2011-2012 Football Previews – MAC Conference – Eastern Michigan Eagles
Eastern Michigan fans are hoping for some improvement from last year, but they can’t have set their sights too high.
Mid American Conference 2011-2012 Football Previews: Eastern Michigan Eagles
Head Coach: Ron English
2010 Record: 2-10
Eastern Michigan Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS: +15,000 (Part of Field)
Eastern Michigan Odds from JustBet to win MAC Championship: +2,200
E. Michigan Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>
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Remember, this is a team that has had 16 straight losing seasons. The Eagles went 2-10 last year, and they gave up 52 points or more on four different occasions.
It’s quite evident beneath the surface that Ron English is taking some steps to help this team get better in the future, but this is a project that is going to take some time.
Can Eastern Michigan give their fans something to cheer about this season?
Team Strengths:
Alex Gillett gives this team a solid signal caller under center. Gillett improved greatly throughout the season in 2010, and I would expect some more improvement from him this season. He has the tools to be successful, but indecision in the pocket has troubled him in the past. With a significant amount of time in the system, I expect Gillett to be pretty good this season.
The offensive line surprised quite a few people last year, and I think they’ll be solid again this season.
The Eagles were second in the MAC in rushing yards last year, and they only allowed 1.8 sacks per game. This is a veteran unit that should hold their own in 2011.
Team Weaknesses:
Where should we start? Even though Eastern Michigan appears to be improving slowly, this team has a multitude of weaknesses.
The secondary was horrendous last season, and I see little reason to believe they’ll be much better this year. Eastern Michigan’s secondary came up with a two measly interceptions all of last year, and they gave up yards by the boatload. Two of their four starters in the secondary are gone from last season, and there will be inexperience on the field early and often for the Eagles secondary.
The Eastern Michigan defensive line has been terrible for several years in a row. The problem here is that they haven’t been doing anything well. They are dominated off the ball when the opposition runs the football, and they can’t get any pressure on the opposing quarterback on passing plays.
The secondary isn’t very good, but it doesn’t help that Eastern Michigan ranked 118th out of 120 teams in the nation in sacks per game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Gillett has the tools to be a productive quarterback, but there might be a shortage of talent around him. The Eagles lost their top running back as well as their top receiver from a year ago.
Gillett isn’t good enough to do it by himself, so the Eagles will need to have some other skill position players step up and make an impact.
2011-2012 Eastern Michigan Football Prediction: 3-9
Eastern Michigan better pick up a win or two in the first couple weeks because their schedule gets tougher fast after a couple easy opponents to start the season. After hosting Howard and Alabama State, the Eagles must travel to play at Penn State and Michigan in back-to-back weeks in week three and four.
This defense won’t scare the opposition at all, and the offense still has a lot of holes as well. The talent level is slowly improving at Eastern Michigan, but don’t look for a stunning season from the Eagles in 2011.
They might be able to pick up one extra win over last year’s total, but that will probably be about it.
2011 Eastern Michigan Eagles Schedule
9/3/11 12:00 PM ET HOW
9/10/11 12:00 PM ET ASU
9/17/11 12:00 PM ET @MICH
9/24/11 12:00 PM ET @PENST
10/1/11 12:00 PM ET AKR
10/8/11 12:00 PM ET @TOL
10/15/11 12:00 PM ET @CMICH
10/22/11 12:00 PM ET WMICH
11/5/11 12:00 PM ET BALST
11/12/11 12:00 PM ET BUFF
11/19/11 12:00 PM ET @KENST
11/25/11 12:00 PM ET @NOILL
