The air felt just that much clearer and the pep in the steps of the Chippewas was just that much more springy at the 3:11 mark of the second quarter.
The defense, led by Jacques Bristol, had just forced their second turnover-on-downs of the evening, gifting the offense the ball at their own 30-yard line, in a game where they were down only 3-0 to a languishing Spartans crew who was clearly shaken.
The ensuing drive couldn’t have gone better for the upset-minded team from Mt. Pleasant, with Central Michigan quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. ripping a 17-yard dart in the direction of Shatavious Hogan on the first play of the drive before earning 44 yards on two back-to-back facemask calls against the defense and a 14-yard scramble by Emanuel Jr.