2013 Eastern Mich Spring Football Analysis

Eastern Michigan Eagles 2013 ... Head Coach: Ron English

Eastern Michigan Eagles

2013 Schedule
8/31 Howard
9/7 at Penn State
9/14 at Rutgers
9/21 Ball State
9/28 OPEN DATE
10/5 at Buffalo
10/12 at Army
10/19 Ohio
10/26 at Northern Illinois
11/2 at Toledo
11/9 Western Michigan
11/16 OPEN DATE
11/23 Bowling Green
11/29 at Central Michigan

Why To Be Excited ... As bad as the 2-10 season might have been, there were a few signs of life here and there in close losses to decent teams like Toledo and Central Michigan. There might be miles to go to get back to being in the hunt for six wins, but Tyler Benz is a good-looking young quarterback who got his feet wet last year and running back Bronson Hill is a good back who should be in for a nice season if the passing game can take some of the heat off.

Why To Be Grouchy ... It’s going to be hard to get the ground game ramped up with three starters gone off the offensive line. The bigger issue is a defense that struggled to generate any semblance of a pass rush and was the worst in America against the run. Only five starters are back, and while the lost veterans didn’t get the job done, the lack of experience is going to be a problem early on. The entire starting linebacking corps has to be replaced.

What Needs Working On ... The defensive line has to be better and stronger after allowing a nation-worst 267 rushing yards per game and finishing next-to-last in sacks. Kalonju Kashama is back at one end but it’ll be up to juniors Cy Maughmer and Travis Linser in the interior to raise their level of play. With a brand new set of starting linebackers, the line has to do all the heavy lifting until the other parts of the defensive puzzle get in place. Giving up 34 rushing scores was a major step back after allowing just 12 in 2011.

Non-Conference Games: Howard, at Penn State, at Rutgers, at Army
Games Against The East: at Buffalo, Ohio, Bowling Green
Realistic Best Case Record: 5-7
Worst Case Record: 1-11
Likely Finish: 0-12

Pre-Preseason Projected Wins: Howard

Pre-Preseason Projected Losses: at Penn State, at Rutgers, Ball State, at Buffalo, at Army, Ohio, at Northern Illinois, at Toledo, Western Michigan, Bowling Green, at Central Michigan

Schedule Analysis: Where are the wins going to come from? The team should be better, but after starting out the season against Howard, it’s going to take a few upsets to have a decent season. Going on the road four times in five weeks and six times in eight should make it impossible to have any sort of success, and having Ball State and Ohio at home won’t be a help. Western Michigan and Bowling Green should be two of the MAC’s best teams, and closing out at Central Michigan will be tough. Getting two weeks to prepare for the Falcons should be a decent break, but will it help? If EMU finishes close to six wins, consider it a wildly successful season.

Team Concerns For 2013: The Eagles have to figure out the defense again after finishing dead last in the nation against the run partly because the pass rush was the worst in the conference and the plays in the backfield were almost non-existent. The D couldn't seem to stop anyone with an offense, while the EMU attack didn't have enough of a passing game to keep up the pace. Finishing last in the MAC in total offense and total defense equaled a 2-10 overall record, and having to replace six starters on defense means the team has to start from scratch in several areas. That might not be a bad thing.

The 2013 Class Is Heavy On ... Brogan Roback. There were some decent players brought in with corner Jaleel Canty an eventual No. 1 shutdown corner and end Deshai Powell the type of pass rush the team could've used last year, but quarterback Brogan Roback is the key get. With the talent to go anywhere in the MAC, and with some mild interest from the FBSers, he needs to be the signature star of the program in the near future. Brandon Bossard and David Pulliam are quarterback prospects who'll be there to get their shot in a few years in case Roback isn't up to snuff.

2012 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 79. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive line, defensive line, defensive line. After a stunning turnaround season, EMU and head coach Ron English is going after defensive linemen … again. The Eagles went hard after defensive linemen in the last few classes, and they’re going after even more with more athleticism, more options, and better depth. The offense isn’t being ignored, but outside of WR Quincy Jones, almost all the talent is for the D. 

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 111. That Class Was Heavy On ... JUCO defenders. After loading up for the defensive line over the last two recruiting classes, and with little to show for it, head coach Ron English is trying to win immediately with five JUCO transfers including linebackers Justin Cudworth, Blake Poole, and Sean Kurtz, who could all be immediate starters. However, the team’s best defensive pickup was true freshman Sean Cotton, a versatile safety who could’ve gone somewhere with a bigger profile.

re much bigger. 2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 116. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive Tackles. Ron English and his staff didn't exactly restock the shelves after a horrendous season, but there was an influx of immediate help for the defensive line with three JUCO transfers to throw into the interior. Jeremey Cutler is a 6-1, 275-pound fireplug, and he's the lightweight of the trio. 310-pound Jasper Grimes and 290-pound Jabar Westerman aren't considered star prospects, but they should help gum up the works.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 113. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive line. The last few classes have addressed the offense with a bulk of prospects coming in, and this year’s smallish class got a little bit of help on the ends. Melvin Crews is more of a tweener and Devon Davis should be moved to linebacker early on until he hits the weights, but Orlando McCord could grow into a player early on.