Ready to go EMU Hunting?

Well Buffalo now sets up against what may be the two weakest teams in the MAC. But before you start slathering over the EMU and Akron games we finish our season with consider this; Ball State lost to EMU and came a hairs breath from losing to Akron.

This may be the perfect setting for senior day. Well not really, the perfect setting would be a bowl clinching scenario. But in lieu of of post season play a chance for the Seniors to help the younger Bulls get this ship righted before we sink to very bottom of the MAC.

Eastern Michigan has won just one game during the tenure of Coach Ron English but the squad has shown subtle improvement:

Yes, though it's (Progress) going slower than I had expected. My pre-season expectation for 2010 was 2-4 wins. The Eagles do still have a shot to get into that range on Saturday, but it's definitely not gone the way I'd hoped. Partly because English felt that it was necessary to "clean house" in the offseason -- 25 non-graduating players did not return from the 2009 team, partly due to players who didn't contribute as expected -- Carter Adler

First the Good News:

EMU, by an impressive margin, has the worst defense in the MAC. They have the 13th ranked Rushing Defense, Pass Efficiency Defense, Scoring Defense, Total Defense and they are 12th ranked in Passing (yards) defense. Te Eagles are also last in the league in sacks and tackles for loss. Their is a real opportunity here for UB to get its game together and move the ball. Their special teams also presents good(ish) news as they are as bad, if not worse, than UB's special teams.

Now the bad:

Alex Gillete is one of hte more mobile QB's in the conference. He does not have the ability to throw on the run as well as Chandler Harnish but his is more than capable of making defenders miss him. Raiser your hand if you can remember the last time the Bulls did well against a mobile QB? Yea me neither.

UB's front five really need to start showing something on offense. They have been working in this offense since the spring, they have 10 games behind them and they still look like they are moving in slow motion. Mr Adler's advice to our offense was Run, Run, Run... EMU is very soft against the run but how well has UB run against anybody this season?

UB has 119 per game and a huge chuck of that is QB scrambles or designed runs, this is not what you want to see on a team who's skill strength was supposed to come from a deep stable of experienced running backs. Ike Nduka is getting the start and a chance to erase a really disappointing senior season.

Nduka had more yards in just about every game last season than he has had over the course of five games this season. He did score UB's first rushing touchdown against Bowling Green but he also coughed up the ball with seconds left to allow the falcons a last second field goal attempt.

If the Bulls can run they will win this game. The defense is good enough to keep the Eagles within firing distance and the Eagles have let just about everybody run all over them this season.