Eastern Michigan Eagles
Previous Season: 1-11 (0-8) 6th in West
Returning Starters: 8 OFF, 8 DEF, 2SP2016 Schedule
September:
2nd MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
10th @Missouri
17th @Charlotte
23rd WYOMING
October:
1st @Bowling Green
8th TOLEDO
15th @Ohio
22nd @Western Michigan
29th MIAMI (OH)
November:
8th @Ball State
15th NORTHERN ILLINOIS
22nd @Central Michigan
Hard times fell upon the beloved Eagles of Eastern Michigan last season. Spirits were high after they knocked off the Cowboys of Wyoming, but that joy was short lived. Ten consecutive losses followed that game and they were the cellar dwellers of the MAC with an atrocious 1-11 record. This followed up the previous year's 2-10 record to leave a less than impressive 3-21 record at the school for head coach Chris Creighton.
Things seemed to turn sour when the Eagles made the decision to boast the nations worst rushing defense. They gave up 316.5 yards per game, over 35 more than the next worst team. It's extremely difficult to find a nice thing to say about the defense, to be quite honest. They were in the bottom 7 nationally in yards per game allowed and gave up over 42 ppg., placing them in a tie for 5th worst nationally. They ranked 33rd in passing yards allowed, but that was largely due to the fact that they were trailing most of the time and they faced the least passes of anyone in the NCAA.
Offensively, they were middle of the pack, ranking 66th in passing offense and 84th in rushing offense. For a defense as subpar as theirs, they needed much more offensively. You can give up 42 ppg (I don't recommend it), but you have to score WELL over 25 ppg on your own. Luckily, they're bringing back a good majority of their team back and they'll have another year under their belt for the battles to come
Player to watch: Shaq Vann
With Darius Jackson lost to graduation, this is now Shaq Vann's offense to run. He turned in strong numbers as the backup last season and is poised to become the big dog of the backfield this season. All of Jackson's 208 carries and 16 touchdowns will be up for grabs and that has to sound like paradise to a young man who averaged a stellar 5.9 ypc in the 2015 campaign.
If you only watch them once, watch:
10/29 vs Miami (OH). This will be their best shot to end their conference losing streak of 20 games (should the season play out like I'm predicting). Last year they lost at Miami (OH) by a score of 13-28. One year wiser may not be enough, but if they're going to do it, this is the time to circle the wagons and get the troops fired up.
Season Prediction: 3-9 (0-8, MAC)
All my love,
@corbeech
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