Notebook: Injuries of import, 2 RBs providing quiet value, Joey Pope's leadership
Plus: Why rushing for 300 yards is a good idea, in case that case needed to be made.
Central Michigan has rushed for 300-plus yards in two of its last three games, and is 2-0 in those games, winning by a combined score of 65-27.
And after the latter of the two, CMU head coach Matt Drinkall shared a piece of wisdom Bret Bielema had shared with him two-plus decades ago: Rush for 300 yards as a team, and you’re basically a lock to win.
It’s good advice. Mitten Football dug into such results using Stathead and found of 3779 such games since 1995 — as far back as the game statistical data currently goes — the team that ran for 300 or more yards won 89.3 percent of the time. There are 406 losses for teams rushing for 300-plus yards, but a 9-out-of-10 shot to win is as reliable as anything comes in college football.
And as Bielema is bringing his Illinois program to face Michigan State, his record in games where a team he’s been the head coach of rushed for 300 yards is 23-0, with 16 of those wins coming during his tenure at Wisconsin. He’s 2-0 in such games at Illinois, including the 9OT win over Penn State in 2021.
As for Michigan’s teams, the FBS group is a collective 97-7 in such games since 1995, a 93.2 percent win rate.
Michigan is 36-0 in such games and CMU is 21-0, with three such wins already during Drinkall’s 18-game tenure, to date.
Western Michigan is 22-2 in 300-yard-plus rushing performances, with both losses coming in Tim Lester’s first two years as head coach. Eastern Michigan is 6-4 when rushing for 300-plus, with all four of the losses occurring during Ron English’s time as head coach.
And Michigan State is 12-1, with the lone loss being Oct. 30, 2004, at Michigan Stadium, an iconic installment in the rivalry and a 3OT loss, 45-37, for the Spartans.
Andrew Graham
Joey Pope shining, picking up slack with Micah Davis sidelined
Micah Davis has been out the last two weeks with an apparent right hand/wrist/thumb injury, leaving Joey Pope, a fourth-year safety and former walk-on wideout who has since earned a starting role and scholarship, to pick up the slack.
And Pope has answered the call, not only with his play but taking on a leadership role.
Now he's got to be the general on the field, to help get everybody lined up, and not just worry about just my alignment, my assignment, but also what does everybody else have, and how can I communicate the picture out so then we're all on the same page. And I think that he's really on that role, which has been great for us.
Pope ended up flipping over to the defense side for WMU in the spring of 2024, as the Broncos just needed bodies at safety. In 2025, he took over a starting job and emerged as a consummate play maker for the Broncos.
And while his running mate, Davis, is down for a spell, Pope has impressed his head coach for the ways he’s stepped up.
“But I've just seen his level of maturity and leadership grow where I'm proud of him,” Taylor said. “as a young man who has gone through a lot on and off the field, and in Micah's absence has really had to step up and lead a young, inexperienced group, and I'm really proud of the way that he has stepped up.”
Andrew Graham
Joey Mattord, Brock Townsend offering value beyond rushing
Neither Eastern Michigan RB Joey Mattord or Central Michigan RB Brock Townsend have had voluminous workloads in 2026.
Mattord has 35 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown in five games played, plus 12 catches for 55 yards.
Townsend has 10 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns and no catches.
But both of their head coaches explained the sort of value those players offer to their teams.
“When I think of Joey, and this isn't necessarily in comparison to anybody else, Joey's just always been a Swiss army knife,” Chris Creighton said on Monday. “And the main blade is the ability to run the ball, but, like, he's got — there's 13 different deals you can pull out of that thing. And so he's a really good athlete. Cares. He can run it, he catches it, he can throw it. And he can do all those things sort of equally well. Inside, outside. He's got speed, he breaks tackles, he's good in protection. So he's just really a well rounded back.”
Mattord himself explained that he’s happy to take on a selfless role for his team and make quieter plays like blocks or running good routes even when targets don’t come his way. He’s also a core special teamer for EMU.
It’s a similar story for Townsend, who Drinkall has often raved about for his multi-faceted skillset.
“He becomes one of those guys who, it's probably like an NFL guy when you're like, he doesn't rush for the most yards or have the most touchdown catches, and all of a sudden you see him sign a contract and you're like, whoa, why is that guy getting paid all that money?” Drinkall said. “But the team that has him values him beyond measure. Brock Townsend is like that for us.”
Andrew Graham
Andrew Graham
Andrew Graham
Chris Creighton’s praise for Joe Moorhead
Make it two weeks in a row that a Michigan MAC team is 1) playing Akron and 2) that the head coach for said team gushed about Joe Moorhead, Akron’s head coach.
This week: Chris Creighton, talking not only about Moorhead’s acumen as an offensive mind but the impression he left as a father.
“Coach Moorhead, we don't get to spend a whole lot of time, you know, together, we’re in different states and whatnot,” Creighton said on Monday. “But we do get to run into each other and our sons both played their senior years at the same time, and we got to know his son, who's quarterback down at Jacksonville State. And so there was the football piece, and almost even some of the dad side of it, and family. And I just, I really like him. And I really respect him as a football coach. And really he, you know, challenged me, too, trying to be a better dad.
“I mean, his ability to carve things out, to be able to watch his son play, especially his senior year, that was convicting for me. And then I just think that he's just, as an offensive play caller and all of that, I think anybody in the league would tell you, you know, that he's the top of the list. So just tons of respect for him as a man and as a football coach.”
Injuries of import
No Michigan (University of) injury notes since it’s an idle week. A reminder that known-season enders will not be included each week, and longer-term injuries with no recent updates may not be included.
MSU CB NiJhay Burt: Listed as out again on Wednesday availability report after getting hurt vs. Nebraska two weeks ago. Apparent arm injury.
MSU CB Tyran Chappell: Listed as out on Wednesday availability report. DNP vs. Wisconsin after getting ruled out as a game-time decision vs. Nebraska the week prior. Was seen on crutches on the sideline during the Nebraska game.
MSU CB Keshawn Williams: Out on Wednesday report. Did not play vs. Wisconsin, got hurt and helped to the locker room early vs. Nebraska.
MSU LB Caleb Wheatland: Out on Wednesday after leaving the game Saturday vs. Wisconsin.
MSU QB Cam Fancher: Appeared to tweak right knee during a spell on the field vs. Wisconsin, listed as questionable on Wednesday.
MSU CB Tre Bell: Hurt himself in warmups before Nebraska game, did not play vs. Cornhuskers but returned vs Wisconsin. Questionable on Wednesday’s report.
MSU LB Jordan Hall: Questionable on Wednesday’s report after not playing vs. Wisconsin. Been dealing with arm and leg injuries so far this season.
WMU S Micah Davis: Potentially returning to practice this week after missing the last two games with an apparent right wrist/hand/thumb injury. Expected to return but timeline is malleable. Not likely to play vs. Kent State on Saturday.
WMU K Palmer Domschke: Has been available, questionable and out at various points this season, but head coach Lance Taylor said it’s mostly Domschke managing his knee health after offseason surgery. Dieter Kelly has been a highly capable replacement in Domschke’s stead.
WMU DE August Johanningsmeier: Broke his leg in 2025 early on and missed most of season, had surgery as well. Taylor said he’s day-to-day. Johanningsmeier has been as close as questionable but has yet to play this season.
EMU OG Cole Dellinger: Has been dinged up for some time as the Eagles have started Dennis Strey Jr. in his absence. Dellinger has been out since appearing in a boot at Michigan State pregame and not playing.
EMU S Jason Marshall: Been out the last two weeks. Not expected back this Saturday but will return at some point this season, per Chris Creighton.
EMU OT Elijha Payne: Had missed the first two weeks and had been dealing with an injury since late July, questionable the past two weeks but started vs. UMass, and played well.
CMU DL James Reinbold: Had surgery on broken hand, per Matt Drinkall, but is not ruled out to get back at some point this year. Could end up playing with club wrap on hand.
