Eastern Michigan Eagles 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Eastern Michigan 2008 Record: (3-9, 2-6)
Eastern Michigan 2008 Bowl: none
Eastern Michigan Coach: Ron English (First year at Eastern Michigan, 0-0 overall)
Eastern Michigan Offensive Coordinator: Ken Karcher
Eastern Michigan Defensive Coordinator: Eric Lewis
Eastern Michigan Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Dwayne Priest, RB, 474 yards
• Passing: Andy Schmitt, QB, 2,644 yards
• Receiving: Jacory Stone, WR, 943 yards
• Tackles: Jermaine Jenkins, LB, 64
• Sacks: Brad Ohrman, DE, 6.0
• Interceptions: Ryan Downard, S, 2; Jermaine Jenkins, LB, 2

Notable Eastern Michigan Returning Players: C Eric Davis, DE Brandon Downs, G Andy Fretz, LB Andre Hatchett, CB Arrington Hicks, G Stphen Johnson, CB Kevin Long, RB Dwayne Priest, DT Brandon Slater, CB Nate Wilson

Eastern Michigan Key Losses: RB Terrence Blevins, G Joe Charles, CB Lyle Garrison, S Dwayne Harrison, LB Daniel Holtzclaw, DT Josh Hunt, WR Tyler Jones, OT T.J. Lang, DE Spenser Smith, S Jacob Wyatt

The Eagles are what one could call a ‘perennial cellar-dweller’, so I’m feeling a little bit audacious with this pick. In fact, I haven’t yet seen anyone picking them higher than 5 th in the West! However, after a 3-9 season which ended with the firing of Jeff Genyk after four seasons, the Eagles turned to former Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English to clean up the conference’s worst defense in 2008. Will the man who many thought was Lloyd Carr’s successor at Michigan in late 2006 show off his coaching acumen during his first year as head coach? With 17 starters back, he’s certainly in good position to begin at EMU.

On offense, English inherits a strong group that returns nine starters from the group which put up a Genyk era best 26 points per game. Senior quarterback Andy Schmitt threw for 2,600+ yards and 15 touchdowns last year and also established himself as a threat to run by scoring 5 TDs on the ground. If he stays healthy, he could be one the conference’s best signal callers. He’ll be playing behind a solid offensive line as well, a group that returns four starters and did a very good job pass protecting last year. The big question is whether they can open holes for senior tailback Terrence Blevins (600 yards, 12 TDs) so that he can improve upon last year’s yardage output. The receiving corps appears to be pretty solid as well, returning all but one contributor from last year, though there are no stars in this group. Keep an eye on sophomore Marvon Sanders, who recorded 28 catches as a true freshman. Overall, the EMU offense appears to be a strong group and could definitely improve upon last year’s stellar numbers.

Defense is a bigger concern. However, English’s background is on defense and he inherits a unit which was last in the conference in points allowed and played a lot of young players last year, especially on the line. Sophomores Brad Ohrman and Brandon Slater saw a lot of action last fall as freshmen and Ohrman led the team in sacks with 6. They should anchor a much improved defensive front. The linebackers lose last year’s leading tackler but seniors Jermaine Jenkins and Andre Hatchett should both be very solid at the outside linebacker positions. EMU could make a big improvement against the run this fall. My biggest concern on defense has to be the secondary, which allowed over 210 yards per game through the air and didn’t create many turnovers. Sophomore Nate Wilson is the team’s returning interception leader (with 2 in 5 starts last year) and could take the open cornerback position. If Wilson can step in and take over then the Eagle secondary could be fairly good. However, it still remains this unit’s weakest position group. With all of the improvement and the arrival of English, I will be very surprised if the Eagles finish anywhere near last place in the defensive rankings again.

Overall, the Eagles have a fairly tough schedule draw, pulling Akron and Temple from the East. Furthermore, they finish the season with three away weeknight games in November, a very tough task. In the non-conference, they have three road trips to BCS conference opposition to worry about, including back to back trips to Northwestern and Michigan early in the year. Eastern Michigan has a much improved team and looks to be a real contender in the MAC West for the first time in memory. Their offense is especially promising after having such a strong season last year. However, a brutal non-conference schedule and a tough conference draw make them a 50-50 proposition at best to get to 6 wins and bowl eligibility. Still, I will be disappointed if we don’t see significant improvement right away under Ron English.

Eastern Michigan Big Games: Oct. 3rd vs. Temple, Oct. 10th @ CMU, Nov. 14th vs. WMU, Nov. 20th @ Toledo

Eastern Michigan’s Strength:

The Eastern Michigan offense was surprisingly decent in 2008. Quarterback Andy Schmitt might not be the most dynamic quarterback in the conference, but he is a steady and efficient passer. Last year he threw for 2,644 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Eagles will not need Schmitt to win games for them, but as long he completes 63 percent of his passes and keeps the interceptions to a minimum, the Eagles offense should be in decent shape. Receivers Jacory Stone and Tyler Jones are both playmakers who can make things happen. That means even if Schmitt is having trouble getting the ball down field, he can still put it in the hands of Stone and Jones and they will make things happen. The team’s major weakness on offense was the ground game and the absence of Terrence Blevins will not make things any easier. Dwayne Priest will have to carry the load.

Eastern Michigan’s Weakness:

The defense needs help and getting Coach English on board should immediately provide that help. If the line can actually get into the backfield, this defense might not be so bad. Ends Brad Ohrman and Brandon Downs are back and Ohrman could be a superb pass rusher after a successful freshman campaign. Yet, the rush defense, which ranked 12 th in the conference in 2008, could be worse without tackle Josh Hunt and that is not good news. Linebackers Jermaine Jenkins and Andre Hatchett better help out with the run defense or the rest of the conference will run all over the Eagles. The pass defense was pretty good in 2008 and should be again with the return of corners Kevin Long and Arrington Hicks.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Eagles:

While Eastern Michigan had some decent wins in 2008, there is still room for improvement. The expectations should be getting higher and the team should be very happy to have Coach English on their side. The MAC West will be tough and Eastern Michigan will have to start at the bottom and work their way towards the top. It might take a little while, but most think that Eagles have the right man for the job.

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