Donte Kent stepped to the podium in the postgame press conference, clutching the Victory Cannon Trophy high above his head.

The substantial weight of the trophy didn't bother the Central Michigan senior defensive back.

After all, a heavy weight had just been lifted off the Chippewas' shoulders.

Kent and his teammates delivered on Tuesday night, wrestling away an emotional 16-14 victory from Western Michigan on Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, beating their archrivals for the first time since 2021 and for the first time at home since 2010.

"This is a great feeling," Kent said. "We know what we're capable of as a team. A lot of things didn't go our way this season, but we always showed that we've got that fight in us. We went out there and we fought today. The trophy's back where it needs to be."

Indeed it is, and it puts a dollop of salve on a season that spun out of control with five straight losses after a 3-2 start.

The Chippewas improved to 4-7, 2-5 Mid-American Conference and knocked the Broncos (5-6, 4-3) out of contention for a spot in the league title game.

It came on Senior Night and in the Chippewas' home finale.

"How proud I am and how happy I am for these seniors on Senior Day, for that locker room," said an emotional CMU coach Jim McElwain. "These guys have done everything I've asked and more. It's great to see them be able to celebrate the fruits of their labor.

"This is a big game for a lot of people, this community, this university, our alumni. This is a game they always talk about. This is a game, as I told our players, where you make some memories, and I just wanted (them) to be proud of what (they) did and they should be proud.

"Wasn't pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but at the end of the day we had more points than they did and that trophy's back here for another year. That's a good thing."

No, it wasn't pretty. It almost never is when the Chippewas and Broncos collide. But Central Michigan's defense stood tall when it needed to, and it got enough from its offense to seize a 13-0 halftime lead.

The Chippewas held Western to 184 total yards, just 79 of which came in the second half.

B.J. Harris' 6-yard touchdown run and two Tristan Mattson field goals gave the Chippewas the halftime advantage.

The Broncos returned an interception 78 yards for a touchdown to cut CMU's lead to 13-7 early in the third quarter.

CMU answered on its ensuing drive, going 50 yards in 17 plays and milking more than 10 minutes off the clock. They converted on third down four times in the drive and capped it with another Mattson field goal to make it 16-7 seconds into the fourth quarter.

That drive proved to be the most critical of the night because it made it a two-score game, it kept Western's offense on the sideline, and it swung momentum back to CMU's side.

The Chippewas finished with a near 13-minute edge in possession time.

"Going into halftime, it all kind of dawned on me, it's the last 30 minutes of me ever playing here," said CMU senior running back Marion Lukes, who had 93 of the Chippewas' 167 rushing yards. "I was kind of like getting sentimental about the whole thing and decided that I wasn't going to let anybody tackle me.

"Credit to the O line on that drive because they don't have a lot of backups right now; they're down in numbers and to stay in there for 17 plays I know that's incredibly difficult. We had three senior running backs playing and all of us, we were just giving everything we've got. It was just cool to see everything come together there, to go down there and impose our will, it's awesome."

Western answered with a touchdown drive to cut the Chippewas' lead to 16-14 and then took possession with 5:01 remaining at its own 35 – more than enough time and good field position to mount a potential game-winning drive.

But CMU's defense stepped up when it had to, forcing a three-and-out and a punt.

CMU took over at its own 30-yard line and picked up two first downs and then went into victory formation.

Moments later, the Victory Cannon Trophy was in Chippewa hands for the first time since 2021 and for the first time at Kelly/Shorts in nearly a decade and a half.

McElwain said he asked his players "to think about the year 2010 and I asked them what they were doing in the year 2010; there were a couple of them that said they were in kindergarten taking naps.

"It's about these guys," McElwain said, motioning to the half dozen Chippewa players, still in uniform, who attended the postgame press conference. "These are the guys that mean so much to me and have been so much a part of my life that to see smiles on their faces, that's what it's all about."

"We didn't do it perfectly by any means," Luke said, "but just to be able to walk off with this trophy, it means everything."

The Defense
While the Chippewa defense has had its share of glitches throughout the season, it has, on the whole, performed well.

It was perhaps at its best on Tuesday against the Broncos, limiting Western to 50 yards rushing and 10 first downs.

Western had 10 possessions, eight of which ended with a punt and another on downs. Six times the Chippewas held the Broncos to three-and-out.

Da'Raun McKinney led CMU's defense with seven tackles and had two pass breakups, one of which came in the end zone to save a potential second-half touchdown.

"We just played football, all 11 on the same page and we got the job done," Kent said. "It wasn't as pretty as we wanted it to be, but a W is a W. You can't take it for granted."

The Chippewas registered three sacks, all of them in the fourth quarter. Defensive tackle Jason Williams had two of them.

A senior, Williams was emotional, philosophical and big-picture reflective after the game.

"It's Senior Night, it's the Cannon, it's Western – just a whole bunch going on," he said. "It's kind of impossible to not be caught up in the moment.

"This program really means everything to me. I hugged (defensive coordinator Robb) Akey like three times after the game. These coaches really watched me grow up. I got here when I was 17, and they kind of showed me the ropes of what it looks like of getting around in life by yourself, away from home.

"I'm from Florida and I'm up here in Michigan, away from my momma. These coaches have been everything for me, this program has been everything for me. I just do what I can for the program."

Glasser solid
Freshman Jadyn Glasser made his second consecutive start at quarterback for the Chippewas. He finished with 140 yards on 8-of-17 passing.

He connected with Solomon Davis on a career-long 55-yard completion to set up the Chippewas' first touchdown.

"Jadyn's a dog, he's a dog for sure," senior wide receiver Jesse Prewitt III said. "I always try to stay in his ear, try to keep his confidence up. I keep telling him 'You are a leader; even though you are young, this is a big moment, and you've got to step up to it,' and that's exactly what he did.

"Even from his first start, he didn't flinch and he showed everybody his real talent and what he's willing to do. I'm proud of him and I can't wait to see what he's going to do with the rest of his career. He's a dog. Shout out to Jadyn."