out at 55.8 in coverage on PFF.

• #2 – Redshirt senior S Elijah Rikard (6-1, 190) — Has made 4 tackles on the year and had an interception in the opener against San Jose State. He tallied 56 tackles, 2.5 stops for loss, 1 sack and a pass breakup in 2024, starting 10 contests. He has a 69.1 PFF coverage rating that ranks third on the team, behind Deasfernandes (70.2) and Kwiatkowski (69.3).

Central Michigan specialists

• #47 – Redshirt senior K Cade Graham (5-8, 165) — Walked on to the Central Michigan team in 2024, following three years as a non-athlete student. The Caledonia, Mich., native is 4-of-5 on field goals with a 41-yard long (which came on the road at Pittsburgh) this season. His miss came from 51 yards at San Jose State. He’s been perfect on extra points and booted 1 touchback on 8 kickoff attempts.

• #18 – Redshirt sophomore P Declan Duley (6-1, 215) — The Illinois transfer is averaging 42.1 yards per attempt on 9 punts with a 71-yard long. He’s induced 3 fair catches, pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 3 times and has had 2 kicks of 50-plus yards.

• Redshirt senior KR Nahree Biggins (6-1, 210) — Brought 2 kickoffs out for 31 yards with a 19-yard long last week against Pittsburgh, his only attempts on the year. He averaged 20.7 yards per return with a 27-yard long last season.

• Redshirt senior PR Caleb Spann (6-0, 195) — Has returned 1 punt for 2 yards this season.

Central Michigan’s three-quarterback system

CMU will use Labas, Flores and Glasser, and the rotation isn’t necessarily by situation. It’s one of the most unusual setups in the country, making it tougher for Michigan to prepare, and for Jaksa to call the games.

“They’re making my job tougher,” Jaksa said with a laugh. “They’re switching every couple of plays. I’m like, is it 2, is it 15, is it 7? Who’s the guy back there?

“It’s so weird, because I was listening to Pitt podcasts, just going off of what they saw from week one. And they’re going, ‘OK, Central Michigan lined up and ran it 51 times, and they have three quarterbacks, so clearly they can’t throw the ball.’ And it’s like, no. It’s totally justifiable to think that, but they all can throw. They all do a nice job back there, and they have great wide receivers.

“I think their philosophy is just — going off what Jim Chapin, their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, has said — they feel all three of them can play and that it’s really hard to go through — Michigan fans cover your ears here — an entire season with just one quarterback staying healthy. With how physical it is and how chilly and rugged the Midwest is and this style of football, they want to have multiple guys that can go out there and get snaps.

“They feel confident about all three. I’m totally guessing here, but I would imagine once they get to conference play, they will probably stick with more of a Glasser or Labas as their main threat throwing-wise, and then Flores would be that secondary — I’m taking you back to Tim Tebow in 2007 or whatever — guy that comes out in short-yardage situations. 

“The PFF rankings for quarterbacks in the MAC last week [came out], and Central Michigan had two guys that were in the top five. So, it’s not like one of them needs to come off the field for a certain time, and it’s not like one of them comes off when it’s third down and you go to this quarterback. Like, all of them are getting reps in every-down situations as runners and throwers.”

Run game concerns, but CMU has weapons

Through two weeks, CMU ranks 127th nationally with 2.9 yards per carry, despite checking in tied for 15th with 92 rush attempts. Head coach Matt Drinkall and Co. have been adamant about establishing the ground game, looking to win the time of possession battle and become a physical team.

“I need to see more from the offensive line, because they want that to be the strength, but CMU has not been able to physically line up and bully you like they want to since Lew Nichols [III] was the leading rusher in college football in 2021. That was four seasons ago,” Jaksa pointed out.

“They went through three-straight seasons where they averaged around 22 to 23 points per game — not good — and they couldn’t run the football consistently.

“We saw them do it for nearly 240 yards against San Jose State, and then you face a [Pittsburgh head coach Pat] Narduzzi front seven, and they ran it, I think, 41 times for 40 yards.”

CMU’s quarterbacks, running backs and pass-catchers make up a strong unit, though, even though the men up front may not be up to par at this point. The Chippewas have averaged 7.3 yards per pass attempt and had 12 throws of 10-plus yards on low volume.

“The weapons they have are great,” Jaksa said. “Any of those quarterbacks … there’s no point when I’m watching the game where I’m like, ‘Oh, no, it’s this quarterback in. They’re not going to be able to do what they want.’ They’ve all been able to execute.

“They have three backs that are really good. Trey Cornist is the transfer from Tulane and a Cincinnati kid. Nahree Biggins is the New Jersey kid that has switched positions a couple of times but is in his second year as a running back. And then a raw, redshirt freshman in Brock Townsend. They’re all big dudes — 6-foot, 6-1 dudes that are 210- to 220-pounders — and two of them went for 100 yards in that first game.

“Good quarterbacks, good running backs. They’ve got a ton of depth at the tight end position. DeCorion Temple got his first career touchdown against Pitt on Saturday. Tyson Davis, Langston Lewis and Tommy McIntosh are their three top wide receivers. 

“I’m not trying to be a cop out answer here, but I really do feel like their skill position players are set up to be really successful this year. And maybe it’s a little tougher to see in games against Pitt and Michigan, but they showcased themselves against San Jose State. I think they can have really big seasons in the MAC.”

Breaking down the defense

CMU held San Jose State to 16 points in a win as 14-point underdogs, an impressive performance. The second level of the defense has been the most impressive group so far.

“The defense has a ton back, eight returning starters. Linebacking corps is the strength, and if you go back to [former head] Coach [Jim] McElwain’s teams the last couple of years, their linebackers have been great.

“Dakota Cochran, super excited to go to The Big House. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, area, so this will be his chance to go into Michigan and play. Jordan Kwiatkowski is the captain; he’s the middle linebacker and had an interception — really nice, honestly, interception — where he sat in coverage and had a jumping pick last week against Pitt. He’s a big, 6-foot-1, 235-pounder but can move, is physical, good tackler. Part of it is they’re experienced there.”

CMU has allowed some big plays, though, including 9 of 30-plus yards, ranking tied for 133rd out of 136 FBS teams through the first two weeks of the season. The pass defense has been a weakness, having some coverage busts.

“The questionable part is the pass defense — not for the lack of talent or experience, because the majority of those guys are like 22, 23 years old, but they got shredded by [Pittsburgh quarterback] Eli Holstein last week,” Jaksa explained. “They scored 45 points, so the majority of their touchdowns — I think four of them — guys were just wide open. That was the concerning part, just the missed assignments.

“Cleaning up the coverage … if they can’t get the pressure every time on Underwood, can the back end hold their own and not get beat on some of these big plays?

“They got it to 24-17 after being down 24-3 in that third quarter, and then two plays later they threw a 50-yard bomb for a touchdown, and immediately your momentum is just shredded. It was just a simple rollout to the right, throw it over the top and the wide receiver had like three or four steps on the DB.”

Jaksa’s final score prediction

“I think it can be a game,” the play-by-play commentator began. “I really do. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a game. I don’t know if Central Michigan is going to be able to do this for four quarters against a Michigan team that’s coming in pissed off. I don’t think they’re overlooking CMU, but obviously they’re trying to have a get-right game before they go to Nebraska.

“I’ve done enough of these CMU games where they usually hold their own. They went to Penn State a few years ago; they held their own. They went to Illinois last year, and they were in it for three quarters. They’ll fight, despite them not being a finished product, and I think that Michigan is still trying to figure some things out, and maybe being a little sluggish off the loss to Oklahoma could help.

“But ultimately, dude, they’ve lost one time to a MAC school, and it was Rich Rod’s [former Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez] first year, and the only touchdown, I think, in that game was a 100-yard pick-six by Toledo. It’s just not easy to go into that place and win as a MAC school. It’s going to be tough.”

Prediction: Michigan 31, Central Michigan 17