2008 Eastern Michigan Eagles
Nov. 28
Eastern Michigan 56 …
Central Michigan 52
Andy Schmitt set an FBS record with 58 completions on 80 attempts for 516 yards
with five touchdown passes, but Tyler Jones didn’t catch any of them. All he did
was tie an FBS record with 23 catches for 170 yards. In the see-saw game, EMU’s
Terrence Blevins ran for two one-yard scores late in the third quarter, and then
the defense held on allowing a 38-yard Ontario Sneed touchdown run in the fourth
for the final points of the game. CMU had three more chances, but didn’t get a
first down in any of them. In all, the two teams combined for 1,171 yards of
total offense and 894 yards of passing. 13 different players scored touchdowns.
Player of the game:
Eastern Michigan QB Andy Schmitt completed an NCAA FBS
record 58-of-80 passes for 516 yards and five touchdowns with an interception,
while WR Tyler Jones tied an FBS record with 23 catches for 170 yards
Stat Leaders: Central Michigan - Passing: Dan LeFevour,
22-38, 378 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ontario Sneed, 11-97, 1 TD. Receiving: Antonio Brown,
7-172, 1 TD
Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt, 58-80, 516 yds, 5
TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DeAnthony White, 2-47. Receiving: Tyler Jones, 23-170
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The question is
obvious … what took the O so long? After a rough year with another losing
season, all of a sudden, the passing game has gone ballistic with Andy Schmitt
and Tyler Jones putting on a show. The defense has gone bye-bye, but that was
expected against Central Michigan, But to have such an up-tempo offense with so
many plays run so quickly and in such a rhythm, now there has to be a lot of
what-ifs around the program with Jeff Genyk already being handed his walking
papers. If nothing else, the new coaching staff will have some interesting
pieces to play around with.
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2008 EMU Preview
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2007 EMU
Season
2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 4-8
2007 Season: 3-9 Aug. 28
Indiana State W 52-0
Sept. 6 at Michigan State L 42-10
Sept. 13 Toledo L 41-17
Sept. 20 at Maryland L 51-24
Sept. 27 Northern Illinois
L 37-0
Oct. 4 at Bowling Green W 24-21
Oct. 11 at Army L 17-13
Oct. 18 Akron L 42-35
Oct. 25 at Ball State L 38-16
Nov. 1 at Western Mich L 31-10
Nov. 8 OPEN DATE
Nov. 15 OPEN DATE
Nov. 22 at Temple L 55-52
Nov. 28 Central Mich W 56-52 |
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2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 2-10
2007 Season: 4-8
Sept. 1 at Pitt L 27-3
Sept. 8
Ball
State L 38-16
Sept. 15 at No Illinois W 21-19
Sept. 22
Howard
W 38-15
Sept. 29 at Vanderbilt L 30-7
Oct. 6 at Michigan L 33-22
Oct. 13 at Ohio L 48-32
Oct. 19 Nwestern
L 26-14
Oct. 27
Western Mich W 19-2
Nov. 3 at Toledo L 52-28
Nov. 9
Bo. Green
L 39-32
Nov. 16 at CMU W 48-45 |
Nov. 28
Eastern Michigan 56 …
Central Michigan 52
Andy Schmitt set an FBS record with 58 completions on 80 attempts for 516 yards
with five touchdown passes, but Tyler Jones didn’t catch any of them. All he did
was tie an FBS record with 23 catches for 170 yards. In the see-saw game, EMU’s
Terrence Blevins ran for two one-yard scores late in the third quarter, and then
the defense held on allowing a 38-yard Ontario Sneed touchdown run in the fourth
for the final points of the game. CMU had three more chances, but didn’t get a
first down in any of them. In all, the two teams combined for 1,171 yards of
total offense and 894 yards of passing. 13 different players scored touchdowns.
Player of the game:
Eastern Michigan QB Andy Schmitt completed an NCAA FBS
record 58-of-80 passes for 516 yards and five touchdowns with an interception,
while WR Tyler Jones tied an FBS record with 23 catches for 170 yards
Stat Leaders: Central Michigan - Passing: Dan LeFevour,
22-38, 378 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ontario Sneed, 11-97, 1 TD. Receiving: Antonio Brown,
7-172, 1 TD
Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt, 58-80, 516 yds, 5
TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DeAnthony White, 2-47. Receiving: Tyler Jones, 23-170
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The question is
obvious … what took the O so long? After a rough year with another losing
season, all of a sudden, the passing game has gone ballistic with Andy Schmitt
and Tyler Jones putting on a show. The defense has gone bye-bye, but that was
expected against Central Michigan, But to have such an up-tempo offense with so
many plays run so quickly and in such a rhythm, now there has to be a lot of
what-ifs around the program with Jeff Genyk already being handed his walking
papers. If nothing else, the new coaching staff will have some interesting
pieces to play around with.
Nov. 22
Temple 55 … Eastern
Michigan 52
Temple QB Adam DiMichele
threw a school-record six touchdown passes and ran for a score, but Eastern
Michigan wouldn’t go away as Andy Schmitt threw the ball 76 times with three
touchdown passes and two fourth quarter scoring runs. Neither defense could come
up with a stop in the back and fourth shootout, highlighted by a wild fourth
quarter with 49 points scored. A two-yard Dwayne Priest touchdown run pulled EMU
within three with under four minutes to play, but DiMichele connected with Jason
Harper for a 45-yard score to put the game away.
Player of the game:
Temple WR Bruce Francis caught nine passes for 125
yards and four touchdowns. EMU’s Tyler Jones and Jacory Stone combined for 35
catches for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a losing cause.
Stat Leaders: Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt,
50-76, 484 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Andy Schmitt, 7-20, 2 TD. Receiving: Jacory Stone,
18-152, 1 TD
Temple - Passing: Adam DiMichele, 21-37, 370 yds, 6 TD
Rushing: Joe Jones, 13-31. Receiving: Bruce Francis, 9-125, 4 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The end of the Jeff
Genyk era is a must. The wins just weren’t coming, and while Genyk’s teams
always played hard and came close time after time after time, the wins simply
weren’t there. The loss to Temple didn’t seal the deal, but it didn’t help the
cause. Going into next year, the new coaching staff will have a weapon to work
with in QB Andy Schmitt, who should be one of the league’s best passers next
year even with Nate Davis and Dan LeFevour back.
Nov. 1
Western Michigan 31 …
Eastern Michigan 10
Tim Hiller threw three touchdown passes and Brandon West ran for 166 yards and a
one-yard score as Western Michigan overcame a sloppy game to get by EMU. The
Broncos turned it over three times and committed 11 penalties, but Eastern
Michigan wasn’t able to take advantage only managing a 19-yard Terrence Blevins
touchdown run in the second and a 28-yard field goal in the third. WMU pulled
away with a good fourth quarter with Branden Ledbetter putting it away with a
34-yard catch.
Player of the game:
Western Michigan QB Tim Hiller completed 24-of-36
passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt,
21-35, 272 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Terrence Blevins, 15-52, 1 TD. Receiving: Jacory Stone,
6-85
Western Michigan - Passing: Tim Hiller, 24-36, 339 yds, 3
TD
Rushing: Brandon West, 29-166, 1 TD. Receiving: Schneider Julien,
10-90, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Andy Schmitt came
up with a decent day against Western Michigan, but the yards didn’t turn into
points with the offense failing to take advantage of several breaks and a few
good drives went for naught. The defense failed to step up with a really big
stop early to take control of the game, and every time the offense did something
positive, there was a problem with the defense to screw it all up. With two
weeks off before finishing up the season, there will be plenty of time to tinker
before the Temple game, and there will be plenty of speculation about head coach
Jeff Genyk’s future.
Oct. 25
Ball State 38 … Eastern
Michigan 16
Ball State jumped out to a 24-0 lead on two Nate Davis touchdown passes and a
wide open four-yard scoring grab on a receiver pass from Briggs Orsbon. Eastern
Michigan fought to get back in it with two short Andy Schmitt touchdown throws,
but a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown from Trey Buice ended any
comeback hopes.
Player of the game:
Ball State SS Sean Baker made 12 tackles with 1.5
tackles for loss and two broken up passes
Stat Leaders: Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt,
28-49, 309 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Terrence Blevins, 13-33. Receiving: Tyler Jones, 11-120,
1 TD
Ball State - Passing: Nate Davis, 17-31, 241 yds, 2 TD, 1
INT
Rushing: MiQuale Lewis, 10-75, 1 TD. Receiving: Madaris Grant,
5-92
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Andy Schmitt did a
good job of getting the passing game moving against Ball State, but he didn’t
run very much, just three times, suggesting that he can’t take many shots. That
means more is needed from Terrence Blevins and the running game, but the
offensive line didn’t get enough of a push to make it happen. With road trips
against Western Michigan and Temple ahead, the Eagles have to avoid the
turnovers that plagued them against BSU, and the offense needs to be more
balanced.
Oct. 18
Akron 42 … Eastern
Michigan 35
In a wild finish, EMU got the lead on a six-yard Josh LeDuc touchdown catch with
just under four minutes to play, and LeDuc appeared to save the one-point lead
with a blocked field goal with 39 seconds remaining. However, Akron recovered
and got the ball down to the five-yard line leading to a four-yard Dennis
Kennedy touchdown run with 14 seconds to play. Kennedy finished with 277 yards
rushing with three touchdown runs to offset a big day from EMU QB Andy Schmitt,
who threw three touchdown passes to go along with two short Terrence Blevins
scoring runs. The two teams combined for 1.017 yards.
Player of the game:
Akron RB Dennis Kennedy ran 25 times for 277 yards and
three touchdowns and caught a pass or 15 yards
Stat Leaders: Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt,
22-34, 258 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Terrence Blevins, 21-91, 2 TD. Receiving: Jacory Stone,
7-109
Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain, 11-19, 208 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 25-277, 3 TD. Receiving: Andre Jones,
5-114, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... EMU moved the ball well on
Akron thanks to a near-perfect balance. Andy Schmitt threw well, especially on
third downs, and Terrence Blevins was able to generate a little production on
the ground. The defense even did its part late, but was a victim of bad luck on
a strange blocked kick that set up the Akron game-winning touchdown. On a
two-game losing streak, it’ll be a stretch to win another game with road trips
against Ball State, Western Michigan and Temple up next before facing Central
Michigan.
Oct. 11
Army 17 … Eastern
Michigan 13
Army’s running game rolled for 341 yards with Wesley McMahand running for a
13-yard touchdown in the first quarter and Chip Bowden getting the game-winner
in the fourth quarter from nine yards out. EMU got all its points in the second
quarter, highlighted by a five-yard Terence Blevins run, but couldn’t put any
points on the board in the second half.
Player of the game:
Army RB Collin Mooney ran 29 times for 229 yards
Stat Leaders: Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt,
12-29, 138
Rushing: Dwayne Priest, 17-118. Receiving: Jacory Stone, 4-17
Army - Passing: Chip Bowden, 0-3
Rushing: Collin Mooney, 29-229. Receiving: None
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Andy Schmitt
struggled against a mediocre Army defense. Still banged up, he didn’t run much
leaving the ground game to Dwayne Priest. Meanwhile, the Eagle defense couldn’t
handle the power running of Collin Mooney. When things aren’t going well, EMU
has to take advantage of every opportunity, but the team couldn’t control the
game after recovering two fumbles.
Oct. 4
Eastern
Michigan 24 … Bowling Green 21
Eastern Michigan went 77 yards in 45 seconds with Tyler Jones catching a 16-yard
touchdown pass with 36 seconds to play to pull off the upset. In the see-saw
game, Tyler Sheehan threw two touchdown passes, including a 46-yarder to Adrian
Hodges, and ran for an eight-yard score for Bowling Green. EMU managed 410 yards
of total offense with Dwayne Priest running for a 12-yard touchdown in the third
quarter and Terrence Blevins running for a one-yard score in the second.
Player of the game: Eastern Michigan QB Andy Schmitt completed 21-of-29
passes for 253 yards and a touchdown, and ran four times for 22 yards
Stat Leaders: Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan,
27-34, 297 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Anthony Turner, 8-55. Receiving: Corey Partridge, 6-60
Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt, 21-29, 253 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Tyler Jones, 13-60. Receiving: Jacory Stone, 6-81
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
The offense took on a
completely different look against Bowling Green with Andy Schmitt at the helm.
Trying to play through a shoulder injury, he didn’t run too often, but he
completed 21-of-29 passes and led the way to the game-winning drive in the final
minutes when the team needed him to come through. There was a good
spread-the-wealth running game with Schmitt only running four times for 22
yards. Now the team needs to build on this win with a trip to Army up next. It’s
part two of an ugly stretch of five road games in six dates.
Sept. 27
Northern Illinois 37 … Eastern Michigan 0
True freshman Me’Co Brown ran for a 26-yard touchdown, DeMarcus Grady, Marcus
Perez, and Justin Anderson added short scoring runs, and Kyle Skarb caught a
four-yard touchdown pass as Northern Illinois rolled to a shut out win. Eastern
Michigan, who lost starting QB Kyle McMahon early in the game to a shoulder
problem, moved the ball a bit, but stalled on drive after drive and missed a
field goal among other scoring chances.
Player of the game: Northern Illinois RB Me’co Brown had 17 carries for
111 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Northern Illinois - Passing: Dan
Nicholson, 11-15, 92 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Me’co Brown, 17-111, 1 TD. Receiving: Greg Turner, 5-24
Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt, 21-37, 140 yds, 1
INT
Rushing: Kyle McMahon, 2-32. Receiving: Jacory Stone, 9-98
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
EMU needs to get a healthy quarterback. Kyle McMahon got knocked out
early against Northern Illinois with a shoulder problem meaning banged up Andy
Schmitt had to come into the game. The offense couldn’t generate the big plays
needed to keep drives moving, and there weren’t any clutch plays when the
scoring chances were there. The defense is going to be decent, but not great.
The offense will have to learn how to keep up.
Sept. 20
Maryland 51 …Eastern Michigan 24
Maryland rolled out to a nearly 17-0 lead on two short Morgan Green touchdown
runs, and then Darrius Heyward-Bey went to work catching a 32–yard touchdown
pass and running for 81 yards on two plays to set up scores. Eastern Michigan
hung around into the fourth quarter with Kyle McMahon connecting with Jacory
Stone for a two-yard touchdown pass to pull within 13, but the Terps put it away
as WR Danny Oquendo found Isaiah Williams for a 43-yard score. Backup Maryland
QB Josh Portis led all runners with 98 yards and an eight-yard touchdown.
Player of the game:.Maryland QB Chris Turner completed 15-of-23 passes for
212 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions
Stat Leaders: Eastern Michigan - Passing: Kyle McMahon, 25-37,
278 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Terrence Blevins, 10-61, 1 TD. Receiving: Jacory
Stone, 9-76, 1 TD
Maryland - Passing: Chris Turner, 15-23, 212 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Josh Portis, 9-98, 1 TD. Receiving: Danny Oquendo,
3-38
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Kyle McMahon came in
against Maryland and added a little spark of life. With Andy Schmitt out,
McMahon picked up the slack with 278 yards and two touchdowns, but he threw two
interceptions and he didn’t add the running element Schmitt provides. Now comes
the real battle with Northern Illinois up next to get back into MAC play.
That’ll be a must-win home game with five road games in the next six to follow.
Sept. 13
Toledo
41 … Eastern Michigan 17
In lousy playing conditions, Toledo’s rushing offense controlled the game with
233 yards. DaJuane Collins ran for two touchdown runs in the first quarter and
Stephen Williams caught scoring passes from 29 and 11 yards out in the third
quarter. Down 41-7, Eastern Michigan managed 10 fourth quarter points with
Terrence Blevins getting his second short touchdown run of the game.
Player of the game: Toledo RB DaJuane Collins ran for 168 yards and two
touchdowns on 19 carries.
Stat Leaders: Toledo - Passing: Aaron Opelt, 8-18, 114 yds, 3
TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: DaJuane Collins, 19-168, 2 TDs. Receiving: Stephen
Williams, 3-48, 2 TDs
Eastern Michigan - Passing: Kyle McMahon, 11-18, 128 yds, 1
INT
Rushing: Dwayne Priest, 13-80. Receiving: Jacory Stone, 5-72
Whoopty doo. What
does it all mean, Basil? ...
Eastern Michigan didn’t get
nearly enough from the passing game against Toledo. The weather was bad, and the
game was all about running the ball, but Andy Schmitt and Kyle McMahon each
struggled. Five turnovers and eight penalties helped to make the game a rout,
but mostly, EMU couldn’t keep up the pace.
Sept. 6
Michigan State 42 ...
Eastern Michigan 10
Javon Ringer ran for five touchdowns, and he lost a fumble on a sure-thing
sixth, as Michigan State was never threatened. Eastern Michigan tied the game at
seven early in the second quarter on a three-yard Andy Schmitt run, but only
managed a 24-yard Joe Carithers field goal in the final minutes the rest of the
way. Ashton Leggett added a four-yard touchdown run for the Spartans.
Player of the game: Michigan State RB Javon Ringer ran 34 times for 135
yards and five touchdowns
Rushing: Terrence Blevins, 9-54. Receiving: Tyler Jones, 5-45
Michigan State - Passing: Brian Hoyer, 8-12, 148 yds
Rushing: Javon Ringer, 34-135, 5 TD. Receiving: B.J. Cunningham,
3-76
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Michigan State is
solid defensively, but Eastern Michigan has too much experience to struggle so
badly in the passing game. There were 215 yards between Andy Schmitt and Kyle
McMahon, but the two combined to complete just 14 of 31 passes. Schmitt has to
be more efficient and far better at getting the chains moving next week against
Toledo. EMU has to be able to keep up in shootouts.
Aug.
28
Eastern Michigan 52 ...
Indiana State 0
Eastern Michigan cranked out 424 rushing yards with Terrence Blevins kicking
things off with touchdown runs from four and 61 yards out in the first quarter.
Andy Schmitt ran for a 16-yard score and connected with Tyler Jones for a
14-yard touchdown, while Dwayne Priest ran for two short scores. ISU had a
chance to score late in the first half, but the field goal attempt was blocked.
Player of the game:
Eastern Michigan RB Terrence Blevins ran 21 times for
176 yards and two touchdowns, and caught three passes for 12 yards
Stat Leaders: Indiana State - Passing: Calvin Schmidtke,
4-15, 49 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Darrius Gates, 10-61. Receiving: Ryan Patrick, 2-21
Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt, 15-20, 160 yds, 1
TD
Rushing: Terrence Blevins, 21-176, 2 TD. Receiving: Jacory Stone,
5-46
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Eastern Michigan
wanted to kick off the season by establishing the running game, and it did that
and them some against Indiana State. However, don't be too fooled by the final
numbers in the 52-0 blowout, the Sycamores might be the nation's worst FCS team.
It'll take a balanced offense to hang around with Michigan State next week, but
for now, this is a great first step that showed just how far the program has
come when it comes to the ground game.
2008 Recruiting Class
Star of the Class
Eric Morrison DB 5-10 185 Fr.
Charleston, W.Va.-George Washington-Fork Union Academy
All-State selection as a senior at George Washington H.S. in Charleston, W.Va....Helped
lead Fork Union to a 9-2 record in 2007.
Potential Instant Impact Players
Jon Pryor DB 5-9 175 Fr.
Monroeville, Pa.-Gateway
As a senior he recorded 31 tackles and had two interceptions before missing six
games with a broken collarbone...Also played wide receiver with eight catches
for 135 yards and a touchdown...Named All-Conference and was a member of the
West squad for the state of Pennsylvania’s East-West All-Star game...Singled out
by ESPN for the play of the month in November 2007 when he helped Gateway score
a touchdown on a hook-and-lateral play that helped force overtime in the WPIAL
Class AAAA championship game at Heinz Field.
Dominique Sherrer RB 5-11 190
Fr. Cincinnati, Ohio-Colerain
Named first-team Division I All-State by the AP ...Ran for 1,443 yards with 29
touchdowns as a senior...Averaged 111 yards a game and 6.99 yards per
carry...Also caught four passes for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Rest of the Class
Alex Beierwalter QB 6-2 195 Fr.
Chesterton, Ind.-Chesterton
Corey Brown RB 5-11 180 Fr. Troy, Ohio-Troy
Darrion Brown WR 6-0 185 Fr. West Chester, Ohio-Cincinnati Withrow
Juandez Brown QB 6-3 190 Fr. Cincinnati, Ohio-Cincinnati Withrow
Steve Brown LB 6-0 210 Fr. Palmyra, Va.-St. Anne’s Belfield-Fork Union Academy
L’shane Bynum LB 6-1 210 Fr. Taylor, Mich.-Truman
Kyle DeMaster LB 6-2 200 Fr. Macomb, Mich.-Dakota
David Dick, Jr. OL 6-3 220 Fr. New Carlisle, Ohio-Wayne
Ryan Kuhlman DL 6-4 235 Fr. Findlay, Ohio-Findlay
Scott MacLeod OL 6-7 295 Fr. Sterling Heights, Mich.-Warren DeLaSalle
Korey Neal OL 6-2 265 Fr. Bowie, Md.-St. John’s
Kyle Pollock TE 6-3 260 Jr. Grover Beach, Calif.-Arroyo Grande-
Allan Hancock (Calif.) J.C.
Javon Reese DL 6-3 220 Fr. Ft. Wayne, Ind.-Southside
Marcell Rose DB 5-9 180 Fr. Orlando, Fla.-Cyrpress Creek
Marvon Sanders WR 5-9 160 Fr. Ypsilanti, Mich.-Ypsilanti
Kalven Seilis DL 6-5 230 Fr. Holland Landing, Ontario, Can.-Huron
Heights
Drew Serruto DL 6-3 245 Fr. Dayton, Ohio-Centerville
Tyler Thomas RB 5-9 190 Fr. Jackson, Mich.-Jackson
Mark VanDenburgh OL 6-4 290 Fr. Chesterton, Ind.- Chesterton
Cory Watman OL 6-2 280 Fr. Queensville, Ontario, Can.-Huron
Heights
Josh Williams Ath. 6-1 210 Fr. Ortonville, Mich.-Brandon
Mike Zupancic LS 6-5 255 Fr. Trabuco Canyon, Calif.-Trabuco Hills
2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: There were several signs of life throughout
the season with the offense showing late in the year it could keep up in
a few shootouts. QB Andy Schmitt is a good veteran who knows the offense
and should come up with more big plays, while the defense has the
potential to be the best in the Jeff Genyk era with almost everyone
returning, including LB Daniel Holtzclaw. P Zach Johnson is back after
leading the nation's sixth best punting game.
Why to be grouchy: The D line struggled to get into the
backfield, and that was with an NFL-caliber tackle in Jason Jones and DE
Eric Young. Those two are gone. RB Pierre Walker came on over the last
four games to finally provide a spark to the running game, and now he's
done
The number one thing to work on is: Getting more from the passing
game. The graduation of Eric Deslauriers was bigger than it originally
seemed with nothing coming from the receivers. The line gave the
quarterbacks time, but there weren't any yards after the catch and there
wasn't anyone who threw a scare into defenses. With several good MAC
passing attacks to deal with, EMU will have to figure out how to keep up
the pace.
Biggest offensive loss: RB Pierre Walker
Biggest defensive loss: DT Jason Jones
Best returning offensive player: QB Andy Schmitt, Jr.
Best returning defensive player: LB Daniel Holtzclaw, Sr.
2007 Recap
Recap:
It was, to say the least, a strange year for Eastern Michigan, which beat
in-state rivals Central Michigan and Western Michigan to win the Michigan MAC
Trophy, yet won only two other times. In all, the Eagles felt pretty good about
their progress in 2007, improving by three games over the prior year and playing
well even when they lost. An opportunistic group, EMU was No. 2 in the league
in turnover margin, and surprisingly sound in the trenches, paving the way for a
monster finish from RB Pierre Walker.
Offensive Player of the Year: RB Pierre Walker
Defensive Player of the Year: LB Daniel Holtzclaw
Biggest Surprise: Beating Western Michigan was a surprise, but handling
Central Michigan, the eventual MAC champion, was a shocker. Rallying from a
38-28 deficit in the fourth quarter, Eastern Michigan got huge days on the
ground from Walker and QB Andy Schmitt to leave Mt. Pleasant with a
season-ending 48-45 upset.
Biggest Disappointment: A visit from Bowling Green on Nov. 9 was one that
got away for Eastern Michigan. The Eagles got off to a smoking start and ran
the ball extremely well, but blew leads three different times, the last one on a
Tyler Sheehan touchdown plunge late in the final quarter.
Looking Ahead: Through improved recruiting, Jeff Genyk has Eastern
Michigan gradually moving in a northerly direction. Assuming the Eagles develop
an adequate replacement for Walker and build on last year’s strides, a .500
record could be within reach in 2008.
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