Senior quarterback Tommy Lazzaro replaced redshirt sophomore Tony Poljan with 6:22 left in the third quarter.
And from that point on, everything changed.
The Chippewas (0-3) still fell short to Northern Illinois, 24-16, at Huskie Stadium on Sept. 15 but found a consistent quarterback.
Down 21-3, Lazzaro went 2-for-2 for 28 yards and carried the ball four times for 31 yards in his first career drive. His final play of the series was a six-yard rushing score, cutting Northern Illinois’ edge to 11 points.
Lazzaro, playing his first career game since transferring to CMU from Dodge City Community College in 2015, remained on-point, throwing a four-yard dime to redshirt freshman Julian Hicks with 9:43 to go in the fourth quarter.