CMU has key advantages over EMU
Central Michigan Life Sports Writer Matt Schoch breaks down Saturday’s CMU/Eastern Michigan game:
Quarterbacks: Junior Derrick Vickers has struggled recently, losing his last five starts. A youth movement, in the form of redshirt freshman Kent Smith, may be in order soon. Eastern QB Troy Edwards is not as elusive as some that CMU’s defense has seen, but is putting up good passing stats.
Advantage: EMU.
Runningbacks: Junior Terrence Jackson looks like he is back from a preseason ankle sprain. Robbie Mixon is 116 yards from his first 1,000-yard season. Eastern’s Ime Akpan is 58 yards from 1,000 but is questionable with a thigh injury.
Advantage: CMU.
Wide Receivers: Rob Turner played well last week but as a whole the receivers are struggling. Eagles senior Kevin Walter has set every career receiving record at his school but also is banged up with a shoulder injury.
Advantage: Push.
Tight Ends: Tory Humphrey dropped a key two-point conversion against Marshall and should respond strong. EMU co-captain Kevin Zureki is a two-year starter who is reliable.
Advantage: CMU.
Offensive Line: This unit was strong last week and has been aided by the return of Paul Brieger for CMU. Eastern’s line is a little undersized but is doing a good job of protecting Edwards.
Advantage: CMU.
Defensive Line: Senior defensive end Matt Reynolds has been playing strong as of late. The Eagles line is young and has only six sacks on the season. Vickers should have all day.
Advantage: CMU.
Linebackers: Senior Jovan Clarke is a legit All-MAC candidate and Anthony Tyus is back from an injury that kept him out of the Marshall game. Junior co-captain David Lusky leads Eastern with 92 tackles.
Advantage: CMU.
Secondary: CMU sophomore Jon Nelson played well last week and Ron Bartell has flourished in his starting cornerback role. Sophomore safety Jerry Gaines leads an Eagles unit that has struggled mightily this season.
Advantage: CMU.
Special Teams: Central missed an extra point last week. It seems like it’s something new every week. Eastern kicker Eric Klaban is 2-8 on the season on field goal attempts.
Advantage: Push.
Coaching: Mike DeBord needs his in-state victory to salvage a disappointing season. Eastern coach Jeff Woodruff is making the most of a difficult situation and is a couple years away from being fairly evaluated on his performance given his team’s lack of talent.
Advantage: Push.
Intangibles: Central comes in with a five-game losing streak while Eastern has won their last three at home. Eastern’s three wins are what was expected of their season and they are now playing with nothing to lose. On the other hand, CMU is under serious pressure for some immediate results. This pressure might be what keeps this game close.
Advantage: EMU.
Overall: Plain and simple, CMU and DeBord need this victory. Eastern came into the season as one of the lowest rated teams in the nation. This is the one MAC-West game that Central came into the season with an almost sure victory. A good road effort is necessary for the Chippewas. They’ll win, but not by much.
Schoch’s Prediction: CMU 38, EMU 31.
Life Sports Reporter Matt Schoch can be reached for comment at sports@cm-life.com.
