Turnovers, kicking game among keys as MU meets Eagles By MIKE SMITH Eastern Michigan seeks its fourth straight win, and the Miami RedHawks chase a MAC win Saturday when the two teams meet in Ypsilanti. The Eagles are one of two MAC teams with four wins in 2024, and MU lost to the other team (Toledo) last week. As was the case last week, there is a "good offense versus good defense" challenge to the matchup. Although the RedHawks' "D" hasn't performed to 2023 levels, it still ranks fifth among MAC teams in scoring defense after facing a very tough schedule through five outings. EMU, meanwhile, ranks second in scoring (32.4 ppg), one spot behind Toledo. The RedHawks and Eagles have battled . . . . . . 24 times, with Miami holding an 18-6 edge in the series. However, the Eagles prevailed in the two most recent meetings. They last met on Oct. 9, 2021. Although MU out-gained Eastern Michigan 285-257 on that day, the RedHawks settled for four field goals and EMU pulled out a 13-12 victory. EASTERN MICHIGAN (4-1, 1-0 MAC) has one loss on the campaign. That came in Week Two at Washington (30-9) and followed a season-opening win at UMass (28-14). Miami's only win (23-20) was against the Minutemen, although it took a game-tying field goal as regulation ended and game-winning boot in OT. >>> The Eagles were off last week but opened MAC play on a winning note Sept. 28 when they beat Kent State 52-33. The game was tied at 21-all early in the third quarter. However, EMU ran off 24 straight points to take control. >>> Eastern Michigan out-gained the hosts 489-446 overall. >>> EMU played turnover-free football while forcing three Kent State turnovers. The Eagles are plus-7 on turnovers for the season. >>> Former Buffalo Bulls QB Cole Snyder completed 26-of-33 pass attempts totaling 213 yards with one TD against KSU. His top targets were Terry Lockett Jr. (8 catches, 75 yards) and Oran Singleton (7 catches, 51 yards 1 TD). >>> Eastern Michigan recorded 49 rushes against Kent State, averaging 5.6 ypc. The Eagles totaled 276 yards and six TDs via the ground attack. >>> Delbert Mimms III (5-11, 220, Sr) led the way with 23 carries totaling 145 yards with two scores. >>> Should the Eagles defeat the RedHawks, it would mark EMU's best six-game start to a season since 1989 when the Eagles began 5-0-1. Additionally, Eastern would be riding a four-game winning streak for just the fourth time since 1988 (1993, 1994, and 2022). >>> EMU has won eight of its last nine home contests at Rynearson Stadium. >>> Kicker Jesus Gomez leads the MAC in several categories. He has connected on 12-of-14 field goal tries with a long of 57 yards. Those 12 makes are tied for second nationally. He was named MAC Special Teams Player of the Week in three straight weeks. >>> Luke Murphy, a former KSU player, led Eastern Michigan's defense against his old team. He was selected as MAC Defensive Player of the Week after recording eight tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery. Both turnover takes led to EMU touchdowns. >>> The 2024 roster looks quite different than the one that finished the 2023 campaign at the 68 Ventures Bowl. In total, the EMU coaching staff has brought in 52 new student-athletes, 28 of them via the transfer portal. MIAMI (1-4, 0-1 MAC) is coming off a 30-20 loss at Toledo. Much of the Rockets damage came early, as they used two short fields to score two first quarter touchdowns. The first was set up by a 32-yard punt return. The second came courtesy of a blocked punt. "Special teams was probably the difference in the early going. Those are humongous plays," Miami head coach Chuck Martin said. "We put out defense in a really tough situation." MU's only scores of the first half came on a pair of Dom Dzioban field goals (26, 35), and Toledo led 20-6 at the break. A Rocket field goal made it 23-6 before Miami scored its first road touchdown of 2024 on a 9-yard Brett Gabbert pass to Kevin Davis late in the third quarter. Both teams added a fourth quarter TD. "We outscore them 20-16 (after the early Toledo touchdowns). . . But it's a 60 minute game. Every play matters, (and) they dominated the first seven minutes, " Martin said. "We put ourselves in a hole and never quite got out of that hole." >>> Neither team was able to rush the ball very well. UT averaged just 2.1 ypc on a total of 78 yards. Miami ran for 54 yards, averaging 2.3 ypc on 23 runs. >>> Toledo passed for 318 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Miami totaled 296 yards through the air. Gabbert completed 23-of-46 passes with two touchdowns and a late interception. >>> One of the bright spots on the day was receiving. Cade McDonald had been the main contributor before Toledo and caught five more for 54 yards against the Rockets. However. Javon Tracy led MU receivers with 10 catches totaling 119 yards with one touchdown. He was the first RedHawk to have 10 catches in a game since Jack Sorenson did so versus Ohio in 2021. Reggie Virgil recorded four catches, good for 76 yards at Toledo. >>> Junior linebacker Corban Hondru had a big day against UT, registering a game-high 11 tackles and intercepting two pass. >>> The RedHawks offense ranks last/12th among teams in scoring (13.6 ppg). They are ninth in total offense (315.0 ypg), 10th in rushing (79.2 ypg) and fourth in passing (235.8 ypg). >>> Miami is fifth in scoring defense (23.6 ppg), seventh in total defense (379.4 ypg), seventh in rushing defense (176.8 ypg) and fourth in pass defense (202.6 ypg). >>> Dzioban had connected on 9-of-11 field goals this season. His long is from 47 yards. >>> While EMU is coming off a bye week, the RedHawks are plowing forward with a host of injuries. "We're not going to be any healthier this week than we were last week, and we were not very healthy (then)," Martin said. GAME KEYS:
>>> TURNOVERS -- Eastern Michigan is tied for seventh nationally in turnover margin (plus-7). Miami is tied for 81st (minus-1). All that is magnified by the fact that Miami's offense has struggled, especially on third down and in the redzone. In fact, several of its more untimely turnovers have come in the redzone. Quarterback Brett Gabbert has thrown five touchdowns and seven interceptions. The seven picks through five games (178 pass attempts) are more than he's had in any season except for 2019 (8 interceptions, 316 pass attempts). Ball security will also be important as EMU is second in the MAC with six forced fumbles. >>> SACKS/HURRIES -- Eastern Michigan leads the MAC with 16 sacks. Miami is last/12th with five. Given Miami's relatively inexperienced secondary, quarterback pressure is important. The RedHawk defense had one sack last week at Toledo, and Tucker Gleason threw for 318 yards with two TDs. "Our pass defense wasn't very good," said Martin, noting success in the Miami system calls for execution in both rush and coverage. Gleason did threw two interceptions, one of which came from a deflection. However, those were MU's first picks of the season. As for avoiding sacks on Gabbert, MU ranks 10th. The RedHawks have allowed 15 sacks so far. >>> RUSHING -- Eastern Michigan ranks fourth (MAC) in run defense, while Miami is 10th in run offense. The RedHawks' third down and redzone issues should improve if/when the run game improves. After some improvement against UMass two weeks ago, MU again struggled against Toledo's No. 1-ranked (MAC) rushing defense. >>> KICKING GAME -- Gomez is among the MAC's top kickers. With a long of 57 yards to his credit, EMU could be in field goal range shortly after crossing midfield. Any short field will probably mean points. It's just a matter of how many. Dzioban, meanwhile, has been pretty solid for Miami. His long is from 47 yards. Of course, there could be some concern with Miami's punt game. One boot was blocked and one was returned 32 yards last week. It's reasonable to think opponents will try to exploit any potential weaknesses. EMU is one of five FBS teams with two blocked punts this season. Both came Sept. 7 against Washington. Since 2016, no Mid-American Conference school has recorded more kick/punt blocks (19) than Eastern Michigan. Comments are closed.
|
Editor-Publisher Mike SmithMike grew up in Mid-American Conference football and basketball territory and returned there after military service. He has been covering MAC football and men's basketball for much of the last several decades. Archives
November 2024
Categories |
Proudly powered by Weebly