Even with 7 seconds remaining. That's when the potential for the euphoria of a victory went to despair in a snap of the fingers.
The Chippewas botched a potential game-winning 40-yard field goal attempt with 7 seconds to play and fell to the Huskies, 39-38, before 15,232 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
"It was a heck of a ball game," CMU coach Jim McElwain said. "Both teams played their tails off. At the end of the day, we had an opportunity to win it and we didn't.
"This isn't going to be an easy one to take. We had our opportunities and ultimately they made a couple more plays than we did."
The Chippewas slipped to 4-4, 2-2 MAC. West-leading NIU is 6-2, 4-0. CMU plays at rival Western Michigan on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
CMU built a 28-10 first-half lead and was up, 35-18, with under 10 minutes to play in the third quarter.
But the Huskies stormed back with a pair of touchdowns, a two-point conversion, and a field goal to seize a 36-35 lead early in the fourth quarter.
A Marshall Meeder 38-yard field goal with 6:01 left put CMU back in front, 38-36; NIU got a 26-yard field goal with 54 seconds remaining to reclaim the lead, 39-38.
Starting at their own 26-yard line, the Chippewas drove to the NIU 22 with 7 seconds left. They lined up for a field goal try, but the snap went through holder Luke Elzinga's hands and the Huskies covered the loose ball.
"We kept fighting and just little mistakes here and there ended up costing us," CMU defensive end Troy Hairston said. "It is what it is; can't do anything to change it now. Only get better and correct the mistakes and move on to the next week."
The teams combined for more than 1,000 yards in total offense.
CMU running back Lew Nichols III ran for 192 yards and two touchdowns, and Chippewa quarterback Daniel Richardson completed 23 of his 36 passes for 289 yards and a career-high-tying three scores.
Nichols raced 66 yards for a TD on the third play of the game and then scored on a 1-yard plunge to put the Chippewas up, 14-7, with just over four minutes to play in the first quarter.
After an NIU field goal, Richardson connected with Kalil Pimpleton on a 72-yard pass play and then found JaCorey Sullivan for a 22-yard score to up CMU's lead to 28-10.
The Huskies cut it to 28-18 with under a minute left in the half on a 15-yard TD pass from Rocky Lombardi to Trayvon Rudolph.
Richardson hooked up with Joel Wilson on a 4-yard TD pass with under 10 minutes to play in the third quarter to put the Chippewas up, 35-18.
Bouncing Back
As much as Saturday's loss hurt, both from practical and emotional standpoints, the Chippewas have no time to feel sorry for themselves.
They go to bitter rival Western Michigan in 10 days. The Broncos are 5-3, 2-2 MAC following a 34-15 loss at Toledo on Saturday.
"I've got belief in (my players)," McElwain said. "We've got a ton of young guys. I really like this football team. I like our locker room; I like our guys.
"Let's stay together. They're a great group to coach. Let's not let one close defeat like this define who we are."
Junior center Jamezz Kimbrough was understandably morose, but philosophical after the game.
"Highs and lows, up and downs," he said. "That's everyday life … Just knowing that anything can happen at any moment (in) football and in life. When the highs come you've got to be able to maintain yourself, stay humble and keep going. And when things get low, like at the end of the game, (it's about) being able to stay levelheaded and make sure that we can bounce back the next time that we step on the field.
"I feel like we'll respond well and appropriately. We're a mentally tough team. We have good leaders on the team and our young guys do a good job of following. We're all mentally tough."
Nichols Shines Again
Nichols posted his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game and upped his season total to 919. He entered the game as the MAC's leading rusher and was 12th in the nation.
It marked the fifth time this season that Nichols has surpassed the 100-yard mark.
"Our goal is to have 150-plus for Lew every week," Kimbrough said. "The stats really don't matter because we took the L. But running the ball and establishing the ground game is always going to be important for us."
Nichols also caught six passes for 42 yards, giving him 234 all-purpose yards. It marked the third straight game that he has amassed more than 200 all-purpose yards, bringing his season total to 1,130 yards.
Successful Return
Wide receiver JaCorey Sullivan returned to the CMU lineup after missing two games with an injury.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior made six catches for 63 yards and a TD, his seventh of the season and the 12th of his career.
"I'm glad he's back," McElwain said. "He plays his tail off and he means a lot to this football team."
Sullivan, Pimpleton and Nichols caught six passes each. Pimpleton finished with a career-high 130 yards.
The Defense
Safety Devonni Reed led CMU's defense with a career-high 15 tackles, while fellow safety Gage Kreski made nine stops. Cornerback Donte Kent and linebacker George Douglas finished with eight tackles apiece.
The Chippewas recorded two sacks, one each by Hairston and Kreski.
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October 24, 2021 at 09:12AM
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Football Drops A Heartbreaker - Central Michigan University Chippewas
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