By John Agovino Aug 21, 2007, 16:35 GMT
OFFENSE: The EMU offense was grounded last season, as the team averaged a mere 13.9 ppg and only 276.3 ypg. Only six players from a year ago return, so do not expect much improvement from the Eagles this year. Andy Schmitt and Tyler Jones both spent time under center last year, but as of now it seems as if Schmitt has the edge. Last year, Schmitt only tossed two touchdowns against six interceptions, but he did complete 61.5 percent of his passes for 1,182 yards. Regardless of who is taking snaps, he is going to have a tough time finding receivers down field, as the team heads into the season with few experienced wideouts. Travis Lewis is perhaps the best of the bunch, but he is coming off a season in which he caught just 10 balls for 89 yards and one score. Other than Lewis there are a few sophomores who will push for playing time, most notably Nate Beard and Trevor Hoover. The ground game is not much better as the two leading runners last year were both QBs. Schmitt led the way with 461 yards and four scores, while Jones added 310 yards and also found the end zone four times. Pierre Walker started some games last season, but suffered a tough injury that ended his year. However, he is back and will battle freshman Dwayne Priest for the starting nod.
DEFENSE: Eight starters from a year ago are back on the EMU defense, however, the players returning were part of a unit that allowed 26.8 ppg and 201.3 ypg on the ground. The good news is three of the four starters up front are back, so hopefully there will be improvement. The team did lose Kevin Howe, but Eric Young is quick off the end and Jason Jones has the ability to stuff the run. Overall the unit is a bit small, so the line could still struggle against the run. The linebacking corps is the best part of this defense as Darran Matthews and Daniel Holtzclaw are terrific two-year starters with big-play ability and sophomore Andre Hatchett should fill in nicely on the weakside. Cornerback could be an issue for EMU as the team is hoping to replace Duan Bracey and Blake Smith. Look for Julius Brown and Derrick Hunter to man the corners and team with impressive safeties Jacob Wyatt and Chris May to give the Eagles a decent secondary.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The loss of star kicker Andrew Wellock will surely hurt, but the team is hoping freshman Sean Dutcher can make fans forget about possibly the best kicker to ever wear an Eagles jersey. Punter Zach Johnson is as solid as they come and is one of the top punters in the conference.
OUTLOOK: After going 1-11 in '06 it would be nice to take a step forward, however, in the case of EMU that is going to be very difficult. The Eagles have few playmakers on the offensive side and the defensive front will likely struggle against the run once again. Add to that the fact that the Eagles do not have a favorable schedule and it looks like another tough road to hoe for Genyk and his troops. The team will play seven road games and that is not including a game against Northwestern which will be played at a neutral site. After playing Howard at home on September 22nd, the team will remain on the road until October 27th when it hosts Western Michigan. Other than Howard, the Eagles have some extremely tough non-conference games, playing the likes of Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Michigan and Northwestern.
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