Spring
Preview
2008
MAC Spring Football Previews
By
Pete Fiutak
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2007 MAC Spring Analysis
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2008
Early Lookaheads - MAC
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2008 MAC Insider Spring
Questions & Answers
East
Akron
The early spring buzz ... The big news is about a building more
than the team. Construction is underway
to create what should be the MAC's top
place to play with a $61.5 million
on-campus stadium being built for the
2009 season. If you were attached to the
old Rubber Bowl, enjoy its final season
before it gets tossed aside. On the
field, head coach J.D. Brookhart came up
with his second straight strong
recruiting class, and now the
expectations are growing for what should
be one of the league's premier programs
over the next few years.
The big spring question is ... Will the offense finally get
going? It was painful at times last year
and rarely consistent, so the focus this
spring will be on finding something the
attack can do well. Finding a No. 1
receiver to take the place of Jabari
Arthur is vital, but getting the running
game going will be just as important.
The most important position to watch is ... Quarterback. The
two quarterback system using Carlton Jackson and Chris Jacquemain
didn't work. Jackson ran well, but
struggled way too much with his passing,
while Jacquemain had his passing
moments, didn't run, and threw way too
many interceptions. The offensive line
will be solid, and the protection should
be there, so now the passing has to come
around. The Zips can't be last in the
league in passing efficiency again.
Spring attitude... Win the close games. The Zips had a
disappointing 4-8 season, but going with
the season-is-half-full approach, Akron
lost three second half games by seven
points or fewer including two at home.
Pull those three games off and it's a
7-5 season. The East is winnable, and if
the offense comes around, this could be
the league's big turnaround team.
Bowling Green
The early spring buzz ... The coaching staff lost a key
figure, but is keeping the main man.
Head coach Gregg Brandon was signed on
for another three years and is under
contract until 2011. Of course, he'll
still be a hot name for several coaching
vacancies over the next few seasons, but
at least there's a little bit of
stability for a program that's not going
to want to eat the contract if there's
one down year. Offensive coordinator
Mick McCall left for Northwestern, but
former Buffalo head coach Jim Hofher was
brought aboard to handle the
quarterbacks.
The big spring question is ... What was that? An excellent 8-5
season ended up going into the tank with
a 63-7 loss to Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl,
and now the team has to show it has more
to work with than just a good passing
offense. Nothing else seemed to work
last year outside of QB Tyler Sheehan,
but that was good enough to get by in a
mediocre MAC. The Falcons need to
improve everywhere to have a shot at
winning the East.
The most important position to watch is ... Quarterback. Huh?
All Sheehan did was throw for 3,264
yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11
interceptions, with five coming in one
game, and just two in the final eight
games. Just when it seems like he's a
franchise passer to build the program
around over the next few years, in comes
Andrew Beam, one of the biggest recruits
from this year's class. The top JUCO
transfer is planning on coming in and
competing right away for the starting
job, so if Sheehan slips at all this
spring, it could be a very interesting
summer.
Spring attitude... Get nastier on defense and special teams.
The offense will turn out to be fine no
matter who's running it, but there's a
ceiling on how high the Falcons can go
unless the defense can start stopping
someone's running game. The line has to
get into the backfield more, the punting
game has to improve the field position
on a regular basis, and the team could
use more from the ground game. Outside
of that, everything's peachy.
Buffalo
Spring Practice
Begins: March 21 Game: April 14
The early spring buzz ... Turner Gill is still the head football
coach. He was in the running for the
Nebraska job, but got passed over for Bo
Pelini and was never really considered
for any of the other openings. After a
stunningly strong season, with the team
coming up with a 5-7 record, and a piece
of the MAC East title, despite not
really playing all that well
offensively. Gill did a fantastic job
and isn't long for UB, but his contract
was extended through 2012 in a showing
of commitment from the athletic
department. The program has never been
stronger.
The big spring question is ... Is the team actually any good?
There's a ton of experience returning
with ten starters back on offense and
eight back on defense from the co-MAC
East championship team, but how's the
talent level? There's not a whole bunch
of talent from top to bottom, few
starters would see time on most other
teams, but it's far better than it was a
few years ago and there's enough skill
at key spots, like at quarterback,
running back and corner, to build
around.
The most important position to watch is ... Outside
linebacker. Everything else is in place
on defense except at outside linebacker
where Larry Hutchinson and Kareem Byrom,
two safety-sized playmakers who combined
for 172 tackles and 24 tackles for loss,
with Hutchinson coming up with 19 stops
behind the line. David Hubbard and Josh
Copeland were good reserves last season,
and now they have to show they're ready
for prime time.
Spring attitude... It's time to deal with the expectations.
Considering the success of last year and
the experience returning, anything other
than an East title will be a major
disappointment. There's no reason to set
the bar any lower, and if the young
players who were thrown to the wolves
turn into polished veterans, and if the
leaders play as well as expected, this
has to be considered among the league's
favorites and it means it's time to
think bowl game.
Kent State
The early spring buzz ... The coaching staff underwent a few
changes this winter with head man Doug
Martin moving offensive coordinator Zane
Vance to recruiting coordinator and
recruiting coordinator A.J. Pratt to
offensive coordinator. Martin will
relinquish his playcalling duties with
Pratt getting the reins, but he'll
continue to handle the quarterbacks.
Considering the offense had become too
reliant on the running game, a shakeup
was needed.
The big spring question is ... Will there actually be more
passing? Probably not right away, but
the goal will be to make the air attack
more efficient. The bread will still
likely be buttered by QB Julian Edelman
and RB Eugene Jarvis running the ball,
but there can't be so many problems and
predictability on third downs.
The most important position to watch is ... Quarterback.
Edelman, who was playing on a bum knee
to begin with, broke his arm, and then
Giorgio Morgan took over before tearing
up his knee. The offense went into the
tank after that. The two might not be
ready to go full-tilt until later this
summer, so if anyone else wants to show
up in the race for playing time, this
spring will be vital. If anyone can show
an ability to stretch the field, he'll
get a shot at the starting job.
Spring attitude... Blow off what happened over the second
half of last year. Kent State was 3-2
with the meat of the MAC schedule about
to kick in, but injuries became a
problem and the defense struggled as the
season went on. After finishing up with
seven straight losses, it might seem
like the program is on the downslide,
but there's plenty of experience on both
sides of the ball to come back roaring
and be one of the major players for the
East title.
Miami University
The early spring buzz ... The defending MAC East champions
(actually, co-champions along with
Buffalo) has more than enough on both
sides of the ball to repeat, and after a
fantastic recruiting class, the
expectations are for the RedHawks to be
even better. Sure, they played for the
MAC title, but they didn't go to a bowl
game because the offense floundered way
too often for the second season in a
row. Head coach Shane Montgomery sought
to change that in a big hurry with an
excellent recruiting class full of skill
players who'll be expected to challenge
right away for time. However ...
The big spring question is ... ... will the offensive line be
any better? The front five improved
after an abysmal 2006, but it wasn't
exactly a strength in pass protection
and in the ground game. Charlie Norden
needs to be replaced at left tackle and
center Steve Meister, arguably the
team's best lineman, is also gone, so
it's time for young players like Nate
Williams and Zachary Marshall to become
regulars. The skill players are in
place, but they need time.
The most important position to watch is ... Running back.
Again, the lack of production had a lot
to do with the offensive line, but the
running backs also need to be better.
With Austin Sykes, Cory Jones and
Brandon Murphy gone, the team's three
leading rushers, it'll be an open
casting call for a new No. 1 back with
Andre Bratton, the likely main man,
getting over a knee injury. True
freshman Dan Green and transfer Quincy
Landingham will get the first looks.
Spring attitude... Don't just win the East, dominate it. This
was an underwhelming six win team with
five of them coming by a grand total of
21 points and with only one blowout in a
47-14 victory over Bowling Green. With
one of the MAC's best defenses
returning, led by a fantastic
linebacking corps that can play with
anyone, and improvements to the offense,
anything less than a bowl appearance and
another East title, and outright one
this time, will be unacceptable.
Ohio
Spring Practice
Begins: March 26 Game: April 21
The early spring buzz ... Ohio wants to win and it wants to
win now. Head coach Frank Solich only
brought in four JUCO transfers, but
they're all expected to plug holes and
see be involved from day one. The
program isn't big on going the JUCO
route, but it had to or else risk
falling behind further and further in
the improving East. Boo Jackson was a
JUCO All-America quarterback, Hilton
Dawson is a ready-made free safety,
Patrick Tafua is a playmaker ready to
make an impact, and DT Corey Moncrief
will be around for spring practices and
has to take over one of the vacated
spots.
The big spring question is ... Can the offense go on without Kalvin
McRae? The great back carried the
offense throughout the last few years
with the passing game hitched along for
the ride. The air attack improved by
leaps and bounds last year, and was far
more efficient than it was in 2006, but
it was still McRae's offense when things
got tight. Now it'll be up to the
quarterbacks to make more plays, and
it'll be vital to find new rushing
options this spring.
The most important position to watch is ... Quarterback. Brad
Bower had a nice season, but he started
to get shoved aside late in the year.
Theo Scott got more and more time, but
he's hardly a lock to take over the No.
1 spot with Boo Jackson a top
dual-threat playmaker who didn't come to
Athens to sit on the bench. Brandon
Jones and Josh Febus are likely fighting
for the No. 3 job with the odd man out
likely to go elsewhere.
Spring attitude... East title or bust. Everyone in the East
has an honest shot of winning the title,
but Ohio has been the division's best
team over the last two years and is
loaded for another big run. The problem
spots appear to have been solved by the
recruiting class, while several
positions are loaded with solid
veterans.
Temple
Spring Practice
Begins: March 26 Game: April 21
The early spring buzz ... Al Golden is still the head coach, and not
at UCLA, and he brought in his third straight
loaded recruiting class to make Temple the MAC's
"it" team going into 2008. The needle is
pointing up for a program that made huge strides
last year and should have the league's most
talented team at the season goes on. Golden
might not be around much longer, and while that
might not be a plus, if he leads the team to a
special year and gets the wheels in motion for
the future, considering the program's recent
history, Owl fans won't complain ... too much.
The big spring question is ... Is QB Adam DiMichele healthy?
After battling Vaughn Charlton for the starting
job, DiMichele was great as he led the way to a
3-5 start with three MAC games to go. He went
down with a broken led, the offense produced ten
points in three of the final four games, and the
dream season was put off for at least one more
year. Charlton will still get plenty of reps,
but DiMichele needs to be back to his old form.
The most important position to watch is ... Offensive tackle.
All five starters return to a line that
struggled mightily in pass protection allowing
45 sacks and paving the way to a mere 93 rushing
yards per game. C Alex Derenthal is a strong
anchor to build around, and now it's up to
tackles Devin Tyler and Andre Douglas, or Jabari
Ferguson or Charles Smith, to start producing.
The improvement on the line is the key to the
season.
Spring attitude... Make the jump. After winning four games in
four years, the Owls took a big step winning
four games last year. With ten starters coming
back on offense and all 11 returning on D, and
with more instant assistance coming from the
recruiting class, there's reason to not just
hope for a good future, but to demand a possible
leap to 6-to-7 wins and be in the hunt for the
East title.
West
Ball State
Spring Practice
Begins: March 23 Game: April 21
The early spring buzz ... When you have one or two big seasons and
are able to showcase a specific position and
make it shine, you start to get noticed. Kelly
Page is the type of quarterback recruit who
you'd normally see going to a big BCS school,
and he gave some thought to going to Oregon,
along with Tulsa, but chose Ball State. Yeah,
the Ducks landed other quarterbacks and scared
Page off, but it was still a major coup for the
Cardinals to get a player of this caliber to
plan the offense around in a few years.
The big spring question is ... Will the defense be strong
enough to do what's needed to let the offense
win games? Nate Davis and the attack will be
among the best in the MAC and should put up huge
numbers, and now it's up to the defense to keep
opposing offenses from rolling up stats,
especially in the running game, like they did
last year. Eight starters return on defense,
with five coming back on the defensive front
seven, and now everyone has to be more physical
while getting into the backfield more.
The most important position to watch is ... Running back.
Davis is on the short list of the nation's best
passing quarterbacks, and the team will revolve
around pitching it around again, but it's not
like the ground game was ignored. Koreen Burch,
a true freshman buried on the depth chart,
became the main option late in the season, but
Frank Edmonds was the team's top rusher. Big
senior Will Bryant will also get a few carries.
Spring attitude... This is a program on the rise with a
loaded team that should be even better than the
7-6 2007 version that lost to Rutgers in the
International Bowl. There are MAC stars, a
superstar in Davis, and a fantastic coaching
staff in place to unseat Central Michigan in the
West. This is a strong year in the MAC with at
least seven teams that can honestly think about
winning the title, but Ball State is near the
top of the list.
Central Michigan
The early spring buzz ... The good: CMU was able to branch out a big
more in recruiting able to make good inroads in
Florida. No, this isn't a national recruiting
power, but after winning two straight MAC title
games with one of the nation's most exciting
offenses, high school players are starting to
take notice. The bad: two good weapons off last
years attack are gone. Duane Brooks would've
been the team's No. 2 receiver coming into the
year behind Bryan Anderson, but he chose to
leave for Stephen F. Austin to play quarterback.
Starting TE J.J. Watt wanted the ball more, so
he left for Wisconsin.
The big spring question is ... What the heck happened to the
defense? CMU wasn't just miserable on defense,
it was next-level bad finishing dead last in the
conference in total D, allowing 460 yards and 37
points per game. Everyone got to have fun
against this group, even with a slew of good
players like linebackers Red Keith and Ike Brown
along with tackle Steven Friend. Eight starters
are back, and step one is being able to generate
more of a pass rush to help out the secondary.
The run defense was fine, and should be decent,
but if the defensive front doesn't get into the
backfield more often, expect more fireworks.
The most important position to watch is ... Running back. The
secondary will need the most work, the
linebacking corps has the biggest holes to fill,
and more is needed from the punting game,
especially with Tony Mikulec gone, but the most
fun will come in the backfield where Ontario
Sneed is the best back, and is coming off an
ankle injury, Justin Hoskins was the team's
leading rusher, Marcel Archer is a productive
contributor when he got a chance, and Jahleel
Addae was the team's top recruit.
Spring attitude... After winning two in a row, any thing less
than a third straight MAC title will be a major
disaster. Dan LeFevour is still the league's
best player, joining Tim Tebow as the only
quarterbacks to run and throw for 20 touchdowns
in the same season, the O line will be among the
league's best, and the defense can't be any
worse. Everyone around the program is acting
like its the premier team in the league, and it
should.
Eastern Michigan
Spring Practice
Begins: March 10 Game: April 7
The early spring buzz ... Eastern Michigan might actually be good.
After years of being the MAC's doormat, the
Eagles played better than their 4-8 record might
indicate. Now the team is loaded with seven
starters returning on offense and eight on
defense, but just as important is the depth;
there's plenty of it. Unlike the last several
years, there are living, breathing options at
almost every position with the deepest team in
the Jeff Genyk era. Now it all has to lead to
wins.
The big spring question is ... Will there actually be more of
a passing game? The offense got rolling at the
end of the year, but that was mostly because the
running game started to roll as it cranked out
over 200 yards in each of the last four games.
Bumps and bruises were an issue throughout the
year, and the running of Andy Schmitt made the
team a bit one dimensional at times, but to be
more a player in the MAC race, the passing
attack has to get going.
The most important position to watch is ... The offensive
backfield. Schmitt was the man, having to carry
the offense at times, and is one of the league's
more intriguing dual threat players, but Kyle
McMahon is every bit the same athlete and has a
bigger arm. No matter who's under center, the
Eagles are set. The more vital position to worry
about is running back after losing Pierre
Walker. Terrence Blevins, a pounder, and Dwayne
Priest, a slasher, will get the first looks.
Spring attitude... Come up with a winning season. The team
has been competitive and started to come up with
a few close wins, unlike previous years, and now
it's time to get to at least six wins and be
more of a factor in the MAC race. There's too
much returning experience, there's too much
depth, and the coaching staff has been around
for too long for this to be the same old Eastern
Michigan that everyone has known and beaten.
Northern Illinois
The early spring buzz ... The school isn't exactly thinking about
football after the tragic killings brought the
university to a standstill. Just getting the
classes and the school rolling again is hard
enough, much less getting the football team on
track in a new era. The unfortunately named
Jerry Kill takes over after the good, but
disappointing Joe Novak era, and he plans on
cranking up the offensive intensity and getting
more out of the passing game.
The big spring question is ... Just how indicative of the
talent level was the 2-10 season? Probably not
much. NIU was one of the nation's most injured
teams, with a brutal array of problems on the
defensive front, while the offense never got on
track thanks to an inefficient passing game.
Nothing seemed to go right with turnovers, a
poor return game, and every bad break going the
wrong way contributed to the problems, but five
of the losses came by seven points or fewer,
including three by three or fewer. A little
better luck, and a little more production will
mean an instant turnaround.
The most important position to watch is ... Quarterback. RB
Justin Anderson is a 100-yard machine and will
be the centerpiece of the attack, but the
passing game has to be better. Dan Nicholson is
the team's best option, but he won't be ready
until the summer after suffering a shoulder
injury. Ryan Morris didn't show too much, but he
has good experience and a nice upside. Chandler
Harnish is an intriguing big bomber who'll get
a long look. With a new coaching staff, the job
might be open, and Nicholson might have to prove
himself all over again in fall camp.
Spring attitude... Worst to first. All 11 starters are back
on defense along with almost all the key
backups, while nine starters return on offense,
along with all the key reserves, so experience,
especially after several players were thrown to
the wolves, isn't going to be a problem. If the
team is able to win almost all the close games,
and the new coaching staff is able to bring a
new fire an enthusiasm to a program that was
stuck in a bit of a rut, hitting the ceiling
time and again, this could be a very, very
dangerous team.
Toledo
Spring Practice
Begins: March 16 Final Practice: April 16
The early spring buzz ... After a tremendous offensive season with
the Rockets leading the MAC with 448 yards per
game, the coaching staff was raided with
offensive coordinator John Shannon getting
snagged by Marshall and tight end coach Joe
Gilbert going to Houston to run the offensive
line. Considering the team is coming off two
straight losing seasons, the last thing it
needed was to mess with the positives
considering ...
The big spring question is ... ... what happened to the
defense? It's not like there isn't talent to
work around, SS Barry Church is special, FS
Lester Richmond can hit, and Walker Atkins is a
solid corner prospect, but they were all
sophomores. In fact, the entire secondary was
full of underclassmen, but that wasn't the
problem. There wasn't any pass rush and no plays
made in the backfield. The front six did
nothing, absolutely nothing against the run and
never generated any pressure. The coaching staff
went out and loaded up on defensive players in
the recruiting class with the hope of providing
more competition and more of a spark.
The most important position to watch is ... Running back.
Besides defensive end, with the hope of
unearthing a pass rusher, the key is the running
game after losing All-MAC star Jalen Parmele.
DaJuan Collins appears ready to step in after
rushing for 636 yards and seven touchdowns, but
is he ready to be special like Parmele? Gordon
Warner also needs to get involved to provide an
option for a good rotation.
Spring attitude... Win the West. It's been three years since
Toledo was in the MAC title discussion and two
years since the league's premier program, at
least the most consistent, had a winning season.
The coaching staff is too good and the talent
level is too strong to expect anything less than
a run to a possible championship. The conference
is much stronger, and it's not going to be easy,
but the Rockets have to be on the short list of
the true contenders if the defense comes around.
Western Michigan
Spring Practice
Begins: March 15 Final Practice: April 14
The early spring buzz ... 2008 looks like it's going to be fantastic
for the MAC with loaded team after loaded team
and experience all over the board. Add Western
Michigan to the mix. After a bizarre season with
19-2 loss to Eastern Michigan, three of the
seven losses by a total of seven points, and a
bowl-killing win over Iowa, the expectations are
sky-high with seven starters back on offense,
led by a terrific passing game, and all 11
starters returning to one of the league's best
defenses. Oh yeah, and all the returning
defensive starters are seniors. All of them.
The big spring question is ... What's missing? The running
game could stand to be better, but it'll be fine
with Brandon West and Glenis Thompson returning.
The offensive line needs to replace both
tackles, but that should turn out to be fine in
time. No, the issue is turnovers after giving
the ball away too often and too many inopportune
times. If the Broncos can improve the turnover
margin, they'll come up with a winning season.
To do that, the offense has to be tighter, and
the defense needs to get back to being the pass
rushing terror it was in 2006.
The most important position to watch is ... Offensive tackle.
James Blair and Matt Williams weren't great in
pass protection, but they were decent. Now
they're gone meaning big sophomore Anthony
Parker and athletic junior Andy Laue have to
show they're ready to produce. Considering QB
Tim Hiller isn't all that mobile and needs time
to operate, the quality of the line means
everything.
Spring attitude... Bring the noise. After Ameer Ismail and
company camped out in opposing backfields two
years ago, the defense wasn't as good at getting
into the backfield. Yes, the D was among the
best in the MAC in sacks and wasn't horrible at
making plays behind the line, but it wasn't the
same dangerous group the wreaked havoc on scared
offenses. With all the returning experience,
it's time to let the dogs loose.
