Watch: Football Insider Season Review

MOUNT PLEASANT - A young Central Michigan squad battled through injuries and inexperience throughout the 2011 season.

A remarkable 24 different players made their first collegiate start in 2011, while 10 true freshmen played significant roles during their first season in the maroon and gold and eight or fewer seniors were available to see playing time during the second half of the season.

The impact of the freshman class was most noticeable in the offensive skill positions. Titus Davis caught 40 passes for a team-high 751 yards and scored a team-leading eight touchdowns, while Courtney Williams tied for second on the team with five touchdown catches. CMU was the only team in the country featuring two freshmen with at least five touchdown receptions, and both Davis and Williams scored touchdowns on their first career receptions—Davis on a 67-yard catch against South Carolina State and Williams on a 79-yard catch on the first play of his college career against Northern Illinois.

Anthony Garland grew into an increased role at running back late in the season. He ran for 141 yards and a score in the 23-22 win at Akron, becoming the first CMU freshman to run for 100 yards in a game since Ontario Sneed in 2005.

The Chippewas' offense scored 11 touchdowns in the season's final four games; 10 of the touchdowns were scored by true freshmen (Davis - 6, Williams - 3, Garland - 1), while the 11th was scored by sophomore running back Zurlon Tipton.

On the offensive front, injuries forced a pair of redshirt freshmen—center Andy Phillips and tackle Kevin Henry—into starting roles during the second half of the season. Despite the shuffling of personnel along the line, CMU surrendered just 17 sacks in 2011, the second fewest per pass attempt in the Mid-American Conference.

Defensively, Cody Lopez played in 10 games at linebacker and ranked sixth on the team with 58 tackles as a true freshman, while Matt Losiniecki started eight games at nose guard as a freshman in 2011.

The Chippewas' season was highlighted by a 48-41 win over eventual MAC champion Northern Illinois at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Oct. 1. CMU led by as many as 22 points, 38-16, in the fourth quarter before holding off a late rally and handing NIU its lone conference loss of the season. Ryan Radcliff threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns, while Paris Cotton turned in one of the top performances of his CMU career: 110 rushing yards on 16 carries and a score and four receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Jahleel Addae was credited with 18 tackles—the most for a Chippewa since 2003—and intercepted two passes.

The win over NIU was one of five games decided by seven points or fewer for CMU in 2011. In each of the five games, the ball was in the air—either via pass or kick—with no time on the clock and the outcome still undecided.

Jahleel Addae capped his junior season by earning All-MAC first team honors, while senior tight end David Blackburn was a second-team selection. Junior offensive lineman Eric Fisher, junior receiver Cody Wilson and Titus Davis all earned third-team accolades, while Davis added Freshman All-America first team laurels from Phil Steele's Magazine.

Looking ahead, the Chippewas will return as many as 36 players with starting experience on offense and defense for what promises to be a historic 2012 season. CMU will play seven home games for the first time since 1984, including premier matchups with Michigan State, Navy and Western Michigan.