Rockets Face off Against Eagles ~More Feathers to Fly

This is not, as the saying goes, your father’s Eastern Michigan football team. Yes, they won one game this year snapping an 18-game losing streak a couple weeks ago. Yes, they are 1-8. But this group of Eagles, down 21 points, rallied to beat Ball State when the Cardinals had their offensive star Eric Williams playing. Williams did not travel to the Glass Bow last Saturday. EMU also put points (twenty of them) on the scoreboard in the Horseshoe, something the Rockets have not done in our last two meetings with the Buckeyes.

Second year coach Ron English is clearly building for the future part of which is paying dividends now. The Eagles are finding ways to move the ball and score. Against the Buckeyes, it was through the air. Against the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, it was on the ground racking up 290 net yards rushing.

The Eagles on Offense:
Sophomore QB Alex Gillett (6’1”, 205# from Clyde High School) gets the Eagles offense going. He’s the team’s leading rusher with 462 yards on 110 rushes (4.2 ypr). He ran for 189 yards and two touchdowns against Ball State. EMU’s second leading rusher RB Dwayne Priest is averaging 4.4 ypr on 86 rushes. Priest has not played since the Ohio University game on October 2nd. The Eagles may have found his replacement in the person of true freshman Javonti Greene (5’10”, 180#). Making his starting debut against UVA, Green had 155 yards on just eight carries. He had two rushing touchdowns on gallops of 55 and 53 yards. [EMU statisticians seem to have trouble picking him up as well as he is listed twice, once as Javontie Green.]

The offensive line, with only one change in the starters, has been good at helping the Eagles establish a running game. Dual tight ends are part of the Eagles package. The results are 161 yards per game on the ground with a dozen rushing TDs, one more than via the air.
Passing is not the Eagles’ strength but can be effective if the opposition focuses too much on the run. EMU’s preference is to run the ball and the clock to keep the game in hand. Gillett is completing a feather more than 55% of his passes with the team averaging just 172 yards per game via the pass. Gillett has thrown 10 TDs with 7 INTs.

Leading the receiving corps are sophomore WR Kinsman Thomas (6’2”, 205#) and senior TE Ben Thayer (6’4”, 240#), each with 20 receptions and four and three TD catches respectively. Thomas is averaging a hefty 20.3 ypr while Thayer is averaging more than 12 ypr. WR Tyrone Burke and TE Josh LeDuc are the other two Eagle receivers with double digit catches and an identical 8.1 ypr. LeDuc also threw a 71-yard TD pass to Thomas after taking a lateral from Gillett in their MAC opener at Miami.

The Eagles on Defense:
The Eagles’ run defense ranks 117th in the country and their passing defense is ranked 74th in the country with just 2 INTs.

The strength of EMU’s defense lies with its two LBs. SLB Tim Fort leads the team in total tackles (68) and TFL (4). WLB Neal Howey is second in tackles (61) and TFL (3). RCB Marcell Rose (5 passes defended and 1 INT) and FS Ryan Downard both have 44 tackles.
DE Javon Reese leads the Eagles with 3.5 of the team’s 9 sacks.

In reality, Coach English prefers that his defense stay off the field and let the offense run time off the clock.

Eagles Special Teams:
Missing his last two field goal attempts, sophomore Sean Graham was replaced by freshman Kody Fulkerson for the Virginia game and promptly missed a 28 yard attempt. Fulkerson handles the kickoff duties averaging 53.5 ypko putting the opponents in business starting at their own 35.

Aussie Jay Karantz, a rugby-style kicker, is averaging 40.4 ypp with his coverage unit allowing 7.5 yards per return.

What to Look For:
• Based on Ball State’s early and late success, look for the Eagles to mix in rushes by Greene and Gillett with quick passes down the seams to the tight end and slot receivers
• Javonti Greene (#32) lined up as a receiver to get the ball on a hand-off in a jet sweep right/left
• The jet sweep to set up a fake with QB Gillett keeping the ball running to the opposite side
• TE option pass with LeDuc
• At least one Rocket INT
• The Eagles to go for the first down on 4th down plays inside the Rockets 35 but outside of the red zone
• A punt return of more than 10 yards by Eric Page
• Quick pass plays to Javonti Greene to get him the ball in space
• A Rocket kickoff return into EMU territory
• Seven or more penalties on each team
• Rockets balanced attack will not allow EMU to move up in rush and pass defense stats
• How well the Rockets DE contain the sweep
• The first half to be closer than the current 14 point favorite Rockets would like
• A good crowd of Rocket Nation fans at Rynearson Stadium
• Listen for the siren early and often

GO ROCKETS!

Media Coverage
Live Internet audio coverage is available via RocketVision and WSPD.com

Audio also available on WEMU.org

Internet video coverage provided by All-MAC Access, RocketVision, and Eagles All-Access

Kickoff at 4:07 pm (ET)

Video provided by BCSN on tape delay

Current forecast: High of 54°F partly sunny turning partly cloudy in the evening with temps dropping into the upper 30s well after game is over; great afternoon for football.